Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer is one of the reasons I have almost always had spiky hair. “Iceman” in Top Gun was so cool and since I had stick-straight blond hair, I found that look to be not only aspirational, but attainable. That was in my lane. WCW Sting was also a good inspiration here. Zack Morris had that wave, which I wore for a long time before I could finally spike it up the way I always wanted to thanks to Dicky Barrett from The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

Val Kilmer absolutely steals the movie Tombstone. He is the movie’s most compelling character, and it isn’t really that close. Curly Bill is compelling because I hate him so much. And Johnny Ringo’s been cracked by Doc Holliday, so he, by definition, cannot be the most interesting character. Doc is the character that allows you to see the full depth of Wyatt Earp, kind of like the way Iceman gives Top Gun: Maverick its emotional stakes, and, in a weird way, makes the whole movie make sense. Doc is a human poker tell. The way you react to him tells everyone exactly who you are. That’s a cool acting trick.

Top Gun, Top Secret, Heat, The Saint, Willow, The Doors… I didn’t even like some of these movies, but Val made you believe every single role he played (except maybe Batman, but that was a rough time for Batmans - Batmen?). He was fucking cool and weird and impossible to put in a simple box. He had conventional movie star good looks, but was generally weird as shit. That’s worth aspiring to. The weirdness, I mean. The movie star good looks ship for me has almost certainly sailed. =) Rest in peace, you gorgeous weirdo.