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Insomnia in Hyder, Alaska
I have just seen Insomnia, a great film by Christopher Nolan. The three main characters are all outstanding and it is hard to say who came out better. Robin Williams, who I admire for the courageous choices he has made in his career, experimented here with a totally new kind of character and leaves us wondering why he hasn't done this more often. The plot is acceptable enough, the scenery (and photography) beautiful, even majestic. Nolan has made better in Memento, but Insomnia is still a great film, Pacino creating such a painfully sleep deprived character that it becomes uncomfortable to watch him.
Williams says that he took this role because it is different from what he usually does and ... "to work with Al Pacino and Christopher Nolan, that's a nice triple bill. And to work in Alaska. If you can go up there during avalanche season, don't miss it. That's a good time to go up there. It was a great combo of people. Those three - with Hilary Swank - really made it." (from an interview by Rebecca Murray). He also mentions "Hydereiser", a very strong alcoholic drink people drink in Hyder, where the movie was shot.
And here is the key to that Hyder secret by Julia Frittaion: "Some of us have to stay across the border in Hyder, Alaska, only a few minutes up the road. The place is legendary for its two hotels (which pretty much make up the place) which serve a lethal alcohol guaranteed to knock your proverbial socks off. Surviving the imbibing is commonly known as being “Hyderized.” There are T-shirts to commemorate the occasion". Julia's short diary, an Insomniac's Diary, follows the making of the film in Alaska. Visit the Sealaska Inn and the Grand View Inn.
The whole story on the Hyder drink and a panoramic photo of the Glacier Inn at the "Virtual Guidebook to Southeastern Alaska":
Inside the Glacier Inn Bar Hyder, Alaska |
If you are in Hyder, walk into the Glacier Inn and tell Gerald, the friendly bartender, "Hyderize me!". Here's what happens. First he pours you a glass of water and tells you with a wink "You'll need this". Then he sets out shot glasses and pauses dramatically. "You won't smell it, you won't taste it, just drink it right down in one gulp" he says, then fills the glasses with a clear liquid poured from a bottle hidden in a paper bag. When you have downed your shot he tips the glasses over on the bar and lights the dregs, which burn with a blue flame. It is pure grain alcohol. You have now been Hyderized, and will be given a certificate to prove it. You are also entitled to write your name and home town on a dollar bill and staple it to the wall. There are said to be over 60,000 of them up there. |
Another account by David Cornfield:
Becoming "Hyderized" is a process where the bartender pours you a shot of 180 proof Everclear. The game rules are -- you down it and keep it down, and the bartender turns the emptied shot glass over, where the resulting lit alcohol fumes flame, must be less then 6 inches. If you succeed in doing this, then the drink is on the house (Ed: we succeeded, but the drink was not on house.) and you get a little certificate, proving you did such a silly thing. If you fail, then not only do you buy your own drink, but you also buy a round for the house.
Photo of Hyder by the Stewart and Hyder webpage.
Also, check out The Bus, an Alaskan Seafood Express, in Hyder. The movie props can be seen at the Stewart Historical Museum.