REFLECT & RECOLLECT

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to min’?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days o’ auld lang syne?

Auld Lang Syne (1788), Robert Burns (1759-1796)

 

The French have a proverb which goes something like this... Let us remember the good old times when we were so unhappy!

 

There are times when we do reminisce about our past and find that those good old days were anything but. In fact, some of those memories can be so down right unpleasant we become miserable.

 

New Year’s Eve. The last holiday when we say farewell to the old year as we’re welcoming in the new. It’s perhaps at this time that we really do reflect and recollect, as I have been doing not only for most of this day but the past month as well.

 

It actually began when I heard the news that forever Beatle, George Harrison died of cancer on November 29^th. That piece of information got me to recall some of my awful "good old days" when I was a student in New York City some 21 years ago. On the crisp, cool night of December 8, 1980, I, along with a group of friends, went to see the lighting of the annual Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. We hugged each other to keep warm and sang carols while watching the skaters at the base of the tree.

 

An hour or so later, we strolled up Central Park toward the Dakota building where we came upon the gruesome sight of blood and broken glass. A quiet man was being led away by the police, while another individual had a sheet laid over him as he was placed in the ambulance.

 

People had already gathered. Some cried; others were silent; many held candles. I was a part, yet separate from the scene, thinking, "How can John Lennon be dead at 40?"

 

As I read about George Harrison’s funeral service in India, I recalled John Lennon’s tribute in Central Park with his widow, Yoko Ono and then Mayor, Ed Koch. Thousands of people gathered, and I was just a small part of a whole, wondering at the time where my life would lead.

 

It wouldn’t be long before I found out with bit parts in films like Friday the 13^th, part 2; Kane & Abel; and Daniel, along with numerous theater work, first Off-Broadway and finally The Great White Way.

 

Those years as an actor were wonderful conditioning for me when, during the Summer of 1990, I burst upon the international stage because of a little bike ride atop the Great Wall of China. That grand tour produced a new life for me as an adventurer, not to mention being the Cyclist of the Year.

 

While George Harrison lay dying in Los Angeles, a very dear friend of mine, legendary film director, Budd Boetticher, was also on his death bed just a few hours south near San Diego.

 

Budd and I met at a film festival a couple of years ago and immediately hit it off. At the time, I had no idea who he was nor his films, but by the size of the crowd surrounding him, he was well loved and admired.

 

When the crowd died down and I had a chance to shake his hand, he looked me square in the eye and asked the surprising question, "Listen, if I give you my personal phone number, will you call me?"

 

I remember stammering for a moment; eyes cast downward with a shuffle of my feet, answering, "Well, um, okay...why?" To which, Budd replied, "Because I like the way you look. Your face scares the hell out of me and I’d like to work with you." Even in his 80s, Budd was still working on film projects, and being of Old Hollywood, he knew everyone in the industry.

 

The first film I saw of his was the 1957 Western, The Tall T with Randolph Scott. The Western was Budd’s specialty. Next to his mentor, John Ford, Budd was in the handful of being the best of the best Western directors. He was so great at this genre, that another famous (spaghetti) Western director, Sergio Leone, once remark upon their first meeting, "Budd, I have stolen everything from you!"

 

Some of Budd’s other films that he either wrote, produced, directed or all of the above and then some, were... The Bullfighter & The Lady; The Cimarron Kid; Horizons West; City Beneath the Sea; Seminole; The Killer Is Loose; Seven Men From Now; Comanche Station; The Rise & Fall of Legs Diamond; Two Mules For Sister Sarah; and Arruza. If you ever get to see any of these great films on The Western Channel or elsewhere, do so and learn from a Master.

 

It was always a joy to be able to pick up the phone and call Budd to discuss the art of how to seal a film deal with the studios. He was such a wealth of knowledge and wisdom of the inner workings of the system, I always took his advice to advance to the next level.

 

And to hear his adventures about life in and out of the bullring and the places he had been to; the experiences that were now fond memories were always exciting. It was during those times when we shared our tall tales, that I began to realize how Budd and I were cut from the same cloth. I was actually viewing myself 40 years from now, as he was seeing how he once was a generation ago. We were close knit. Tight. My Budd... I will forever miss our fellowship with one another.

 

The auld lang syne. Those good old days of long since past. The past is what it was. The present is what it is. The future is what we will make of it.

 

And what will that future be, especially in light of the last third of 2001?

 

For me, it’s looking forward to the publication of the extensive version of the Tour de Cuba and who the grand prize winner will be for that special contest giveaway. Will I be your host and guide for a 2-week, all expense paid bike adventure to the Caribbean? PRE-ORDER BOOK AND REGISTER TO WIN HERE

 

In the next few weeks, I’ll be heading to Los Angeles for a feature film project with my producer partner that we’ve been planning the last several months, and hope to see come to some fruition this year (a good sign is that at least we have the money in the bank). In future Khronicle editions, I’ll speak more about this.

 

And will I be doing anymore bike tours? I don’t know. I’ve been offered a couple of dandy events that have piqued my interest, but the last couple of years, I’ve made a lot of contacts in Hollywood and so I just don’t know if I want to get back on a bike and do 60 to 80 miles a day in all sorts of weather. I know I want to continue to keep my hand in some aspect of cycling, but to what extent remains to be seen. So long as I advance forward with each new day I’m being active.

 

That’s the most important thing for all of us. Continue to occupy. Continue to advance and move forward. Never remain stagnant for long, else it’ll be difficult to recover.

 

If last year was a blessing for you, than I hope and pray this new year will be doubly so. If it was nothing more than a curse, then smile. You have nowhere to go but up.

 

Until next month,