I Knew Them When...
In a world where 24 hour news serves to saturate the public at large with bad news it's time for some good. Among the stories of Iraq, Michael Vick, NBA ref, Tim Donaghy, the trapped Utah miners and rescuers, toys with lead paint, heat waves, hurricanes, and the scariest of all...political debates, it's time for some happiness.
Not mine specifically. Tonight Fox airs the final episode of ON THE LOT. As I've blogged before, our friend and fellow filmmaker, Jason Epperson, is in the finals. I have no knowledge of the outcome but I have a hunch Jason will win it all and I hope that he does. At the absolute worst he comes in third and gets to be a working director. I'd take that...yesterday. Winning would be icing. He already has the cake. And good for him. Better to have known someone that becomes successful than not. Especially in a field I hope to make a living in. Not just work. I can and still do make movies. But I can't feed my family on them...yet.
For those of you out there who I haven't told yet, and that would be very few, I went to high school with Dave Grohl. Yes, THAT, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame. I have the high school yearbooks to prove it. Now Dave and I weren't close but I knew him and I know several people who will claim they were Dave's best friend...now. I watched him and a few neighborhood guys practice with their band in the drummer's basement. He was a year behind me in school, he was freshman class president, and his mom taught English in our school. I remember Dave playing guitar and the band practicing, Ozzy Osbourne's, Crazy Train. He went on to play drums in a D.C. punk band called, Scream and next thing I knew he was on MTV with Nirvana.
I don't think much about it now but when I do it is strange to be able to say I went to school with a guy who became famous. Dare I say a rock icon in a world full of disposable stars. When I see him on T.V. or on the cover of magazines all I can think of is the guy that got dragged, kicking, into my sister's bathroom by 3 dudes where they proceeded to butcher his hair, during a party at my house the summer before my junior year!
In a time where we are all hoping for some good news, even if it doesn't directly effect you, this is mine and more than likely many others too. Jason is on the verge of Hollywood success and who knows he could be the next Spielberg. You could have never convinced me when I was in high school that Dave Grohl would grow up to be..."Dave Grohl." So I know, first hand (really second hand), that it's possible. What I'll remember most about Jason is when he came up and congratulated me at the screening of my first feature movie, The Midnight. I hope that I get the chance to hang out with Jason again if the opportunity ever presents itself. But if not, I can honestly say, "I knew him when."
Not mine specifically. Tonight Fox airs the final episode of ON THE LOT. As I've blogged before, our friend and fellow filmmaker, Jason Epperson, is in the finals. I have no knowledge of the outcome but I have a hunch Jason will win it all and I hope that he does. At the absolute worst he comes in third and gets to be a working director. I'd take that...yesterday. Winning would be icing. He already has the cake. And good for him. Better to have known someone that becomes successful than not. Especially in a field I hope to make a living in. Not just work. I can and still do make movies. But I can't feed my family on them...yet.
For those of you out there who I haven't told yet, and that would be very few, I went to high school with Dave Grohl. Yes, THAT, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame. I have the high school yearbooks to prove it. Now Dave and I weren't close but I knew him and I know several people who will claim they were Dave's best friend...now. I watched him and a few neighborhood guys practice with their band in the drummer's basement. He was a year behind me in school, he was freshman class president, and his mom taught English in our school. I remember Dave playing guitar and the band practicing, Ozzy Osbourne's, Crazy Train. He went on to play drums in a D.C. punk band called, Scream and next thing I knew he was on MTV with Nirvana.
I don't think much about it now but when I do it is strange to be able to say I went to school with a guy who became famous. Dare I say a rock icon in a world full of disposable stars. When I see him on T.V. or on the cover of magazines all I can think of is the guy that got dragged, kicking, into my sister's bathroom by 3 dudes where they proceeded to butcher his hair, during a party at my house the summer before my junior year!
In a time where we are all hoping for some good news, even if it doesn't directly effect you, this is mine and more than likely many others too. Jason is on the verge of Hollywood success and who knows he could be the next Spielberg. You could have never convinced me when I was in high school that Dave Grohl would grow up to be..."Dave Grohl." So I know, first hand (really second hand), that it's possible. What I'll remember most about Jason is when he came up and congratulated me at the screening of my first feature movie, The Midnight. I hope that I get the chance to hang out with Jason again if the opportunity ever presents itself. But if not, I can honestly say, "I knew him when."
Labels: Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters, Jason Epperson, Nirvana, On The Lot
