The iconic American character actor was nominated at Leonard Buschel’s ESH Awards for his engaging new memoir, To The Temple of Tranquility… And Step On It!
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 11/13/2023 – At the 13th Annual Experience, Strength & Hope Award gathering at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles, the entertainment industry and the recovery community came together to celebrate the creative gifts of sobriety. Every year, the ESH Award honors a noted figure who has written a memoir that includes the person’s journey into recovery from substance use disorders and mental health challenges. In 2023, the honor went to noted character actor Ed Begley, Jr. for his engaging memoir, To The Temple of Tranquility… And Step On It!.
Funny and informative, Ed Begley, Jr.’s memoir represents the heart and soul of the Experience, Strength, and Hope Award. Put on by Leonard Buschel and Writers in Treatment, “The Experience, Strength and Hope Award is given in recognition of an individual’s memoir that includes their honest journey from addiction to recovery, and their dedication and enthusiasm for creating awareness and reducing the stigma of addiction.”
Indeed, there is a good chance that Leonard Buschel might bestow the award upon himself in the future after publishing his own memoir, HIGH: Confessions of a Cannabis Addict, at the end of the pandemic in 2021. As described on the Amazon website, “If National Lampoon published a hysterically funny and mildly offensive parody of recovery memoirs, it couldn’t be as funny and mildly offensive as this autobiography of Leonard Lee Buschel, co-founder of Writers in Treatment, producers of the internationally acclaimed Reel Recovery Film Festivals, the Experience Strength and Hope Awards, and publishers of the Addiction/Recovery e-Bulletin.”
However, Leonard Buschel stood back and honored one of his most ardent supporters and good friends, Ed Begley, Jr., in 2023. After all, Ed had hosted the ESH Award presentation seven or eight times, and his continued support of the event has been a big plus for Writers in Treatment. Moreover, To The Temple of Tranquility… And Step On It! is a deserving winner. Funny and insightful, the book is a breezy read across the marvelous life of a Hollywood fixture.
At the ceremony, the 2023 ESH Award was presented to Ed by past winner John Taylor, Duran Duran’s strikingly handsome bass player. As Ed’s wife, the actor Rachelle Carson looked on, Taylor spoke lovingly about his friend, one of the pillars of recovery in the Los Angeles 12-Step scene. Indeed, Ed is a humble and kind soul who shows up for his friends and fellows while also honestly revealing the truth of his past struggles. As a member of the recovery community, Ed Begley, Jr. not only talks the talk but also walks the walk, particularly with his dedicated commitment to environmental causes.
Paula Poundstone Hosting the 13th Annual Experience, Strength & Hope Awards Beyond a spoken word performance by James Black, a musical parody by Julian Velard, and a closing comic set by Wendy Liebman, the real highlight of the night was the hysterical hosting of comedienne Paula Poundstone. Very different from Ed’s past hosting duties, Paula was a rapid-fire machine gun of jokes and asides, finding humor in the proceedings and her recovery journey. When asked by Morning Edition in 2016 why she chooses to stay sober, Paula Poundstone explained, “The truth is, looking back on it, I realize now I can say this with – it’s not one of my steps – it’s just because it’s true – not because I’m trying to impress anyone – but it never made any situation better in any way. Ever. Not even once. Not a party. Not a movie. You know what I mean?”
In the end, Paula Poundstone illuminates the heart of the matter. One of the most significant negative mythologies that the ESH Awards deconstructs is that getting high makes you more creative, improves your life, and makes everything like totally awesome. In truth, it does the opposite, and the path of sobriety leads in a much better direction. As Ed Begley, Jr. captured so well in the title of his memoir, To The Temple of Tranquility… And Step On It!. In recovery, hanging out in the temple of tranquility within your soul is an opportunity not to be missed.
Photos by Nunzio Fazio
