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I've met quite a few celebrities more than the years. But few have been as generous, captivating, inspiring and funny as Ray Bradbury.
My initially encounter with Ray occurred a long time ago. He was the keynote speaker at my High School Graduation: Palm Springs High School, Class of 1983. I don't forget two points about Ray from that night.
1) He told the story of a time traveler who returned to his present time and informed his colleagues about the future which was perfectly ecologically centric, outer space adventurous, and culturally wealthy for every single citizen. When the present timers finally lived to a ripe old age and had built the future the time traveler had witnessed, they all gathered at the precise spot the aged future historian had long ago transported himself to so they could witness the reappearance of his younger self. The clock ticked past the allotted arrival time, where they politely waited, then grew anxious. Finally, properly past the expected moment of his arrival, the old scientist turned to those gathered and admitted, "I lied."
two) The second factor I bear in mind about that night was the ASB President bragging about how they got Ray Bradbury to be the keynote speaker: He owned a residence in Palm Springs and didn't charge them to come.
Years later, I discovered myself a book store owner in Palm Springs. I'm in my early thirties and the landlord has forced a name upon my store in wanting to generate a Hollywood theme for the block of store fronts he is attempting to rent. My shop was referred to as celebrity Books and I'd collected a sizeable selection of Biographies and was trying to grow an Autographed Section in keeping with the theme of the shop. It was at this time that I remembered the ASB President's words: "Ray Bradbury owns a household here."
Now the net was a growing factor in the early 1990's and I discovered Ray was going to be at a initially ever grand book fair up at UCLA and I was determined to talk to him. I did, and more than the din of the crowd making it virtually impossible to hear, he signed my book and added his phone number to the title page.
I named and he came. Ray showed up in an old wood sided station wagon turned taxi cab by a man who I learned had been his private driver whenever he came to town - since Ray did not drive - for more than thirty years. Throughout the event, Ray got thirsty and asked for a chocolate milk shake and a toasted cheese sandwich. I sent a runner to a nearby restaurant. We ordered off the standard menu and obliged him. We sold much more books than I ever had in my life in a single day. My small, sadly worn and unglamorous, virtually entirely utilised merchandise, store was host to numerous hundreds of patrons, clients and fans. That day, Ray Bradbury transformed my store from an intriguing second hand organization to a Palm Springs landmark.
The subsequent year came and I referred to as Ray again. This time we couldn't schedule an proper time for maximum impact and he lastly suggested, "Just put together the books you can and I'll stop by and sign them." The day came when he was supposed to show up and I had other issues I had to do. My employee at the time was an old friend who had just moved out here from the east coast and he was reluctant to believe that Ray Bradbury was going to show up and sign this enormous stack of books for me and not want a thing. As I was attempting to explain the circumstance to my friend, Ray showed up, and with couple of words signed just about every book in the shop he'd written - immediately turning the good but regular priced pile of books into a useful pile of literary gold. My friend known as house (saucer eyed) to his mom and told her who he had just run into.
I had the store for ten years and Ray showed a half dozen times. Each and every time he was generous with me and the crowd, and he was individual and intriguing to just about every individual. Countless of his fans talked fondly of the first time they'd ever met him. Ray spoke about writing what you know and not letting rejection make you quit. He spoke about chasing your dreams and not letting life get you down. He was bigger than life, and nonetheless is. He aged over the years: going from a mature man at my graduation in his late fifties or early 60's to his 70's and then 80's.
1 of those times when he was in town and couldn't meet the shop schedule, he invited me over to his home to sign a couple of books. I considered this a genuine glimpse into the life of a living legend. His location was good but not ostentatious. He had a housekeeper who opened the door. Inside there were a considerable quantity of books on counter tops, night stands and the like. But it wasn't until he asked me to grab him something from the garage that I saw his real treasure. Ray had been a book man all his life a lover of every little thing published - specifically science fiction, which he hoarded - and I think he kept each item he ever purchased stacked in this garage. There had been old Wonderful Stories pulp magazines going back fifty years. There' were books stacked greater than a man stands tall. One of them was even signed by some other luminary of sci-fi to ray himself. I had discovered the dragon's treasure of science fiction fans. When I asked him about the plethora of books and urged him to let me sell them for him, he basically said, "Eric, I have grandchildren." My lunatic thoughts of six figure commissions had been dashed. But it also showed me that ray cared about loved ones.
Yet another time, Ray Bradbury couldn't come do a signing simply because he had restricted time, so he supplied to just drop by the shop and sign a couple of books for me. Sadly I wasn't going to be at the store, or so I thought, when he was due. A friend of mine, Kevin Hooper, was operating for me then and I explained to him the situation and showed him what I wanted signed. Kevin did not believe that ray Bradbury was going to just show up and sign this large stack of books. Although I was reiterating his duties while affirming Ray's intentions, Ray showed up. Kevin was in shock that he got to meet Ray Bradbury in individual and how good he was to sign a massive stack of books for free of charge.
The last time I had Ray for a book signing was at the Palm Springs Villagefest. We'd scheduled it months in advance. All my regulars, who had grown in numbers, had been searching forward to his arrival. But when the night came, the weather was awful. It was cold and rainy - a horrible night for an outdoor book event. Only a handful of vendors, out of the commonly hundreds, had been even going to set up: the hot dog guy was nearby and one or two other vendors way down the block. No 1 else was going to do enterprise on such a miserable night. I called my Dad and asked him to bring by our pop-up canopies reserved for swap meets and we immediately spread out in the street. We set up the books, which was a big sprawling mess of tables covered with literally thousands of Ray Bradbury classics. Ray showed up driven by his regular driver and without having hesitation asked, "Where do you want me?" and then speedily planted himself under the canopies outside, inches from the falling rain.
Compared to a typical event at the street fair, few persons showed up, but for those who did, they had been pleasantly surprised to discover a literary Science fiction giant sitting outside under tarps signing books and regaling the crowd with his superior humor and presence. Ray mentioned the cold, so I bought a heater and we ran the extension cord by way of the rain. Thankfully Mother Nature was gentle on it and the device warmed up my aged friend with no incident. He got hungry and we sent for food but he declined the milk shake and instead asked for a glass of wine. "My wife doesn't usually let me drink," he confided. I once again sent a runner and this time came back with a toasted cheese sandwich and a sizeable soda cup with lid and straw. Apparently the restaurateur did not want to be identified sending an open glass of alcohol out onto the street. Ray was thrilled and became extra and a great deal more joyous with every single refill.
Ray's still writing and signing books. He's in his nineties now and barely slowing down. As I got to know him more than the years I surmised that he was a guy who got to reap the rewards of performing what he loved for a living for a lengthy long time. God enjoy him.
Ultimately I sold the shop and the ladies who bought it closed it down after a couple of challenging years. My pals reverently feel of Ray Bradbury when they mention the 'good old days' of the bookstore. I haven't observed Ray in five or seven years now and last I did it was at the very same book fair at UCLA where I initially got his telephone number. He remembered me and we talked briefly. He was congenial, gracious and authentic as always. I thanked him for a couple of even more autographs and released him to the blockbuster crowd in line behind me.
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