“We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams; World-losers and world-forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams: Yet we are the movers and shakers, Of the world forever, it seems….”
When the climate’s strange in your neighborhood – who you gonna call? The bipolar weather in Virginia has me looking to meteorological experts for guidance. Who do you trust? Punxsutawney Phil vs. Staten Island Chuck? These two dueling groundhogs are skirmishing over weather predictions for 2022.
Welcome to Virtual Happy Hour brought to you by The creators and producers of The Unwritable Rant podcast! In week six Juliette Miranda, and David LaFaire presented Actor/Producer Ethan Marten…hey, that’s me!
We shared some amazing stories about the movie industry, working with Eric Roberts, and my “famous family”. Then my brother Jonathan joined us! THEN we get surprised when Eric Roberts (The Dark Night, Pope of Greenwich Village, Star 80) comes on live with us… what a treat.
A little preview…
Last question for Eric Roberts:
Q: What was your bravest acting choice?
A: “A wild, reckless Paulie in Pope of Greenwich Village; ‘They took my thumb’ monologue!
Q: What made Star 80 Director, Bob Fosse special:
A: “A white tiger,” those cats are rare.”
Reliving some of the family lore:
How Plan 9 From Outer Space got its original release! Did Acting/Directing Legend Ida Lupino predict the birth of one of the Marten Brothers? Which Marten Brother survived a milk-boarding trauma? You want details? What a cool time with friends and family.
Ethan Marten re-presents the key to the city of Sacramento to Muhammad Ali as then City Councilwoman Maxine Waters looks on with great amusement.
I was writing for the American River College weekly school newspaper, “The Beaver.” There was a press conference with Muhammad Ali, and California’s Lieutenant Governor Michael Curb. He was giving Ali the key to the city in the morning…. After the conference, when all the press had cleared (except me; I was a starving student, and there was still food on the tables! As ravenous as media folks are – this should have been an indication I was headed into acting right then and there!!), I noticed the key sitting on Ali’s table with the dirty dishes. I laughed, called my photojournalism teacher (Michael S. Williamson, who ended up winning a Pulitzer or two), and asked him if he would meet me at the state capitol. I was going to represent the key to Ali. He laughed; “Only you, Ethan.” We reconnoitered in the governor’s office!
We gathered with future CA Congresswoman Maxine Waters (we knew each other from my time covering city council beat), and she led me before the gaggle, to the front of Jerry Brown’s office for the honors. I had met Ali a few times before this in NY, and he was funny, a showman for sure, and actually very kind. I flashed him the key so he knew what was coming. There was a roar of laughter, from the press core. Ali started blushing. I “re-presented” it on behalf of the fair city of Sacramento, because The Greatest deserved to have at least two ceremonies so that it would be memorable enough to remember to bring the key home. He didn’t miss a beat; “I left it on purpose, because I found out it wasn’t real gold…I’ll make sure to take it with me this time.” He told me if I were 6 foot, I would have been in trouble. I responded with, “you’re fast champ, but not that fast.” Then I got to hang with him, Jerry Brown, Willie Brown, and Maxine Waters. Michael ran off to make deadline. Very memorable day!
Ali just kept shaking his head and laughing. Thank you for capturing this memory Michael, and for so many more serious works. You were a great teacher, by the way, and I use those lessons in composing shots for film to this day.
BTS; Making Eyes! Eyes of the Roshi is now available for download on Amazon Prime, and iTunes. DVD’s are available through Amazon, and at Barnes & Noble.
Apparently, there’s a little curve-ball in the December 5 scheduled release of the Unwritable Rant podcast. According to the show’s producer; “The demand on Twitter, FB, slack chat, etc. has been so great that J (Juliette Miranda, show’s host) and I decided to release the episode on Saturday, Dec 3rd. Yeah… this has never happened to release before our traditional date but what the hell….”
This morning, one of Grandmaster Adam’s students came to his class, and said she went to a stretch and exercise class this week at a local gym, and asked “is this all there is?” The class wasn’t constructive or beneficial. Adam nodded. It resonated with his thoughts. He recognized this situation throughout the years. He has seen hundreds of programs come and go. A lot of them do more harm than good. That’s why they don’t last. It’s a hamster wheel of fitness – a lot of running around, but you get nowhere.
When Adam came to America in 1971, he was 19-years-old, and had already been assisting his Grandmaster Ly Xuan Cuong in teaching for four years. Wherever Adam traveled, Utah, Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia people would marvel at his practice of Yoga, Karate-do, and Zen Meditation. They would inevitably ask what he was doing, and ask him to demonstrate more. Even though Adam was a college student himself, they would ask him to teach them. He was only too happy to share what his family had been teaching first to the Royal Families, and top officials of Vietnam for hundreds of years. What Adam teaches to this day is a unique brand of wellness. The foundation is Yoga, but much more elaborate and intense. Adam has a poster where he is holding 222 Yoga poses. Most people are impressed by not only the poses, but the beauty of the proper form – the depth of the execution. Adam waves this off. “We have more than 10,000 variations and combinations of technique and sequences.” That’s the difference he insists.
So Adam showed up on my doorstep this morning, very excited for such a peaceful Master. “We are going to create a revolution,” he said. “There is a hamster wheel of exercise programs out there. People are stuck, but we are going to make them healthy. If they practice the right way they can improve their health, and move well, feel great. They will function well until their very last days.”
It’s difficult to explain to someone younger who has not nursed an aging parent; someone who feels invincible in their youth how important it is to be able to stand straight, tall, and strong, and be able to walk on their own power. Once you see how difficult it is for your own parents to make it up a flight of stairs – you understand. It’s equally difficult to explain to someone in their sixties that it is not too late improve, and return to a more youthful condition. Grandmaster Adam has already proved this to be the case with many of his senior students!
How does Adam do it? He takes proper time to work the whole body; head to toe; the senses, the mind, the nervous, lymphatic, immune, and all other systems. It’s stretching, loosening, straightening, balancing and stabilizing the body. He helps you create energy by invigorating the internal organs and glands. You work on breath -so important. All the joints become properly aligned and lubricated. He works on straightening and strengthening tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Whereas weightlifting might tighten and tear, his way of practice restores and rejuvenates.
So, let the peaceful revolution begin. If Master Adam has his way he will teach millions of students to live happier healthier lives. Maybe one of them will be you.
Thank you for watching, and showing me some Reel Love. I’ve been remiss about putting out a reel for years so I’ve compiled some quick clips from various films and television appearances. Hope you enjoy it. Clips are from Eyes of the Roshi; The Dream Machine; Chasing Laughter; Alfred from Ghost Stories; Broken; The Son; Mercy; and, The Alcoholic. Too many fun things to choose from, and wanted to keep it under two minutes. All the Best, Ethan.