WRITINGS:
RICHARD BOTTO
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September 2004
A Day in the (Amazing) Life
James Caan never shuts up. I mean from the moment
he arrives on the set of his hit show, Las Vegas, to the moment he leaves,
his mouth doesn't stop running. Well, it does for 20 minutes while he's
napping, but you can't help but feel that the reason he doesn't sleep
longer is because his lips wake the rest of his body from its slumber
so he can start talking again.
He shows up at nine in the morning and heads to wardrobe. When I enter
the room he's yapping, of course, arms flailing for emphasis, half dressed;
the two women he's speaking at trying in vain to dress the other half
of him. He greets me like he's known me forever and as if I've missed
half the conversation, or maybe we're continuing one I can't quite remember
starting: "I'm going to shoot one, take a nap and shoot the other.
Then I got Brando's thing, the memorial thing." I nod appropriately
and wonder who, exactly, is going to get shot. His assistant explains
he has two scenes, one before and one after lunch.
Except the scene before lunch is cancelled. And upon hearing this news,
Caan pauses a single beat and then continues telling his tales. Satisfied
with the response he receives (usually laughter), he announces his intention
to sleep.
Before you can count 40 winks, he's up again. Looking every bit as spry
and athletic as he did when he portrayed Sonny Corleone kicking the
living hell out of Carlo with the top of a garbage can, Caan hits the
back lot basketball court and begins burying one 15-footer after another.
Naturally, he buries one trash talking line after another as well. "Who
am I?" he asks. "Mid-Range James," comes the canned reply
from the crew.
But that's about the only semblance of dialogue that he has the whole
day. There is no banter with Caan; for that you would need at least
two people talking. With Caan, it's storytelling, and his audience grows
with each passing sentence, rapt, taking in his extraordinary life.
As he walks around the set (his double-breasted suit pressed to perfection)
with absolutely nothing to do but spin his yarns, you can't help but
be reminded of that scene in Rocky, where Stallone is jogging through
the Philadelphia streets and one awestruck kid falls in line behind
him, then another, then another.
"I'll tell ya, the thing about Brando…"
"New York, a hell of a town…I can tell you stories, man..."
"This business is all hurry up and wait…I was doing this movie
once…"
"When I was living at Hef's, fugghedaboutit…"
As he obligingly takes some pictures with his four stunning co-stars,
he comments, "When I was younger, girls like you…I had some
times…"
Then he's told his second scene of the day has been cancelled and his
cast-mates and crew hold their collective breaths. He's been on call
all day for nothing. "Ah, it's their money, not mine. Besides,
I got that thing…Brando's thing. I'll tell ya, I can tell you some
things about that guy…"
James Caan never shuts up. And let me tell you, for those of us lucky
enough to be within earshot, that's a beautiful thing.
On a personal note, although this is the second issue where the title
of editor in chief follows my name, it is actually the first that I
have edited cover to cover with my new team. If behind every successful
man, there is a good woman, then I must be blessed because I have four
(just like Caan). So I thank them - Allison Young, Hayley Gudat, Sara
Colleran and Amy Land - for their talents and dedication.
The editorial mission of this magazine remains the same - style and
substance befitting the active, driven male lifestyle - but the means
to the end has evolved. In this issue we introduce our new regular feature
"American Icon", this month written by the incredibly talented
scribe Alan Spencer who waxes poetic on the man who most influenced
his career, the indomitable king of satire, Mel Brooks. We also have
added some female perspective in the form of "She Says," which
in this edition looks at what women think about your personal style
(or lack thereof) with advice on how to get their attention. From there
our striking (and very observant) new sex columnist, Anna David, takes
over to tell you how to keep their attention once you make it to the
bedroom.
In addition to blanket coverage of all things affecting today's guy,
we will continue to provide the edgy, intelligent articles and exposés
you have come to expect from Razor over the past four years.
As always, we welcome your comments via e-mail to
letters@razormagazine.com
Enjoy the issue.
RICHARD J. BOTTO
Publisher, Editor in Chief
www.razormagazine.com
