Pompeii of sorts…

Cedar Crest?

Yes, Camp Cedar Crest was the name. I went there when I was eleven years old and it was a pivotal event in my life because –

And how did this come up, exactly?

Well, I was working on the new book and I reached a point where I wanted to mention an event from that time but –

You remembered the picture?

Yes, the picture. It was a group picture, taken on the last day there and I felt I wanted to see it again to see what feelings it would bring up.

How would you find such a picture?

I have it.

You have it?

Yes. It’s in my chest. The chest is pretty large, in my garage, and filled with all sorts of – well, you see, I’d filled it up with all sorts of memories from my first eighteen years: high school memories, plays, all sorts of things.

But you didn’t just find the picture, did you? What else did you find?

Oh, letters. Scripts I’d written. Clippings.

And?

And what?

What about the tapes? Tell me about the tapes.

Yes, well, there were fifteen cassette tapes in there as well. I only remembered putting one tape in there, so I had no idea what was on the rest.

What were you expecting?

The one tape I did remember was filled with… well…

Say it.

Well, my friends and I, back when I was very young, we’d record skits on cassette tapes. Back then, it was the equivalent to what you see kids doing on YouTube or MySpace these days.

And you listened to one?

Yes. I listened to the first one today.

What was on it?

I really don’t –

TELL ME!

Okay… but Tim’s gonna kill me.

Go on.

Tim Murphy and I had made a tape back in 1982 or so. It was filled with sketches and skits that we thought up on the fly. The thirty minute tape took about thirty minutes to record.

You performed your own version of Bob & Doug McKenzie, didn’t you?

Yes. With drug humor.

The Great White North on drugs… interesting… what else?

Oh… other –

There was a Richard Nixon impression, wasn’t there?

… only a little.

Hosting his own daytime talk show?

… well…

Singing Donna Summer?

I’m so humiliated.

And this led you to writing books and plays, did it?

Actually – and I probably shouldn’t say this – but Tim was the funnier of the two of us. I was just aping what I’d seen in TV and movies. Tim was coming up with original shit that was pretty damned funny.

I see… yes, this is good. I think we’re making progress.

You’re not going to post this on my blog, are you?

Of course, not. Your secret’s safe with me.