Five years of columns. Four best-guy friends. I was able to ride the coat-tails of “Sex & The City,” dubbed "Carrie Bradshaw with balls," by a national radio host. “Queer As Folk" and "Noah's Ark" ran their popular surge and so did I, in print. Talks with networks like Bravo came my way, host auditions for up-coming shows, and enough fluff to fill my head. I jumped on this "Seabiscut" of a ride and hit the ground with a thud....
The lean years I like to call them, when over saturation, the tale of four friends living in a city, became soggy. Hundreds of novels told the same tale as theaters banged out yet another "date-night" movie. Relationship gurus and advice for the "single & seeking" of every age, color, sex and sexuality flooded air-ways and newsstands. GuyFriday ran dry and, as with a tumbleweed in the wind, the dust had settled.
Never one to toss in the towel, I updated, re-vamped and refreshed. I was lucky to run my column for a few more years, to the delight of readers. I brought back my guys till the present day and enjoyed every bit of it. My characters took on new experiences, faced old fears and impressed me, like a doting father with his beloved tots. I gave each of them a voice and a reason. I created dialogue that was frank and honest, sometimes judgmental and others, sincere or slap-stick. Even my cat, Junior, played Jinx in the column as my little side-kick!
I think that Joey, my character, would think it's a novel idea to end with this chapter of GuyFriday, in his closet, getting the perfect outfit right to meet the guys for cocktails. It would have to be something "vintage" to hark back to when my column is practically forgotten, tucked far back in the pages between the classifieds and personals. He would mix that with an article of "worth" from when I moved from monthly to weekly columns or when GuyFriday could be read on this new-fangled Internet craze.....
"So this is it," I said, raising my champagne cocktail.
"It's really the end?" Grady queried.
"Over and out," Will followed up with, holding his glass high and touching Grady's.
Luke rushed to the table, pushed off his coat, and plopped down.
"What is this bullshit, ‘Steel Magnolias?’ You’ve all got tears in your eyes!"
With that, the table broke out into the usual brawl of bickering, brash and brotherhood....
