Friday, February 15, 2008

Liquid Sky

Joey posted this today, and C commented, as I suspected he would.

That brings me back to the night we first met. Standing in a bar in the Wretched Little City, I saw the most beautiful man in the world standing about six feet away from me. I told my friends to back off and shut up because I was going to met this guy and nothing could stop me. They must have sensed my determination and resolve because they and everyone in that crowded and noisy bar except C seemed to dissolve into silence and invisibility. As cue-the-swelling-violinsish as it sounds, I have never experienced anything like that moment.

I don't remember our exact first words, but within a minute I learned that he had just been to see a movie called "Liquid Sky". He asked me if I had ever seen it.

I had never heard of this movie, but that did not stop me from saying that I had indeed seen it. I then delivered a spectacular thirty minute review of a film I knew nothing about. How was this accomplished? Easily. You employ the subtle tricks that fortune tellers have used for centuries. You start with some safe, general comments and build on the specific responses you get from your "client", until he says "Yes! Yes! That's exactly it!."

Keep in mind also that I had always been a great believer in what F. Scott Fitzgerald painted in Gatsby, made especially clear in the introductory verse by Thomas Parke Dinvilliers:

"Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her,
If you can bounce high; bounce high for her
Till she cries "Lover, gold-hatted,
high-bouncing lover, I must have you!""


Years went by before I admitted to him that I had never even heard of Liquid Sky. We went to see it. We own it.

Lads, you do what you have to do when you have to do it.

(And Happy Birthday, Baby, "Apple pie, apple pie...")

4 comments:

circleinasquare said...

I have the soundtrack on vinyl!

Anonymous said...

Trickster. What an interesting start to a long lived and fabulous duo.

evilganome said...

Anthony, you shameless minx! I'm glad you practiced your subterfuge. It's a pleasure to see you 2 together. The rest of us can only envy you both.

BigAssBelle said...

whatever it takes. what. ever.