Thank You Harold Ramis

“Print is dead.”

Sometimes it takes a comedian to show us where the world is going.  What Harold Ramis showed us was nothing but genius.  Who will be able to take his place?

Ramis passed away on February 24th, 2014, due to complications from vasculitis.

He was a comedian who affected all of our lives.  We still quote lines and scenes that Ramis created.  Whether it be Groundhog Day, or Animal House, he left us not only with laughs, but with cultural change.  Why are we hit harder by his passing?  The answer is easy, he was one of us.

He was a geek, just like the rest of us.

He not only gave us corner stones of our culture, he made sure we knew who the heroes were.  When he described who his characters were: “My characters aren’t losers. They’re rebels. They win by their refusal to play by everyone else’s rules.”  He may not have known it, but he was describing the geek community.

Ramis built his comedy career surrounded by giants and legends on SCTV.  Though he was already a veteran of the Chicago based improv group, in 1976 he became the head writer for the Canadian based television series.  There he worked side by side with John Candy, Dan Akroyd and Catherine O’Hara.  This was the comedic calm before the hilarious storm.  We were not ready for what he would do to our world.

With one of his best friends, Bill Murray, Ramis changed how we looked at ourselves and our society.  We were treated to Stripes, Caddyshack, and Ghostbusters.  He articulated it best in 2009 how those movies stayed with us.

In an interview with the Associated Press, for the 50th anniversary of SCTV, Ramis said: “The best comedy touches something that’s timeless and universal in people.  When you hit it right, those things last.”

Goddamn right.

Ramis is survived by his wife, Erica, his two sons Julian and Daniel; his daughter Violet and two grandchildren.

Thank you, Harold, for leaving the world a better and funnier place.