David Mills, one of my husband’s oldest friends and colleagues, died yesterday after collapsing on the set of Treme where the two old friends were working together for — the fifth time? The sixth? It’s hard to quantify. They met at their college newspaper, then went on to work for newspapers in the same area. They co-wrote an episode of Homicide together, the one staring Robin Williams, and ended up being nominated for a WGA award. Legend has it that David Mills then said, “This television shit is easy” or words to that effect and went west. He wrote for a lot of television shows. He collaborated on The Corner, winning two Emmys. He created Kingpin, which I personally enjoyed the hell out of. I think I watched all six hours in one evening. He wrote for The Wire and, given his love of music, was an obvious fit for Treme.
Most of what I know about Mills I know from my husband. Mills wasn’t a person inclined to talk about himself. Hell, he wasn’t a person inclined to talk that much at all. But he was fearless when he did speak. He wasn’t afraid of disagreeing with people and he never took it personally when people disagreed with him.
This I learned on my own: He was a natural blogger. A few years ago, when I pruned way back on my bookmarks, stopped reading so many blogs, Undercover Black Man was one of the ones I kept. All of David’s passions were there — music, politics, calling out people on bullshit. His penultimate blog post was on Obama’s rhetoric — and it wasn’t flattering.
Condolences to you and to your SO. Horrible when friends are lost.
What a loss. My condolences to both you and David. This is horrible, especially after losing Robert Colesberry not that long ago.
The WashPost just issued this on line:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/31/AR2010033101772.html?wpisrc=nl_buzz
Few people seem to remember THE CORNER. But it was outstanding. Seldom has there been a better lead female performance. I was so sorry to hear about this.
Patti,
I wish I could remember the story in complete context, but Simon often taught a scene from The Corner, written by Mills, when he gave classes on writing for the screen. Gary and Ronnie, the off-again, on-again lovers/fiends have just been reunited after a particularly tempestuous break-up, in which she had him arrested, IIRC, on false charges because of a disagreement. I hope I get this right, but here’s the scene when the two meet again and reconcile.
Ronnie: Hey
I have gnawing feeling I didn’t get it exactly right, but you get the drift. There’s also a moment in The Corner when one fiend is sharing drugs and he gives some to the owner of the shooting gallery “because this is your domicile.” Again, Mills wrote that.
He was candid about not caring for fiction, however. It just wasn’t what he dug.
I knew David from our days working for the Washington TImes and we reunited again in Hollywood when he called me out of the blue (after seeing my first novel on the shelves at Borders in Westwood). He was everything you’ve said and more. I know how heartbroken I am (been crying all day and I don’t cry much) and I can’t imagine how David and you must feel. Thanks for posting this, Laura. As great a writer David was, he was an even better human being, so unique. We’ll never see the likes of him again. I’m going to miss the hell out of him.
I thought about you today, Elizabeth, because I knew you both were really tight from your DC days. And you played poker with him, too, IIRC. You probably knew him much better than I did because we had been brought together by a third party who was so much chattier than Mills ever was.
He was just such a good person, though. I encourage people to go back and read his blog for a recent Treme entry, in which a commenter named Thrasher just keeps criticizing and Mills rolls with it, refusing to get riled. In fact, much of it seems to crack him up.
Meanwhile, Romenesko has posted a letter that Mills once wrote about how newspapers often mis-identify African-Americans and it’s a classic, too.
There’s no real comfort at times like these, but seeing all the tributes to Mills has made me love the Internet today. Especially the KINGPIN love because I was totally on-board for that show. I mean, I f’loved it.
I’m in shock and pretty much devastated. I worked with David on Kingpin and then he took me with him to Warner Bros. where he mocked my blogging habit and encouraged me to write my first script. I still have the e-mail he sent me when he got the blogging bug too. I’m so glad he did because he was great at it.
There are no words to express how sad I am and how much I will miss him.
Sorry for your loss (our loss, it sounds like). I checked out his blog and saw that he loved Martin Short (my favorite little comedian) so he was indeed a good guy.
I’m sorry for your loss also. I remember the Robin Williams episode of Homicide. In fact, I have the complete Homicide. I think it is probably one of the top ten best TV shows ever. I loved it!
Laura – regrets are inevitable in a situation like this. I regret that I didn’t send him what I’m working on right now, something that he was pushing me to do. I wanted to wait until it was perfect so he wouldn’t make me do it over. Now I would give anything to hear his thoughts and that’s not going to happen.
I’m glad we still have his blog because it’s like being able to listen to him talk. He was laser beam smart and so mentally agile but, Elizabeth and I spoke last night about how reading his blog was like being able to hear his inner dialogue, like the color commentary of his life, and that’s what I liked best. I loved stuff like the peanut butter on chocolate cookies. Reading it now and re-reading our e-mail correspondence makes me feel the loss so much more acutely though.
I’m so happy that he was working with Simon again and loving it – the writing, the production, the music – the whole thing. He was really happy and that comforts me.
I’m so sorry for all of our loss.
David was like the silent assassin. He would lay in wait while you made your case about something important and then somewhere along the at this point one-person conversation, he would say “buulllllshit” and it would be on. God how he loved to take the other side’s side. HE loved every minute if being on Treme, it reminded him of his love for the tv game. If I get an comfort, it’s knowing he was in a good place. But still, so hard. He wanted me to visit him in NOLa and I didn’t get a chance and now … ah, fuck. You guys tell me what I can do, how I can help and i’ll be there. my blog address and contact above. RIP Davidelic. You were funk. period
love to David Simon, too. His grief must be enormous,
Susie,
If you ask me, exposing David Mills to blogging is akin to D. Simon asking him if he wanted to work on a script all those years ago. He really was exceptional in this form; it played to so many of his strengths. One of the things that made me smile a few months ago was seeing that one of my friends from the crime world, Dusty Rhodes, had linked to Undercover Black Man on Facebook. And now I’ve learned that Mills and Nancy Nall had some back-and-forth. As I said, it’s one of the few blogs I left bookmarked. I was thrilled when he found he couldn’t quit blogging.
So, here’s an inevitable regret. A couple of weeks ago, I was in New Orleans and the cast and crew came together to watch an episode that Mills had written. My SO said he was going to run down to the office, introduce it and come back. It was a beautiful day, so I decided to hang out on the porch with a book. The SO returned almost two hours later, saying he just had to stay to watch it with the assembled crowd because it was Mills’s ep and he was really happy with it.
Yes, it’s only a regret in hindsight. But isn’t that the nature of regret?
My sincerest condolences to you, your husband, and all of those close to David Mills. I knew him only through his work, which I have treasured for many years. He will not be forgotten.
And what a blog! I hope undercoverblackman stays up for awhile so I can read the entire thing. He must have been such a joy to know. Everyone’s loss.
Laura: Please give David all my best and prayers to all of you for this deep deep loss. I never got to meet David Mills in person, but when the obit popped up in my email notice the other day, I cried. Not kidding. When a great talent and great person leaves us, there’s a great big hole there.
Ihad planned to be in New Orleans in April, but can’t due to work commitments. I wish I could be there for you…email me at the yahoo address and we can talk.
Again, all my sorrows and all my joys go with you and David’s family…
I have to admit, I first thought of your David…then my middle aged brain kicked in and the last name registered. I still cried.
all my best, Becky Swets