TERRY ANZALDO was running national promotion at Maverick Records when Dutch and I met him while researching Be Cool. Anita Camarata, who ran the music division at Jersey Films, set up the meeting. Jersey was gearing up to produce the sequel to Get Shorty and gave us a list of people in the music business to talk to.
Terry performed for us, in the course of doing his job. Despite his often exaggerated jargon, we saw how deadly serious he was about the business of getting his artists played on the radio. Dutch was hooked on Terry’s act , scribbled constantly in his little notebook. Soon, Terry’s contribution would be instrumental in shaping the character of Nicky Carr in Be Cool
When the last scene of Be Cool was shot, Terry was among the invited guests, that night, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Amidst the excitement, Terry had but one thing on his mind: get a photo with Harvey Keitel who played Nicky Carr. He succeeded in doing so.
In this video, Terry discusses our first meeting, the book, Be Cool, and the subsequent film. He reflects on the strange satisfaction of becoming an Elmore Leonard character.
