Dream Come True

Yesterday a long-time fantasy mysteriously materialized.

Long story short:  I had dinner with Bill Murray.

Here's the full story.  My friend Aga was at a cafe near Columbia where who should sit down in front of her, but Bill Murray!  She started talking to him and they talked for a while, and then she invited him to come to dinner with some friends in Greenpoint at a Polish restaurant.  He seemed interested but said he probably wouldn't come because he had a meeting.

Five friends and I went to the restaurant a few hours later, joking about what we were going to do when Bill Murray showed up, 90% joking and 10% hopeful.  

About 45 minutes into the meal, Aga froze and looked at the door: "Oh my God you guys he's here!"

We were all freaking out inside but trying to maintain composure.  Bill Murray and his son ordered exactly what Aga recommended (the Polish Platter) since Aga is Polish.  We were a total group of 8 in a small restaurant so we had to split into two tables.  

Bill Murray was really cool and down to earth and funny. When the Murrays finished eating, Bill Murray secretly paid the bill and we invited them to go to Irene's Bar, the Social Club under Calyer Palace.  They stepped out and Bill said, "We'll see you guys at the next place" since he had a car waiting.

We gathered our coats and went outside, but Bill Murray and his son were still there.  He said he had to take his son back home so he wouldn't be able to come to Irene's.  After that, we chatted with Bill for a while standing outside.  I asked him if he remembered my Mom who was kinda friends with him in High School.  He kinda remembered her, but he remembered my uncle more - he even remembered that he played guitar.  We talked about Wilmette (where we both grew up) and I asked him if he was from the East Side or the West Side.  He started pushing me and giving me shit and getting in my face, as if I had brought up an explosive subject, but he was just joking around.  I told him I lived at 5th and Gregory, and he said he and his friends used to go dump his beer cans around there.

He was really nice and funny the whole time.  He went away with his son and we walked to Irene's.  We were all hoping he would come back after dropping off his son, but we all knew that wasn't going to happen.  

I'm still in shock from the whole experience.  I hope I get to see him again some day.

The Wednesday Week

It's been quite an exciting week since I returned last Wednesday. Here is a day for day summary of what has happened:

Wednesday: Got back from the airport around 6:00 PM. Received a call from Eamon in regards to a Patrick Cleandenim show that was happening at midnight. People came over until 10:00, we listened to music, had some drinks and then went to the show. It was a blast. The next day I woke up with the fear that I had embarrassed myself on the dance floor.

Thursday: Went to a reception for Vito Acconci at the David Beitzel Gallery. At least I think it was a reception, there weren't any actual pieces there, just personal documents from when he did his three "classic" performances (re: Seedbed). The documents were compelling. He wrote at length about becoming a part of space (interior space, not astronomical space) and how to do so effectively. The gathering was small and intimate. Acconci talked for an hour to a group of 20 or 30 people, mostly about his transition to architecture. After he spoke the owner of the gallery gave him a Seedbed cake in honor of his upcoming birthday. The cake had a special cream filling. Note to self: remember to dress nice when attending functions, a stained t-shirt and baggy Dockers will not do.

David Beitzel (left) and Vito Acconci (right)

Friday: Helped shoot an interview with Calvin Trillin. It was the first of many interviews for a documentary about parking in New York. I don't really know any more details on the movie yet, I think it will be pretty funny. I met the producer, Roger, who was extremely friendly. It was his first time interviewing someone on camera and he was a little nervous. Calvin Trillin apparently wrote the first novel on the subject of parking. I am not very familiar with his writing but he was incredibly funny and interesting during the interview so I think I'm gonna try to read some of his work.

Saturday: Tried to see Gran Torino, it was sold out. Settled for Marley and Me. Left after 20 minutes and got a refund. Didn't even get to see Marley do naughty things, just Aniston and Wilson be really supportive of each other. Met up with Alexa, Andy, Dan, Eamon, Molly, and Rachel to see the "new" Godard movie, Made in USA. I say "new" because it was made in 1966 but was never actually released until sometime last week! Previously it had only been accessible on bootleg VHS tapes at a very poor quality. I didn't think the movie was very good. The color themes were too in my face (nothing says French communist like red, white, blue, and yellow painted on every fucking wall or building) and Godard's "subversive" tactics were mostly annoying. The woman behind me requested that I slouch for the entire film because she couldn't read the subtitles.

Sunday: Went to my friend Woody's house for a dinner party. Spent at least an hour drinking beer and throwing baseball caps at a ceiling fan. This game is played often in Woody's apartment, he has a collection of hats specifically for this purpose. It's called "The Hat Game."

Monday: Went to a screening/reception with Dan for a documentary called Crawford. It's a good movie, check it out if you get a chance. Afterwards Dan and I went to Corner Bistro with my friend Taylor and some others. Delicious burgers.

Tuesday: Saw Predator Vision play. It was a pretty sick set. A single 20 minute jam filled with psychedelic guitar effects. Here is a song of theirs you can listen to if you're interested, it's not the song they played, but it's not bad: This City's A Jungle.

If you read all this... Thanks! Thanks? This week: Northampton road trip with my friend Daren, editing special features for a Rachel Carson DVD, and the O'Bama inauguration.

Trippin' 2

On our second day in the Cotswolds, Dominic (my brother in law), lead a group of us out to the footpaths for an hour and a half hike. This is a series of paths that go all over the country side through all sorts of terrain. The access to these paths is incredible, we literally walked into the backyard and were on our way.

One of the most remarkable things about these paths is the fact that they are almost entirely on peoples' private property. In America, or Iowa at least, it seems like you would either be shot at, yelled at, or have the cops called on you if you decided to go for a leisurely hike across someones farmland. The residents of the Cotswolds seem to have a great appreciation for the active use and enjoyment of the footpaths, they even build little staircases to help people climb over their fences.

It was a amazing hike. We encountered scary tree swings, rolling meadows, forests, other landscapes, mole hills, small horses, castles, and some zombies. Here are some pictures from the hike:

Trippin'

I recently returned to Calyer Palace after a week of holiday family fun in Evanston, IL followed by a nine-day trip to the United Kingdom (the Cotswolds and London) and France (Paris) with my parents. It was a wonderful two weeks but I am happy to be back in my apartment participating heavily in the postponement of any and all work.

I'm not sure how best to share my trip to Europe. There's a lot to say but it seems like some best moments can essentially be phrased as, "I walked around for a while and saw some things." So, it will be done post by post (duh).

The first chapter of our trip took place in the Cotswolds. Actually, I should mention that there was lengthy prologue that involved taking a plane from O'hare to Frankfurt and then from Frankfurt to Heathrow. This was immediately followed by an extremely tense expletive-filled two hour drive to the Cotswolds during which my mom quickly realized that driving on the left side of the road was harder than she had remembered. She did a good job though, we only went up on the curb twice.

Our reason for going to the Cotswolds was that my sister and her English husband had rented a large house in the Cotswolds and said that anyone willing to get themselves there were welcome to stay and celebrate the holidays with them. The house was incredible:

More to come...