VINCE VIELUF: I did to come to Hollywood, that’s for sure. I was in Chicago working at a video store and I hooked up with some chick. She was going to move out to L.A. and I was like, “Alright, let’s go.” I took the road trip - the U-Haul with the cat. I came out to Hollywood and I got a job in a bar. I was working as a bartender in a nightclub. This little Asian lady comes up to me and she’s like, “I know you. I met you in Chicago once.” I was like, “Yeah, cool,” because it’s busy and everyone is screaming. She gave me her number. She’s like, “I always thought that talking to you was like a vortex. I want to represent you.” I swear. I was like, “Alright, whatever.” I called her the next day, I go in there, and she passed me a contract. Three weeks later I got “American Werewolf in Paris.” And I sucked real bad so since then I’ve been getting better (laughing). Isn’t that weird?
You didn’t prompt the conversation at all?
VINCE VIELUF: I’ve always been sort of a theater guy, like in improv clubs and Second City, Chicago and stuff like that. I never looked at this like this Hollywood thing, you know, because I don’t want to be that kind of guy. But I love it now. But that was my road trip.
Did you have any weird experiences?
VINCE VIELUF: Yes. I’m cruising through the Mojave Desert at about 80 mph. It’s the middle of the night and suddenly – and I’m in one of those big 13’ trucks – all of a sudden man, screeching brakes, I have no idea what’s going on, the brakes are just screeching. I go to un-jam it and my cat got scared and hid behind [the brakes] so I couldn’t. So I’m doing 80, you know, fishtailing, going on two wheels. This chick is screaming, “What the f**k are you doing?!” I’m trying to maintain. I’m like, “I won’t hurt my cat!” I couldn’t put on the brakes. My cat was like looking at this foot coming at him. It was so Griswold. When we straightened out it, it’s like, “Everything’s normal.” I had goosebumps.
Joey, do you have a 'road trip' story?
JOEY KERN: After I graduated from college I lived in New York and I met this girl and she’s like, “I’m going across country to meet this guy I’m dating in Baja.” I’m said, “Man, that sounds like a lot of fun. I’ve always wanted to go on a road trip across the country. If you’re looking for someone to go, I’d go with you.” She was really cute (laughing). So she called me a couple of days later and asked, “Were you serious? Would you really want to go?” I was like, “Yeah, I’d love to.” I’d met this girl for just the one night and had a small conversation with her, she could have been a serial killer. I went down to D.C. and got in her car and we drove for like three weeks. All through the south, we camped out every single night except for three. We just made our way [across the country]. We camped out in the weirdest places like the White Sands National Monument. There was one other camper but we never saw him. We were in the middle of nowhere. It was awesome – so many stars. Needless to say her boyfriend wasn’t too happy when she got to meet him. I never met him thank God. He probably would have killed me.
Skating Experience and Working with the Pros
