There was this little shaggy dog on it, and Frank Weatherwax was working the dog. One day we were all sitting around, and Frank said, listen, my brother Rudd just got the rights back from MGM for Lassie, and said have your agent check into it. I did, and I went for a screen test.

I had always turned it down-to me, smoking pot was absolutely the worst thing in the world. I thought of it as an addiction, and all my friends who smoked it, I felt they really needed help.

It was the worst period of my life. I had all this gigantic acceptance as a kid, and all of a sudden there was this monumental rejection.

I was totally devastated for four years in the mid '60s when l tried to buck the tide.

I wanted to have a normal childhood. Normal relationships.

There's a big difference between somebody who does acid on weekends and somebody who takes downers every day.

I wanted to go to regular high school- it looked like a lot of fun.