Somewhere Near Hollywood & Vine- Part 2 (A Memory Correction)

“It’s a semi-true story, believe it or not. I made up a few things and there’s some I forgot. But the life and the telling are both real to me. And they all run together to be . . . a semi-true story.”
-Jimmy Buffett

It’s no mystery as to why our remembrances tend to be hyperbolic. We are the heroes of our own lives (or at least we should be), and in recanting our experiences we ought make them as exciting as possible. We’re telling stories, stories of tension and drama and lessons learned at the end of the adventure. It’s all a part of how we view ourselves. And if you don’t think you are an exciting and worthy character then nobody else will either.

But while exaggeration is fine, you should always try to sort through the essential details and come up with The Truth. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don’t. Storytelling isn’t an exact science.

In my last blog entry I recounted my first experiences living with my friend Bradleigh in Hollywood. Being tossed into a new and exciting environment will heighten your senses, and those memories will forever be embedded into my brain. So I know I got it right . . . well, most of it.

One of the interesting things about writing a blog is that you can get instant feedback. I spoke with Bradleigh tonight and he didn’t remember those events in 1999 exactly as I had.

“You got it wrong, Bro,” Bradleigh said in his trademark gruff voice that should make him the envy of every voiceover artist in LA. “After that night I was never at the door ready to punch you. I wrote you a note and apologized. In your note you quoted The Big Lebowski, and in mine I did too. And what the fuck is 'apologizing like a madman?' I never apologized like a madman.”

It was an homage to Catcher In The Rye. It was lazy writing. It was also hyperbole.

I had forgotten about his note, but that is exactly what happened. After getting woken up in the middle of the night I went to work that morning. When I returned to the apartment Bradleigh would have already left for his job (the night shift at Miyagi’s). He left a note for me saying he was sorry. It was a sincere apology (not madman-like in any way) and quoting The Dude was a nice touch. At some point we talked it out and all was cool. This was right around my birthday, and I remember making pot of spaghetti and Bradleigh dumping it out and treating me to lunch at Wolfgang Puck Cafe.

While those first few days on June Street were a rough adjustment, the next two years were a helluva lot of fun. Girls, booze, parties, bars, and always something interesting happening in every direction when the sun went down. Bradleigh was a great roommate, and I wouldn’t hesitate sharing an apartment with him again.

But having him waiting at the door after I wrote that note creates more drama, more tension . . . and makes for a better story. Even if it never happened.