When I was in Los Angeles in 1989, I bought a 67 Ford Mustang. Totally cherry, as they say. Well... not the the original paint but no dents and no rust. It was a very cool looking car. That was where the coolness ended. Driving it made me feel like Fred Flintstone. The brakes were such that you had to practically drag your feet on the ground to stop. It had this unbelievable pull to the right when you applied them. I went through the break pads quickly (Like once in the middle of downtown Madison, WI). It was a muscle car in that you needed muscles to turn the car. I guess folks in an older cohort are used to this but you, literally, needed to be rolling in order to turn. Hey, parking was no joy. I'm glad the thing was stolen before I got a chance to drive it in NYC.
Miklos and I used the Mustang to escape LA. Dan had a rod in his leg. I had played the heavy, broken up the band and scuttled our publishing deal. Anth had taken a job on Rocky V and went to sleep at 8:00 and woke up at 5:00. The construction we had done was becoming a ruin, and would later be completely destroyed by the few that remained.
It was time to fly. To find a place to feel like human beings again. To find a place with women. We took the northern route and visited Miklos's sister Corrina in Madison, Wisconsin. We ate peanut butter in the car, passed gas, and tried to process what had happened. We memorized Rachim's Follow the Leader. It was snowing over the continental divide. A little lower we put the car in neutral and go-carted for ten miles. We drank cheep beer in Madison....kissed girls. They were somehow more approachable than in LA.
Miklos who is an incredible film editor and the architect of this site, was awash in angst. He knew not what he was doing nor why he was doing it. He was like me, talented and spoiled. He did not want to do it if it wasn't a grand vision of his own making. At the same time, he was scared of the world and of not being good enough. He was coming to the realization that outside of his small circle was an ever increasing spiral. Our conversations had a frenetic and frustrated pace and brief moments of clarity.
After a week, we drove the rest of the way to the east coast. Back to our college town, Providence, RI. The first night back someone ran into the Mustang and severed the left headlight and it's housing from the rest of the car.
- posted by danvt @ 9:11 AM