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Thoughts on Greg Fishel

Thoughts on Greg Fishel

I was absolutely shocked to read the news that WRAL had parted ways with longtime meteorologist, Greg Fishel. The legal speak reads he resigned on his own accord, but would have been fired otherwise. Fishel is about as close as you can come to a local celebrity in the Triangle area. He's been doing weather on-air at WRAL since 1981. That's almost 40 years of being an on-air meteorologist for the Triangle viewing community. 

As someone that's always had a deep fascination with meteorology I've always gravitated towards Greg Fishel. Jim Cantore was my guy at the Weather Channel, but on a local level you couldn't get better than Greg Fishel. There was a super nerdy, but honest quality about him that I found so deeply engrossing. He was someone that LOVED weather. I've also met most of the local meteorologists like Bill Reh and Chris Hohmann through various circumstances, I never got a chance to personally meet Greg Fishel. Even when I worked at WRAL, he was the one person there I wanted to meet, but never did. I talked to him a couple times over mics, but sadly never got to actually meet him. I even had a momentary crisis in my meteorologist hero worship of him when I learned he was at one point a climate change denier, but had quickly turned his back on that world and was now really championing education on climate change and what we could do on a local level to prevent it.

It was truly disheartening to read that he'd essentially been let go from WRAL. For what reason? Nothing's been officially made clear. There's fair assumptions that you can piece together from local rumors, compiled with a recent leave of absence from his typical evening broadcasts before he was officially let go. When you read enough into of those things there's a clear throughline. He's a man with some demons that he's fighting and they might have finally got the best of him. For now we have the corporate press statement that really seems to ring hollow for someone that's been doing weather for close to 40 years at the same station, and someone that a lot of people look to as a calming presence on the evening news.

I have a lot of anxiety about weather situations. Hurricanes, thunderstorms, particularly tornadoes... but having it all explained on a very scientific level always put me at ease. The more you know about something the less scary it actually is. In fact it can even be fascinating too. I always found the scientific factors of weather being explained in detail as one of the best ways to relieve and cope with my anxiety. A lot of on-air meteorologists like to sensationalize their forecasts and predictions. I always found Greg Fishel as someone that would tell you just the facts, and he might throw in a really bad dad-pun while he's at it. He's  comes across a goofy dude, but there's a sincerity to him that really shines through in his work.

Will Greg show back up on air in a few years on a different local network affiliate, i'd like to think so. I'm not gonna lie, going into tornado season 2019 without Greg Fishel is going to be a really strange thing for me, and i'd imagine i'm not the only one in the Triangle area that feels that way. I'm in a point in my life where things that have been constants for a very long time are suddenly not there. People are dead. People are gone. Things that i've accepted as permanent fixtures of my world are just no longer there anymore. My favorite local meteorologist is gone (not dead) but gone. I'll admit it's a very unusual thing to get emotional over. I've been watching Greg Fishel since I can remember so it's almost like removing a weatherperson weighted blanket. Most of the time you turn on the local news you see a new weatherperson most of the time. Some stay. Some go onto other markets. Greg Fishel kind of felt like a permanent fixture of WRAL and the shared Raleigh/Durham community, and it's a real bummer that he's gone now. I hope he finds peace in his life and is able to get back being their for his family, friends and himself. I didn't start out this piece thinking i'd get emotional about a local weather person and unintentionally writing what seems to be a eulogy for someone that's not actually dead.  That's where this ended up. Emotions are weird y'all.

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Digital Collage turned 10 today!

Good lord, i’ve been on tumblr for a decade...

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Finally watched 'Atomic Blonde' and boy howdy is that my kind of flick. A+ for action, soundtrack and wardrobe. That's a film that's just cool as hell visually. The 10 minute one take fight sequence is worth the price of admission. It is kind of strange the biggest takeaway is that Charlize Theron had an incredible stylist for that film. I also like James McCvoy best when he's being a total creep.

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“I loved every minute of it.”

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'Blade Runner 2049' is a visual masterpiece.

 It's a joy to take in that world. Though it's a dystopian world, it's a world that is stunning to take in. It's like the world of 'Ghost In the Shell' or 'Akira' but translated to the big screen. It's gorgeous.  The filmmakers put such clear effort into making it feel like a truly lived in place. 'The Fifth Element' was the last time I remember being sucked into a world and wanted to just roam the streets and take everything in. There is a level of intricate detail you don't see in filmmaking these days on display in 'Blade Runner 2049'. The visuals in this film are more interesting than anything I've seen in 'Star Trek' or 'Star Wars' recently. I also love that not every question in this world is answered, which is very much like the original 'Blade Runner'. You fill in the gaps with your imagination which is sometimes better than filmmaker could ever put on screen. The only area I feel like the film suffers in is the story, which is fine. The narrative never rises to the levels of the original, which admittedly is a tough bar to clear. If you know the themes of the original, the twists are pretty expected. It's just not a narrative that was 35 years in the making. It's not a sequel that needed to be told. I did enjoy the story. It kept my attention, but once the credits wrapped I kept thinking "well, that didn't need to be made". Harrison Ford actually feels like he gives a damn in this film which is a nice change for him since he's settled into is grumpy old man act for the last decade. This is a film for people that long decompressed science fiction. This is a film that is allowed to breath and not rush to the end. It's a long film but never felt like a slog to get through. I dont think 'BR 2049' will ever reach the status of the original, but for me personally it does cement Denis Villeneuve as one of the most interesting directors working today and someone I can't wait to see his next film. Sorry Christopher Nolan, you've been dethroned. 

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Kate McKinnon for Vanity Fair | November 2017

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‘The Isle of Dogs’ Official Trailer

Someone needs to tell Wes Anderson to knock it off with being so damn visually talented. God damn this is a beautiful trailer.

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‘West World’ season 2 looks dope AF.

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Pennywise and his boyfriend, The Babadook are off on a date to get crepes and terrorize some kids.

What, didn’t you hear the news?

https://twitter.com/starkrhodey/status/907262073284960257 

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I love that in 2017 there’s outlets doing pieces like this on shows that very few people watched in 1999. Mission Hill was an underrated gem and ahead of it's time.

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Pickle Rick somehow is one of the best television episodes of any narrative program this year and I love this think piece on it.

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Pirate Pacey is the best/worst new Game of Thrones character.

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I get strangely emotional when it comes to old mall designs and their under-appreciated value in 2016.

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Marvel Age #104 (Marvel Comics - September 1991)

Illustrators: Jim Lee (Pencils) & Scott Williams (Inks)

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Always truly inspiring to see the amazing work other Fuji street photographers are putting out into the world.