Goin' Out To Cally - Part 2, The Fourth Wheel

The members of the University of Florida theater department often found themselves socializing in a local dive of a bar called the WinnJammer. It was small and smoky, but they allowed all of the actors to put their headshots on the wall. It was interesting to see actors from years past on the wall, seemingly participating in our conversations in the two large booths that were almost continually inhabited by theater department faculty and students.

Pete at the WinnJammer

It was at this bar that I realized the importance of networking in show business. It was my first lesson in the understanding that who you know will get you in the door and talent will allow you to stay there. When I wasn't getting cast in plays, I decided to up my social quotient and became a frequent off-hours resident at the WinnJammer. I was broke, so I could only afford a Pepsi because of the free refills.

And I'll never forget Diane, one of the cooks at the bar. She was a sweet black woman with a gold front tooth who's maternal instincts were honored upon me, because, knowing my financial status, she would frequently sneak out some chicken fingers for me to eat. Without her generosity I truly do not believe I would have had enough nutrition to make it through my last year in college. She was a doll and I will never forget her.

After I became known at the bar and comfortable with fellow students and staff, I used my humor to ingratiate myself to them and they became more comfortable with me. I found my interactions with my teachers more fruitful in class as a result as their criticism and education of my acting talents were more valid and applicable to me... they knew me as a person and knew when I was relying on "me" instead of acting as someone else.

Doc Shelton and I had a love/hate relationship, in the best sense of the word. Shelton pushed me harder than any other teacher I've ever known. His criticism was brutal and honest and accurate and that hurt more than I would have liked... but he challenged me to be better than I could imagine within myself. I don't know how talented I ever got as an actor... how can one effectively measure oneself in that way, but I know that whatever level of talent I had achieved, it would have been substantially less if it had not been for him.

During one of these nights at the WinnJammer, I was sitting across from two of my friends, David and Sunday. They had been dating for a while and I really enjoyed their company. Dave had a wonderful wit and was always found with the front-half of his shirt untucked. Sunday was what I call early Madonna, minus the voice. And I'm speaking of Madonna the singer, not the Mother of Jesus.

Sunday in a print ad
in a local paper

Sunday had a smoldering femme fatal sexuality about her and wore an intricate mess of clothes, yet the look somehow worked with her. I remember asking her "don't you want to look nice?" She replied "I think I do look nice." I realized at that moment that no one dresses up thinking they look bad and that my tastes are just that, mine.

So, that night at the bar the weight of the impending end to the school year was upon us. We mulled our options and Dave asked what I was planning on doing over the Summer. "Well, I'm helping out with the Summer Stock program first and then I'm taking a road trip to California, check out the U.S.C. and U.C.L.A. film departments," I replied.

Dave and Pete at Graduation

Dave had no interest in going, but Sunday was envious. I half-heartedly replied to her "you want to go?" knowing that the answer would certainly be no... after all, their relationship was relatively new and what boyfriend would be okay with sending his sexually comfortable girlfriend on a road trip with another guy where they would spend almost three weeks together, some of which would require being in close quarters such as sleeping in a tent camping?

Surely the answer had to be no.

Yet, to my surprise, Sunday replied "Sure!" And to my greater surprise Dave didn't object. With a slip of the tongue I suddenly found my fourth wheel for the trip. I really should have objected in some way, but, at the time, I was a slave to my fear of confrontation, so I just said "Okay."

Against all logic, the foursome was set.

I really should have objected in some way.

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Goin' Out To Cally - Part 2, Audio

Goin' Out To Cally - Part 1, The Seed Planted
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 1, Audio