Books: "To the Temple of Tranquility...And Step On It!" By Ed Begley Jr.

 

To the Temple of Tranquility...And Step On It!

By Ed Begley Jr.

Hachette Books; hardcover, 256 pages; $29.00

Ed Begley Jr. is one of the most recognizable actors of this time, from his roles in Christopher Guest mockumentaries including "Best In Show" and "A Mighty Wind," as well as "Portlandia." Early in his career, he played Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series "St. Elsewhere" from 1982 to 1988, and he earned six consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination.

Since 1970, Begley Jr. has been an environmentalist, well known for his travels in an electric car, reducing trash and recycling, and becoming a vegan. It was the subject of his own reality show, "Living With Ed," which featured his wife Rachelle Carson. He is the author of Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life and Ed Begley, Jr.'s Guide to Sustainable Living: Learning to Conserve Resources and Manage and Eco-Conscious Life. Begley Jr.'s "green" bona fides have also been spoofed on "The Simpsons" multiple times, including the episode where his solar-powered car stalls out on the train tracks, but is saved when the train tracks, but is saved when the train is revealed to be an "Ed Begley Solar-Powered Train."

In his engaging memoir To the Temple of Tranquility...And Step On It!, Begley, Jr. shares hilarious and poignant stories of his improbable life, with a focus on his relationship with his legendary father, who was also an actor; adventures with Hollywood icons, the origins of his environmental activism, addiction and recovery, as well as his lifelong search for wisdom and common ground.

Begley Jr.'s uniquely honest voice comes across in this revealing book, which has as its foundations family, friends, addiction, failure, and redemption, all part of the wisdom he seeks to impart to the reader.

One of the candid stories Begley Jr. recounts is one when he was summoned to Marlon Brando's house to discuss the practical uses of electric eels. In another, he takes Annette Bening to to the Oscars in "an oddball kit-car that had gull wing doors, and was nearly impossible to get in or out of, unless you were a yoga master, which fortunately she was." He also gives insight into encounters with The Beatles, Monty Python, Richard Pryor, Cesar Chavez, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Waits, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Carrie Fisher.

In this excerpt, Begley Jr. writes: “THIS IS IT.

I could stop there and be done with this chapter, or this entire book for that matter, as that is probably the truest thing I have ever said, or heard.

It is also the title of one of Alan Watts's many fine works, and I would urge every reader to stop reading my humble effort right now (you already paid for it, right?) and pick up a copy of any of the many books written by the great Alan Watts.

But before you exit the bookstore and hop on your bike to head home and read it (I can dream, can't I?), I'd ask you really open your mind to what those words might mean.

This is it. 

This moment, right now...is really all we have.

Though planning for the future and learning from the past have value, many of us spend far too much time focused on what has been, and what is to be, and in so doing, we fail to fully engage and commit to this moment, here it comes again...this one...right now.

...where we can make a conscious effort to embrace bliss. That 'the spiritual is not to be separated from the material, nor the wonderful form the ordinary,' as Alan Watts so ably put it.

But in my attempt to put his teachings into practice, I quickly realized that I could experience serenity more easily up at Big Sur, or in a yurt in Topanga. But I wasn't so good at it standing in line at the DMV. Or waiting for the agent's call after testing for a series.

I also then realized that the unthinkable had occurred...I had become my father's son. I ate fast, moved fast, and lived fast. Yes, I wanted serenity, but I wanted it quickly.

To the Temple of Tranquility, and step on it!

And rather than put in the actual time to learn and implement the teachings of Alan Watts, Sai Baba, the Maharishi, or any of the spiritual masters I had become aware of at the time, I found it was much quicker and easier to find enlightenment under the gentle guidance of Messrs. Walker and Beam.

Johnnie Walker and Jim Beam, to be precise.

Why spend all that time (and fuel) to drive up to Tossjara and sit Zazen. A comfortable barstool could get you there so much quicker, and oh, the enlightened souls you'd meet along the way...like Alan Watts!

You'd have as good a chance of spotting him at a local pub as you would an ashram. The man liked his gargle. And so did I.

I wanted serenity in a bottle. And the truth is, it worked. I was such a wreck in my teens that alcohol probably saved me before it nearly killed me.

So this chapter on enlightenment and Alan Watts includes a lengthy quest to find tranquility in a tumbler. A quest that lasted from 1971 to 1979.

The student was ready, but would the master appear?

Appear he did. I soon became an eager disciple of Alan Watts's teachings as interpreted by one Harry Dean Stanton, who, like me, was on a nightly quest for the right combination of serenity and Stoli.

I first met Harry Dean at the Troubador bar in 1972, and we became instant friends. Harry was a fine singer and an able guitarist, so we both were drawn to the Troubador for its target-rich environment of available ladies, as well as the great music a few yards away in the showroom.

For a $4 cover, two-drink minimum, you could sit within a few feet of Elton John, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, the Eagles, and hundreds of other huge stars from the sixties, the seventies, and beyond. And if you knew Bob Marchese or Kenny Saint John at the door, you could get one of those prime seats close to the stage.

But I sat in every part of that club, and there was no such thing as a bad seat. 

And I wasn't always in the audience. I did stand-up comedy for several years in the sixties and seventies. I opened at the Troubador for acts like Don McLean, Dave Mason, Canned Heat, and Neil Sedaka.

I performed for eighteen thousand people at the Nassau Coliseum as the opening act for Loggins and Messina, John Sebastian, and Poco.

I played at Max's Kansas City and the Bottom Line in New York. I played clubs and colleges and concerts all across the country, and was even part of a comedy duo for some time with Michael Richards. We appeared at the Troubador together in 1969, and Doug Weston, the owner of the club, wanted to manage us.

And if the Troubador wasn't enough to lure you to Santa Monica and Doheny, just two doors to the east sat Dan Tana's Italian Restaurant, where the kitchen was open till one a.m., and the bar till two (even later, if they got to know you). It was also a place where you could rub elbows with those same Troubador artists after they finished their set next door.

So, like my dear friend Harry Dean Stanton, I went to Dan Tana's every night from 1971 through 1978, and like Norm on Cheers, we had both earned our seats at the bar there."

St. John's Streaks Past Stony Brook In Pitino Premiere

 

Joel Soriano in action on Tuesday night. @RedStormBball.

The St. John's Red Storm opened the season in style, as they rolled to a 90-74 win over Stony Brook on Tuesday night at Carnesecca Arena.

This was the debut for Rick Pitino as St. John's Head Coach, and this highly-anticipated season and it was certainly worth the wait for the 5,602 in attendance.

Joel Soriano led the way with 22 points on 9-12 from the field, including 2-2 on three-pointers, with 11 rebounds and two assists. Daniss Jenkins had 17 points (7-13 FG, 3-6 on threes), eight assists, and seven rebounds. Chris Ledlum had 16 points (7-15 FG, 2-3 threes), 14 rebounds, and four assists. Jordan Dingle had 13 points (5-11 FG, 1-5 threes), but did not record a rebound or assist.

St. John's raced out to a 41-30 lead at halftime, as they shot an even 50 percent from the field (17-34) and 50% from behind the arc (5-10). The Red Storm shot 51.5 percent (34-66) for the game, and they had 21 assists and 43 rebounds (18 on the offensive end) as a team.

Pitino Postgame: Opening statement: "Obviously for 90 percent of the game, I was extremely pleased. We had three things we wanted to accomplish because this team beat Fairfield by 40, Manhattan by 25 and the major weapon was the 3-point line. We wanted to stop the three, outrebound them and not turn the ball over. Fifteen [turnovers] was a lot, but Daniss [Jenkins] had six by himself because he had to do a little bit too much. I'm extremely pleased with our first-half defense. Obviously, I'm very happy for Joel [Soriano] and Chris Ledlum, both guys played great. Unfortunately, we're coaching on the fly. We are trying to teach them habits. They are learning when they are going down the court and that's not a good thing. Over time, they'll have the habits and it will be a lot easier on them when they don't have the think and play as much."

On team's scouting: "I thought that [assistant coach] Bob Walsh, who was our scouter, did a fabulous job teaching them the principles of [Stony Brook's] offense. I don't think I lost a game at Iona when Bob scouted. He has a great way of teaching the players what they do and where their shots are going to occur. Kudos to Bob, he did a great job scouting them."

On Joel Soriano: "When you lost 30 pounds, 35 pounds and you go from 14 and change to nine percent body fat, you want to get the rewards for putting in that type of work and he certainly did tonight. 9-for-12, 2-for-2 from three, 2-for-2 from the line, 11 rebounds, two assists and zero turnovers. Quite the special night. He's thin, he's happy and I would like to get him down to eight percent so he can just fade away for life."

On key points of tonight's game: "First-half defense and the fact that we took away the three. Look I am a big believer, as most of you know, in the three-point shot, but I have never gotten credit for the other aspect of it. I have gotten too much credit for being one of the original guys, but it's only good if you stop it. If you make nine and they make eight, it's not a weapon. Tonight, they made four and we made 11. It's a weapon. Only when you stop it, it is a weapon. I thought we were very happy with the first-half defense with them shooting 36 percent and 1-for-11 from three."

On what his realistic expectations were for the team tonight: "We thought from the film it was going to be a war today because they have a lot of older players, they shoot it well, they have a lot of good one-on-one players and they have great size. We just wanted to come away with a victory."

On the team chemistry shown in tonight's game: "I think they're learning each other, they're learning me, I'm learning them. We have a lot of fun together. Somebody said I was tough to play for and without question I was, but I'm very easy to play for now. I want to be more passionate than I have ever been at my age, I also want to have more fun than I have ever had and I am having a blast with these guys. We laugh a lot in practice, we play hard but we laugh a lot. I think sometimes in my early years laughter wasn't something Antoine Walker would describe, or Jeff Sheppard, or Mark Pope, or Russ Smith, or Peyton Siva. We laughed and had fun with the wins but we laugh a lot now and I think with today's young people, laughter is a very important medicine to have on a basketball team and these guys have a great time in practice."

On the emotions after tonight: "You know it's funny when I was walking out, two things came to my mind immediately. One was Lou [Carnesecca]...I don't know if he was there or not, but I was thinking of Lou because he's the reason that this place is special and it's such an honor to take over for him. The second thing was Michigan. I asked Steve [Masiello] how Michigan did and he said blew [UNC Asheville] out. We know how every game is so important. We think we will be a pretty good team in January, but we have to get to that point without taking too many bumps."

Books: On World Affairs & American Politics

In this look at new books on current events, there is a new book about the United States' place on the world stage, Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine, by General David Petraeus and Andrew Roberts, and and two books from rising stars in U.S. politics, God Calls Us To Do Hard Things: Lessons from the Alabama Wiregrass, by Katie Boyd Britt and Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland, by Kristi Noem.

St. John's, Pitino Primed To Open Season On Tuesday Night

 

The 2023-24 St. John's Red Storm. @StJohnsBball.

Tuesday night at Carnesecca Arena, the Rick Pitino era will begin for the St. John's Red Storm, as the head coach leads them in the season opener against Stony Brook.

Pitino is a Naismith Memorial Hal of Famer who is a two-time National Champion who has won 834 games as the winningest active coach in NCAA Division 1.

After the roster overhaul Pitino completed, St. John's received votes in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll for the first time since the 2018-19 season. The Red Storm received 47 votes, the third-most by teams outside of the rankings and was one of six Big East teams to collect votes in the poll. St. John's was ranked fifth in the Preseason Big East Conference coaches' poll.

All fans attending the opener at The Lou (credit to colleague Josh Adams) will receive a commemorative ticket in honor of Pitino, and the first 2,500 fans will receive a free t-shirt courtesy of Maspeth Federal Savings.

Pitino Pregame: Pitino addressed the media on Monday afternoon ahead of the game, and here's a sampling of what he said:

On Tuesday's matchup: "This Stony Brook team reminds me of my Iona team last year. They have great size, three guys 6'11" or better, a lot of transfers who shoot the ball great. They are a lot bigger than us and they have been very impressive in two scrimmages. This is a tough opener because they are a strong mid-major team. [Stony Brook] Coach [Geno Ford] has said this is one of the best Stony Brook teams he's had. A lot of transfers, a lot of size, people that can shoot the basketball and put it on the floor. This is a very good basketball team."

On team's chemistry on and off the court: "They are all getting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. They are getting to know each other as well as getting to know me and I'm getting to know them. I will say, most coaches brag about their players being good people. I haven't come across, in my lifetime, 14 young men like this. When they ask if the players are any different [in] today's [generation], yes, they are different. This group is so much better than anything I've ever experienced as young men. Their parents really have done a fabulous job raising them. They know how to act. They practice hard every day. I think Joel [Soriano] would say our practices are fun. The coaches have fun coaching them, the players have fun playing."

On team's capabilities: "This team is not going to reach their potential until mid-January or early February because we've had a brash of injuries and they are new to each other. Most of my teams don't play well in the beginning with the exception of one or two teams in my coaching career. They always get better come league play in January and February. It takes time to learn all the different defenses, all of the offenses and these are 14 new guys learning each other, as well as learning a new system. We're not going to look great early on, but we will give 100 percent of hustle. Fans are going to be like what they are going to see from an intensity standpoint and a hustle standpoint."

College Football: FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll - Week 10

In the FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll for Week 10 of the 2023 College Football season, the top four schools for the second straight week are Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Florida State. 

In fact, the top nine in the poll remained the same as last week, as they all won their games.

Mets Have New Manager...Of Security

 

Citi Field. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets have announced the hiring of former New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell in the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Security and Guest Experience, effective on November 27.

Sewell was the 45th commissioner of the NYPD, the largest municipal police force in the country, and in her time at the helm, she executed multiple strategies that reduced crime in most major categories. She also worked with federal agencies to enhance counterterrorism workstreams and implemented the use of technology to assist investigations and ensure public safety.

In her new job with the Mets, Sewell will oversee the safety and guest experience for the organization. "I am excited to join the Mets for my first private sector role," Sewell said in a statement. "The opportunity to bring my passions of community building and public safety to the Mets is truly a dream job. As someone who grew up in Queens, this legendary organization is vital to local communities and so many across the world. I can't wait to help be a part of building this world-class fan experience."

Prior to her time as NYC Police Commissioner, Sewell spent over two decades with the Nassau County police force. Her most recent position the department's Chief of Detectives, as she led the department's twenty investigative commands along with federal and local task forces.

Sewell will be under the leadership of Katie Haas, Executive Vice President of Ballpark Operations and Experience, who said of the unique addition to the club, "Keechant's expertise in public service, law and safety, as well as collaboration with the public, will allow us to take our Security and Guest Experience to the next level. Keechant will help us to modernize our approach to safety and the guest experience at Citi Field, while also strengthening our relationships with the community and all agencies of law enforcement and emergency agencies."

Texas Rangers Win Their First World Series Championship; Bochy Joins Elite Club

 

@Rangers.

The Texas Rangers shut out the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-0, on Wednesday night in Game of the World Series to clinch the first championship in its history. This capped off a playoff run in which they won all 11 road games, which is a new Major League record.