Scorpio Rising

Bruce Byron worked as a motorcycle messenger in Manhattan. His zodiac sign was Scorpio, and so he called himself that, as well as carrying at all times the scorpion amulet which he is seen kissing and holding in the film. The honorable discharge certificate from the United States Marine Corps, on the wall above his bed, was his own, as were all the pictures of James Dean and Marlon Brando, of whom he was a big fan. He is seen reading the Sunday comics section from a newspaper, which really was his favorite thing to read. The newspaper clipping near his bed, with the headline "CYCLE HITS HOLE & KILLS TWO," was about an accident in Times Square that had killed one of his friends. Another friend, who worked in a medical-products factory in New Jersey, had supplied him with the pure methamphetamine powder which he snorts from his fingers during the "Heat Wave" sequence.

Featured in Arena: Hollywood Babylon (1991)