crush: marcus sakey

confession: i've always been a little fascinated by the punk culture.  if i was another person i probably would've been a punk.  however, i'm not another person and believe me, you wouldn't buy me as a punk for a second.  a few weeks ago i saw a preview for hidden city on the travel channel.  the episode's city was new york and they were going to investigate sid and nancy (this links to the movie).  a brief synopsis: sid viscious was the bassist for the sex pistols.  nancy was his girlfriend.  they were both drug addicts.  sid woke up from a drug induced stupor and nancy was dead.  everyone thought sid did it.  sid overdosed before he went to trial.  they were both less than 25.  fascinating, right?

we set our dvr to record the episode and once we start watching we're hooked.  marcus sakey is the host.  for the first five minutes i thought 'this guy thinks he's cooler than he actually is'.  after those five minutes i knew that he actually was that cool.  i have a little crush on him.  it is okay though because my husband has a little bit of a man crush on him.  during the D.C. episode he was actually googling ray ban to figure out what kind of sunglasses marcus was wearing.  it was hilarious.  anyway, schoolgirl crush(es) aside, it is a really neat show.  it takes three dark events in the city's history, usually a killing (son of sam, zodiac, shooting the university of texas belltower) and makes it come alive.  it really gets you familiar with what the city felt like at the time and the city becomes a character in the story.  i like how the episodes include an event you've usually heard of like the beltway sniper (D.C.) but also includes a story you probably don't know like a viscious female slave owner (new orleans) during the 1800's.  we look forward to it every week.  you learn something but it is sexy learning.

as long as i'm on the subject of marcus sakey, i should mention that he's also a writer.  i just finished the first book of his that i've ever read (the two deaths of daniel hayes) but not his first book.  the book was a great crime novel if you just read it for face value.  however, i was an english lit major and i have the capability of (and a degree in) reading deeper though these days i usually choose not to.  this books didn't give me the choice.  one of the main themes that when a significant life event occurs the you who you were before the event ceases to exist.  basically you die but not in a dead and buried kind of way.  when you come through on the other side of the event you decide who you're going to be next.  it is kind of a crazy concept and i kind of liked it.  the main story occurs in los angeles.  like in hidden city, L.A. is a character.  the sun is too bright, they practice too much yoga, the people are too beautiful and the houses are too opulent.  it is a source of agitation for the main character who is already on the brink of losing it.  the main character also has amnesia and doesn't know who he is in a town who doesn't care who you are.  it cares about who else you can be (actors, obviously).  this is just a sampling.  i don't want to give it away.

i can say for sure that the book made me think and i know that i'm excited that there's a new episode of hidden city waiting on my dvr.  so, go and enjoy!