Leasing Larry
Larry Autrey was one of the most peculiar people I ever met while working in the car business. And yes, that's saying something. He worked for Dad for years in the leasing department, hence the sobriquet, 'Leasing Larry.' No one was quite sure what to make of him and there was constant questioning, particularly among certain salesmen, of his sexual orientation. In retrospect, the whole thing reminds me of the Saturday Night Live sketch, 'It's Pat!' where no one was ever sure one way or another whether Pat was a man or woman.
Larry and I got along well and had several long conversations in the time we both worked at the Lincoln-Mercury store. To me, he didn't seem so much overtly gay as just odd. He had a very strange way of speaking. When upset or pumped up or excited, Larry spoke in rapid-fire bursts, using expressions that were unique to him. I don't think he had made them up, but they were obviously phrases that he'd used his whole life. The worst thing he could call anyone was 'a monkey-faced baboon.' To experience absolute delight was akin to 'dancing naked through the sweet peas.' Sudden shock or surprise might lead one to 'faint and fall over backwards.'
He had a million of these sayings. After one meeting with Dad that I attended as well, Larry was so overcome with enthusiasm that he cornered Dad and I and unleashed a barrage of almost surrealistic images in his inimitable way- "Gordon, we're going to make this work, we'll be skipping through the tulips, I don't care if it harelips the governor! The rest of those fools might have their eyes crossed and their tongues hanging out, but not us!" And on and on. Dad just smiled and nodded agreeably.
The most bizarre conversation I ever had with him was in his office and he was telling me about new salesmen he observed. I'll never forget his words. "I see these young men come in, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. And I see the fear in their eyes. And I tell them, you have nothing to fear from me. I'm here to help you."
I thought, okay. And excused myself.
If nothing else, Larry was quite the exception to the stereotypical car salesman. He was optimistic, clever in his own way, and weird. Which was a nice change of pace at times. Or as Larry himself might say when something met his approval, "Well, that's marvelous."
Larry and I got along well and had several long conversations in the time we both worked at the Lincoln-Mercury store. To me, he didn't seem so much overtly gay as just odd. He had a very strange way of speaking. When upset or pumped up or excited, Larry spoke in rapid-fire bursts, using expressions that were unique to him. I don't think he had made them up, but they were obviously phrases that he'd used his whole life. The worst thing he could call anyone was 'a monkey-faced baboon.' To experience absolute delight was akin to 'dancing naked through the sweet peas.' Sudden shock or surprise might lead one to 'faint and fall over backwards.'
He had a million of these sayings. After one meeting with Dad that I attended as well, Larry was so overcome with enthusiasm that he cornered Dad and I and unleashed a barrage of almost surrealistic images in his inimitable way- "Gordon, we're going to make this work, we'll be skipping through the tulips, I don't care if it harelips the governor! The rest of those fools might have their eyes crossed and their tongues hanging out, but not us!" And on and on. Dad just smiled and nodded agreeably.
The most bizarre conversation I ever had with him was in his office and he was telling me about new salesmen he observed. I'll never forget his words. "I see these young men come in, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. And I see the fear in their eyes. And I tell them, you have nothing to fear from me. I'm here to help you."
I thought, okay. And excused myself.
If nothing else, Larry was quite the exception to the stereotypical car salesman. He was optimistic, clever in his own way, and weird. Which was a nice change of pace at times. Or as Larry himself might say when something met his approval, "Well, that's marvelous."
posted by gbj at 2:59 PM
2 Comments:
I KNEW I'd forget one or more of his sayings, but yeah, how could I forget 'Little Buddy Roll?' One can only imagine how or where he came up with that...
I remember "Little Gordon Junior Buddy Roll" from a previous post about nicknames and at the time I thought, "what the hell did THAT mean?" And now I know. Well, I don't exactly know, but at least I know whence it came.
I like the Leasing Larries of the world. They are a definite change of pace, and much to be preferred over someone who might be more normal but is dull as dishwater or a nasty SOB.
And funny you should mention the "Pat" thing -- twice in the past week I found myself looking at someone whose gender I could absolutely not determine to save my life.
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