| Huey
Lewis has spent his most recent royalty check which he earned
for his brief, yet poignant, appearance in the 1985 movie Back
to the Future. Part of Lewis's movie contract stipulated .02%
of all foreign VHS tape sales. The last check, for $11.65, was
received by Lewis with shouts of glee and enthusiastic high-fives
from his current roommates, Enrique, Gilberto, Francisco, Eduardo
and Martin. The six men share a one room studio on the sixth floor
in East LA. "Rent's cheap," says Huey Lewis, who burned
his Rock-n-Roll fortune and fame on some of society's seedier
offerings. "What day is this?" Huey asks his roommates,
but they only answer back in nonsensical Spanish that has never
been taught in any classroom. It's Wednesday, this reporter reminds
him.
"Goddamn!"
Huey shouts. "It's nickel Kami Night down at Snuffy's!"
Without another word Huey grabs a baseball hat, and with royalty
check in hand, he bolts out the door.
Once at the bar, Huey
is denied service until Snuffy "sees the green." "And
no more of those royalty checks either, Huey," Snuffy scowls,
"I can't cash 'em." Deflated, Huey hurries to the check-cashing
place next door and walks out 20 minutes later with $6.65 after
paying the check-cashing fees. Back at the bar, Huey drinks 120
Kamikazes in two hours and staggers out, leaving 65 cents for
Snuffy.
The next day, Huey
wakes up with a ferocious hangover and his wallet is gone. He's
missed a morning audition for a spokesperson gig his mom tried
to turn him on to. But Huey doesn't want to "take some job
my mother gets me."
Huey
is angry. "I wrote 'Power of Love,' goddamnit! Somebody owes
me somethin' for that." But yesterday's check is now gone,
and all Huey can do is hope that some more people in places like
Japan, Nepal, and China go out and purchase Back to the Future
on videocassette. Hopefully before next Wednesday.
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