Gary Busey has big teeth…and he is a loose cannon. My friend Bob warned me repeatedly to watch what I say to him. My goal was simply to get a photo with him – because Bob had already gotten a couple of signed photos for me at previous Hollywood Collectors Shows. Whenever and wherever Busey went, he made a spectacle of himself. Doctors attribute his bizarre behavior to a motorcyle accident he had in 1988, during which he was not wearing a helmet. When I saw him on Saturday, April 24, 2010, at the Hollywood Show he and Cloris Leachman (who was also a guest), were – in good, bizarre fun – shouting at each other across the room at the top of their lungs. Busey roamed the room, frequently interrupting the other celebrities in attendance. He looked frazzled. He looked harried.
In the end, I quietly offered his handler $10 to get a photo with him. I wanted no scenes or commotion. This was fair. Because even though he might be described by many as a nut, he had done some pretty impressive work througout his movie career. Among his film credits were The Buddy Holly Story (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor), Lethal Weapon, The Firm, Black Sheep, and Lost Highway.
I’m glad I escaped unscathed, and even if I hadn’t, I’m extremely happy to have gotten a photo with Gary Busey – teeth and all.
Celebrities of the Spring 2010 Hollywood Show will continue…
In a perfect Hollywood, they’d reboot Lethal Weapon and let Gary and Mel reprise their roles.
Eric Hubble
April 19th, 2011