The Six Dumbest Decisions of My Life
I' m talking here about seriously dumb decisions, not those minor regrets like that time in 1970 when £squire magazine assigned me to fly to New Mexico where director Monte Hellman was filming 7wo-Lane Blacktop, about street-racing. Among the actors was a pair of musicians, James Taylor as a driver, and Dennis Wilson as a mechanic. They both agreed to be interviewed, besides screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer and others.
During a conversation with Taylor about not laughing at jokes, he said, “My brother once told me a joke that made me laugh.”
“Wait, don’ t tell me now,” | said. “Let’ s save it for the interview.”
However, | was supposed to reveal behind the scenes of making the movie, but | learned that there were a couple of violations of law: A few members of the cast had been tripping on magic mushrooms; and a 17- year-old actress, Laurie Bird, who played “The Girl,” had sex with two members of the crew. Nine years later she would commit suicide.
Anyway, | decided not to write the article--| was a reporter, not a snitch--and never did get a chance to do any interviews. Nor did | ever
hear the joke that James Taylor’ s brother told him and made him laugh. |
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