Opposable Thumbs

Ok, I know he's like the latest hunk of the day and all, however, I can't help but like Viggo Mortensen. It occured to my wife and I, while we were watching the special documentaries that come on the extended version of the Fellowship of the Rings DVD, that he's a freaking weirdo. I mean, first rate freak of nature. This guy who's already a pretty great actor, is also a poet, musician and painter, among other things. Anyway, the reason I bring all this up is because I happened to pick up the latest issue of Vanity Fair that was lying on the table at Little City and started reading an interview with Mr. Mortensen. This quote leapt out and just blew my mind:

Mortensen's circle of friends consists less of Hollywood actors than of writers, poets, artists, and musicians, although he remains close with Lord of the Rings cast members Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd, who played Pippin. The two joined him last year in a jam session with the Japanese guitarist Buckethead, who has toured with Guns N' Roses and has a cult following, but is otherwise known chiefly for wearing a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket over his head during performances. ("He's very shy, and he doesn't want people to see him," Mortensen explains.) "I did some percussion, and Buckethead had this bag of masks, which we all wore while we were playing," Wood says. "It was wild."

Let me just mention that not only do I know who Buckethead is, but I used to be a big fan of his way back in time. This is just too much for me to digest right now. I mean all this and the revelation that Mortensen's son Henry was born of a marriage to singer Exene Cervenka. I'm currently scraping my jaw off the floor.