The Godfather Gets the Higher Taste
I would like to preface the story by relating how I came to shake people's hands on sankirtana while exclaiming "ARooo!!" I would say this very loudly, like a buzzer going off, when they didn't expect it. It would make people laugh and disarm their false egos. I picked up this "ARooo" handshake in Laguna Beach from a devotee named Bhaya Hari Dasa. One day he shook my hand while saying something serious, but then he suddenly grabbed my hand tightly and let out an "ARooo!!" I laughed hysterically, and from that day on I incorporated it into my sankirtana routine.
Anyway, one day many years ago, in Beverly Hills, Calif., I was collecting donations with stickers in downtown Beverly Hills (we used to do that in the US in the early eighties before we saw the light and went back to just books). I approached a pair of attractive southern-looking ladies and asked them for a donation. They said (in a thick southern drawl), "Why, yes, honey, we can give you a donation, but could you do us a favah? Marlon Brando's over yonder in that restaurant eatin' lunch [they pointed to the Swiss Chalet, an upscale restaurant], and we were wondrin' if you could see if he's almost finished, 'cause we want to take his pictcha."
I said, "Hold on. Marlon Brando's in that restaurant!?"
"Why yes, honey."
I told the ladies to wait right where they were and took off running down the street to my car to grab a hardbound Bhagavad-Gita, a "Coming Back," a "Higher Taste," and a "Who Are They?" (a booklet we used to distribute describing the movement around the world). Then I rushed back to the ladies and told them I would do what they asked.
I have to be honest: I didn't feel very transcendental that day. I felt very nervous about approaching such a big celebrity, especially in a fancy restaurant. I was sure they would throw me out when they saw me approaching such a coveted customer, one of Hollywood's most revered actors of all time. Plus, I didn't have a clue as to how to approach him.
So, as I walked through the doors I prayed to Lord Caitanya: "My dear Lord Caitanya, you can make anything possible. Please give me the intelligence to do the needful in this situation." I still didn't know what I was going to do or say, but I knew I would have to be spontaneous any hesitancy and I would be out on my ear.
Suddenly I was inside this dimly lit restaurant in fact, the only light was the candlelight coming from each table. I kid you not, it was an atmosphere exactly like in the "Godfather" movie. All the way at the end of a long aisle sat a large man with his Tahitian wife and daughter. They were the only patrons in the restaurant. Just then an idea came to me. I began to walk down the aisle with a big smile on my face, yelling "Marlon!! Marlon!!" As he turned to look in my direction, I exclaimed, "It's been a long time!! How are you?!" Marlon Brando looked at me with a broad smile.
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