Talk:Robert Schimmel

Personal Info
Contrary to what is stated in the "Personal" area of the article Schimmel returned to stay his ex-wife, whom he had married twice, after contracting lymphoma. She offered to be his nurse maid since she had gained experience with the illness of their son.* During and after this period he authored "Cancer on $5 a day (chemo not included)"; an account of his first signs of the illness, his trials and tribulations with chemotherapy, a salesman visiting him in hospital attempting to sell him a 'merkin' which Schimmel called a 'dick wig', and an account of how he handled his discovery of cancer with his, technically, 3rd wife-to-be, Melissa. In his subsequent comedy acts, along with his normal material, he added a slide show of his various looks during cancer. He also added pictures of Melissa, his sole mate. Unfortunately, he stated, she decided their neighbor was Her sole mate. 'Cancer on $5 a Day', incidentally is almost mandatory reading at many wellness clinics throughout the United States. Almost all cancer patients who have read it, including myself, have benefited greatly from his book, his incites and his humor in the face of adversity.
 * ref: Cancer on $5 a Day (chemo not included): How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life by Robert Schimmel. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.18.34.193 (talk) 06:32, 29 January 2011 (UTC)

Comparisons to other comedians

 * "Schimmel's comedy style is blunt and unflinching, in some ways similar to the "no-nonsense" blue-collar attitudes of Denis Leary and Andrew Dice Clay. However, his personality is more gentle and likable than those comedians, and he seems more melancholy than angry or caustic.  He combines the filthy mouth of George Carlin with the sad, world-weary demeanor of Steven Wright. His affinity for Lenny Bruce's frantic philosophical ramblings is evident in his approach to storytelling and his enthusiam for sharing personal experiences."

This bit might help the article, but without some sort of sourcing it does not belong on Wikipedia. Perhaps a review of his show might be quoted. - Mcasey666 03:37, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

List of relationships with age disparity
When we have enough information (their exact birth dates) perhaps we should add Bob and Melissa to List of relationships with age disparity? From imdb it seems the range is 24 years. - Mcasey666 03:37, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Let's perhaps see some supporting documentation?
Just heard an interview on NPR with Robert Schimmel and the circumstances surrounding meeting his current wife, according to Robert, are significantly different from what is reported here. Would be nice to know the source material for this biography. --SourDoughBill (talk) 17:17, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Death confirmation
Several unconfirmed reports say he has died today. As soon as a reliable news report emerges, we can add it to the article. Jokestress (talk) 03:47, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

http://geeksofdoom.com/2010/09/04/comedian-robert-schimmel-dies-at-the-age-of-60-after-car-accident/ http://www.sassyqarla.com/news/2010/09/robert-schimmel-dead-according-to-tweets-of-fellow-comedians.html http://www.rightcelebrity.com/?p=9981 http://blog.zap2it.com/thedishrag/2010/09/robert-schimmel-dies-following-car-accident.html http://zennie2005.blogspot.com/2010/09/robert-schimmel-dead-howard-stern-show.html

good? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.195.167.92 (talk • contribs)

Those are blogs and commercial sites. Once article even cites Twitter as its source. If it occurred, it will be verified by a major network or newspaper, so hang tight. Clamshell Deathtrap (talk) 08:45, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * WP:RS and WP:BLP are very useful tools in a situation such as this one. Clamshell Deathtrap (talk) 08:57, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * sEEING HOW i JUST HEARD THE NEWS OF HIS DEATH ON fOX nEWS RADIO, its good enough for me. stop messing with my edits please. you just want to be able to claim that you were the first to put this here when you weren't.  I was!!! Republic of Texas (talk) 09:06, 4 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Who the keeps messing with this page? what a !!!  What?  Are you trying to make him "undead" by hiding the truth?? Ha!  The guy is dead, so what's the problem with reporting it?  !  Republic of Texas (talk) 09:10, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I apologize for calling someone a douche and a fool regarding this matter. Republic of Texas (talk) 09:45, 4 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia doesn't need to be first, we just need to be correct. There is absolutely no rush here. I've increased to sysop-only protection for the time being. Any admin is free to reduce the protection when something reliable becomes available (or if they think I've grossly overreacted, for that matter). --Bongwarrior (talk) 09:12, 4 September 2010 (UTC)


 * (conflict) This is not the first time I have seen you have disregard for a BLP. I am not the type of person who enjoys being the bearer of bad news. I reported this unsourced information over three hours ago in an effort to prevent this type of editing. To be honest, I stopped watching Erin Andrews because of your attitude toward including anything and everything you hear and see. What you heard on the radio is your own research. There is no prize for reporting bad news. Clamshell Deathtrap (talk) 09:13, 4 September 2010 (UTC)


 * (conflict) I highly doubt Clamshell or Jokestress are trying to "be first" or distort the "truth". Rather, they are trying to not "leap before we look." If you can provide a good source (not a blog, Twitter, etc.) please do so. (Fox doesn't seem to have anything up yet .) This reminds me of when everyone thought that Joran van der Sloot was dead.-- Mithrandir∞ (Talk!) (Opus Operis) 09:14, 4 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Since I happen to be in Phoenix right at this moment, you can follow along by listening to the news on the local radio here http://www.kfyi.com/main.html Republic of Texas (talk) 09:18, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Which is not a good enough source...really all we need to do is wait a little while; if he really is dead, obviously reliable sources will report it soon enough. It's just good practice to wait.  There's really no rush.  Qwyrxian (talk) 09:21, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I guess that's true. It's not like he is going to get any deader.  In fact, he might get better!  lol   I was just pretty steamed when someone came along and whipped out my 20 minutes of work in putting together the death materials for the article.  Then some other dude claimed the sources were 'not good enough.' —Preceding unsigned comment added by Republic of Texas (talk • contribs)

Schimmel's brother just released the following statement: Schimmel's younger brother, comedy writer Jeff Schimmel, confirmed the sad news late Friday night via his Facebook status, posting: "ROBERT SCHIMMEL. Son, Brother, Father, Grandfather, Comedian, Generous Man. I have always loved you, admired you, and was proud to be your biggest fan. I will never forget a single moment. R.I.P.  Arrangements are pending, and I'll update this post when I have the info. http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Schimmel/1205148292  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Republic of Texas (talk • contribs) 09:32, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

here is yet another news source reporting this event. Republic of Texas (talk) 09:39, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

And here is yet another news report. This from the SF Chronicle Republic of Texas (talk) 10:04, 4 September 2010 (UTC) Now that last one looks reliable, and can be added. Qwyrxian (talk) 10:04, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

There are now MANY MANY news sources reporting his death. Why hasn't wikipedia been updated yet? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Siriuswargames (talk • contribs) 13:35, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I was about to request unprotection, but then I checked around Google News and the sources above, and none of them meet our criteria found at WP:RS. The SfGate "article" is actually a blog, posted by a user, not a journalist.  Searching both Google News and Yahoo News, I can't find a single reliable source (i.e., written by a journalist, not a blogger, in a reliable magazine or newspaper) reporting this information.  Until we get such a source, we should leave the page protected and not add the info.  To Siriuswargames--you seem to misunderstand the purpose of WP.  We are not a "first-responder"--that is, we're not a news source.  We're an encyclopedia, and we are supposed to only supply information after we can cite it to a reliable source.  If you have a reliable source, feel free to post it to this talk page; someone will then see it and can request the page be unprotected by an admin.  Qwyrxian (talk) 13:52, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

ABC News is confirming his death. I would regard this as a credible news source. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=11559455

Yes, referenced to his spokesperson, seems pretty strong. Off2riorob (talk) 14:21, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Okay, that does look reliable. I'll put in the unprotect request.  For future reference, you can request unprotection at WP:RPP, giving a reason.  Qwyrxian (talk) 14:45, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, I have asked an Administrator but that will do just as well, I am also aware that there is not a big hurry and waiting is only going to strengthen the citations. Off2riorob (talk) 14:46, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Now semi-protected. Fences  &amp;  Windows  14:48, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Ok, semi-protected from corrections too. How about someone change the hospital release date of his son (who had no injuries) from Sept 2 to August 26th? 24.1.127.59 (talk) 20:35, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

It's really weird how people are adding shit and deleting shit so quickly with regards to the death info. Why are so many people obsessed with this dudes death? I only got 'involved' because I was on I-10 at the time of this accident and I stopped to see if I could help and i later took some pictures of it and the smashed up cars. Can't say that I ever heard of this guy before. All of this seems kinda creepy. Republic of Texas (talk) 19:08, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Agreed. Taking pictures of the death scene of a stranger is pretty creepy. 24.1.127.59 (talk) 20:35, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Well then most people in the news business must be creeps. Anyways, this was a pretty cool looking crash scene. Republic of Texas (talk) 23:19, 4 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Please keep such personal commentary to yourself on the talkpage of a recently deceased person. Off2riorob (talk) 23:23, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

I wonder why so many people are still messing around with this guy's death? This is really, really strange and funny. I check the history and I see Off2riorob editing left & right, and then other people jumping in, too. really weird. get a life people! Republic of Texas (talk) 00:04, 5 September 2010 (UTC)
 * When it comes to recent deaths, new information constantly rolls in. Some of it is correct and some is inaccurate. We want to make articles as encyclopedic as possible, so we have to constantly modifiy information to make sure it's factual. Ishdarian&#124; lol wut 04:18, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from Alias4603, 5 September 2010
Under Auto Accident and Death - Please change "Interstate Highway 10 in Phoenix, Arizona" to "State Route 101 in Scottsdale, Arizona" as this is where the accident happened. The following link will take you to the Arizona Republic article detailing the location and quoting DPS spokesperson. The Arizona Republic is the largest newspaper in the state and Phoenix Metro area. http://www.azcentral.com/ent/celeb/articles/2010/09/04/20100904robert-schimmel-obit-car-accident.html

Alias4603 (talk) 03:30, 5 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Thanks, updated per request. Jokestress (talk) 03:42, 5 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Good catch, Alias!!! Republic of Texas (talk) 05:09, 6 September 2010 (UTC)

WP:BOLD
While I understand I was bold with this edit, his unfortunate death should not dissuade anyone from protecting an article about speculation without reliable sources. I'm simply not trying to hide 'truth' here, but rather act as an academic who thinks that dead or alive, this information, including illness and infidelity absolutely need to be sourced by reliable outlets. Clamshell Deathtrap (talk) 08:14, 5 September 2010 (UTC)
 * my edit. Clamshell Deathtrap (talk) 08:15, 5 September 2010 (UTC)

Clamshell Deathtrap -- I don't have a problem with being bold as it is encouraged, and some of the stuff you did was fine. However I don't quite get why you removed most (but not all!) of the references to the fact that he had had cancer and was, at the time of his death, either in remission or a cancer survivor. This is a fact, not like salacious marital stuff which I myself had removed but was apparently restored by the time you rv it again. The cancer issue, however, is not a secret or POV or cruft. You could have simply tagged it, or better yet, gotten the reflinks yourself and added them rather than waiting for someone else to do it. Also, I don't think Schimmel was publicly or professionally referred to as "Bob". Rms125a@hotmail.com (talk) 12:07, 5 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Fist let me apologize for the familiar use of his first name. If you look earlier, I was alerted to his demise, but as a friend, I wanted to keep cool. I hope I did so. I didn't remove any references. Nothing I removed had a reference. I'm not a big fan of tagging, because that would generally mean that I wasn't willing to do the research. As far I as I understand, any unreferenced material can and should be removed. To me, tagging just puts the burden on others. I think that when building an article, the references should be supplied with every turn - just as one is 'warned' when creating an article. I did look for the references to back up the statements. I truly did. Nothing was reliable, so instead of mucking up the article with numerous tags - I removed unsourced information with the hopes that if re-added, it would be sourced. Sorry if I stepped on your toes. Clamshell Deathtrap (talk) 12:27, 5 September 2010 (UTC)
 * In addtion, while I know him as Bob, did I use his nickname? In all honesty, that's how we talked, but I can't see where I used that during an edit. I may be wrong, and if so, I'll lay off this article entirely. Clamshell Deathtrap (talk) 12:52, 5 September 2010 (UTC)


 * Hi. No reason to apologize to me. You didn't step on my toes either. The text re his battle with cancer was already there when I first took a look at the article. I entirely agree that when adding text one should cite sources at the same time. I remove unsourced text all the time from articles, I have some deletionist instincts, but normally only if said text is salacious or blatantly in violation of rules regarding POV and vandalism. Otherwise I tag. As far as his nickname I am sure his friends and family called him "Bob", that would be normal. My point was just that I don't think Schimmel was publicly or professionally referred to as "Bob". Yours. Rms125a@hotmail.com (talk) 18:10, 5 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Updated in line with the above. Rms125a@hotmail.com (talk) 18:36, 5 September 2010 (UTC)
 * In addition, the information about his Hep C and awaiting a liver transplant is gone, and that is also heavily sourced. Atlantabravz (talk) 04:02, 6 September 2010 (UTC)
 * He did write a book about all this stuff, so its not like "Bob" was trying to hide the truth. And his very public arrests AND cheating on his wife are kinda hard to hide, too.  No need to sugarcoat the dead - they don't care anymore. Republic of Texas (talk) 05:17, 6 September 2010 (UTC)

Too bad none of you dude reads the NY Times - all that stuff was discussed in a recent article about him two days ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/arts/television/05schimmel.html Republic of Texas (talk) 05:26, 6 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Your comment about BLP not applying because he's dead is something that concerns me. BLP should be used as a model. Just because a person has died, doesn't mean that the rules should not apply. I think they should apply even more so, because a dead man cannot defend himself. In addition, there are relatives, friends, and estates that are subject to any biographical information that may or may not be true. I am not out to hide the truth, I just don't think that less caution should be used on a bio once the person is dead. I don't use BLP guidelines because I'm nervous about libel, I use it because dead or not, we are talking about the legacy of an individual, as opposed to an inanimate subject. Clamshell Deathtrap (talk) 11:13, 12 September 2010 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 2 one external links on Robert Schimmel. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20070814035914/http://www.jewishaz.com:80/jewishnews/991008/comic.shtml to http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/991008/comic.shtml
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20100908051622/http://abcnews.go.com:80/Entertainment/wireStory?id=11564787 to http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=11564787

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 11:52, 9 January 2016 (UTC)

Vietnam War service
Although Schimmel served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War era, no reliable sources found as of yet state that he served in Vietnam during the war. Accordingly, Category:American military personnel of the Vietnam War was removed from the article. Semper Fi! FieldMarine (talk) 00:46, 14 April 2019 (UTC)