WSJ. MAGAZINE“I SAW THAT Scott ‘Genius’ mountain bike in Aspen in
a store window. My wife, Veronica, bought it secretly
and surprised me on my birthday. It’s so badass and
super-pimpy. Those his-and-hers gold dog tags were
another surprise from my wife. Mine makes me
feel safe, because I go on dangerous bike rides and I
surf. If there’s a 911, they know who I am. To the left
is a 22-karat-gold pendant with St. Christopher on
one side and a Jewish star on the other. My mom is
Jewish, and my dad’s side was Catholic. My mother’s
mom, little Sonia Schwartz, my mentor, gave it to me.
The espresso cup is from Myanmar. This rural tribe
handmade it, and every time I drink out of it, I think
about my experience there, which I loved. Next to it is
one of my blowguns. In 1985, through Sting, I met an
Amazonian tribesman named Raoni, who hunted with
a blowgun. So I bought blowguns, and I became kind
of an expert blowgun shooter. The story behind that
Wu-Tang Clan sweatshirt is that about 25 years ago, I
was in the backseat of a taxicab, and I heard this wild
guy called Ol’ Dirty Bastard. I thought, I’m going to
meet this guy, and I meet ODB, a member of Wu-Tang.
And he became the beginning of a journey into under-
standing East Coast hip-hop. On the shelf is Chile
Crunch, a condiment. I get crates of it from the Meat &
Cheese Restaurant & Farm Shop in Aspen. I like spiceson my huevos rancheros. On top of that is a photo of me.
About 30 years ago, I got invited to a party at the house
of Marvin Davis, then the owner of 20th Century Fox. I
brought a picture of myself in a kitschy frame that cost
$1. I put it among his pictures of family and dignitar-
ies, thinking it would be clever and distinctive. He was
outraged. It scared me, but then I thought, Things that
scare you, you should do. Since then, I’ve snuck in pho-
tos during visits with Fidel Castro, Bill Gates, George
Clooney, Owen Wilson. I snuck one into three of Rupert
Murdoch’s houses. If you invited me to your house, I’d
put a framed photo of me in a place where you’d only
find it later.” —As told to Mark YarmPHOTOGRAPHY BY YE RIN MOKSTILL LIFEBRIAN GRAZER
The Hollywood producer shares a few of his favorite things.