George H. W. Bush; About to Shake My Hand
A truly amazing moment in my career is just about to happen in this picture. Mr. President stopped at the bottom of the stairs, first looked at me and said “Oh my, you fellas look like you’re burning up!” And I replied “Yes sir, we are.” With a big smile. And we were. We had been setting in the direct sun for about 45 minutes. Then he looked past me at my boss’ Steve Bell and Tommy Altman sitting next to me and said,“I ordered you guys some cool weather. But I guess it didn’t work out!” Big smile back atcha! Then he thrust his hand forward to me in the initiation of a hand shake. OmFG! I thought the God of Irony had finished toying with me after my last brush with the long arm of the law. But NO!
I guess absurdly ironic moments come in threes. I can tell you for a fact, an amazing amount of abstract thoughts connected by memories of everything from contemplative moments to violent arguments flashed through my mind in microseconds full blown conversations long ago old friends rightwing diehard tequila blasted visually through my mind in a complex or even intricate and interwoven living pulsing fabric of ironic and painful disbelief. I mean like nanoseconds passed in the real world. Poof!
Holy Guacamole I HAVE to shake the guy’s hand. This is the spawner of You-Know-Who! There’s no fucking way I can NOT shake his hand. Jesus H. Christ, that’s probably treasonous behavior in Georgia at minimum! Maybe a shoot-to-kill offense even!
He gave a very heartfelt dedication to Paul Coverdell. In fact the last words of his speech were punctuated by a momentary sob. Any way, after shaking my hand he turned to leave and I said,“Nice speech sir!”
Big smile and a wink. And he turned back and looked at me and said,“Thanks.” And turned and walked away. I wanted him to know that I had paid attention. I wanted him to know that I had heard him. Hey, what more can you ask from a guy surrounded by a squad of trained killers? :)
I’ve met lots of famous people before. And they don't really faze me. In fact, that’s one of the most serious dangers of working in the entertainment industry. Having to actually meet the talent. It can lead to dangerous associations with shady characters and erratic behavior. Hell I even got drunk with the Bolshoi Ballet once and let me tell you those girls…, well really that’s a whole different chapter for the blog someday I reckon. Anyway, pretty amazing moment, the furious surge of emotion and surprise. There was at least one person with a still camera and two guys shooting video right over the backs of the wall of Secret Service guys’ right behind Mr. Bush. I would love to find those people and get a copy of that moment.
One of the most absurd parts about the whole incident is that he was supposed to exit on the opposite side of the stage. President Adams, Senator Gramm and Governor Purdue were all pointing in that direction. But for what ever reason he barreled straight down the stairs on my side of the stage and wham, next thing I know we were talking about the weather and shaking hands. Sheesh, life is truly weird sometimes!
I guess absurdly ironic moments come in threes. I can tell you for a fact, an amazing amount of abstract thoughts connected by memories of everything from contemplative moments to violent arguments flashed through my mind in microseconds full blown conversations long ago old friends rightwing diehard tequila blasted visually through my mind in a complex or even intricate and interwoven living pulsing fabric of ironic and painful disbelief. I mean like nanoseconds passed in the real world. Poof!
Holy Guacamole I HAVE to shake the guy’s hand. This is the spawner of You-Know-Who! There’s no fucking way I can NOT shake his hand. Jesus H. Christ, that’s probably treasonous behavior in Georgia at minimum! Maybe a shoot-to-kill offense even!
He gave a very heartfelt dedication to Paul Coverdell. In fact the last words of his speech were punctuated by a momentary sob. Any way, after shaking my hand he turned to leave and I said,“Nice speech sir!”
Big smile and a wink. And he turned back and looked at me and said,“Thanks.” And turned and walked away. I wanted him to know that I had paid attention. I wanted him to know that I had heard him. Hey, what more can you ask from a guy surrounded by a squad of trained killers? :)
I’ve met lots of famous people before. And they don't really faze me. In fact, that’s one of the most serious dangers of working in the entertainment industry. Having to actually meet the talent. It can lead to dangerous associations with shady characters and erratic behavior. Hell I even got drunk with the Bolshoi Ballet once and let me tell you those girls…, well really that’s a whole different chapter for the blog someday I reckon. Anyway, pretty amazing moment, the furious surge of emotion and surprise. There was at least one person with a still camera and two guys shooting video right over the backs of the wall of Secret Service guys’ right behind Mr. Bush. I would love to find those people and get a copy of that moment.
One of the most absurd parts about the whole incident is that he was supposed to exit on the opposite side of the stage. President Adams, Senator Gramm and Governor Purdue were all pointing in that direction. But for what ever reason he barreled straight down the stairs on my side of the stage and wham, next thing I know we were talking about the weather and shaking hands. Sheesh, life is truly weird sometimes!
posted by Ric Wallace at 8:21 PM
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