Rolling Stones

I get a phone call one night. It's Tom Hedley "Hey Mick Jagger wants to talk to you. "Allo Gary Mick Jagger here. "Tony Silverthorn says "we might get a drink at your club?' A little stunned I said 'sure.' "Can you guarantee my safety?' "No Problem!' I assure him. "We are in a limo outside your door Will you let us in." I went down and escorted them in. they stood at the end bar, not obvious but in plain site and a few whispers went through the bar but basically my very hip clientele ignored them.
They kind of got antsy after a while and Mick had to do a little prance on the way back from the washroom to get a couple of young ladies to harass them for a while. Mick got very drunk and he had to go and pick up Bianca at the airport so he asked me to get him back to the limo. I got Jesse Frayne to do that for me and she thanked me for months after that.
Tony Silverthorn was the manager of the Windsor Arms at that time. he had trouble getting the Stones to leave the Courtyard Cafe. so he got Tom and Bary Callaghan to show them the way.
the aftermath was amazing this happened on a Thursday night, on Friday and Saturday night I had line ups around the block.

Peter Gzowski

Wilde said people shouldn't be judged on whether they are bad or good but whether they are charming or tedious. The CBC nickname for Peter was Saint peter and Peter was no saint but he was charming.

I met Peter when he was doing his TV Show. I guess it put him under a lot of pressure. He would come to my bar a couple of times a week to unwind. We spent many a night just the 2 of us in my backroom playing pinball for 20 bucks a game. We talked about a lot of things. One morning for some reason we were both chasing the same lady and neither one of us would give in. We ended up back at his place, with the lady making breakfast or  At eight o clock in the morning we were sitting at his kitchen table on Yorkville Ave. with a bottle of wine on the go. We were very very drunk.
Out of the blue he stops and says. "Want to know what is the most important thing I ever did in my life?" Of course, I said "Sure." he proceeded to tell me about a hockey game he had played. Something about beating a really tough team from another town. I don't remember how old he was when he played this game or anything. I just thought of all the things he had accomplished and that is what he thought of. It was not long after this that Peter wrote "The Game Of Our Lives."

Peter sometimes brought some of the guests to my place. through his show, I met Jack Webster, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Waites to name a few.
a lot of Peter's staff were regulars at the bar. And many the day I had to send a taxi to CBC with the master script of the next night's show that somebody left behind. I did many favours for Peter like lending him a room for card games with Michael MacClear, Bobby Miller, etc.
Both Peter and I liked to play the horses and I met him at the track more than a few times. Once I met him after the first race and was surprised that he left. He left his pile of tickets behind and he had lost over 500 dollars on the first race.


After The TV show ended I didn't see him for some years.
Then I ran into him on the Esplanade one day.
"Peter," I said where the hell have you been."
"Sorry, man he said but you just remind me of a very bad time in my life."

Lee Majors

 I met Lee Majors at the 22 in Toronto in 1980.

He came in with Chris Makepeace who was still a teenager.

they sat at the producer's table with a bunch of us. (I was actually trying to produce a movie at that time)

Lee and Chris had just finished shooting 'The Last Chase" and Lee was hanging around Toronto for a bit and dating Karen Kane.

Daytime Don the waiter came over to take their orders. Lee ordered a drink and Don looked at the obviously underage Chris and not wanting to be a spoilsport said"You are an actor I guess you can act 21" and brought him a glass of milk.

Lee was much cooler than I had thought. he was friendly, funny, and self-effacing and I immediately liked him. He hung around over the next couple of days shooting the breeze sometimes a bunch of us sometimes just the two of us. He showed up one night for dinner at the Courtyard and drinks in the 22 with Karen. Which was all the gossip of course. One afternoon he acted as an extra in one of the movies shooting close by. One afternoon when there were just the two of us. and after a few drinks, he glanced at a photo of him and Karen in a newspaper.  He turned to me and said with a sigh "I am still in love with Farrah you know." I bought the round. Nice man.

Howard Duff

I met Howard Duff making Double Negative. I was the assistant producer and it was my job to look after Howard. I met him at the airport. "Hi I'm Howard Duff and if you don't think I'm tough, Remember I was married to Ida Lupino for twenty years". Howard and I became great friends and his girlfriend Judy. We spent many pleasant hours together over about 6 weeks. I showed them around Toronto and we had many lunches and dinners together. And far too many drinks. I took them to some clubs. One night he was a bit long in the washroom and I went to check. he was being hassled a bit by some punks (not too seriously) I come in and say Ready to go Mr.Duff and flashing my genuine RCMP key chain. The punks evaporated and Howard thought that very cool and subtle.

If anything like Richard I found Howard a bit fragile. I was on Howard and Judys Xmas card list until they died and I feel really privileged

 

Elizabeth Ashely

 

I used to hang out with Elizabeth Ashely when she came to town, sometimes she came to my club and sometimes I was free to just hang out. We were great friends. Eating at the underground railroad and drinking at the 22. She usually stayed at the Windsor Arms. We would ride around in her limousine supplied by the movie company smoking weed and snorting you know what. She was married to a buddy of mine so we were mainly friends came close a couple of times. She was passionate about everything.

(I have to leave some blank spots)

She got in trouble over a couple of late nights with me made her either late or no show at the movie set. I wasn't exactly heartbroken when she broke up with my buddy but I was when she got busted at the border and couldn't come to Canada anymore. Anyway, this is a good article she is a brainy broad and has a lot of good lines. we laughed a lot.

Catherine O'Hara

 Catherine was a good friend she loved the after-hours scene. Her brother Marcus ran the 505 an after-ours owned by Dan Ackroyd on Eastern queen Street. We spent many nights there long into the morning with her and Mary Margret. After this  she often came to my place and always brought interesting people. One night she brought the whole cast of the Second city. One of her first movies was double negative and I was Assistant Producer.

So there I was at Club 22 at the Windsor Arms. With my then buddy Michael Ironside. Michael and I were trying to break our record of drinking about 80 margaritas. When Johnny Hart and Jack Caprio the cartoonists showed up and we were really throwing the drinks back and having a great time. When I saw Catherine waving at me. She had just come from the Courtyard Cafe where she had treated her parents to dinner. She waved me over and I gave her a peck and she says Gary I want you to meet my mother and father. 'Really How nice"I said trying to be polite and bent over with a little bow and extended my hand when: from out of nowhere Ironside bit my ass. I don't know how he did it, but I screamed and jumped and kicked. He hung on like a pit bull. I writhed around to hit him while the stunned O'Haras wondered what was going on. I finally shook him off and everything settles down but I am sure Catherine's parents wondered what kind of friends she had. Everyone else was laughing but I was limping. Ironside could be a real crazy asshole sometimes.

Cannonball and Nat Adderly

I met Cannonball and Nat Adderley at the Colonial Tavern in 1969. Mickey Handy introduced me. Cannon and Nat became good friends and I was their Toronto buddy whenever they came to Toronto, we spent many days hanging out at the underground railroad, etc

I once cooked a seafood chowder dinner for them at Grossman's Tavern. Al let me use the kitchen and was the special of the day. It sold out quickly.

One night I took them to Gordon Rayner's Studio to watch an Artist's Jazzband rehearsal. they liked it but would not jam.

This was very much a "Black power time and they got invited to all the Black after-hours clubs. But they would not go without me. I knew most of the black clubs and we had a lot of fun.

I was on their permanent guest list at the Colonial and I got to listen to great jazz and meet their fabulous sidemen like  Louis Hayes, Ray Brown, Walter Booker, Bobby Timmons, Victor Feldman, Joe Zawinul.

One night I was late getting to the Colonial, they were halfway through the set and the bar was packed full. The only place for me to sit was at the staff table. They would not serve me unless I moved and there was nowhere else so i sat there drinkless till the set was over. They joined me at the end of the set and ordered us drinks. They still refused to serve me. So Nat called the manager over and told them they were not going to play until I was drinking. needless to say that never happened again.

After Cannonball's tragic death in 1975, Nat played Toronto regularly and he was always glad to see me. He embarrassed me on my birthday at the Montreal Bistro by dedicating almost every song to me all night long. Vincent Herring was with him.  I met his wife too and spent a few nights sitting with her.

Cannonball had never heard Paul Desmond's tribute to him until I told him.

Paul Desmond won the Evergreen Review's  Higgledy piggled contest with

Shubada Shubadee

Cannonball Adderley

Came on the scene with a belt of the blues.

His popularity

Coincidentally

Gives me more time

For women and booze.

: Paul Desmond 

My short Friendship with Leonard Cohen

 

This was in 1979 I had just quit the booze can biz and was transgressing into the Movie biz.

Club 22 at the Windsor Arms was my principal milieu. I was at home there comfortable and confident.

I came in one evening and not seeing any friends I got a drink at the bar. in a glance around the room There was Leonard sitting by himself and nursing a drink at a nearby table. my milieu what the hell, I walked over "hey Leonard I'm Gary leDrew, I am a friend of Lesley McDonells she talks a lot about you. Leonard's eyes lit up. "The beautiful Lesley. have you seen here lately" "Not much since she married that St. Nicholas guy,"I say. I sat down and after a mutual admiration of Lesley's conversation our talk drifted to other things. I was born in Montreal and gave my brief history there. He told me he was in town for an opening at an Art Gallery on Dundas St., and that the Artist had painted pictures of some of his released songs and he had to go. We drank pretty much till closing time covering a lot of subjects from gossip to philosophy. he said he had some meetings the next day but we would meet later. 

The next day I got a surprise phone call from my ex-wife. She had not let me see my daughter in 5 years and I had lost contact completely. She had broken up with a guy she said was responsible for the ban and if I wanted I could pick her up the next evening if I took her sister as well. Sarah was now seven and Shaleen was four. I was ecstatic.

Leonard was emerging as a star about this time with  3 records and a tour. He still seemed a bit shy, he wasn't that comfortable in Toronto and had no friends around at that time. We had a very comfortable few hours of drinking and talking and he invited me to the opening the next night. I explained I couldn't go and why. Leonard was insistent "look man I really need you to go. I really don't know anybody there and frankly, the whole thing is a bit embarrassing. I need the support and you at least know the art scene. I protested that I hadn't seen my daughter in 5 years. So bring them I'll take care of it.

So I showed up the next night with Sarah and Sharleen. We drank a lot of wine the kids tore around the Gallery with Leonard's blessing. I don't remember the art I don't think I was not too impressed and Leonard was polite in a couple of interviews but soon drank more wine and was terrific with the kids. Somewhere there is a videotape of Leonard with Sarah in one arm and Shaleen in the other one with a glass of wine too.

I got the kids home happy and made arrangements to take them out on Sunday.

I got to see Leonard for a bit the next day and a few drinks before he caught the train to Montreal. As was usual for me then I never thought to get phone numbers etc. (i always just expected to see people) As it happened I had to move back to Uxbridge for a bit when I got back to the 22 I was told Leonard had asked about me a few times but I never did see him again. I managed to get a message to him when he went through here on tour but he didn't reply after all it was 40 years before.

Dinner at Fridays

  A friend of mine Beau Chorney had this lawyer ( I am embarrassed i cant remember his name.)who I met on a deal we were working on.  

So I ran into him in the 22 in Toronto, and after a drink, he invited me to join him for dinner at Fridays. he only said was meeting with his some of his clients. so I had no idea until we sat down with Yvan Cournoyer, Guy LaPointe, Henri Richard, and Frank Mahovlich. Peter Mavolich was late he had just bought a Rolls Royce and as he pulled up and we all went out to the street to see it. When he got out an empty Heineken bottle fell out which made us all laugh. 

I was out of my league in the conversation, I was like the fifth wheel with this lot so I didn't say much just a few bon mots during dinner and mostly listened. I wish I remembered more but I guess I was a bit awed as it was such a surprise. meeting so many Hockey heroes at once is a bit much. I have always been a habs fan and peter was a favouite.

Darts With Ned

Back in the mid-eighties I’d had a few pints with Graydon Gould at The Artful Dodger.
He is an icon of Canadian Television he used to be the Forest Ranger in the ’50s.
I had been involved in the movie business and we had a few mutual friends. One afternoon he invited me to go with him to the 22 to meet Ned Beatty who was shooting ‘Switching Channels’, and to go to supper with them. We met in the 22 and Ned was very subdued. He was very quiet and had an orange juice in front of him and said he just didn’t feel like drinking or eating. We talked a bit but Ned excused himself.” I have just had a terrible day.” So I am going to turn in early”. He apologized to Graydon and started packing up his stuff. He reached into his shirt pocket and moved a set of darts to his kit.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my darts. “Would you like a game?” I asked.
Off we went to the Artful Dodger I was a pretty good dart player at that time and we took on all comers and won every beer. We drank long dark pints and ate meat pies long into the night. You know he said you guys will be making movies no matter what the dollar is. You guys got the best crews I ever worked with. Trading movie stories and playing over our heads it was just a wonderful evening He was really a brilliant, erudite, interesting and knowledgeable guy, he seemed to enjoy himself immensely and I was told he came back a couple of times over the next year looking for me. What a fun night.