3 things we learned from Steve ‘Soloist’ Lopez

By SHARON HOFFMANN

The Kansas City Star

Alberto E. Rodriguez

Lopez

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Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez saw his book “The Soloist” become a best-seller and Robert Downey Jr. portray him in the movie version this spring.

On top of all that, he got to speak at the Plaza Library this week. Here’s what we learned:

•Nathaniel Ayers, the homeless musician Lopez profiled, is doing fine. “Almost four years later, he’s in the same apartment. He’s not out on the street. And he has more insight into his condition (schizophrenia).” So much so that Ayers accompanies Lopez to speak at mental health conferences. “There are bad days — I don’t want to romanticize this,” Lopez said. “But he continues to progress. … Music is his medicine. The Disney Concert Hall is his hospital. Musicians are the doctors.”

•Lopez had to laugh at some of the creative license filmmakers took with his true story. “Certain things are out of your control — like whether you’re married or not.” Lopez has a wife and daughter. In the movie? “She’s my ex-wife and editor. In the real world, that would never work. There would be problems.”

•Ayers “is writing music for the second movie,” Lopez said. “I don’t think there’s going to be a second movie. But Mr. Ayers is convinced it should be a trilogy. He has so embraced the idea of his renaissance he wants the party to never end.”

Posted on Fri, Nov. 06, 2009 10:15 PM

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