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Added by Jeff Gerstmann on Jan. 12, 2009

If you rub Galaga on your teeth, they get numb. Try it at home!
If you rub Galaga on your teeth, they get numb. Try it at home!
The New York Post describes Christopher Kennedy Lawford's new book, Moments of Clarity, as a compilation of personal testimonies of addiction. One such testimonial comes courtesy of actor Alec Baldwin, who apparently found one of those moments of clarity while seeing the face of an arcade operator after a night of hard partying:

Baldwin would end the night at an arcade warehouse playing "Galaga."

"I would play video games from, like, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and I would wind down. Then I'd go home and go to bed," Baldwin writes.

"This was the only way I could go 'beta' and go into that state I needed to be, where I could calm down and take my mind off everything. I didn't want to see anybody, talk to anybody, deal with anybody."

A "moment of clarity" came when he saw pity in the face of Julian, the person who ran the parlor.

"I was doing a show then ['Knots Landing'], making tens of thousands of dollars a week, which was part of the problem," he writes.

"Julian would put the key in the lock and open the door, and he would just kind of look at me like, 'Wow, I'm glad I'm not you.' "

Baldwin agreed. "You got no idea, Julian. Julian, I need you. I need you to get that key and open the f- - -ing door and let me in. I got to play 'Galaga.' "


I've never said this publicly before, but Galaga helped me beat addiciton, as well, totally curing me of my Galaxian jones. Of course, the cure ended up being way more addictive than the sickness itself. It wasn't until I moved on to Pole Position that I was able to properly sort my life out.

Filed under : Alec Baldwin, Galaga

44 Comments

dtran1212
on Jan. 12, 2009
what the hell did i just read????

Drebin_893
on Jan. 12, 2009
Tasteless Joke, Jeff. Tasteless.

Hamz is online
on Jan. 12, 2009
Alec Baldwin clearly needs more Galaga to calm him the hell down then. You'd think that he could afford his own private arcade, you know?....but I guess not having a major or any part in upcoming films puts a spanner in the works of that plan.

dtran1212
on Jan. 12, 2009
what the hell did i just read?????

BestUsernameEver
on Jan. 12, 2009
Haha, wait, what?......

Superspiritgun
on Jan. 12, 2009
He should be playing less arcade games and filming more episodes of 30Rock

Linkyshinks
on Jan. 12, 2009
Galaxian had the opposite effect on me. When I was younger I recall using the huge Galaxian booths in the arcade to smoke pot, away from the prying eyes of security.

MordeaniisChaos
on Jan. 12, 2009
Good for him? I'm a little confused by this, but sure. lol.

floorswine
on Jan. 12, 2009
Brilliant!

EvilTwin
on Jan. 12, 2009
This story doesn't seem to make much sense out of the context of the whole story.  What addiction is he fighting exactly? 

AlexMarra
on Jan. 12, 2009
I'm confused.

AlexMarra
on Jan. 12, 2009
And slightly aroused.

CallMeRotten
on Jan. 12, 2009
Damn. Now I'm always going to think of Galaga whenever I see Alec Baldwin.

RHCPfan24
on Jan. 12, 2009
Well, Jack Donaghy doesn't have times for videogames anymore I am sure.

EightBitWarrior
on Jan. 12, 2009
Games are the opposite for me. They always make me angry till I want to break something.

lordofultima
on Jan. 12, 2009
But without them you'd be angry at the world, EightBit. So be thankful! I'm much happier breaking 360 controllers than expensive furniture.

TheWolf619
on Jan. 12, 2009
LOL!! That's a great story. My Tempest addiction was cured by Galaga. Weird, I know.

Cubical
on Jan. 12, 2009
and now all USA actors are screwed because you cant find that many arcades in usa more.

 but Japanese arcades are fine, hell with so much smoking going on they might not even notice yu are doing drugs...oh wait that  wont help so they are still screwed even if they go in japanese arcades.

and alcoholics should avoid them at all cost.

OmegaPirate
on Jan. 12, 2009
Thats incredible :D, this is why games are brilliant

caro
on Jan. 12, 2009
Poor, poor Alec Baldwin.


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