In remembrance

Keigo Yamada on the pronoun-existence

I get many letters from Japan, and this one is my favorite. I am quoting it exactly as it reads - on festive paper, in different ink colors, with many words highlighted for emphasis.

Dearest Wonderful Thomas,
Hello. How are you?
My name is Keigo Yamada. I'm twenty-two years old University student boy, living in Tokyo, Japan. This is my first letter to you.

I saw you in "Back To The Future." It was a wonderful movie which remains in the heart of people who have a better opinion of themselves and can discover their existence anew by who goes the future and the past back and forth. And depiction of "Biff" of you had released conspicuous color particularly in the world of the future, or the past world. Was depiction of "Biff" of you the pronoun-existence of this movie! It was the character which exists and cannot hate charm truly.
And the place which never makes the role 'a symbol of evil' thinks that it is a wonderful place of your performance power.
Although this movie was exhibited and remarkable years passed, your role of "Biff" is immortality eternally. You showed off the importance of many villain characters which continue behind on this movie.
In the meantime, I'd really appreciate it if you should send me your sign card. This becomes the highest for me. I have enclosed a self-addressed envelope and U.S. stamps.
Please take care of yourself and do your best from now on.

I wish you happy.

Best Wisher,
Keigo Yamada

Male and Female Rejects

I took this photo in the late eighties, feeling particularly de-humanized by some stupid audition for some stupid T.V. show. These were the stacks of photos on top of a desk in the casting office. Below the desk were mountains of thousands more shots, so I guess this stack represents the actors who actually got considered by the underling of an assistant. Barbara Billingsley is a wonderful actress who was made famous on "Leave It To Beaver," and David Rasche is another actor of great talent and wide experience. Years later I met David Rasche and told him about the ugly gallows humor in this photo, and he didn't appreciate it at all. Oh well.

Hey, I didn't get the job either, my photo was probably just under his, but I think we all managed to survive.

Love from Wilson World,
Tom

DeVito Power

I'm doing a movie with Danny DeVito called "No Place Like Home" right now. We were shooting a scene today where a kid throws a fake beer bottle at a truck, shattering near Danny's head. Uh, the fake beer bottle didn't break, but solidly hit Mr. DeVito in the jaw. He was surprised, but okay, clearly tough as nails and ready for another take. Hey, it's my blog, I'll write what I want - just wanted to tell you about my day when I saw Danny DeVito get cracked in the face with a beer bottle.

And they had free snacks, so...bonus!

Love from Wilson World,
Tom

Her Beautiful Hand

My kids are better than yours. Yeah, I was going to be diplomatic and simply tell you how proud I am, but figured why not cut to the chase. My kids rock, and yours are probably good, too, no disrespect meant, but mine are simply sublime. And yours are good, seriously, don't get me wrong here, you have good kids, but, okay...as long as we understand each other.
My daughter is teaching developmentally disabled kids this summer, as she did last summer, teens with Autism to varying degrees. It's a job she does well, with love and care, and it's a fulfilling challenge that beats flipping burgers.
She got attacked today. Twice. One of the kids just went crazy and attacked her, two different times, scratching her arms and hands. I don't mean kitty cat sratches, I mean a wild attack causing deep scratches and cuts. My daughter handled it well, though it was upsetting to her, of course, but I was struck with what happened after that. A boy came up to her, sadly touched her bleeding scratches and said "Your beautiful hand. Oh, my dear lady...look at your beautiful hand." He traced the wounds with his finger and kissed her hand. The work that she does, and loves, has not left her unscathed, but the balm of the boy's concern helped begin the healing, along with the humor of speaking as if he were in a Shakespeare play "Oh...my dear lady..."

My second daughter is volunteering at a retreat right now. My third one volunteers to help her older sister with the autistic kids. Face it, Sparky, my kids rock.

Love and humility from Wilson World,
Tom

The Eagle Has Landed

"Brotherly Love" has become something of a punch line to most Philadelphians, but like so many cities on the east coast, Philadelphia is a fascinating explosion of humanity, living in, on, and around each other. It's a beautiful city, my hometown, and I love walking the streets, my mind flooding with memories of the past on every corner. The giant buildings of granite and steel still crowd the middle of Center City, but many more shiny glass towers decorated with neon borders at the top climb higher and higher, obliterating the view of William Penn on City Hall, and creating a cityscape unrecognizable from the pre-dawn backdrop that Rocky shadow-boxed thirty years ago.

It's astounding that so many old buildings have been swallowed by retailers. The golden eagle above, symbol of freedom and our nations liberty, carved and gilt a century ago, now hovers above an entrance for a "Sharper Image" store. Yes, my fellow Americans. "Liberty!"... "Freedom!"... "Massage Chairs!"... "Air Purifiers!" Graceful marble staircases and polished brass railings lead up from the street and into a ..."Staples." Oh, such effort by craftsmen of so long ago to build stone buildings that would stand the test of time, only to have ink cartridge sale posters hanging from carved marble gargoyles.

I elegantly strode into Staples like a 19th century banker, and bought a dozen of those Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pens. Yes!! I've been looking for those things everywhere!

Love from Wilson World,
Tom

My hometown

I'm on my way to Philadelphia, cradle of Liberty, and hometown of myself, Jack Klugman, and Sylvester Stallone. Need I say more? Don't mess with Philly. I'm performing at "Helium" and looking forward to many great shows, and many great soft pretzels from WaWa. I'll be doing lots of radio shows, where they'll ask me questions about Paris Hilton, waiting for me to trash her.

I think I'll just say "Well, as Saint John of the Cross put it - "It is great wisdom to learn how to live quietly and look at neither the remarks, nor the deeds, nor the lives of others." Those morning zoo guys love stuff like that. Whoo!

Love from Wilson World,
Tom

As it is in Irvine

I've just seen a magnificent play called "As It Is In Heaven," at the small black box theatre at U.C. Irvine. It's about a community of Shaker women, full of very well done music, tremendous performances, and a spartan, yet completely satisfying production. It's the best play I've seen in a very long time, and I see a lot of plays. Most of them stink...there, I said it. I've seen several thousand bad plays in my lifetime, and several thousand terrible performances that were much more a sitcom audition for casting people that might be sitting in the audience than a gutsy, connected performance of that specific role in that specific play. And since theatres are having a hard time selling tickets anymore, there are two major audience demographics left. These contrasting demographics either want to see "The King And I," starring Loretta Swit, or "Heather Has Three Daddies, the musical!"

Congratulations to the U.C. Irvine theatre department, and young people who are hungry to perform intelligent, gutsy theatre, not "edgy" pablum. "Edgy" is the new "boring."