Savage Distortion

ALMOST FAMOUS O'NEILL ALUMS

Last night, for some odd reason, I decided to Google my old friend Sam Saldivar. Sam works, among other things I'm sure, as a production manager out in Hollyweird. He's always been a filmmaker, his pre-graduate works included "They Day The Earth Turned Vertical", and "Deathquest".

In my Google search I came across Mike Doughty's blog, which mentioned 'The Day The Earth Turned Vertical", and some of our mutual friends. Mike was the front man for Soul Coughing, a band which I never gave a chance because of an annoying ex-girlfriend who couldn't shut up about how much I should listen to Soul Coughing. Mike also was my next door neighbor at West Point for the last year I was there. He's a few years younger than I, but we sort of shared a peer group that has gone on to have some success in film and music.

Ostensibly, my Google search was prompted by a desire to get in touch with Bill Devine, who lived in the house Mike moved into, next door to mine, prior to Mike's moving into it. There must have been a lot of weird kharma in that house, a subject that I will leave alone, suffice to say that when Bill lived there some crazy shit went down. I figured Sam might have some contact info for Bill, but I couldn't even find any contact info for Sam.

I suppose I'll try Sam's brother Matt Saldivar, an actor, whom I last saw at a party in Manhattan in the mid nineties. Matt was then, and is probably still, hanging with Guin Turner, another one of the old crew, who has gone on to act in, and direct a number of films.

Guin used to date the late great Brian Spears, good pal of mine and Tony Alva's. She was at that same party, as was probably Mr. Doughty, where she uttered the words I will always remember her for: "He's dead and I'm gay." Nice Guin.

Another route to locate Sam, and maybe Bill, would be to go through John Adams, O'Neill and TEDSTOCK alumnus, who's brother Ramsey might be in touch with the Saldivar crew. Ramsey owes me one, back in 1983 I gave Fred Green a heart attack, which cancelled our production of Dracula which would be revived two years later with Ramsey in my role as The Count.

Must have been something in the water.......