The Movie: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, 1984 (Earl Mac Rauch, screenwriter; W.D. Richter, dir.)
Who says it: Peter Weller as Dr. Buckaroo Banzai, neurosurgeon, physicist, martial-arts expert and rock musician
The context: Banzai is chiding his band’s audience for booing a young woman whose unhappiness has interrupted the show.
How to use it: This is a Buddhist koan as well as a movie quotation, so it’s pretty much all-purpose.
When I moved to Los Angeles five years ago, I had a fancier version of this line scrawled across my Day-Timer, a line from Horace: “Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt,” which means, “Crossing the sea changes the sky, not the soul.” And that’s true, but I do think that making radical changes allows people a better view of their souls. Unless you’re a sociopath, your life is very much shaped by other people’s expectations. This isn’t a bad thing -- the world doesn’t need any more sociopaths -- but radical changes are a chance to figure out what really matters to you, rather than what other people say should matter.
Last night at Barney's was a great time. I was so glad to see everyone, and I just wish I'd had more time to talk to people individually. Of course, since I still don't have any idea of when my car will be fixed, perhaps I will be talking to everyone individually very soon, begging for temporary shelter.
That's a joke, Mom. I think.
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