EXPLODING HEADS, TWONKERS AND ONE-LINERS: A Night Of Drinking With New Friends

From L to R: Joey Min, Sunny Smith, Jon Truei, Jon Cross, Eoin Friel, Edward Friel, and myself.

Once again, I’m dead tired after a night of drinking, singing and shitloads of banter with good people, and I haven’t had a wink of sleep either at that. Nonetheless, I’m compelled to write briefly about my evening on Friday, November 7, 2014; I could have went to see Why Don’t You Play In Hell? by Sono Sion, but to be honest though, I really wasn’t up for another solo trip to the movies, plus the people I was with had plans of their own while only in town for a limited time, and so Friday night was played a little loosely. Thankfully, nobody got displaced, and for the most part, we all clicked.

This weekend, writer and journalist Eoin Friel of The Action Elite had flown in from Canada to attend the Urban Action Showcase & Expo as a sponsor with his brother, Edward. Simultaneously, actress Sunny Smith, co-owner of the San Diego-based indie platform, Jabronie Pictures with Fernando Jay Huerto was in town on business as well, although I made the mistake of believing that when she got here about maybe a month ago it was as a permanent resident; I had known of Sunny through her online action shorts and her comedic performances with Huerto since roughly around 2005, and so in addition to meeting Eoin, I also decided to try and plan something for all of us before she left next week. Before we knew it, my friend Jon Truei, also a mutual friend of Sunny, was in the mix as well with fellow indie actioner and photographer Joey Min on THAT evening!

Like I said… a little loosely.

I arrived at The Edison Hotel near Times Square around 9:30 or so where Eoin and Ed were staying, and it turned out the two were at another restaurant just a few blocks away. I decided to wait a bit since I thought we would all meet at Edison, and eventually I would meet up with Sunny, and having only known her online, maybe one phone conversation and a few chats, I can honestly say she is exactly what her name represents! Seriously, batteries not included. She’s got a great personality, an even greater hug, and her energy is freaking fantastic! It was also fortunate in meeting her first and foremost seeing as how I knew she was coming out, and I felt like I needed to get her something. Luckily in my search to find the hotel when I nearly got lost, I found a corner flower shop and bought Sunny a rose, which she gladly accepted.

From there, she and I walked over to a place I had never been (of many, ironically being a New York native, lol) called Brasserie Athenee, a restaurant on 45th street where I finally met up with the Friels‘ where they were already dining with another new face to my growing universe of wonderful people, Jon Cross who contributes to his own site, After Movie Diner. We then struggled a bit to find out where to fit all of us for a total of at least six people which briefly turned into eight when Truei finally arrived with Joey, his son and another friend; I should add that I first learned of Joey through his contributions to Jabronie Pictures as well, along with his own projects hailing from Team FistyleZ then-based in New Jersey. It was pretty delightful to meet him for the first time on Friday. He was very nice and cordial, and we had a few laughs too before he had to leave just a few minutes after getting there.

Afterwards, it was just the two Jons‘, Sunny, the Friels‘ and myself, and we all went barhopping. I didn’t predict this at all and was hoping I had enough on me for the night, which wasn’t much. And as time passed, it was all downhill from there. We drank, talked of drinking, drank some more, we sang (very loud, which was not an issue), a hostess called Truei “sweetie” and we all poked a bit of fun at him there every now and then. Sunny and I ate great food as well – I had a pretty badass pizza at a place called Ironbar while Sunny had a kick-ass slice of brownie cake and a plate of cheesy Garlic Bread at an Irish pub we went to last called Langan’s, and it came with her own sick boat of dressing (ranch, I think); Mind you, I’m not exactly an alcohol connoisseur so I never really know what I’m drinking before I put it in mouth. Hence, I pretty much spent my night drinking Whiskey and a Jack Daniels on the rocks. While at Ironbar, I decided to down the whole thing of Whiskey for the first time in my life. And to say the least, I’m not dead. S’all good! 🙂

VS!!!!!!!

Anyway, throughout all three locations, we each had a good time. We talked films, took pics and video, proudly embarassed ourselves with our awesomely poor singing, Truei spent all night engaging us in Arnie one-liners while he and I sparred a bit for fun which Sunny thought was some form of weird interpretive dance or something, Cross shared some of his most exciting stories in stuntwork, while inventing the slur, “Twonker” in pure portmanteau fashion (to which I helped defining), and by the time it was all over, the majority agrees that Friday night was truly opportune for everyone involved. Eoin, Ed and Joey are some of the nicest fellas I’ve ever met, as well as Cross who happens to be one of the funniest lads anyone would be lucky to share drinking space with. Seriously, I may have lost weight laughing so damn hard…the man is a gem.

Truei was great to see and hang with as usual too with this being our fourth outing together this year, and each time we convene (as he once put it best), it’s always a party, and I am very greatful to have that affect. And last but way, WAY far from least, I can honestly see why Sunny‘s friendship with Huerto has endured so long with their partnership together at Jabronie Pictures, and I could go on for hours about how amazing, refreshing and inviting it feels to have finally met this talented, lovely and kind woman. (She’ll tell you easily, there aren’t enough adjectives to describe how great she is, and I tried. Hard.) She is a walking, talking gift in this world, and anyone who wouldn’t want to be friends with this woman in any capacity needs their head examined, promptly. And I don’t know his name, but kudos to her boyfriend for figuring all this out earlier on. You two have my absolute blessing!

As much as my blog is about film and all things action (or as much as I can keep up with, really), my blog is also a journal of my own personal experience in meeting people who make the very kind of films I like to watch. In turn, I’m glad to say that in part, that for as long as it has taken for me to meet them, these are people I am glad to call friends. And I hope to see more of this progress going into 2015 too, I like it. I really, really do.

On another note, I guess Why Don’t You Play In Hell will have to wait a little longer before I can grant it audience myself, but I can live with that. What can I say though? Luck o’ the Irish I guess!