I Fell for Lloyd Dobler - Twice

So my friend Beth sent me a link to this news story about a bunch of guys in trench coats who celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of the film Say Anything today by walking through New York City carrying boom boxes over their heads. (Thanks, Beth.)

This is just #2,397 why I love New York: random acts of awesomeness. But that's not why the gist of this post. What I really came here to say today is I fell in love with my girl because of Lloyd Dobler.

In case you're not familiar with my favorite 80s film of all time, Lloyd is the character played by John Cusack, who after graduating from high school, spends the entire summer wooing the unattainable gorgeous braniac Diane Court, played by Ione Skye.

The Say Anything fans wandering the streets of New York City are paying homage to the famous scene from the movie, where Lloyd stands outside Diane's window with a boom box over his head, blasting "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel.

I was sixteen when the movie came out, so that scene made a huge impression on me. What girl wouldn't want a guy like that? What girl wouldn't want to be brooded over like she's Juliet herself? Plus, Diane was a total geek, which made it all seem a bit more possible, you know? And Lloyd was his own brand of cool. He was anti-establishment but still totally affable. He was cute, but he didn't try too hard. He was earnest and dogged in his pursuit, but he still never lost his true north for the girl, you know?

His best friends were girls (oh Lilly Taylor, I miss you), everyone loved him and he had no idea what he wanted to be when he grew up. Lloyd had the best lines in the movie, too. Most people remember his monologue about his career plans ("I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career.") But my favorite is the message he leaves on Diane's machine after she breaks up with him:

"Maybe I didn't really know you. Maybe you were just a mirage. Maybe the world is full of food and sex and spectacle and we're all just hurling towards an apocalypse, in which case it's not your fault. I'm been thinking about all these things and...you're probably standing there monitoring. And one more thing - about the letter. Nuke it. Flame it. Destroy it. It hurts me to know it's out there. Later."

When I met Polly we were both 23 and spending too much time at the Blind Munchies coffee house, drinking copious amounts of coffee and inhaling way too much nicotine. Early on in our friendship she told me something that I now know was the beginning of everything. During a cutthroat game of rummy (Menomonie rules) she said offhandedly, "I aspire to be Lloyd Dobler."

Here was the guy I hoped existed--except she was a girl. I was kinda sorta in trouble, because my wild ways were about to be leveled by a quiet, short story-loving small town girl with perfect bone structure. I mean, I could probably say no to a guy who professed his admiration for the greatest character in a teen movie ever, but a girl who wanted to be just like Lloyd? I was toast.

Looking back, our budding relationship mirrored Lloyd and Diane's. Sure, my Dad wasn't put in prison for embezzlement, and Polly could give a shit about kickboxing (sport of the future!), but there are many similarities. A sampling:

- Polly was crushing on me from afar long before we became friends, just like Lloyd mooned over Diane before actually asking her out.

- Like Diane, I had plans to move away at the end of the summer, and didn't want a relationship.

- Polly and I had a lot of fun in the backseat of my car.

- Our first "our song" was "In Your Eyes."

- Above all else, Polly just wanted to spend as much time with me as possible. Like Lloyd, her aspiration was to be with me, and be great at it. (She is.)

Oh, and there's this photo from the movie, which reminds me of us because I'm always throwing my head back when I laugh (and she loves that about me).

The thing that I loved so much about Lloyd Dobler was his unabashed adoration of Diane Court. He didn't hold anything back. He had no ego about it, and he was willing to do anything to be with her. In the end he got the girl, packed up and moved with her to England to be with her while she pursued her big bright life, much like Polly did when she hopped in that moving van with me bound for Santa Fe almost 14 years ago.

Polly is as close to Lloyd as you can get. Lucky me. Is it any wonder I fell so hard?

PS: Here's the totally awesome trailer.



PPS: When I was searching for pics I came across a video a band called Say Anything performing their single "I Hate Everyone" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. This one's for you, Fond du Lac Joe.