In February of 1986, the Chicago-area premiere of Pretty In Pink, written and executive-produced by John Hughes, took place at the (now razed) Old Orchard Theatre in my hometown of Skokie, Illinois.
John Hughes was there that night.
I was fifteen, a sophomore in high school, and attended with my friends Jenny and Tracy, two girls heavy into the punk scene.
Jenny and Tracy flipped for Annie Potts' costumes and hairstyles in Pretty In Pink, while I flipped because Duckie (Jon Cryer) seemed more like me than any other teenage movie character I'd seen.
When Cryer (as Duckie) did his insanely right on dance and lip sync to Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness," I about lost my mind. I can't tell you how many times I'd done that exact sort of thing (albeit not in a record store).
Duckie may have been a "zoid" but he was concurrently cool. I didn't identify when he behaved like a petulant jerk, but his ultimate devotion and loyalty as a friend to Andie (Molly Ringwald) was significant.
Late in the movie, when Duckie loses his cool and rushes the school asshole (James Spader) it was as if every high school angst fantasy I'd had was fulfilled for me onscreen.
John Hughes didn't just have his finger on the pulse of what resonated with teenage audiences. His insights were so spot on, he was the pulse.
When the movie ended, Jenny and Tracy decided they weren't leaving until they got to talk to John and find out who handled all of Annie Potts' styles.
The theatre was filled to capacity with over 1,000 people. I recall the three of us trying to figure out how we could subtly "hang back" until everyone had cleared out so the girls could get their face time with John.
We managed to pull it off. Once the theatre lobby was completely empty, we found ourselves with John Hughes' undivided attention.
I don't remember what I said or how I contributed to the conversation. All I do know is John Hughes looked at Jenny and Tracy and asked, "He's a Duckie, isn't he?"
The girls concurred.
Then he said, "Boy, I wish I'd known you before I made this movie!"
At the time, my plan was to be an actor. So, when he made that comment, I thought he meant he would have cast me as Duckie! Years later, I think he was probably saying he would have found me valuable as "research." I can only laugh.
Nevertheless, what he said only solidified that I was "the Duckman" in spirit. After that night, I tried very hard to get people to call me Duckie, but unfortunately there was already a girl in school with that nickname, so it didn't take.
When I learned of Hughes' death on Thursday, my brief moments with him were, of course, the first thing that popped into my head.
Four hours later, I got in my car to drive home from work. I hit the ignition and turned on my iPod, which was set to "shuffle songs."
I have over 6,200 songs on my iPod. The first one that played, completely randomly, was "Pretty In Pink" by The Psychedelic Furs.
I chuckled and said, "Thanks, John!"
"Despite my appearance at this function, I remain now, and will always be, a Duckman.. "