Today at work, our consultants came to town and they brought along a brand-new member of their team-James Spader! Well, it wasn't really James Spader, but from the moment I met this guy in the hall, shook his hand, and locked on his eyes, the synapses of my mind connected him to Spader.
While he wasn't as old, nor as chubby as the James Spader of today--he was otherwise every bit Mr. Spader. It was remarkable--the eyes, the expressions, the way he moved his mouth when he talked...
I despise long meetings, but I was delighted to see that it was the new James Spader who would be conducting the day's presentation. I sat there transfixed, studying him, believing--most of the time--that it was really him.
On Boston Legal, the real James Spader plays Alan Shore, who is both pompous and irreverent, but who is also the most brilliant and engaging mind in the room. These qualities, found in an amusing, fictional character played by James Spader, instantly opened my typically jaded and cynical ears (always that way when I hear a pitch). I actually became open-minded and found myself nodding assent, I even tried to win James Spader's respect with my wit and logic.
The whole thing was surreal. Even in the down times today, this guy acted the part, with a sense of humor that was a little on the bawdy side, considering the type of organization I work for.
I happen to have a weird way of instantly connecting (or codifying) people, either with someone I've known personally, or in many cases, with a celebrity. I used to play a game with my old college roommate where we'd be walking the streets of Boston, and as someone passed, I'd say loud enough for only him to hear, "Karl Vonsnort," or "Kurt Yemming," or whomever they reminded me of from our college student body or faculty. My roommate would have just enough time to look up at the person and guffaw in their face as they walked past us, perplexed.
At another vendor we work with, there's a consultant who looks amazingly like Stephen Root (most famous for his role as the bumbling owner on NewsRadio, or Milton in Office Space). While Root is a very entertaining performer, perhaps it's because of the unremarkable people he has played--individuals you wouldn't be compelled to impress--that at first I found our Stephen Root to be a little aggravating. Just a little. I think he's the bomb now, of course.
I once worked with a guy who looked like Elton John! But he had a really deep voice and smelled like armpit! Not a pleasant memory.
Posted by: Candace | August 02, 2006 at 07:02 PM