Mystery Man Who Appears Each Year On Anniversary Of James Dean's Death
Marion, Indiana (United States):
Of all the thousands upon thousands of articles, books and documentaries obsessively covering the minutia of actor James Dean's life and death, one unanswered question remains.
Every year, on Sept. 30, the anniversary of Dean's death, when the hundreds of mourners file out of Back Creek Friends Church after a memorial service for the late actor, they come upon a man sitting on a motorcycle.
Man of mystery: "Nicky Bazooka" placed flowers atop James Dean's grave in Fairmount as part of a ritual he began in 1975. - Jeff Morehead / 2002 Associated Press photos He's wearing black -- black jeans, black hat, black leather jacket and motorcycle togs -- and wears sunglasses that keep curiosity-seekers from getting a good look into his eyes. A bouquet of flowers is strapped to the front of his bike, a 1969 Kawasaki-made replica of a British BSA, similar to the Triumph that Dean rode. He signs a few autographs, chats with the frequent attendees of the memorial service and then kicks the bike into gear. Slowly, as not to outpace the walking mourners behind him, he takes off south down Sand Pike, about a mile's ride down the road, to Park Cemetery. He turns right, leading the mourners up the dirt road to the simple pink granite gravestone of James Byron Dean, born Feb. 8, 1931, died Sept. 30, 1955.
The flowers, once delivered to Dean's high school drama teacher, Adeline Nall, before her death, now go on the gravesite.He stays a while, listens to the words spoken over the grave, signs a few autographs, then once again mounts his bike. With a roar, he's off, tearing down Sand Pike, not to be seen again until the next Sept. 30 rolls around.
The mysterious figure is known only as Nicky Bazooka, a now 60-ish man who comes from nowhere and exists only one day of the year. He is to Fairmount and James Dean what the mysterious Lady in Black was to Rudolph Valentino.But who is he? Where is he from? What compels him to do this?Some know the truth, but are tightlipped. None are tighter-lipped, however, than Nicky Bazooka himself, speaking in a telephone interview.
Bazooka acknowledges that, 30 years ago, he was created to help spur interest in Dean's legacy, which had ebbed to its lowest point."In 1975 or so, for the 20th anniversary (of Dean's death), I kind of thought it would be interesting just to stroll through town, see what was there and see how people felt about it," he said. "I felt he was one of the most noteworthy Indiana artists. By that time, he had kind of faded away, and when I went to Fairmount, I was amazed. What I got most of all was that they were tired of all the hoorah. They were tired of it, and didn't want to know."But I wanted to."And so, Nicky Bazooka was born.Riding his now-famed Kawasaki, Bazooka strapped flowers to the front of the bike and slowly rode through town to Park Cemetery, followed all the way by a woman driving a Buick.
When Bazooka got to Dean's gravesite, the woman jumped from the car and started demanding answers from him. Who was he? Where was he from? That woman was Nall. She demanded he return. He did.In 1980, after actor Martin Sheen came to Fairmount for the memorial, Dean's image was revitalized, and Bazooka soon became a central figure to the Dean mythology."I've thought we kind of wore this out but maybe not," he said.
"As long as people want me to be there, I'll show up."Gale Hikade, president of the Fairmount Historical Museum board, said Bazooka's annual presence at the memorial brings an added element of mystery to the event.Eventually, however, Nicky Bazooka will have to hang up his motorcycle pants and either pass the legend on to a new Dean fan or simply let the throngs walk themselves from Back Creek Friends Church to Park Cemetery.
But will Bazooka ever whip off his sunglasses and announce his true identity, once and for all?"That would be like the Lone Ranger trading in his mask," he said.
Sept 25, 2005
Sean F. Driscoll, Chronicle-Tribune
(Distributed by The Associated Press) 
Marion, Indiana (United States):Of all the thousands upon thousands of articles, books and documentaries obsessively covering the minutia of actor James Dean's life and death, one unanswered question remains.
Every year, on Sept. 30, the anniversary of Dean's death, when the hundreds of mourners file out of Back Creek Friends Church after a memorial service for the late actor, they come upon a man sitting on a motorcycle.
Man of mystery: "Nicky Bazooka" placed flowers atop James Dean's grave in Fairmount as part of a ritual he began in 1975. - Jeff Morehead / 2002 Associated Press photos He's wearing black -- black jeans, black hat, black leather jacket and motorcycle togs -- and wears sunglasses that keep curiosity-seekers from getting a good look into his eyes. A bouquet of flowers is strapped to the front of his bike, a 1969 Kawasaki-made replica of a British BSA, similar to the Triumph that Dean rode. He signs a few autographs, chats with the frequent attendees of the memorial service and then kicks the bike into gear. Slowly, as not to outpace the walking mourners behind him, he takes off south down Sand Pike, about a mile's ride down the road, to Park Cemetery. He turns right, leading the mourners up the dirt road to the simple pink granite gravestone of James Byron Dean, born Feb. 8, 1931, died Sept. 30, 1955.
The flowers, once delivered to Dean's high school drama teacher, Adeline Nall, before her death, now go on the gravesite.He stays a while, listens to the words spoken over the grave, signs a few autographs, then once again mounts his bike. With a roar, he's off, tearing down Sand Pike, not to be seen again until the next Sept. 30 rolls around.
The mysterious figure is known only as Nicky Bazooka, a now 60-ish man who comes from nowhere and exists only one day of the year. He is to Fairmount and James Dean what the mysterious Lady in Black was to Rudolph Valentino.But who is he? Where is he from? What compels him to do this?Some know the truth, but are tightlipped. None are tighter-lipped, however, than Nicky Bazooka himself, speaking in a telephone interview.
Bazooka acknowledges that, 30 years ago, he was created to help spur interest in Dean's legacy, which had ebbed to its lowest point."In 1975 or so, for the 20th anniversary (of Dean's death), I kind of thought it would be interesting just to stroll through town, see what was there and see how people felt about it," he said. "I felt he was one of the most noteworthy Indiana artists. By that time, he had kind of faded away, and when I went to Fairmount, I was amazed. What I got most of all was that they were tired of all the hoorah. They were tired of it, and didn't want to know."But I wanted to."And so, Nicky Bazooka was born.Riding his now-famed Kawasaki, Bazooka strapped flowers to the front of the bike and slowly rode through town to Park Cemetery, followed all the way by a woman driving a Buick.
When Bazooka got to Dean's gravesite, the woman jumped from the car and started demanding answers from him. Who was he? Where was he from? That woman was Nall. She demanded he return. He did.In 1980, after actor Martin Sheen came to Fairmount for the memorial, Dean's image was revitalized, and Bazooka soon became a central figure to the Dean mythology."I've thought we kind of wore this out but maybe not," he said.
"As long as people want me to be there, I'll show up."Gale Hikade, president of the Fairmount Historical Museum board, said Bazooka's annual presence at the memorial brings an added element of mystery to the event.Eventually, however, Nicky Bazooka will have to hang up his motorcycle pants and either pass the legend on to a new Dean fan or simply let the throngs walk themselves from Back Creek Friends Church to Park Cemetery.
But will Bazooka ever whip off his sunglasses and announce his true identity, once and for all?"That would be like the Lone Ranger trading in his mask," he said.
Sept 25, 2005
Sean F. Driscoll, Chronicle-Tribune
(Distributed by The Associated Press)
