FYI - Father and son Sheens have similar intros based on my trip to Vietnam. 

It’s February 2, 2024, and I am in Hanoi, Vietnam.  I’ve been avoiding the pollution and holed up in a curtained hotel room watching “Platoon”.  I’d never seen it before.  It was a solid, brutal, realistic movie and Charlie played his character well.  But my main take-away, since I was on a personal mission to understand my own father’s participation in the war, was that Charlie’s character was made fun of because he voluntarily enlisted. 

Because of this movie, I just had to know whether my own mostly estranged father had similarly voluntarily enlisted or had been drafted.  When I texted him and explained that I had watched “Apocalypse Now”, “Platoon” and “The Killing Fields” on this trip, he said he couldn’t possibly watch any of these movies because of his PTSD.  And then I said, “Did you voluntarily enlist or were you drafted?”.  He confirmed my suspicions that he voluntarily enlisted (leaving behind a toddler son – me – and my mom) because “Just felt I needed to. A lot of guys I went to school with did it and I felt I had to. Glad I did my share.”  This is a perfect example of the power of cinema and how it interweaves with viewers’ lives in much deeper ways than can ever be anticipated or known by the filmmakers.  This blog is a bit like my autobiography as told through autographs. 

Ok, so back to Charlie Sheen.  He. Was. A. Situation.  No doubt about it. 

I’ve never seen a single episode of “Two and a Half Men” or “Spin City” and I realize as I look through his credits, I must admit that I’ve barely seen him onscreen. 

All I really know is his bucket of extremes and lunacy that has splashed over the celebrity news headlines for years.  To me, he is more well known for his “Winning” quote, divorce-salary-child rearing disputes, drugs and sex and generally causing a ruckus. BUT … clearly the man has talent to have warranted such career success and media coverage, AND I give him great credit for currently locking on sobriety and raising his sons.  Plus, he has a really nice autograph, as you can see on these two authentically hand-signed index cards. 

I love this cool 12x12 record store promo that I have for “The Wraith” soundtrack.  (Griffin O’Neal in the 1986 crop-top though …they’re back!) It’s crazy to see that the actual vinyl for “The Wraith” just sold for over $200 on ebay.  And to think people have asked me, why do you hold on to dead media?  Collectors, baby, collectors! I know that some autographs and dead media could have a better long hold return percentage than a 401K.  HA! 

Another personal P.S. tie-in to my own life: My brother, who played in the minor leagues, appeared briefly in a scene in “Major League”.