Any man of spirit understands that drunkenness and debauchery can be joyful in your 20s and 30s, but making a habit of it can be tiresome all around. And God forbid you’re behind any kind of wheel. But oh, the stories! I’m guessing that the late Peter O’Toole‘s visit to Late Night with David Letterman was part of his Venus promotional tour, or sometime in late ’06. Gravestone epitaph (originally from Sycamore Cleaners): “It distresses us to return work which is not perfect.” The camel bit (after the jump) is included, of course, because of the Heineken. Essential viewing.

“He looked like a beautiful, emaciated secretary bird…his voice had a crack like a whip…most important of all you couldn’t take your eyes off him…acting is usually regarded as a craft and I claim it to be nothing more except in the hands of the odd few men and women who, once or twice in a lifetime, elevate it into something odd and mystical and deeply disturbing. I believe Peter O’Toole to have this strange quality.” — Richard Burton.