Knight's Move Book

I was feeling pretty sick and shitty this past week or so with a summer cold and the coming of the new semester, and Duke came by to talk. He regaled me with tales of Belgrade, and his time as a Montenegrin film star. We talked about screenwriting in L.A. -- a job we both did, though he was more successful than I in substanitive terms -- and I couldn't help being impressed by his credits, but mostly I was impressed by the way he absorbed the world he was moving through. That story about wandering the Paramount lot and trying to imagine those who'd come before is a fine example of his presence in those moments that matter, and its one of my favourites to hear him tell.

I found out a whole bunch about his friends that I didn't know. He surprised me with how comfortable he was talking about things that many people would want to keep hidden forever, knowing full well that there was nothing for him to be ashamed of and acting accordingly (which sounds so easy to do but is actually quite difficult for so many of us). He put aside his ego and told things straight, letting his stories speak for themselves, shit stains and all, embracing his own downfalls as thirstily as a bottle of Cutty Sark on a night of blackout madness.

And he pissed me off too, but of course that was going to happen. Duke, the doctor, D.R. thinks pretty highly of himself at times, and I was sick and crabby (and I think just as highly of myself), so I listened and nodded, and thought, "C'mon, man. Don't be such a douchebag," but then he'd sense my eye rolling and take just the right turn again, pulling back, redirecting with something self-deprecating or philosophical or surgically incisive, and then I'd feel like a prick for getting pissy.

Then he left me with a mix disc he'd made for me, pointed me to a couple of cool interviews he'd given, kicked my ass, and headed out the door back from whence he came, making sure that I'd never forget my weekend with him, snot infused though it was.

He's available for you too. When you need to just hang out, when you need a little motivation, when you need to remember what you're writing for, you can give him a call in these pages, and he'll come hang out, give you his unique form of therapy (deeply Freudian though it is), and you too will come out of it better for the experience.

p.s. You are the real deal, Duke. Seriously.