This whole Charile Sheen meltdown in the most public way (including his new webcast/video and Twitter) is kinda like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You want to look away but you just can’t. Wow!
It’s intriguing to watch a guy who seemingly has/had everything just go into a rapid spiral and become a laughing-stock in the biggest way (nothing like going viral on the internets). One minute you feel a little sorry for the guy, and the next you just wonder how such a loser got to be so popular, ever.
Some interesting contrasts to be made between Conan O’Brien and Sheen. One went into a spin after being badly dealt with by a large media empire, but somehow managed to take the high road and end up in a very different place. In a media world, I don’t think it’s easy to play and win against the massive power these empires wield, even if you are just and right, and Conan is a very smart guy to have ended up just smashing it in their faces through his simple and focused Twitter stream which kept to the high ground on the issues. His talk at Google is a masterful example. You can’t help but love the guy.
Sheen, on the other hand, does not come across as either smart, loveable or anywhere close to being in the right, and the media machine and the public are enjoying thumping him like a big stupid pinata, and I’m sure there’s more to come because I don’t think Charlie is smart enough to leave the room quietly and come back later (after all, we’re quick to forget)…
I’ve actually consciously tried to avoid following too much of his story at all, and yet I find myself confronted with the ongoing saga everywhere you go on the net. Good thing our attention span in the media world doesn’t go beyond a few weeks at the most.