from a letter from Al Ackerman (Dec. '08):

"In place of the Hot Chocolate [Enema Tale] (which really doesn't have anything to do with Zack). I'll substitute what is probably my all time favorite Zack story. This one has to do with when Zack first met Ray Johnson in NYC. Right off the bat, Ray handed David a white feather and told him to deliver it to "the Maniac in the Tower." So being the reality-detached character he was, and having little fear, Zack took the white feather around to the address Ray gave him. It was up in a tower, turns out. Zack climbed all 30 or 40 flights of stairs and knocks on this guy's door. "Ray Johnson told me to give you this," he told the guy who answered (a fairly normal-looking individual, according to David). The man thanked Zack and invited him in. Then, as soon as Zack crossed the threshold, the guy jumped on David and started trying to strangle him to death. Zack said he literally had to fight for his life. True story!"

Geez, no wonder Zack called Ray the "meanest man in New York" in his Art in America article!