As the writer/director of Step Brothers and the Anchorman films, Adam McKay has pushed me to colon-twisting fits of laughter that may have literally put my life at risk. He’s also mined more thought-provoking yet similarly chaotic fare with films like The Big Short, Vice and his latest, Don’t Look Up.
But one of the man’s greatest triumphs, as detailed in an interview in the the latest GQ, may be the time he got high in college and called the Phillies front office, pretending to be Red Sox GM Lou Gorman and proposing a trade.
Oh my God, it was incredible. I was with some friends of mine. We were really stoned, and I said, kind of to no one in particular, “I’m going to call the Phillies and make a trade.” This is 1989. I called the general number, and I was like, “Yeah, it’s Lou Gorman, from Boston. Is Bill in?” And they’re like, “Hold, please.” And there was another person, and it was like, “Bill Giles’s office.”
And I was like, “Yeah, it’s Lou from Boston. Is Bill around?” “One second, please.” And then the phone picked up, and he’s like, “Hey, Lou, how you doing?” “I’m good. How you doing?” He’s like, “I’m all right. What are you calling for?” And I said, “We need a utility infielder. I’ve always liked Randy Ready. What do you say?” There was a pause, and he goes, “Who is this?” And I hung up.
Not exactly a hall of fame prank call and at no point did the prospect of Randy Ready in a Red Sox cap move closer to reality. But I must say I’m impressed with McKay’s ability to get as far as he did. For years I’ve been trying to reach Wally by phone and I’ll be damned if they don’t see through my “Dick Hertz” persona every time.
