No Boating Accident

It was a B-celeb sighting...but a sighting nevertheless.

It was spring in NYC, circa 1986. I was ambling down Broadway, heading to an improv class at Music and Art High School, when I stopped in some overpriced bodega around 70th Street to pick up a pack of gum. Standing at the counter, his dry cleaning slung over his shoulder, was Roy Scheider. It was a B-celeb sighting, even back in the day, but a sighting nevertheless.

Still, like any self-respecting New Yorker, I ignored Roy completely until he turned and knocked over the five-tiered gum/mint display. Tic Tacs and Wrigley’s went skittering across the floor, and the Korean woman behind the counter looked as if she were going to have a meltdown. Sensing the tension, I quickly dropped to the ground to help Roy clean up his mess. As we were down on the ground, our eyes met, and all I could think to say was, "This was no boating accident."