Vin Diesel, one of Hollywood’s great characters, loves his movies and his family and his friends. One of those friends, we learned in a new profile in the Los Angeles Times, is DJ Steve Aoki. In the service of telling a story about one time that he cried, Diesel video-chats Aoki to assist with the anecdote. It’s not a wildly complex story that would seem to require third-party support, but it does involve Diesel cutting a “monster track†with Aoki in Las Vegas that seems to have existentially altered the music man. “What Vin brought to the table, I’ve never experienced before,†Aoki said on the call. “I think it’s going to blow people’s minds.†The tears apparently came when Diesel played the track for his longtime girlfriend the next morning and he wept while she listened. Also, this wonderful moment happens:
He turns to me, smiling ear to ear. “You just got gold. You. Just. Got. GOLD!†Later, he grins to an assistant whose job is to film Diesel’s every move. “I’m gonna get a Grammy before I get an Oscar!â€
Let’s unpack this: Vin Diesel is chasing the EGOT. Vin Diesel has a full-time videographer. Vin Diesel is narrating what part of his profile will get widely excerpted (hat tip!). While he didn’t play the song during his interview or even divulge what it’s called, we can be sure it will change lives and blow minds, because Vin Diesel knows it will. And a bet on Vin Diesel is a bet on a winner, which is exactly what Vin Diesel would tell you.