Memorial Service for Author of "World's Longest Poem" Sunday

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 13, 2011 8:20PM

Lee Groban was to Chicago's arts scene what Thax Douglas was to its music scene: ubiquitous. The impossibly tall, colorfully-attired Groban was a regular fixture at art exhibits, gallery openings and festivals and, if you told him you were an artist, he would question you incessantly about the philosophy behind your art, your training and where you exhibited.

Groban also was an artist himself, and a poet. His long-form poem The Cure for Insomnia eventually totaled over 5,000 pages. In 1987, the Cure for Insomnia was turned into an experimental film that ran over 87 hours in length. Groban often carried his magnum opus on him. (Click here for a sample of The Cure for Insomnia.)

Groban passed away last Friday at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston. He had been suffering for months from myriad illnesses including congestive heart disease, emphysema and kidney failure, and had recently been fitted with a pacemaker. a memorial service for Groban is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 18 from 1-4 p.m. at Packer Schopf Gallery (942 W. Lake St.)