I’ll say it here: I’m a fur. Yes, I belong to the furry fandom, own a fursuit, look at furry art, and have even gone to a few furry conventions.
No, I haven’t fucked or ‘yiffed’ in my suit, I’m not gay, and I have no real fetishes to speak of that would make you look at me like I was some kind of alien, ok? Are we clear on this? Good.
There were several things that led me to this place, one of them being a particular comedian named 2 The Ranting Gryphon. My first audio introduction to him was through, well, his rants. Think Dennis Miller on PCP, and you have a pretty good idea of his level of intensity and rage and whatever he was talking about. From sex to religion to drama, 2 always had something to say and a way to make us laugh all about it.
I’d been a fan of his long before I got the chance to meet him in person in 2010. He doesn’t know me from Adam, but hey, he’s a celebrity, right? He’s met thousands of people in his travels. Still, I’d like to think that if I ever had the chance to sit and talk with him, we’d come out of the exchange as friends.
The back half of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 have not been very kind to him however. From accusations of being a Nazi to several other SJW-esque attacks, 2 has found himself dis-invited from the largest furry con in North America (Anthrocon), and in such a wishy-washy way that is oh, so indicative of this age of political correctness. The reason he was given was so blatantly false that anyone could have seen through it. Many folks tried to call AC out on it, but the claim fell on deaf ears.
Add to that some more personal problems, and yeah, the foul-mouthed catbird is not doing so well. I became a patron of his in the hopes of seeing new rant material, but he’s been doing more let’s play videos, and other things along those lines. Still, I chip in because I’m a fan.
Then this happened:
2 admitted he was an alcoholic. I think those of us who follow him knew this was coming, but like anyone with an addiction, the addict has to realize it themselves before recovery can begin.
He started a new series called ‘Finding Sobriety,’ where he vlogs about his progress on his plan to quit. He started with 22 shots of vodka per day, and swore to reduce his intake by 1 shot each day until he was done. Sounds simple enough, right?
Yeah…not so much…
This was from July 12. He hit a wall. His body basically rebelled and now he has to slow down his weaning or else it might kill him. His frustration got the better of him and partway through the video he broke down. He said he felt like a failure, and that he’d let us all down by not being able to now hit his intended target date.
This resonated with me. It reminded me of my time in the hospital, and how all I wanted was to go home and get back to my life. Yet my body wasn’t ready yet and even though I felt fine, I was held back. Then there were the days that I couldn’t breathe or move, or when I was hooked up to some oxygen machine because I was hypoxic. My mind screamed in rage at these constant setbacks, and I lashed out at nearly everyone. I had no one to answer to like 2 thought he did, but I understand the frustration and subsequent emotional outburst.
Patience is a virtue…I’m a firm believer in that. I know now that eventually, if you do things right, you will reach that goal after which you’re searching. Sometimes it just takes a bit longer than we originally thought.
I hope 2 finds his sobriety, and I hope that one day I’ll see him at the top of his game again at a furry convention. I’d like this gryphon senpai to notice me, but I’d be satisfied if he’d just get back to being that beacon of laughter this world really and truly needs.