Messed With The Bull; Got The Horns

The very talented Paul Gleason has died. I play Principal Vernon in the Film Pigs' staged version of The Breakfast Club. And as such, I probably studied his performance more than anyone ever, aside from the film's editors and John Hughes. And as such, I feel a bit of sadness this morning. Even for something as silly as a late night comedy show, as an actor you must completely empathize with your character, be it a rugged FBI agent saving the woman he loveds, or a serial killer, or a put-upon, rule-loving, misguided high school principal. So by the end of our rehearsals, I really saw the movie with Vernon as the star, and these fucking punk kids ruining my Saturday, and just serving as a reminder of how students used to have respect and now they're all free-thinking and independent. And then Carl the creepy janitor told me I was wrong, and with that realization fucking me up, I had to gain power over something, anything. And it was Bender. If I couldn't provoke this thirty-year-old high school senior and then beat his ass, at least I could belittle him. That saved the day for me. That and my orange slices. The stupid note at the end... didn't change a thing for me. All that day changed was that I discovered Carl knew waaaay too much, and I needed to buy a new Thermos.

Rest in Peace, Principal Vernon.


ETA: (Apparently he "decided to become an actor in 1961 after seeing Splendor in the Grass (1961) with his friend, author Jack Kerouac."

Hung out with Kerouac? A) What the fuck?! B) Stud.)

ETA again: Okay, apparently this guy studied his performance as closely as I did.