
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.
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