Every week on The Hollywood News’ flagship podcast The Hollywood Booze, we toast actors, actresses and filmmakers that have departed the Earth during that particular week. Just over a week ago, we published our 29th episode of the show, and during every single one of those podcasts, we have toasted one person consitently every week. That person is Patrick Swayze.
I’m not even sure as to how this came to be. I remember that on the first recording day we said goodbye to some long forgotten name, and then glasses were raised into the air, containing our preferred beverage of choice (for the record me and Fordy opt for a lager, Joe a cider and Big Dave whatever is available within arms reach — even if that is a bottle of whisky – eh, Dave), and cheers was bellowed into our microphones. Then, I recall that I said; “…and also, to the late, great Mr. Patrick Swayze.”
The nod of the head and the tribute has stuck week in, week out, even on a show where none of us turned up and our friends John, Matt and Charlie took the presenters chair. I can understand if it comes across as if we’re mocking Swayze and being ironic in our humour, as let’s face it, his last great film was perhaps DONNIE DARKO many years ago, and he was just a minor support act. We’re not mocking. I can understand if you think that we all laugh at the moment in the show after we finish recording, it being weird in the way that we always mention him. We don’t. I can understand if you believe that we planned this as part the initial format of the show. We didn’t. It just happened… and it continues to happen. In fact, we barely have mentioned it amongst ourselves between shows, it just something that we do. We’re not trying to be funny. We’re being geniune and respectful.
On a personal note, I’ve loved the actor ever since my sister got into watching DIRTY DANCING on VHS in the late eighties. Two years my junior, she played it over and over again to the point where I was sick of it. Sick to the back bloody teeth of it I was. Then, a couple of years later ROAD HOUSE was released and with it my first proper favourite movie of all time, and indeed first proper 18-rated movie viewing – well, after watching PREDATOR around my mate Dave’s place on my 11th birthday. It hung up there at the number one spot for years and I’ve watched it dozens and dozens of times since, and when it plays late at night on TV, I have to sit there and watchit until the very end. POINT BREAK, GHOST and many more followed before Swayze’s career started to nose dive during the early to mid part of the nineties, but the legend lived on. During that spell that right up to when Swayze reappeared for that small part in DONNIE DARKO, I delved back into the back catalogue discovering the likes of RED DAWN, STEEL DAWN, TIGER WARSAW and one of his early breaks, THE OUTSIDERS, and a true love of his work was born.
Patrick Swayze died on the 14th September 2009, three years ago yesterday, and this week on The Hollywood Booze, one our 30th episode, we will dedicate the entire show to him, and him alone. It’ll all be available online from Thursday 20th September, but for now, here’s a little something we at the ‘Booze’ have put together, just to acknowledge this tragic anniversary.
One more time; to the legend that is, was, always will be… Mr. Patrick Swayze, rest in peace… my brother.
You can download or stream every single past episode of The Hollywood Booze here.
