Nathan Lane

And I was, I guess, nine, and I was like, why is he telling me this now?

Yeah, a lot to lay on a nine-year-old.

A lot to lay on a nine-year-old, but it was true.

I remember another moment where I was walking to school, and –

This is in Jersey City and I was passing what was called the Stegman Street Tavern and the back door was open and it was a very sunny day, sunny morning.

And as I was going by, I turned and looked and I saw my father sweeping up.

I would imagine probably for drinks and he stopped.

realizing that someone was looking at him and he looked up and he looked at me and we just stood there and stared at one another and there's you know he didn't he didn't say hello he didn't say a word there was so much that might have been said could have been said should have been said and then he just turned away and went back to sweeping and i went on to school

I wish I could go back and ask him some questions.

He was a truck driver for many years.

Well, I want to know what drove him to drink himself to death.

I have two older brothers, Bob and Dan, and my brother Bob was probably – was closer to him than myself and my oldest brother, Dan.

And eventually my mother moved away.

She left him and he stayed in this apartment we were in and got a couple of other drunks to move in with him to help pay the rent.

And my brother went to see him and to try to help him.

And he said to my brother, Bob –

I'm no good to anybody.

I'm just going to drink myself to death.

And then he did.

My sense of humor was an escape.