i read a great article last week entitled “not with eddie” in the LA weekly about an experience that seems appropriate in los angeles: the deconstruction of idols.

LA is the origin and endpoint of the american dream, or at least one very large, well-lit facet of it. it is all to common to spot celebrities around town, however, when they are no longer surrounded by paparazzi, models, and millions of crooning fans, we continue to frame them like posters on a wall.

two years ago, i was working at the children’s hospital los angeles (CHLA). while walking through the halls, i spotted and elderly, disheveled man walking towards me. he wore a beat up army jacket that was far too large for his frame, and his wrinkled face peeked out from a wool cap that seemed to engulf his head. i thought to myself, “that’s strange, i wouldn’t expect a homeless person wandering through the hospital.”

as we approached each other, i noticed he was looking very intently at me; as we got closer, i watched him give me the up/down. i was uncomfortable, but intrigued, and i couldn’t look away from his face. just as we passed each other, it clicked…

oh shit… that’s bob dylan.

i turned around and stared as he continued his walk down the hall. it was then i noticed that he was accompanied by two young women (under 30) and two small children. when i got to the office, i said to my boss, “i just saw bob dylan!” she informed me that his 2-year-old child was a patient.

go bob.

read “not with eddie.”