It’s been a year now since I started writing Almost Infamous, and the question I hear most from readers is: What’s with this BBD you keep talking about? Since the BBD represents the main concept and driving force behind this column, I think it’s about time to lay it all out.
I first heard the term at around age 13, at my older buddy Anthony’s house. He’d rented a cheesy T&A flick (my first) called Hardbodies. Perhaps you remember the simple premise of the movie: Slick surfer dude Scotty Palmer has lost his job and gets evicted from his pad. At the same time, a trio of single, wealthy, middle-aged losers move into a sweet beach house down the boardwalk. After striking out numerous times with the ladies, they observe Scotty’s smooth moves and offer him a deal: unlimited use of their house and cars plus some cold cash if he’ll reveal the secret to picking up the “hardbodies.” Scotty agrees, teaching them to “dialogue” chicks and seduce them with some of the ol’ “bigger, better deal.”
For me, this idea took hold on a far grander scale. See, it wasn’t just the girls that Scotty was using the BBD on—it was the old guys, too. Think about it: He’s living in their huge house right on the beach, driving their luxury sports cars, and earning a salary besides, and all for no other reason than that he’s cool. That, my friends, is what the BBD is all about—being a smooth-enough character to get ahead using nothing but your personality and your reputation. This applies not just to impressing women but to a whole lifestyle.
Basically, the BBD is the art and science of being cool. What exactly is it that makes somebody like James Dean, Jim Morrison or Henry Miller cool? Usually it’s an elusive but effective combination of confidence, passion, style, charisma, rebelliousness and attitude. It’s a Zen-like state of consciousness that can be attained through heightened awareness, mental training and diligent partying. The BBD is about the image and vibrations you project. Whether he’s the best-dressed guy at a dive bar or the only bohemian at a black-tie event, the true BBD artist is fascinating and memorable.
