The King of Cool by Alice Osborn

Описание: Steve McQueen (1930-1980) was a one-of-kind movie star who did all his own race-car driving and stunts (except when the producers told him “no” due to insurance concerns). In the film, Bullitt (1968), McQueen makes a point to lean out of the driver’s side window during the famous Ford Mustang vs. Dodge Charger chase scene so that audiences would know he actually drove the car. That famous Highland Green 1968 Boss Mustang was sold for $3.74 million in January 2020, making it the most expensive Mustang ever sold. McQueen was a hard-headed individual who held a lot of insecurities due to his rough upbringing without a father. As a teen, he was remanded at the Boys Republic, a reform school in Chino Hills, California, where he later sent razors and jeans when he made it big as an actor. He died from mesothelioma and was holding Billy Graham’s Bible when he passed.

Today I idle my bike in this field,
dry as a Southern Baptist wedding.
In the movies, I worked my own stunts,
except when Bud jumped that fence.
Don’t smoke, don’t drink anymore…
my body’s given up before telling me the score.

CHORUS

You need to know I drove the Mustang,
You need to know I get the last word,
Maybe other people can fail,
but I, I can’t choose—
So when I die, it’ll be front-page news.

I never kissed my father’s cheek,
but he saw me on TV every week.
Nights Uncle Claude threw me against walls
after spending the day drinking whiskey.
Don’t smoke, don’t drink anymore…
my body’s given up before telling me the score.

CHORUS

I was dust that blew into Chino
where I was never tall or strong enough.
When I became a star of the screen,
I gave ‘em Chino boys soap and jeans.
You can run, but you can’t avoid,
This life, this body all destroyed.