A nice poem/tribute to Robin Williams
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‘Aladdin’ Genie Voice Actor Performs Tribute to Robin Williams
The WrapAug 17, 2014 IB Jason Hughes Voice talent Jim Meskimen was touched by the loss of Robin Williams in a unique and personal way. Since 2008, he has been the voice of Disney’s Genie character from Aladdin, having voiced him in a series of Disney video games. Williams, of course, famously brought the Genie to life in the original Disney classic.
The character is one of Williams’s signature performances, leading Meskimen to wonder if he should continue voicing the character now that the actor who originated him has died. “I decided to write this poem, to work it out for myself, and to answer the question,” he said.
In Memory Of Robin Williams" by Jim Meskimen
They didn’t burn all the pianos When Fredrick Chopin died
Didn’t outlaw oil paints when Picasso took his final ride
No one put a stop to baseball When Mickey Mantle’s time was up
Or banned all Russian novels When Tolstoy went belly up
On Shakespeare’s death, nobody said “Now hath arrived the day — From this point hence let none dare Put forth pen to write a play!”
We celebrate what’s left By the departed, it’s our choice Yet it does seem sacriligeous To do Robin Williams’ voice
A voice that was designed to soothe, Soft, deep tones that resonate And cascade gently outward From behind a smiling face
A voice that could accelerate To catch up with the mind Like shifting into overdrive To not get left behind
A voice that could change character Like seconds on a clock Or hijack nationalities For a spin around the block
Shift age, shift viewpoint, shift I.Q., Whatever’s not nailed down Destroy, rebuild, destroy again, A formidable clown
We’ll hear this voice in future times In reruns on TV, It will occupy the world wide web Live on, digitally
We’ll hear its echoes come From other mouths and other lips In tributes and homages, and, Like psychedelic trips
We’ll think the owner’s back again With his familiar sound But they’ll all be imitations — Just an audible rebound
New jokes aren’t in the pipeline now, Not that the well went dry — But the jester who possessed this voice Just chose to say goodbye
With the wealth of joy he left us We should probably rejoice But it’s hard to grasp we lost the guy Who used to have this voice.
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It’s nice to know other people are at a loss comprehending Robin Williams’ passing. He’s just not the kind of person who dies.
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Really sad to hear about how depressed he was! We all need to make others day a little brighter.
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@Crimsonorblue22 I’m guilty of being " attitudinal " some times, but dang it - can you imagine how things would be if we all really treated each other the way we want to be treated?
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Great stuff. I’ll miss Robin Williams. RIP Funny man
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Agreed… He was one of a kind. One of my favorites… He’ll be missed, but what a legacy he leaves behind – laughter, happiness… When he performed, he seemed to have a tap to an energy source that was twice as big as the normal persons’.
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Incredibly talented actor and very troubled individual. Perhaps the best legacy he can leave is an increased awareness of depression, a condition that in one way or another touches just about every family in America, many time with tragic results.
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Someone sent me a link to Robin performing on Johnny Carson’s second to last broadcast. That tells me Johnny held Robin’s special talent in very high regard.
