Many were repulsed by his attitude and behavior—uncompromising, unpredictable, rude, cynical, sarcastic, anti-authoritarian, quickly bored—but to others he was sensational: a perpetual high-wire act who lived and communicated without a safety net, a faithful friend, generous, honest, gifted, literate, articulate and hugely funny. He dressed and looked tough and was no stranger to fighting, but his hostility was mostly verbal: he could shout louder than anyone else and lacerate with a brevity and wit that took the breath away. “You didn’t banter words with John or you were on a loser before you
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