Meet Dick Wiener

Meet Dick Wiener

Meet Dick Weiner*, a paparazzi just trying to make a (mostly honest) living here in Boston. Meet Dick yourself in Sleuth: Case of the Dead Paparazzi.

Interviewer: Are you from Boston originally?
Dick Wiener: Actually I’m not. Dick Weiner was born and raised in Miami, Florida, where I went to photography school at University of South Florida. So it’s very exciting to be up in Boston now, where I have a new pallet and a new place to really shine and do my work.

Interviewer: So what exactly is it you do here?
Dick Wiener: I am a paparazzi. I know, I know! A lot of bad connotations come with that word “paparazzi.” And, uh– not on the record, I do a few shifty things here and there to get that good shot. But I’ll tell ya, it is worth the money.

Interviewer: What’s your favorite thing about your job?
Dick Wiener: My favorite thing about my job is actually getting to see all the famous people. And being able to breath the same air?! It’s just amazing to be able to be that close to them.

Interviewer: Well you must have run into some crazy characters in your line of work?
Dick Wiener: Oh yeah. There was this– There was this one woman, she was wearing this really flaily flowy dress and there was a slit up the corner of it. And she walked over this giant– what do you call those things? Manhole covers? And all of a sudden, a burst of air comes up, and she did that whole Marilyn Monroe thing? It was the best shot that I ever got. It was unbelievable.

Interviewer: What’s the most exciting thing that’s happened to you here?
Dick Wiener: Oh well, that was one. There was one time, I had to go out onto this ship onto Boston Harbor. And it was because Matthew Mcconaughey was on another yacht somewhere out there. I had to sneak up on it, and it was so exciting, I thought I was going to tip the whole boat over. It was this little tiny dingy, and there was another guy, his name was Filipe, and we were out there, and I was trying to get a shot without making the boat tip. I didn’t know what to do, I was almost sinking into Boston Harbor, and it was just– it was just extremely anxiety filled at the time, but looking back it was just very exciting. And I got a great shot of Mcconaughey.

Interviewer: Where’s your favorite place to hang out around the city?
Dick Wiener: Oh well, it has to be Club Café. I love that they do that whole dueling pianos thing, and I’ve got some great shots of friends and myself there. Lots of great selfies. That’s a great place to hang out.

Interviewer: What else do you like to do in your down time?
Dick Wiener: I also like to take a walk through the Arboretum, in Jamaica Plain. I get really
great shots of flowers. It’s kind of a hobby of mine. I love flowers, I love the whole art of flowers. So when I’m not trying to get good shots of my money makers, good shots of the celebs, you’ll find me over in the Arboretum where I’ll be taking shots of flowers.

Interviewer: Do you see yourself staying in the city?
Dick Wiener: Yeah, Boston’s a great city. I love the blue-collar-ness of Boston. I love the working man feel. And now a days it’s much better to be a paparazzi in Boston versus LA. They’re filming so many movies here, you know. So yeah, I’ll probably be staying here.

*a fictional interview