Aidan Doyle  of On Da Money a BCAT  producer

[ On May 16, 2009 I received an email from Aidan in which he acknowledged and apologized for behavior resulting in great distress to me as described below. He offered no explanation for his action and  I believe he himself was at a loss to explain this irrational act. No one is immune from an irrational moment. Consequently, I have accepted his apology and offer my own to him for some expressions of ill-will I have written about him on these pages. It behooves us all to appreciate the magic of two simple words  "I'm sorry".

Peoples Court:  Case preparation for the case of
Dr. Ted Rothstein Vs Aidan Doyle, November 20, 2008 

[Read the true tale below which I have titled:]

Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Mo. (from the Broadway show Damn Yankees)**

If this story were not true it would be funny. However, the story is true and worth relating b/c it is so unique/bizarre that your mouth will drop open in disbelief when you have read it.

Try as you may when you search your memory banks, only a scant few of you  will be rewarded with mental memorabilia the equal of my tale.

I believe if you search the archives of Jerry Seinfeld's episodes you might find a parallel to my recital, for surely it is the raw material of a comedy series episode. However, even today two months after the event I can't find the humor even knowing that it is there.

Whenever I tell it, as I have many times already, I always pay strict attention to the “look" that I get from the astounded listener which varies from OMG! to amused puzzlement and bewilderment  b/c it defies explanation, or simply put why did he do it?

I am sure I will never know, but I am equally certain Aidan can tell you what part of his brain was in operation when he “operated on my shoes”.

No doubts for me that some part of his lower  brain stem was vigorously churning out thoughts, but cortical matter was not permitted to have any say on that D-day that was going to end in the decimation of my shoes.

 We met as students taking the Studio Production class at BCAT about seven months ago. I decided that in spite of his  eccentric if not gruff style of confrontation I was not going to judge him by his cover, after all I myself am somewhat forward and aggressive and perhaps without being aware of it put off more people than I even suspect.

So I suspended all prejudgment based on the way he looked and behaved and befriended Aidan.

Indeed, on June 25^th I handled one of the cameras in one of his show productions "On Da Money with no premonitions of what was to come.*

My first doubts about him arose after he asked me for $10.00 to get home after the graduation class celebration.

That struck me as odd since he heralded himself as an expert in the stock market running a "hedge" fund on Wall St.   In vain have I tried to find the hedge fund or the "currency" exchange  (globaltradng.com) he reference in support of his claim. Others are welcome to try.

I get edgy when I lend money and don't get it back in short order without prompting; so I reminded him feeling a bit put upon.

Some weeks later while at BCAT he made some excuse that he was short of money and would I lend him $5.00 dollars later in the afternoon.

Again I agreed. (there's an expression that goes "fool me once shame on you, but if you fool me twice shame on me)".  At the end of our work at BCAT that day he reminded me about the money "$10 dollars" he said. Once again that "being use...and abused" feeling arose in my and I said to him you asked me for $5.00 dollars"  He said: “Oh I see you're a "piker."  Nevertheless, I  gave him the $5.

Not feeling right about his put down I decided to look up the definition of “piker” and the definition of  “moocher” as well and emailed  both to him. He never mentioned it,

The "cover of his book" was beginning to cause me to make judgments.

 Sometime shortly after that in conversation about airing our films in various venues he indicated that he would submit a film I had produced to the Manhattan Neighborhood Network public access television studio along with his own film.

The sincerity of his offer set all my apprehensions at rest and without hesitation I gave him a copy of my film to submit in order to meet the deadline imposed for submission to MNN.

During the first week of August Aiden stopped by my office carrying a suit,  He said “Can you lend me a pair of shoes, I just left mine behind in the taxicab”.

I suppose bells and whistles should have gone off in my head… but none did.

I had just removed my shoes and changed in to scrubs and slippers, and although the shoes I had removedy were not Bostonians or Cole-Haans they were sufficiently good enough to match his suit, and “fit perfectly. I’ll take them… thank you” he said.

We talked about the show he was producing and left. No problema until...

He returned to the office a week later with “my shoes in his hands. Or, should I say what was left of my shoes.  HE HAD TRASHED THEM.

Let me be more specific and paint a visual picture for you:

When a shoe is constructed it begins with what they call a “Box”, i.e. the top of the shoe-- the leather part, “the shell or superstructure” To the super structure the manufacturer then adds a “sole” and on top of that the heels are nailed on.

That morning when Aiden appeared in my office what remained of the pair of shoes I had lent him was the box of the shoe.  The heels and soles had been removed.

There I was “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal MO.” as the song goes.

 I must have been dumbstruck or at least in shell-shocked b/c I can’t remember his answer to my obvious question.

He quickly left the office offering neither an apology or an indication that he wanted to pay me for them.

Shortly thereafter, I called him to ask whether he had submitted the tape and he assured me he had.

A few weeks later not having heard from the MNN office I called them to verify whether he had submitted the tape. “We have not received an application bearing a title or name that you have described,” the programming director said.

Without a moment’s delay I called him regarding what I learned.  “You should have called me that you were going to do that. I can get in trouble” he said, to which I replied “Aiden I want my tape back and the cost of the shoes you trashed or I will take appropriate measures to be recompensed for them by the 19thof August.

No response.

Ps. I found a pair of discarded shoes last week and tried to duplicate Aidan’s feat (no pun intended). After 30 minutes of struggling I had almost accomplished what Aidan had accomplished on the pair of them.  [See photo below of a foundling  shoe whose decimation I replicated.)

I pose the following thesis: Aidan is a heel whose soul is missing.  (Puns intended.)

Dr.Ted Rothstein.

Ps.  On 9/23/08 I sent Mr. Doyle my story and the following note:

 Dear Aidan: I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did writing and I hope you will forgive any errors in syntax or grammar.

Ps: If there are any omissions or errors of fact please let me know so that I can correct them before I publish this curious story on my web site.

Pps: It is not too late to compensate me. 

 To which he responded the next day:

"I have a securities examination tommorrow. Consequently i cannot deal with your communication. Rest assured however you will hear from you tommorrow afternoon.
Aidan doyle"

...email silence ensued.

Replicated decimation of one of the pair of foundling shoes 

 A foundling pair of shoe