The place was like working in the league of nations, but I had never seen anything like Larry before. Not in real life anyway. He was a bit intimidating. Once you got to know him though, it turned out he had a heart of gold. A gentle giant. I learned a lot from him — about a lot of things. About cooking, about managing people, and about urban black culture. We became friends, and we'd go out drinking sometimes. And when the regular bars closed down sometimes he'd take me to some after-hours clubs. Most of the time I was the only white guy in the place. But hey, I was there with Larry, so it was cool. Most of the time.

One night when I wasn't with him he was in one of those places and had a conversation with God. Apparently it was a hell of a conversation, because from that moment he never drank again, never smoked, and never toked. Soon thereafter he started studying to become a minister. It didn't change our relationship much. Instead of going to a bar we'd sit around talking about God. Eventually he got a gig preaching, so I'd go down occasionally and listen to him. That too was a completely different experience. I had never been in a black church before, and I was again the only white guy in the place. But people were very friendly, and it was exciting! It's hard to imagine anyone coming out of a place like that not moved.

I presume everyone has people in their lives who change the direction of it, or who change the way you think about things. Larry was definitely one of those people to me. And every time I think about Isaac Hayes I think about Larry. God rest your soul, Isaac. And I hope you're doing well, Larry.