Travel Journal 7: Shriek without End (part one)

[tinhuvielartanis]

The day with Barry, Stevie, Nick, and Graham will have to be broken down in more than one post. I'm having issues with trying to write it all down and have pretty much run out of time to do it all tonight. There will be more tomorrow, of course.

Tuesday 16 May ~ Face to Face with Barry Andrews

I didn't sleep well the night before. The one nerve afforded me after having left The Pit was niggling and twitching so viciously, I could barely stand myself. My psyche was awash in anxiety, abject fear, and disbelief. I literally could not wrap my mind around the fact that I was about to meet the man who had so affected, inspired, and terrified me over the past sixteen years. I seemed incapable of making the jump from Aunt Tudi saying to me one morning, "I got a video you may be interested in. There's a blue guy in a toga in it" to falkenna saying "Stevie, Nick, and Barry should be arriving around 3 this afternoon."


I got up relatively early, compared to the previous three mornings. What was the point in just lying there emitting the high-pitched noise of dread when I could be up and doing something productive and useful? Making my way downstairs, I bid falkenna a good morning and slunk into the toilet. falkenna had already been out to pick up the salmon and salad "fixin's", and she had the salmon on cooking. When I emerged from the toilet, I offered my services in the Domestic Effort. Trusting me with her dinnerware more than she should have, falkenna asked if I would do the dishes. Straight to work I went. Three hungry women loosed upon a hapless kitchen can produce quite a load of dirty dishes. It was touch and go there for a while, but I finally overpowered the mountain of dishes, my Sponge of Victory in hand.

Leaving falkenna to her own devices, diligently preparing a stupendous spread of food for the party, I went into the bathroom to get cleaned up and dressed. Within an hour, I was decked in my black Gypsy skirt, black blouse, black tights, black clogs, and black mood. My hair turned out fabulicious, if I do say so myself. I went a bit Goth with the make-up, but I couldn't really help it, considering the gravity of this meeting. After I was dressed and "all doodied up," I once again reported to falkenna for duty. My task was to vacuum the living room, which I did posthaste. falkenna had finished with the food and was now readying herself for the dinner guests. After I finished vacuuming, I got online and tried to calm myself down by surfing the Internet and checking email. It didn't work.

---

falkenna had about thirty minutes to relax when she got a phone call. It was Barry Andrews on the phone, letting her know that they were in Brighton and just a few minutes away, should they grab a bite before coming on or was she providing food? She told him to come on, that there was plenty to eat at the house. We were down to a bare few minutes now. I began to pace, fidget, and essentially behave like a half-mad bear in a poorly-maintained inner city zoo.

Aunt Tudi came down so she could meet and greet with our esteemed guests. She didn't have to wait for very long. Shortly after 3 PM, there came a knock at the door. falkenna answered it and in walked Stevie, Nick, and....Barry Andrews. My panic level went into meltdown and I became utterly still inside. It was like tharn at the speed of light. Miss "I'm all business and run a website for this person" kicked in and I extended my hand in formal greeting. He took it and pulled me to him to hug me.


Buh.

As I mentioned previously, Barry is one of those rare individuals who is better looking in real life than he is on his album covers and in music videos. This pretty much means that he's otherworldly handsome, Elven handsome and, dare I say, Vampire handsome. Media doesn't do him justice. Those who find him attractive via the method of media would be astonished by his true appearance. Oh, and he's shorter than I expected/had been led to believe. His assumed height helped me to determine Cadmus' height. I wanted Cadmus smaller to emphasise his viciousness. Well, it turns out that B is pretty much Cadmus' size. My clogs add about two inches to my height, so B and I were eye to eye when we were finally face to face. Outwardly, he's very thin and wispy but, just underneath, there's a wiry strength that's probably the power behind his metalworks of the past. He may not know Kung Fu, but Barry Andrews carries an impressive Qi in his person.

Hugs were passed 'round. Everyone hugged everyone else in greeting, then we settled down for the visit. I sat on the far end of the day bed/couch and B sat at the other end. Stevie and Nick sat on the other side of the room, all jolly and observant. Maybe they were waiting for me to scamper out, running into the walls as I tried to find my way out. Even if I was inclined to do that, I was incapable, being entombed in perpetual tharn. B and I were looking at each other like two strange cats attempting to gauge their position with each other. Yes, the hairy eyeball was put to specific use. Believe it or not, I was the first to speak, uttering: "Well, this is surreal, isn't it?" He laughed and agreed. It was then that falkenna popped open a bottle of very tasty Champagne and we all imbibed some very-badly-needed alcohol. Yay for Champagne!


A toast was made, but I can't remember what it was or who made it. By then I was pretty much in shock, so I'm still remembering moments about this day a week later. Anyway, flutes were clinked together and drinking ensued. And, verily, it was good.

Comments

I'm still around :D

[gracieclover.livejournal.com]

I think if I met Baz I just might faint or act like a giggly schoolgirl & then immediately beg him to sell me any Shriek albums I can't find lol. I can't believe you met him...again - what is it with you two? Glad you're back home (I just found out you left!).

I've been in my box (aka the kitchen) baking my ass off - more details in my journal at some point - hopefully tonight/this morning. Glanced briefly through your travel logs - you need to listen to more Canadian radio - "Whole of the Moon" by the Waterboys was played here nearly everyday in it's heyday - btw, I've got the tape if you want a copy of it.

Namaste,
Gracieclover (aka Shriekfreak Sherri)

Re: I'm still around :D

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'd never met him before. That was Derk and James and gang who got to meet him in Brussels. Yeah, this was my first time and lo! it was strange....but good.

Glad to see you're still around. Bake me something good. As for the Waterboys, I have many of their albums, so I'm good to go. But thanks for the offer. :)

anglophile freak weighs in

[ex-glittert.livejournal.com]

I knew you'd default into professional mode!

Re: anglophile freak weighs in

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

You did? Hell, I didn't even know that. You're good.

Here you!

[mystchainsister.livejournal.com]

Lifts my glass in silent admiration to you.

The one of us, who got to meet HIM. *sighing*

Re: Here you!

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

Well, hey there!

Re: Here you!

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

Thanks for wishing Aunt Tudi a happy birthday. I tried to comment and thank you, but it wouldn't let me, so here I am.

[falkenna.livejournal.com]

Just a note on the subtlety of The Bald One's mind. What he said was "We were thinking about going for a bite to eat, would you girls like to join us?" As I had already promised food, I think that was a gracious way of confirming that I was indeed feeding hungry appetites. (Oh dear, that didn't come out right, but I wouldn't touch it with a fork.)

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

See, I couldn't remember exactly how you said he put it. I'm struggling with my memories of this day because of the SHOCK value! :) BTW, I got a letter back from him in response to mine. V nice. Stevie, Nick and B apparently *discussed* me on the way back to Barnes. ::wibble::

[falkenna.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, did he give anything away?

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

Just that they discussed my sense of humour. o.0