Remember when I mentioned the guy who looked like Rod Stewart, striding around in a 3-piece formal pink suit? Well, we saw him again... and we had a nice long chat with him! It's so nice to be with someone sociable and pleasant like Peter. If it were solely up to me, I would lurk around the corner and pretend to be looking at my phone while snapping a picture of him. (Like I did with Cynthia Nixon... you can see by the look on her face exactly how subtle I managed to be.)
But Peter can easily strike up a conversation with anyone, no matter how aggressively his hair is spiked. So he offered to take my picture with the guy. I said only if we do it really quickly... but Rod Stewart II had a whole life story to tell!
We stayed and talked for a while. I should have let us stay longer, but I started doing the "honey, let's get outta here" arm pinch after 15 minutes or so. I guess I'm just uncomfortable talking to strangers... emphasis on the strange. But he was harmless and rather interesting, with, as it turns out, a good heart to boot.
Mr. Randy Fowler drives a limo for a living. He has dozens (hundreds?) of custom-made suits, and his clients are invited to request one upon booking their limo ride. You can take a look at the wide range of options on his colorful website. (Home page rodslimos.com. Tonight's the Night.) Randy used to be a drummer in a band, but one night he found himself in Boise, the only un-incarcerated band member, and thought he might settle down. He ran a video production business for a while, but when people kept commenting on his rock-n-roll look, he thought he might be able to capitalize on it better in a more public position. He enjoys his job and feels that the customer service he provides is what sets him aside from other options people might have. That and the suits.
A biography of Mr. Fowler has been in the works for some time now, but he says progress keeps stalling because publishers want him to talk about his brother. He says he had a rough childhood and doesn't want to bring his brother into the picture. We nodded knowingly, but I sort of wondered why he kept mentioning his brother, as if we already knew who he was. He seemed a bit hesitant to share personal details, so I didn't pry... until we got home.
According to several sources, Randy Fowler's brother is Kevin Spacey. (Kaiser Soze! The man who killed his own wife and family in cold blood!) Wikipedia confirms that Kevin Spacey was born Kevin Spacey Fowler, and that he has a brother named Randy. It also mentions how close-mouthed he is about his private life, which would explain Randy's hesitation to capitalize on his brother's fame. You can read more details in an interview with Randy at Uncle Boise, an area blog. (Or should I say...another area blog? ;)
Randy spoke at length about his most passionate project, working to prevent child abuse. Having survived it himself, he feels if he helps even one child to escape a bad situation, he will have done his part. He often visits schools to speak about the issue, and says he can capture children's attention more easily than others, given his quirky sense of style and rock-n-roll sensibility. I have heard from other area residents that he drives leukemia patients to the hospital as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation's program. (I just have to say, though... if I were ever to Make-A-Wish, it wouldn't be for Rod Stewart. Maybe he could start a sister business? Sting's Taxis, perhaps?) In any case, he's clearly working for some good causes, and we were touched by his selfless endeavors.
We told him we'd be sure to see him around. As we walked away, Peter remarked that he could have continued the conversation for quite a while longer. I felt bad to have cut it short. We turned around to look where he had been, standing outside a bar smoking his cigarette, but we couldn't see him anywhere. And like that... he's gone.
