Another fan of Andy… Michael Byrne (Vogel, from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) EXPANDED

Andy and Vogel (Michael Byrne)

An interview (I think our first here at andypagana.com).

I had no tape recorder so here is approximately what transpired. (There is some swearing. Sorry) We spent about forty minutes together sitting in a corner of a hotel lobby, near that building from ‘Die Hard’. Here are the highlights. The rest will be printed in my autobiography when I get to it…

Andy: Michael, I am a huge fan of yours, too! You are one of my most favorite badguys. Do you know Peter O’Toole?

Michael: I was in Rome once. Years ago. I had done  some work with him before. I had a phone call. The voice on the other end of the phone said “Michael, have you read the bloody play yet?” “Who is this?” I said. “It’s Peter Peter Fucking O’Toole, you cunt”

Andy: What the fuck happened with Indy 4? 

Michael: (Censored)

Andy: Do you remember me? I saw Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 8 times in the theatre.

Michael: It doesn’t work that way. You can see me but I can’t see you.

Andy: Pff. Did it hurt when you went off the cliff on the tank?

Michael: No. That was a special effect.

Andy: So… it didn’t hurt? It looked like it hurt.

Michael: It didn’t.

Andy: And I notice that you hold onto the turret even after you have crashed. How did you do that?

Michael: It wasn’t me. It was a miniature of me.

Andy: Wow. Well, it looked like it hurt. Did you have on knee pads or something?

Michael: I wasn’t really there.

Andy: Did Harrison Ford get mad when you punched him and then shoved his face on the tank’s tread? 

Michael: It was acting.

Andy: Are you sure? Because he looked mad.

Michael: I’m sure.

Andy: When Indy was hanging from the tank gun why didn’t you just shoot him? Why hit him with a shovel?

Michael: I did what I was told to do.

Andy: Pfff. Nazis. Always the same excuse. Well, I don’t know how you survived the fall but it was a great stunt. How did you not hit your head on the camera as you fell towards it, screaming? 

Michael: (sigh) I got lucky I suppose.

Andy: You want a cup of coffee?

Michael: No, I’m drinking wine, thank you. I shouldn’t be drinking this. I’m tired. I just got off the plane. I hate flying. 

Andy: Me too. I drove across the country 10 times.

Michael: You guys use planes here like we use cars.

Andy: ‘We’ meaning Nazi’s looking for the Holy Grail?

Michael: The biritsh.

Andy: Were you born there?

Michael: No. Scotland. (or did he say Ireland? Damn it!)

pause

Michael: Who let you in here?

Andy: Schwartzy did. That little guy over there. He saw you and told me you were here and I knew you would want to meet me. Lets take a picture. (Calls out) Schwartzy!!!

(Old fashioned flashbulb pops)

Andy: It was a pleasure to meet me. Thanks so much, Michael. How do you say goodbye in Germany, again? (I wanted to tell him here he had the most amazing blue eyes but I lost my courage.)

Picasso and Pagana 5

Picasso and Pagana 3

Picasso and Pagana – Unveiling 2

Picasso and Pagana

People die. It’s a fact of life. Death, that is. And sometimes, when people die, if they are an artist of one sort or another, they leave behind a lot of unfinished work. Such is the case of my artist friend, Pablo.

He was a very prolific artist, creating more works that can probably ever be counted. He made a decent living at it so he would, it seems, never stop creating. I always admired this about him. That, and all the chicks he managed to score. He was pretty good at that too (for being an old bald guy who loved to wear Russian sailor shirts).

To get back to the point. When he went to dwell with the morning stars, he left behind a lot of unfinished work. And it has been sometimes customary for one artist, who is an admirer or friend of the deceased one, to complete the unfinished pieces. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg finishing Stanley Kubrik’s ‘A.I’. is the one example I can think of at the moment. There are more but I am too tired to go on about it.  If you’re really interested, do some research, you’ll find plenty of examples.

So that leaves me to this… My friend Pablo left a plethora of unfinished drawings to me, many with notes on how to finish them. In some case, there was no note, but, knowing him as well as I do, I can pretty much fill in the blanks. It’s like when you’re so really close to someone you can finish their sandwiches, I mean sentences, before they do. That is the case with me and Pablo. I ate all his sandwiches for him.

Anyway, I completed the first of his unfinished drawings last night. Hopefully, you can’t tell where he started and I ended. I will however, in the cases that Pablo has signed his name, sign my name next to it. That is also in keeping with his wishes. (He didn’t state if I should be first or second, so, because he originated the work, I have afforded him the respect of having his name before mine.) He often told me he “wanted to collaborate on some work” but we never did get the chance. I suppose this will be it. Also, for now, I think I will keep the changes to myself and not divulge what is his and what is his by my hand. That may come later. I will make an exception for this one piece and mention that Pablo had long spoke about putting the bubbles floating from the pipe but never had the courage to do it. Well, Pablo, my friend, I just gave you the courage. Cheers!

Story of my (recent) life…