JOHN MEYERS

John Radagast Meyers lived right down the street from me on Condon and was a good friend all the way through high school. We spent a lot of time making lame movies with my grandfather's double 8mm Brownie, playing D&D, and listening to his brother's Sabbath and Tull records.

John was no dummy and got out of OPHS a year or so earlier than the rest of us. He majored in Physics at the University of Michigan and had pretty much finished up with college by the time I was just starting. After college, I lost touch with John and have had no contact with him for almost 10 years. I heard a strange rumor that he had become a chef, moved to Taiwan, and had gotten married. Would love to find out what really happened to him someday.


Here are some frame grabs from a couple movies I shot in the early '80s starring John.

Just heard from Mark Megerian! Mark was John's best friend growing up in Oak Park. Here's what he had to say:

I get this nifty little Google toolbar thing to go on my browser, and like anyone else, enter in my name. What should appear among all kinds of useless crap, is actual still shots from a movie made in my childhood! How awesome!! I am amazed that you still had that thing. Did you remember that we made a sequel? I still have that in my old bedroom in Troy, MI (at least I did 10 years ago).

What a blast! Do you recall how much everyone laughed during the film? I remember Brian's mom practically going into hysterics during the scene in which Brian is dressed up like a woman.

John is a forensic psychiatrist, and lives in New Jersey. He was at Michigan for several years, then went to cooking school in Vermont, and then totally switched gears and got into med school at MSU. His job has something to do with evaluating criminals, and determining if they are sane, dangerous, etc. He also writes a great newsletter once a month on a wide variety of topics. He indeed married a girl from Taiwan, and they have two children.

Just heard from John (finally)! Here is what he had to say:

Holy begeebers!!!! I thought...it couldn't be....could it? but indeed it is. Its odd that you should have found me, as you are one of about two Oak Parkers that I think about with any regularity. The last I heard of you was quite a few years ago, my brother mentioned that he heard you were in California...but that must have been 12 or more years ago.

As you know, I attented U of M for my undergrad work. After I finished my wretched time at UofM, I went back and forth to Taiwan for a while; and I was working in a very fab club there in the kitchens. It was around that time that I realized that this was not work for a lifetime, and I couldn't see myself hefting stockpots in 120 degree heat every night for the next 25 years; so I bolted out.

I slummed around for a while, and got a job in the UofM hospital, in some stupid lab. I decided, for lack of anything else to do, to give medical school a whirl. and, despite the reputation of med school being hard, difficult, unpleasant, lots of memorization, etc. I found it to be none of those things. In fact, the first few years were some of the most enjoyable of my life (interestingly, it also corresponded to the only time when I wasn't working a job); I sat around reading cool medical textbooks, seeing people get cut up, etc. I ended up in New York for residency training (at Cornell--their medical school is in the city, the rest of the school is upstate). and I haven't left, though I did try once.

I met my wife when I was in Taiwan; she was teaching Chinese and English at a little school I went to for a summer. She came to the US for graduate school, and I followed her. She broke up with some loser she was going out with--he's probably a Taliban member now--and I got her on the rebound. So away we went. I knew a good thing when I saw it, and I finally did the right thing for once.

Anyway, I'm hunkered down in New Jersey...yes, I know its the state everyone makes fun of...but it is exceptionally beautiful, very peaceful and enjoyable here. Which is why I'm getting ready to move to Connecticut. Go figure. anyways, I've been married for ten years now!!!--and we have two kids. I'll send you a picture.

P.S.--Still waiting for those pictures, John! Have e-mailed John a few times lately, but he seems to have vanished yet again.