David Handelman, A The prolific writer, whose work spanned journalism, fiction and television, died Thursday at the age of 63.
Handelman's friend Sheila Rogers confirmed the writer's death. Rolling StoneHe added that the cause was Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, a rare form of blood cancer.
Handelman joined Rolling Stone In the 1980s, he often photographed artists and Hollywood figures as they rose to household names, including memorable profiles of the Beastie Boys, the Coen Brothers, and Jane's Addiction. He also wrote the publication's first cover story on the Talking Heads, which he described as “my big break, like when the dancer got shot on 42nd Street. I was 25.”
When Handelman recalls his time as a young writer at the magazine, he writes on his blog, Hands on…. He added that he “wouldn't have gotten to interview the Beatles or Springsteen or Dylan,” but there were days he was “grateful for that” and instead spoke to artists at a stage in their careers “where there was enough conflict that all I had to do was be sympathetic and then make sure the recorder worked.”
Handelman's article on the Canadian comedy group The Kids in the Hall has been credited with helping to introduce the group to American audiences. “The importance of David Handelman's article on Rolling Stone “Among his greatest achievements was launching Kids In The Hall in America and abroad,” says author and broadcaster Paul Myers. “In addition to being a gifted writer for television, he was the best kind of journalist; he championed the work of those he believed in… To say he will be missed is an understatement.”
David Handelman was a decisive and compelling voice in the energy of rock and roll and the prevailing cultural authority in Rolling Stone In the 80s and early 90s, long ago Rolling Stone “He was often on the verge of breakthrough success, writing early, innovative pieces on artists as diverse as Jane’s Addiction and country singer Clint Black,” contributor David Fricke said in a statement. “David was as eclectic in his curiosity and advocacy as he was industrious in his reporting and photography: His featurettes and lead stories ranged from Mötley Crüe and the Pogues to playwright and monologist Eric Bogosian and independent filmmaker Gus Van Sant.”
“David was also very social, enlivening the old Fifth Avenue office and the staff who frequented the concerts and industry parties with his informed opinions and discussions. David was still in town last March when we met at the Bowery Electric Club in New York, a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the rock magazine pants ironThat night was the kind of night that never gets repeated throughout the day. RS “This could have been the first time David had been at the heart of the cheering and the conversation. I’m glad we met again under the perfect circumstances.”
Handelman also wrote for Vanity Fair, GQ, George, details, Lawyerand The New York Timesamong other things. He has continued to write for television shows including West Wing and newsroomHis experience as a journalist inspired many of the story lines and nuances throughout the series.
His first foray into television came after writing a short scene called “Larry Sanders” with Kids in the Hall member Mark McKinley. After reading the scene, Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director Aaron Sorkin hired the duo to write an episode of Sorkin's show, “Larry Sanders.” Sports nightleading to the first season episode, “The Sword of the Mighty One.” Handelman eventually ended up writing for all of Sorkin's television series to date including Studio 60 on Sunset Strip.
The print journalist turned television writer and producer has also written for CBS, NBC, ABC, HBO, The CW and CNN, and was a producer and writer for CNN's long-running weekly news program. Smerconish.
on Hands on….Handelman shared stories about his career and sharp humorous observations about life in his first blog post in June 2010. A diehard Wilco fan, Handelman began with the lyrics to the song “You and I”: “You and I may be strangers/ No matter how close we get sometimes/ It's like we never met.”
Handelman commented that the song “comes to mind when I embark on this strange art form, a calculated broadcast of myself to the world, starting with people I think I 'know' or who 'know me.'”
“Who am I? Magazine journalist turned TV writer (I’m trying to write a play and thinking about a novel). Divorced father of two teenage girls, New Yorker who’s moved to Los Angeles three times in the past eight years for work. Someone who lost both of his parents in the past two and a half years, and now knows a lot about executing estates and closing a law firm.”
In a separate post written the same day, Handelman recalled how the Saab convertible he inherited from his father got stuck in the mud on Cape Cod. Handelman didn’t miss a beat, writing: “At first, I thought, ‘This is the end of the reformist impulse.’ But then I decided that metaphors were what they were supposed to be. The story wasn’t about getting stuck in the mud, it was about getting free. And making fun of myself.”
