Well, after the LIW Grande Tour, I had another Fun Adventure to look forward to. See, after the Duran split/original-5-reunion last spring, Warren Cuccurullo decided to move back to LA from London and re-form his previous group, Missing Persons. That news sent my pal Cyndi, arguably one of the most devoted Wazophiles in the wholewideworld, into paroxysms of delight. Cyndi's been running a Warren fansite, "Privacy," for years, and has worked her ass off promoting him and his various projects… and converting literally hundreds of hardcore Duranies who were still resentful about "that other guy" into the Cult of the Guitar God. And Waz finally clued in to how much Cyn had done for him on his Official Website, and, to show her the appreciation she deserves, he 1) provided a new web-design partner and server for the site and 2) personally invited her to come to LA to see the Missing Person reunion shows… with all-access VIP guest status, no less!

Cyn, our lil' Midwestern Girl, here in LA! Awright!

A small faction of the Duranie Grrls were gonna be able to Gather, and you can bet plans were made for a full week of Playing. Goddess Caroline, already in town for a conference, would have just a few days here…Cyn, a week…and Kel, nine days. The Mansion was prepared for a battalion of Estrogen-laced guests! Oh yes!

Little did we know that we could - and would - pack so much Adventure and Excitement into one small week. Little did I know that I would find True Love… and a New Boyfriend.

Welcome, one and all, to a collective take on the week's happenings, brought to you expressly by me, Cyndi and Kelly. [Goddess Caro, bogged down with her dissertation, didn't have the time or energy to fritter on this weeks-long Recapping Project… but I guess Byron is a leetle more important than Warren. Maybe. :) ]

This is our story.

Saturday, July 14, 2001

(Dwanollah:)
Me, Goddess Caroline, Mr. Goddess and The Husband-Type Man had already spent a couple days playing, but our story really begins when Cyndi arrives and all the week's Events are officially set into motion. So I'll leave out the details of antique shops on La Brea and the Neon Art Museum and deep discussions about belt sanders and other refinishing tools, and begin with us saying goodbye to Mr. Goddess - on his way back to Vegas, Baby, Vegas - and Goddess Caroline and I heading for the airport, all doingy and excited and an hour early, to fetch Cyndi.

(Cyndi:)
*********Los Angeles!!!!! WHEE!! *********
Caroline and Dwanollah were there to pick me up (at LAX), and after getting my luggage, we hit the road, listening to teen pop. Dwanollah was pointing out important stuff left and right, like the building where she teaches, and I was just overwhelmed that I was finally there.

(Dwanollah:)
Heh, the Teen Pop was inevitable, huh? We gave Cyn the Scenic Drive, up the 405, then got off at Olympic, catching Beverly north, then Sunset Blvd. It was a Saturday night, so traffic on Sunset was just CRAWLING. Cyn got to witness my Essential Meanness behind the wheel as we got stuck behind some lame-oid doing, I swear, 5 miles an hour. No way to pass him. I can't tell you how many lights we missed because of him.

(Cyndi:)
But this was even cooler, because it's easier to see everything when you go slow.

(Dwanollah:)
At any rate, Cyndi got to see all the famous clubs, the Tower Records (and the parking lot where the Duran tribute show was where I MET SIMON AND HUNG OUT IN THE DRESSING TRAILER WITH HIM AND HE KISSED ME!), the shops, the people…. Not a bad scenic route, when you get right down to it. And we were all gabbing our fool heads off anyway….

(Cyndi:)
We cruised around and ended up at Mel's Diner on Sunset Boulevard, where we played songs on the jukebox and called Kelly. We all shared cheese fries while giggling over Caroline's blush when someone (not us, we swear!) played "Sweet Caroline."

(Dwanollah:)
Mel's is Chix tradition! I don't know how it started, but whenever Kel or I visit each other, we end up going to Mel's (either in LA or San Fran) at least 4 or 5 times… and last time, when Caro was here, we dragged her, too. And so this time, I made her and Rob go with me once, and then, naturally, when Cyndi arrived, that was first on the list of Official Destinations. Mel's is a fake 50s diner, but they have pretty good food… that kind of fattening, hearty diner-fare… but they also have good veggie burgers and turkey burgers and salads and yogurt shakes, so you can go there and NOT inhale 4000 calories if you choose. Cheese fries at Mel's are a must. So are chocolate-coffee shakes (for me). And the jukebox… we always play certain songs and sing along, like "Johnny Angel" and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "New York, New York" and "Next Door to an Angel"…. There're two Mel's Diners in LA, one in the Valley (right by our old apartment) and the one on Sunset. Whenever we're at the one on Sunset with Kelly, we ALWAYS see celebrities; she's a total Celebrity Magnet! Last trip, it was Kevin Spacey (not that I'd recognize him myself…).

(Cyndi:)
From Mel's, this huge sign that said "Road Rage" was visible to the east. ("Roadrage" is the name of Warren's 1998 solo album.) On the way home, we drove by the Roxy and saw the Missing Persons billboard!!

When we arrived at the house, my mind was totally blown. Dwanollah and The Husband-Type Man's house is so incredible. THTM was there and was playing Simon and Garfunkel. Beautiful hardwood floors everywhere, lots of space. Room after room of cool stuff. They showed me all over it and showed me the playroom, which became my home for the next week. There really aren't words to say it - this is just the coolest house, with such a peaceful, relaxing, cool vibe to it. I felt so completely at home and comfortable there.

(Dwanollah:)
Awww… thanks, sweetie! That's a compliment of the highest order :) Of course, it's still mostly empty right now, and we still have the hole in the Lounge ceiling… but the Playroom's fully furnished! Heck, I even cleaned, put fresh sheets on the bed, and foofed the guest bathroom in Cyndi's honor. I'm glad she liked it. :) There's certainly enough in there to keep one occupied! I showed her my Barbies, of course, as well as my Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I've got a ton of them… biographies, critical stuff, photo books, plus a lot of Rose Wilder Lane's books. But we had to get SOME sleep before tomorrow's Gallivanting, so we left her all tucked in under the glow-star-laden ceiling…. :)

Sunday, July 15, 2001

(Cyndi:)
Woke up to see palm trees out my window. Heard pigeons too, the kind Grandpa used to call "rain doves," and that made it sound like home. There was also a loud crow just like in my neighborhood.

(Dwanollah:)
The Neighborhood Crows are groovy; I like listening to them, too. And admittedly, the pigeons initially reminded me happily of our NY apartment… but after months of having to shoo birds off upper-story window sills, where they've left piles of bird droppings and clawed screens off the windows and actually flown INTO the house a couple times, I'm less charmed by them now. I finally got one of those plastic owls to sit in the window they were most fond of perching on, and that's eradicated our Pigeon Problem! I DO like seeing all the neighborhood birds taking morning baths in our broken backyard fountain, though….

(Cyndi:)
The playroom is so cute! Dwanie has an entire bookshelf full of teen books, toys and marriage manuals, and a Barbie house, an entire platoon of Barbies dressed to perfection, a lovely Ken couple arm in arm, and her Laura Ingalls Wilder shrine (ahem, I mean corner) complete with Prairie Barbie that looked just like Laura. Her shelf of books by and about Rose and Laura was completely engrossing, and they occupied my spare time for most of the time I was there.

We drove around all over the place today; Dwan gave me a great tour! We drove around up in the Hills, on these sharply angled, narrow streets, seeing the most awesome homes, and what really impressed me today was the amount of care that goes into the lawns -- thousands of kinds of flowers, bushes and trees.

(Dwanollah:)
Don't think the Richies are the ones out there doing all the work, mind… that's what exploited Mexican gardeners're for…. *grumble * Gotta love the LA Stereotypes…. *more grumbling *

Oh, of course we took Cyndi by The David House…. Soooo special. Soooo Very Important!

(Cyndi:)
After that, we went to Santa Monica, which is so beautiful! It reminds me so much of Miami Beach, the way it felt when I was there in January. I think if I lived in Los Angeles, particularly in Santa Monica, I would be outside all the time. It's just perfect. We went to Rubio's and I tried fish tacos - they were so excellent! To look at the ingredient list (fried fish, salsa, white cream sauce, cabbage & lime juice), I'd never think I would like them, but I really did.

(Dwanollah:)
Non-SoCal folks always freak out when I mention fish tacos. "FISH TACOS?!" But they're really scrummy. You start with two small corn tortillas, one on top of the other. Add shredded cabbage, a creamy dressing, sometimes guacamole, and a lime. Then add the fish. I prefer grilled, but some claim it's not a "real" fish taco unless it's the beer-battered fish. Anyway, squeeze the lime over it all, and chow! Rubio's in San Diego is the place that supposedly invented the fish taco, and they're still the best.

(Cyndi:)
Caroline went next door to get sushi, and we ate in the sushi place's outdoor dining area.

After lunch we continued driving around, listening to teen pop and Duran and really funny songs on a CD of Dwanollah's. We listened to my new Duran compilation CD one of my friends had made for me, and I heard "Ball & Chain" for the first time! It's an amazing song for a Warren fan, though I see why it was a B-side. Dwanollah and I sang "Rapper's Delight" for Caroline. :) And we played "Convoy" for her, too!! Can't forget that. Caroline was Appalled. ;)

(Dwanollah:)
Oh yeah! I had the CDs I made my brother, with songs like "Boogie in your Butt" and "Convoy" and "Mr. Roboto" and assorted other "novelty" songs. I played Cyndi Frank Zappa's "Help, I'm a Rock/It Can't Happen Here," appropriately enough! (For non-Warren-fans or those not familiar w/Duran Lore, Warren got his start w/Frank Zappa. So did the whole band Missing Persons, for that matter.) Of course, after all the Teen Poo, followed by "Rapper's Delight" and "Convoy," Caroline thinks that I am a Musical Moron.

So easily frightened, poor dear Caro…. *snicker*

(Cyndi:)
We went to the Capitol building and looked inside, and we saw Duran's star, which is half-covered by construction barricades. We took photos of it anyway. ;) PICTURES!!

(Dwanollah:)
And we could see the Rio platinum album hanging inside Crapitol, so, of course, we had to goon and take pictures of that, too.

(Cyndi:)
Then we went to Trader Joe's to get a few things.

(Dwanollah:)
TJ's is one of the greatest grocery stores EVER! They have awesome produce and lots of veg stuff and vegan stuff… it's hard to get out of there without blowing ungodly amounts of money.

(Cyndi:)
After that we went to Ralph's (a grocery store), and there were cute guys everywhere. I just walked around totally boggled by all the variety (of the FOOD, not the guys, snicker, though that was rather nice, too). The sheer number of different kinds of one thing is really eye-opening…it's hard to explain. All the different kinds of peppers, for example, and all the different kinds of mushrooms. At home, we have fresh mushrooms, and we have Portobello ones, but here? There's an entire display case with like twenty different types. Everything is like that.

(Kelly:)
(Isn't she the absolute cutest?!! Smalltown Girl hits the Big Orange!)

(Dwanollah:)
And yeah, this Ralph's is great, produce-wise. That's why I go there. They have lots of ethnic stuff, too. Lychee fruit. Cactus. Lemongrass. Baby white asparagus. And, oh, Caro and I were in hysterics watching Cyn pant after this boy or that boy…. All I can say is, the fellas must be bug-ugly back in Indiana if this was impressive! :)

(Cyndi:)
Back at Dwanollah's, I read my email, and showed Caroline & Dwanollah the new Privacy website. We called Kelly to see if she's going to be able to come tomorrow, and it's looking hopeful! Dwanollah, THTM, Caro, and I had a fantastic dinner with barbecued chicken, hot dogs, potato salad, corn on the cob, salads, and Cokes.

(Dwanollah:)
Yeah, we got fresh corn at the store, and THTM made this FABULOUS barbecue sauce. It took me a while to get the coals going, but it was worth it. Poor Caroline and Cyndi must've been starving, though, by the time everything was ready!

(Cyndi:)
I stayed up really late reading Rose Wilder Lane books.

Monday, July 16, 2001

(Dwanollah:)
What a gorgeous summer day! We all slept in (well, except when I had to run THTM to work) and were lazy. Caro and I were going to do some brainstorming for my class (she's been helping me syllabus-plan, still a new thing to me), and Cyn was going to meet up with some of her assorted Warren-Friends from around the country who were all in town for the shows.

Kel called to let us know she'd arrive in LA in time for the Michael Des Barres show tonight, to which Cyn (and the rest of us, by extension!) had been invited specially by Michael. (Along with Warren's site, Cyndi's devoted a large chunk of lifetime to her Michael Des Barres fansite) See, about 4 years ago, Kelly and me went to a John Taylor solo show in Santa Monica…. "Isn't that Michael Des Barres over there?!" "Ohmigawd, it IS! Let's go get his autograph for Cyndi!" So Kel, with her Celebrity Mojo, says to him, "My friend runs your website and she is like your biggest fan..." and he went, "Oh, yes, I've been wanting to get hold of her!" He knew exactly who Cyn was and was SO HAPPY to have a contact for her! KICK *ASS*! We gave Michael Cyn's phone number and careful instructions for a catchphrase/inside joke to open with when she answered the phone and… three nights later, Kel and I each got an ecstatic phone call from Cyndi, screaming and babbling. YAAAAY!

(Kelly:)
Four years ago, Dwannie and I were at John Taylor's first solo gig in Santa Monica. Whilst waiting for the show to start, I scanned the crowd behind us and saw...Michael Des Barres!!!

I *FREAKED*.

Spazzing, I yelped to Dwannie, "MICHAEL DES BARRES! What do we _do_?!! We HAVE to do something for Cyndi!!!"
The Ever-Astute-And-Brilliant Dwanollah said, "Go get his autograph." (Thank fuck ONE of us had her wits about her!) We fumbled in our purses, located paper and pen, and set off on our Quest. :)

MDB was at the bar, thanking the 'tender for his bottle of Perrier. (He's unbelievably, unfailingly polite.) I walked up and smiled and said, "My friend runs your website and she is like your _biggest_ fan..." and Michael went, "Oh, _right_, I've been wanting to get hold of her!"

*shriek!!!*

Then I had a brainstorm: "Can I give you her phone number?" and he was like, "Oh, yes, please do!"

***SHRIEK!!!***

Dwanollah chatted with Michael whilst I wrote Cyndi's number on a scrap of paper, my hand totally shaking. He was just so *nice*! We couldn't get over it. He asked our names and had me write them down as well, so he could tell Cyn who'd given him her number. *goon*

(Dwanollah:)
*major goon* So we could not WAIT to see Cyndi meet Michael for the first time! But we digress….

(Cyndi:)
We had the house open, and KROQ's classic lunch was on, playing from the jambox in the kitchen. Tami, the DJ, started talking about Missing Persons (yay!), then she played "Mental Hopscotch" - and I was flipping out as soon as I heard it because I was so excited to hear Missing Persons on the radio! I had *never* heard MP on the radio at all since high school! They just don't play it in Classic/Country/Top 40/Oldies land where I live. Immediately, my glee was matched by…cheers. ???!!! My Warren-fan friends had arrived right at that moment and could hear "Mental Hopscotch" from the front door, and there was ecstatic cheering outside the security gate!

(Dwanollah:)
It was hysterical! I was in the kitchen fixing lunch, and as soon as Tami Heidi mentioned MP, there were these SHRIEKS from the front porch! Yeah, Cyn's Warren-Friends had arrived! :) She left to go troll LA with the other Wazzers, and Caro and I settled down for a Lit. Gab.

(Cyndi:)
I'd been lured out to shop with my buds in the Zebra Brigade. In case you didn't go to any of the shows on the 2001 tour, we were the ones wearing zebra and standing on "the dark side" - Warren's side of the stage -- usually in front row because we wanted it bad enough and were willing to work for it. We started this tradition with the Florida shows over New Year's to celebrate his nude spread in the Dec 2000 issue of G magazine, which features him on his own zebra bedspread. Anyone can wear zebra and join in the fun, but most of us are dedicated to encouraging Warren in all of his endeavors -- musical and otherwise. So, a group of us had flown from everywhere for the Missing Persons reunion shows, of course. Where else would we be?

On our way down Hollywood Boulevard, we saw and filmed two men dressed like Indiana Jones and Superman. And we saw Billy Warlock (AJ on GH!) in a convertible!

The funniest thing I saw on this jaunt was a restaurant on Hollywood Blvd. that sold both Chinese food and chili-dogs and advertised this on a hand-painted sign!

(Dwanollah:)
Oh yeah. You'll see taco stands that have "Tacos! Enchiladas! Pastrami! Hamburgers!" signs in the window too….

(Cyndi:)
We got gas for the rental car, and then it was time to go to the Roxy and worship the Missing Persons billboard. We got out of the car and went up the staircase to pose with it. It's so wild to see that billboard and know that it's actually real-they're actually going to play for real at the Roxy, which is one of the clubs where they got their start. Surreal as fuck. And we're all here for him. I wonder if he actually gets that.

(Dwanollah:)
Caroline and I were having a fairly kick-back day… and by late-afternoon, we were watching, no surprise, 90210 and getting ready to go fetch THTM from work. When the phone rang, I grabbed it, assuming it was Kelly with a flight update. Instead, this deep, slightly accented male voice growled "Dwanollah?"

"Yeah…?"

"Warren."

FREAK OUT! A DURAN (yeah, I know, anyway) CALLING MY HOUSE! ON MY PHONE! OH MY GAAAAAWD! I hate talking on the phone anyway, especially to strangers; I'm nervous and I always say stupid things. But… but… WARREN! WARREN CUCCURULLO! ON MY PHONE! TALKING TO ME!

So what do I say? "Oh, hey, Warren, how're you doing?" In the Disney Voice, I might add. *rolling eyes* I wish I was cool. I reeeeally do. "I'm just so fuckin' stressed out right now," Waz informs me in that low growl. "I'm like fuckin' toxic or something." He bends my ear for several minutes (while I pace with the phone, trying to sound normal and natural) about how stressed he is and "I'm gonna have to check myself into a hospital for a month or something" and lots of heavy sighing and groaning and complaining and- And I say "Honey [HONEY?! What's WRONG with me?!], don't DO that to yourself! C'mon, fix yourself some chamomile tea and try to relax!" I. Am. RETARDED! We also talked a bit about Cyndi (and, to my shame, I believe I referred to her as "our girl"… as in "you're prolly looking for our girl, aren't you." *cringe* I'm sorry, Cyndi. I'm sorry I'm such a moron…), and I told him we'd been having fun doing the tourist thing and seeing her be all Midwestern. I told him about all we'd done thus far. I told him we were picking Kelly up that night. I mean, for someone who hates to talk on the phone, I was making an effort! And, oh, I had opportunity to ask him how rehearsals were going, and he told me in detail (and with characteristic Cuc modesty!) how awesome they sounded. (By this point, I actually have a notepad, and am jotting down what he tells me, because I WON'T BE ABLE TO REMEMBER IT OTHERWISE!)

WARREN CUCCURULLO IS ON MY PHONE!

"We sound fuckin' amazing," he says, giving me a run-down of adjectives. "It's the total antithesis of Duran Duran. It's unpredictable. It's rough. It's raw. It's perfect. Terry was telling me it's fuckin' surreal. We're the greatest fuckin' punk band in the world." No, Warren, don't hold back. "God, I can't WAIT," I breathe in response. "You sure you guys can't play tonight?" And he kinda chuckled. Give the dog a bone, Waz.

I told him how much we were looking forward to the shows, assured him I'd have Cyndi call him, said "Take care of yourself, okay?" and got off the phone. And went in to where Caroline was and just SCREAMED! :) Some things can't be helped, you know? We shrieked and doinged and babbled and blithered- Let's here it for Durestrogen!

To make matters worse, as I rushed out of the house, already five minutes late to fetch THTM, I checked cell phone messages, and Warren'd left a message on my cell phone, too! I was screaming to no one. In my car. Alone. So I called my mom. No one answered, dammit. I rambled incoherently until the answering machine cut me off. I got to THTM's office, and waited, squirming, until he came out. I let him in the car. I could NOT stop grinning like a freak. "What?" he asked me. I pressed the message button on the phone and held it to his ear. I could hear the growly "Dwanollah… 'SWarren." THTM had to put up with my ear-splitting shrieking and maniacal giggling all the way home. :) Once a Duranie, always a Duranie…. And I don't even LIKE Warren Like That! What if it'd been SIMON?! *collapsing*

(Cyndi:)
Back at The Mansion, Dwanollah came home and was all flipped out: Warren had called earlier, hehe. See? I really wasn't teasing when I said he had her phone number. She'd taken notes where he'd said the rehearsals had been so great, and "totally punk" and "fuckin' amazing," and "NOTHING like Duran Duran." Caroline said she handled it like a true pro, only screaming in Duranie glee after hanging up.

Afterwards, Dwanollah, Caroline, and I got dressed for Michael's show (I wore black jeans, red tight shirt and red suede shoes). First, though, we went to LAX to pick up Kelly!

(Dwanollah:)
Lots of hugging… lots of high-speed babbling… typical Chix stuff! It was so good to see her… she made it! Yaaaay!

(Cyndi:)
We headed straight to the Mint. Had a wee bit of trouble finding it (because I had "Pico and Crescent" in my head, and it was actually "Pico and Crescent *Heights*")

(Dwanollah:)
And, of course, both streets exist, about 3-5 miles apart, so we were cruising around this chain hotel, wondering where the heck this stupid club was…. Thankfully, a call to 411 solved our dilemma. And luckily, I'm a fast driver!

(Cyndi:)
We ultimately got there in plenty of time. I gave the doorman my name and we were waved right in. It was a dark, tiny bar with a bunch of tables close to the (teeny!) stage, which was only a foot off the floor! We grabbed a table right up front and were about 2-3 feet from his microphone. :) Behind a curtain (in a hideous light-brown leather jacket!), Michael was walking around, and we could see glimpses of him, which totally froze me in shyness. :) They took the stage and opened with a pounding, sexual, screaming rendition of "Mississippi Queen," and now I don't hate it anymore, hehe. In fact I've been looking for it on old cassettes at truck stops, with no success. <guitar & bass: DAHNANANANA!!!!> "Mississippi Queeeeeeennn ." <guitar & bass: DAHNANANANA!!> "…do ya know what I mean?…" Oh My GOD, he was so cool. So commanding on the stage! He told jokes, some of which fell flat -

(Kelly:)
More hits than misses, though. He was an absolute scream.

(Cyndi:)
- and he had so much energy and passion, all the 70's-rockstar-arena moves on this dinky stage. They did TWO Rod Stewart songs ("Stay With Me" and "Hot Legs" - "I love ya, hon-AYYYYY!!!!!"), and "Tush" by ZZ Top (during which he turned around and waved his ass at the audience), "Honky Tonk Women" by the Stones, just so many cool songs.

(Dwanollah:)
He did all the Rock Standards… and did them awesomely! Classic rock songs that I'd never cared for were so much FUN with him right there bouncing around and doing his studly rock star moves. And watching Cyndi gazing at him with total adoration was the best part….

(Kelly:)
Dude, I was so impressed that Cyndi KNEW every song! Like, the words and EVERYTHING! The only songs I recognised were the two Rod Stewart ones.

(Cyndi:)
Hehe, that is because I live in a part of the country where those songs are in the air around you even when the radio's not on. Classic rock is religion here. And Michael's got the voice and the attitude for them. All of his rock star tricks were pulled out, from the crotch grab to this leaning stance that he did on WKRP 23 years ago! He was wearing tight jeans, and a ripped up, sleeveless denim shirt that showed off his phoenix tattoo on his awesomely muscled arms, and his hair was silver and wild.

(Kelly:)
Please can I tell this part? *bouncing around in chair* After a few songs, Mister Michael was very sweaty, and wrapped a purple sash around his head (like, to use as a sweatband). And as he tied it, he quipped, "This is my tribute to Nick Rhodes." We HOWLED. (How does Michael Rock? Let me count the ways. :) )

(Dwanollah:)
It was totally for us, too. We were all giddy!

(Cyndi:)
We took lots of pictures of him, and he glanced at us a bit and played with Kelly.

(Kelly:)
Yeah! it was way fun. I was right smack dab in the middle of the stage, so there wasn't really much getting away from me, but I was mock-swooning and worshipping and wailing at him and stuff, and he totally played along. I'm such an attention whore.

At the break between sets, I decided to go find Michael and make sure he knew we were there. No Security is such a pleasant thing, innit? I walked backstage with no problem at all. The Mint is so small that "backstage" is actually outside; there was a door that led to a second door that emptied into a (tiny) back parking lot. Michael had told Cyndi that the dressing room was upstairs, and it was-in a separate building, about twenty feet from the club door. I walked like I knew where I was going (*grin*), but stopped short at the stairs, hesitant to invade the actual dressing room. But after seeing person after person go up, I figured it would be okay if I did, too. Just then, a girl wearing a black babydoll dress and darling little Mary Janes walked past me. She had beautiful purpley-red hair that gleamed in the night, and I was about to compliment her on it, but by the time I'd processed my thought, she was already halfway up the stairs. So I headed up, behind her. It wasn't really a dressing room; it was more like a living room, with a couch, a couple big chairs, a coffeetable. Loads of people talking and smoking. Michael was in the center of the couch, talking with a couple of men, introducing everyone around. The pretty-haired girl from downstairs crouched at the end of the table, talking to Michael, and suddenly I realised she was Miss Pamela!!!

*squeeeeeal!*

I went over and pretty much busted into the conversation, but no one seemed to mind at all. Michael knew who I was, which shocked me, and he said he'd seen Cyndi. I totally gooned over Pamela, telling her how when I'd seen her downstairs I'd thought she was younger than me, and that her hair was so pretty, and her shoes were cool. Of all the people in the world who have fans, Miss P understands probably better than anyone what it's like to gush at an idol. So I felt totally at ease and un-self-conscious, and just fawned all over her. :) I told her she's the ultimate goddess, and asked if she'd mind coming inside with me to meet my friends on her way out (she was leaving early, had come back to say bye to Michael). She totally obliged (such a doll! :))) ), and moments later a very giddy Miss Kel was telling the Chix "This is Miss Pamela!!!" and we were posing for pics with her. Miss Pamela was especially pleased to meet The Fabulous Miss Cyndi. :)

(Cyndi:)
Pamela said she was going to be interviewing Missing Persons this week and was going to the Roxy show.

(Dwanollah:)
Pamela was a DARLING! She had genuine smiles for all of us, and lots of big hugs for Cyndi. And she looks like she's maybe in her mid- to late-thirties, tops. Adorable!

(Cyndi:)
The second set rocked as hard as the first half, and the setlist was on the stage right next to our table, so we could see it throughout the show. The coolest thing he did, near the end of the show, was a smutty version of "Bang A Gong." It was arranged like "Bang A Gong" (the old version by T.Rex) instead of the faster way Power Station did it, but it was called "Get It On" on the setlist (and he didn't even mention Power Station or that he'd been in the band, or anything). He sang the entire thing in his lower range, and I kept expecting (well, hoping) that he would really rip loose and sing the second and last verse an octave higher as he used to back in 1985, but he didn't. A kickass version of Led Zeppelin's "Rock 'n' Roll" ended the show - how perfect is THAT?! "Been a long time, been a long time, been a long LONELY, LONELY, LONELY, LONELY, LONELY TIME!" *shiver*

(Kelly:)
Oh hang on, I knew that song, too. So, okay, three songs total.

(Cyndi:)
After he left the stage, I swiped the setlist, we gathered our cameras, purses and nerve, and off we went through the curtain and down a hallway, outside and up a staircase next to a real, honest-to-God orange tree, and there he was in this tiny lounge room. He was so sweaty, and so sweet!!

(Dwanollah:)
"Honest-to-God orange tree!" Hee! Oh, but the COOLEST thing was that, as we came in the room, he literally LAUNCHED himself off the couch at Cyndi, arms already opened, squealing "CYNDIIIII!!!" and just swooped her up in the biggest hug!

(Cyndi:)
Thanks for reminding me - that had flown out of my brain! He hugged me and then stood there looking at me (he is actually taller than me, which I have to admit was a surprise), thanked me for coming and asked me if I knew how grateful he is for the website and all I do for him. Was I actually able to come up with anything to say? I don't remember. Then he introduced all of us to his very young and pretty girlfriend, Jane, and then he said that he wants to make plans for later in the week to give me a box of new stuff (pictures and videos). Goon goon goon!

(Kelly:)
I don't remember what Cyndi said, either, because I was too busy gooning over Her Meeting Michael AT LAST!! :)) and taking pictures, which turned out awesomely. I do remember that in the car on the way home, Cyndi was fully tripping over how sweaty Michael had been and how, when he hugged her, the entire side of her face had gotten wet. She was *extremely* pleased by this revelation.

(Dwanollah:)
Estrogen Girl!

(Cyndi:)
I was tripping over the fact that I didn't mind, because normally sweat skeeves me out! And in case anyone thinks we are exaggerating His Sweatiness, the photos show it clearly. We didn't mind, though. From the moment he took that stage and switched from Affable Smiling Cutie to Swaggering Ballsy Rock Star, he was glowing. After having just seen his episode of the Pretender again, I'm at a total loss to decide which is his true calling - acting or rock 'n' roll. This seemed more natural to him than breathing. Maybe acting is that way for him as well.

(Kelly:)
*I* couldn't stop gushing about Miss Pamela. I was so thrilled to have met her. :))) It had never even entered my mind that she'd be there, although it's blatantly obvious, after the fact, that *of course* she'd be there, duh! It was just such a great night. I'd made it to LA, I was with my friends, and our evening with Michael had gone perfectly.

(Cyndi:)
We got home much earlier than we had expected to (Michael had told me last week that there would be one set at 10 and another at midnight, but what he actually did was start at 10, play about 40-45 minutes, take a 10-minute break and do another set). THTM was home with his laptop, so I emailed Warren & told him what we need for the shows for us and two friends of Dwanollah's who might go, and then we all went to bed.

(Dwanollah:)
I ain't used to this late-night rock star lifestyle!

(Cyndi:)
*laughs wickedly* And that was after just one show. She had no idea what was in store for her the rest of the week.

|:NEXT DAY: