I had the privilege and opportunity to meet with Dr. Jack Kevorkian and his attorney, Mayer Morganroth, for an intimate breakfast meeting at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. They were in Los Angeles for the Golden Globes, where "You Don't Know Jack" was nominated for awards. Here's how the one and a half hour long conversation went.
The first thing he asks when I meet him is what type of Armenian I am, to which I responded Lebanese. He looks to Mike, his lawyer, and says, "We come from all over the world," and smiles.
We sit down, and he tells me he's not going to eat much because he was having some cookies in his hotel room just before. He orders scrambled eggs, "perfectly cooked", white toast, and coffee. The waiter asks him if he wants any hashbrowns, and he says "Yeah, that would be good actually." The coffee arrives with a small cup of creamer. He touches the tin cup and says its too cold, for which he flails down our waiter and tells him to "not warm it up, but heat it up....I don't want it to cool down my coffee."
His friend said something, and Jack corrected him (it was a difference between "me and I"), and told me, "Americans don't know how to use the English language correctly nowadays," and take a low blow jab at Mike. It appears as though Mike constantly endures Jacks quips, and has gotten used to it over the years, as he brushed this one off too.
Our conversation consisted of several different topics. I ask him if he is excited for the Golden Globes, and he tells me he hates that sorta stuff. "I actually hate movies." He tells me he had no say in who was going to play him in the movie "You Don't Know Jack," where Al Pacino portrayed him. He says two of his friends wanted to make the film, and in order to not lose their friendship he agreed. The movie was based off a book written about his life, which he says was "terribly written and full of flaws." Because the movie was based off the book, there is no way he would reap any of the profits from the film, something he kept complaining about.
About being Armenian, he tells me that our country has the potential to be the most powerful, greatest little country in the world, if it weren't for our Christianity driven culture. As noted in the movie, he is anti-religious, and tells protestors that "My God's name is Johann Sebastian Bach, and at least he's not a made up one." He says the new religion for Armenians should be getting recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
The conversation then shifts to euthanasia. He repeatedly brings up the 9th Amendment, which in essence, states that only rules that are agreed upon by the general people should be followed, which contradicts all other amendments that limit your freedoms. He says that religion, ultimately, is like the jail sentence he served for 9 years, where you live a life the way someone else wants it. At this point, he mentions that he knows he is old and will pass soon, and uses this as his motivation to not live with fear. He says that people have too much fear, and this produces a lethal formula for progress, especially in regards to the Armenian people. Even though he lives in Michigan and has no accent whatsoever, he is extremely educated on Armenian politics and relations between America.
His lawyer kept getting phonecalls and would repeatedly leave the table, leaving Dr. Kevorkian and I alone. The first time he left, he started comparing the Jewish people with the Armenian people, and said he limits his talks about Jews with his lawyer Mike because he often gets insulted because he is Jewish.
One thing I noticed about Dr. Kevorkian is that he would always quote intellectuals and previous people in power, as if only those revolutionary types were worthy of looking up to. I noticed that about him; the way he spoke, and the things he would say, sounded revolutionary. He said that no reform has ever been accomplished without going to jail. Because of his 9 year sentence he served in jail where he was charged with "second degree murder" for asissting in the suicide of Thomas Youk, he is extremely bitter with the legal system of the United States. He repeatedly mentioned that the United States is a corrupt, money-driven entity, and as a result, the Supreme Court system is flawed. This reminds me of the back and forth banter Dr. Kevorkian had with Morganroth, about the differences in intentions between lawyers and physicians. "You can be a doctor because you genuinely want to help out another human being, it's not all about the money" says Dr. Kevorkian. "Yeah, but how many doctors are actually like that?" answers back Mike. "A lot more than lawyers, I can tell you that much," rebuked Kevorkian.
I ask Mike about attorney Mark Gerargos, and this is what he said: "Lawyers like him are all show. Usually, attorneys who are in the media and have a name are like actors. He has never won any major cases but has been lucky to be involved with a couple."
I realize that Jack is getting old. He started pouring salt into his coffee, and after a few seconds, looks at Mike, and says, "Mike, why am I putting salt in my coffee?" Mike responds with, "I donno Jack, you tell me."
I ask Jack about the Golden Globes, and he says he hates award shows like that. He doesn't like how everyone wears tuxedos and everyone looks the same. He jokes about the suit jacket he's wearing and tells me he found that at the Salvation Army. He says he enjoys shopping there, and that he doesn't care too much about clothes. He tells me how the producer of the movie once took him shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue, and says that he hated the experience. Mike responds with, "Yeah Jack, but you've always been frugal." This comment makes evident the close relationship between the two. They've known each other since the mid 90's, after Jack lost his famous trial.
I ask Jack about Michael Jackson, and his response was not pleasant. He tells me that Jackson is the symbol for American big money, superficiality, and everything corrupt within America. I think that it's a bit extreme, but don't push him any further. I ask about what he thinks about his doctor, Conrad Murray, and how he had his medical license suspended. He tells me, "What he did was nothing wrong. He was just a doctor giving his patient pain relievers. You must always respect what your patient asks for, and Murray can't be blamed."
Jack was coughing for a few seconds, and continued to spit some food into a napkin. He rolled up the napkin and placed it on the table. The waiter came, and Jack handed him the napkin saying "Be careful with this, I spit something in it."
As he continued to criticize the Armenian people and how religion sits at the forefront, I ask him if he is going to talk about that at the lecture that night at UCLA. He tells me he wants to, but he also does not want to lose his fans. I tell him that he should because the younger generations are more liberal, and would react more favorably than the older generations. He says he'll think about it. When I asked if he's looking forward to the lecture, he says, "I'm not going to lecture, kids don't like lectures, they get enough of them in their classes. I'm just going to go up there and say whatever is on my mind."
I asked him if he could sign my brothers album which was Jack's jazz album released in 1997. He tells me that most of the songs were spontaneous and he has a great time making it. He also humbles himself by saying he's not really good, but he just enjoys playing for fun. He also signed my copy of "You Don't Know Jack." I then take a picture with him.
Dr. Kevorkian was very good spirited, humorous, and seemed carefree at the core. His attitude is something that stood out for me, and something that I want to emulate in the future. I am grateful for Mike to set up this breakfast, and this will be a breakfast I will never forget.
