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Modern Love

Death Bear Will See You Now | With Ry Russo-Young

Modern Love

The New York Times

Nytimes, Redemption, Society & Culture, New York Times, Love, Essay, Storytelling, Loss, Nyt

4.48.7K Ratings

🗓️ 29 March 2017

⏱️ 22 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Ry Russo-Young, director of the new feature film "Before I Fall," tells the story of a break-up, a best friend, and a performance artist.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Modern Love The Podcast is supported by...

0:10.0

From the New York Times and WBUR Boston, this is Modern Love.

0:20.0

Stories of Love, Laws, and Redemption.

0:24.0

I'm your host, Megna Chakrabardi.

0:30.0

7 years ago in Brooklyn, New York, the performance artist known as Death Bear was making the rounds.

0:39.0

His mission? Helping the Broken Hearted.

0:42.0

In this week's essay, Lauren Berlin writes about what it was like to invite Death Bear into her friend's home.

0:49.0

Rai Russo Young, director of the film Before I Fall, reads us Lauren's essay, Death Bear will see you now.

0:57.0

Sunday morning, we sat at Diana's dinette table in Parkes, Lowe, Brooklyn waiting for Death Bear.

1:02.0

We considered making him breakfast, but decided not to.

1:06.0

Thinking he would probably just come in, take the stuff and leave.

1:10.0

We waited.

1:12.0

You think he'll talk to us? I asked.

1:15.0

It said in the email that he will talk, but that he will only speak to you as Death Bear.

1:20.0

We waited some more.

1:23.0

Then Diana received the text message announcing his arrival.

1:26.0

He's down stairs, she shrieked.

1:29.0

Death Bear is downstairs, oh my god!

1:32.0

She leaped up and rushed down the steps.

1:34.0

I followed her out and stood at the top of the stairwell watching.

1:38.0

It was January.

1:40.0

The Eastern Seaboard was recovering from a storm.

...

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