The Story Behind This Picture

In our Naval Helicopter Squadron (HU-4) was a tall lanky guy with the last name Jay. I gave him the nickname of “John Jay”, which was the first president of the Continental Congress, which didn’t stick. Someone else gave him the nickname of “Jaybird” which did stick. We were a classy bunch weren’t we?

Jay was fairly young. I don’t think he was legal the age to drink, and even if he was, he didn’t know what to do with it – he got wild when he got drunk.

I remember someplace I have a picture of Jay lying on a bare mattress drunk with a big cooked chicken leg beside his face. I haven't came across that one yet.

One night in one of central New Jersey’s bars there was a ruckus in a bar. During the knock down drag out difference of opinions Jay grabbed the deer head off the wall and ran out, never to return to that bar.

He hung the deer head in his cubical.

About the same time I was on the Salvadore Dali kick. I saw some of his paintings in the New York Metropolitan Art Museum and also the Art Museum in Philadelphia – you know, the one Rocky of Rocky II, Rocky III, etc etc. ran up the steps punching in midair?

With Savadore Dali on my mind I wanted to do a surrealistic photograph. I asked Jay to borrow his deer head. He said, “sure man.” Did I mention Jay liked pot, you know, hemp? MJ? Etc etc.

I had my cube mate Ray Schultz climb up and by the deer and I shot a picture of them through the mattress springs.

Now, does it make sense? Wait! It is surrealism, it is not suppose to make sense!

Below is a painting by Salvadore Dali - as you can tell, he is no Eddie Hunter!