Babysat Brooke Shield during the “Pretty Baby” shoot
Hitched across the country and back three times when I was 16 and 17 (a la Kerouac)
Met Kerouac when I was 17 and in school in Florida. He was well gone at that point, into booze.
Revised scripts for Grease, Fever, The Dualist, Orca (hate to admit it)
Had two productions run at the Tyrone Guthrie in Minneapolis
Been jailed four times in the early 60s for Civil Rights demonstrations
“Stepped out” on my first two wives (inexcusable, but I’ve explained why I ultimately left them and it’s a pretty good rationalization)
Been shot (Israel)
Been knifed (Tangier)
Covered Vietnam in ’69
Was friendly with Paul Stookey when he was a standup comic at the Gaslight in Greenwich Village
Did not attend Woodstock
Was at the Great March on DC in ’68
Wrote for a major newspaper for more than two decades
Wrote for 12 or 14 small papers over an 18 month period (fired from most)
Learned to play the guitar from a lot of blues and folk artists in the Village
Taught myself banjo
Can play Chopin on the piano and do a pretty good imitation of Bud Powell playing “Ornithology”
Lost consistently at a weekly poker game
Met Mickey Mantle and Ernie Banks (and Moose Skowron and Whitey Ford)
Never had any problems with my parents
(I’m feeling a bit egocentric today)
Refugee from Reason 