You may remember Andrew McCarthy. He had a run at movie fame with St. Elmo’s Fire and Pretty in Pink “She thinks your shit Stef, and deep down you know that she is right.”

He moved on to become a writer with a focus on journalism travel and commentary. I’ve enjoyed his books.

His new one is Who Needs Friends. He travels the country asking friends and strangers all about what friendship means.

I like this book too although I ironically don’t particularly care about his topic. But the travels and driving and stories I did enjoy.

I also admire how he does not bring an elite snootiness to sharing what he sees in the south and west Texas and rural America.

Anyway, my favorite things in all the book is about Wink.

Wink is a town in Texas, a dot on the map, where Roy Orbison was born and the town has a museum.

He tells about arriving to find it closed and a nice woman who runs it says she could meet him the next day to open it. It is that remote.

He agrees, has to drive miles to find a place to sleep, thinks about backing out, but drives back at the last minute to meet the lady who runs it.

As he looks over Orbison’s things and memorabilia from his formative years in this quiet plains town, he spots Roy’s thick dark frame coke bottle glasses.

He asks to try them on. She says she isn’t supposed to allow that. He pleads and she relents if he will be quick.

If you have the time to read McCarthy’s poignant words about the experience I won’t spoil it for you.

But he got me to tear up a bit.

That’s a writer.