JB2 & NYC: Memoirs of a Flag Wookie

[tamalynx]

I love your story, and pics, and videos. And I'm so glad it happened to a Tamadude! Way to go Wookiee!

[Susan]

Great story, Tamadude! I only got to chat with you for a minute, it seems, but from what I could tell it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!

[nancyrose]

This is just the BEST story! I couldn't be happier for you!

I remember seeing your signed tee shirt before the show and just thinking "WOW!" That is one AWESOME souvenir you picked up on your trip to NY!!

I don't think there was a moment I saw you last week when you didn't have the hugest shit-eating grin on your face! (And why not??)

Can't wait to hear more!

[Tamadude]

Thanks for the compliments everyone , you're making my 5 wpm typing rate well worth the effort!

PT.15

What a day! Already! The concert was still a ways from starting, so I had my $8 slice of pizza and went out looking for nutters. The first one I see is Madgrad, but she has already seen me! Damn, that woman is always a step ahead of me. I'm going to have to become a stay-at-home dad if I ever hope to be quicker than her on the forum!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N05/2768837047/

She tells me that the nutters are tailgating, but I didn't want to leave and then have to line up and risk getting searched and/or delayed, etc so I decided to stay put. I would've really liked to join the tailgate, but I still had another 2 nights there and didn't want to miss my rendez-vous with DM. We didn't have any pre-set meet-time or anything, and it was getting close to showtime, but I already knew that "Wingin' it" would be the gameplan.

The place starts getting busier, so I head back to my seat for the start of Elvis' set. On the way in I start to see loads of familiar nutters in the crowd: Conroy, Dive, Sockii, Nancyrose, Copelandgirl5, (man, what a ticket story SHE's got) Charlie, Sally et al. Sorry if I forgot to mention anyone else.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N05/2768870045/

When I get to my seat, Dietmar was alredy there, and another pleasant surprise was sitting on my left. It was Muse! She was a Flagbearer in San Diego, so between her and Dietmar, I couldn't use lack of coaching as an excuse for a poor Flagbearing performance. My two seating companions gave me great tips on when to raise the Flag, when STEWART would look for the Flag, etc. But still no sign of Kel, and still no sign of Flag.

Oh ya, about that Flag.......

TBC........

[DirtyMartini]

Haha. Ruh-roh. . . .

[Tamadude]

PT.16

Elvis's set was almost about to start when Dietmar tells me, "Look. It's Kellie. DirtyMartini." It sure is. Yet another superstar I get to finally meet! She's coming up the center aisle into the crowd of stagefront nutters, where her seat was. I had never met her in person before, but I just could sense that something was bothering her. It's hard to explain. I saw her talking to Nancyrose, and her body language was not indicative of a happy Flag Mistress, but I knew nothing yet of the Flag-to-Jeff transaction logistical gaffes that she was experiencing.

She walked up to me, and before saying anything she gave me a big hug. The woman can hug. It was like we were long lost friends who hadn't seen each other in about 20 years. She' so fucking friendly. But now that she was right in front of me, I had a sense that she was slightly perturbed, and perhaps even distraught about something. I could tell she was dreading this conversation. I don't think she's ever had to tell another Flag bearer what she was about to tell me. I don't remember word for word what she said but she looked me in the eyes, and spoke with a very compassionate and sweet tone, just like the sweetheart I'd envisioned her to be. The jist of what she said was this: "Jeff might take the Flag and he may not give it back. You might not get the Flag tonight. I'm so sorry." She looked like she was notifying me of the passing of a next-of-kin. It was killing her to tell me this. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel bad about anything. I would not accept that.

In all honesty, I initially felt like any normal human would feel; a surge of disappointment came down. But only for about 2.5 seconds. I'm serious. Like I said before, my day was already a huge success, no matter what. She could have told me that the rest of the shows were cancelled and I would not have given a shit. I shit you not. Not to say I didn't care about bearing the Flag, but I quickly came to remember that the Flag's objective wasn't me. The Flag is a privilege, not a right. The Flag has its own path, one which no one knew yet. And I wasn't about to go and create any kind of resistance for that path. That's isn't how I roll. I wasn't about to add burden to this wonderful, caring, and giving gem of a lady. I wanted to help her by being gracious, not making her feel worse than she already did. I just reminded her of my emails on the subject........that I was fine with whatever happened, happy to go with the flow, and that tonight I still felt the exact same way. "Don't worry about it, Kel, really, don't. Please." The year-and-a-half thrill ride was almost over, and so I just wanted her to go out and enjoy the concert. I knew I was going to enjoy it. With or without the Flag.

TO BE CONTINUED.......

[TheEqualizer]

Dude, this is getting goooooooooooooooood

[bella]

[quote="TheEqualizer"]Dude, this is getting goooooooooooooooood [/quote]



yep. And the wookie was worried about his storytelling skills. pfftt.

[TheEqualizer]

For some reason, the thing I like most about this pic is the point:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N ... 737413448/

Its like you are saying, "Hey, check it out, THIS is Stewart Copeland."

*yes, I'm easily amused; goes back to looking at shiny objects*

[Tamadude]

[quote="TheEqualizer"]For some reason, the thing I like most about this pic is the point:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N ... 737413448/

Its like you are saying, "Hey, check it out, THIS is Stewart Copeland."

*yes, I'm easily amused; goes back to looking at shiny objects*[/quote]

I figured for all the points he'd dished out, he deserved one of his own from a starstruck wookie.

[DirtyMartini]

Tama. Rocks.

Thanks again, Tama. You're generous and understanding and were a welcome relief to my anxious brain that day.

[Tamadude]

[quote="DirtyMartini"]Tama. Rocks.

Thanks again, Tama. You're generous and understanding and were a welcome relief to my anxious brain that day.[/quote]

Oh stop it.

<wookie blush>

[Tamadude]

Pt.17

And so, as fate would have it, I was on the longest good luck streak of my life. When Elvis's set was over, I went out to the concourse to get a drink and visit the boy's room. When I got back to my seat, Dietmar was standing there with a zip-lock baggie, smiling and holding it up in front of me. Like a dealer would wave a bag of crack to a jonesing basehead. At first I thought it was green cotton candy or something. Believe it or not, I didn't clue in right away. I'd never seen the Flag all folded up in transport mode like that before; I didn't really recognize it in that state. "What's that?" I asked. "It's the Flag! Here you go."

Thank you to the lovely Susan for taking this pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N05/2770692121/

Kellie had come back and handed off the Flag! Bless her wonderful heart. But she took off right away, so I didn't get a chance to thank her before the gong rang out. Maybe that was a good thing, because if I was there when she came over with that Flag, I would have given her the biggest wookie hug ever and probably wouldn't have let go.

I found out later that it was yet another failed Jeff-meet that enabled me to get the Flag. He did attempt to get the Flag, but Kellie had given up waiting and already handed it over to us. I must thank Kel for making the choice to give us the Flag when she did. She didn't have to, she could have waited, given it to Jeff, and had a lot of her stresses lifted. But she didn't. Instead, she just had to be her usual overly unselfish self and go ahead and make my year.

So now the big moment. The moment I'd been hoping for, dreaming of. This is why I came here. For this. The opening of the bag, the unraveling of the Flag, the signing of the Flag and the holding of the Flag. It radiated an aura of energy. It felt like an out of body experience. The nutters close by knew this drill by heart, so they all came around to witness the live wookie Flag love-in and signing. People all around me began to wonder what all this fuss was about, why all these people were snapping pics of the dude with the funny Green fabric swatch. I was not accustomed to all this attention.

I had no plans on where or when I was going to sign it. Actually, due to the state of euphoria that I was in, I forgot about signing it. I was just in awe, reading all the sigs on the back, and examining it with forensic detail. Dive and Sockii came over with cameras locked and loaded. CharlieArnold came over and gave me a few congratulatory words of support and advice, Conroy came over and I finally got to meet him. Everybody knows Conroy. Everybody loves Conroy. Everyone was right about Conroy. He finds a nice space for me to sign the Flag, but I need a table so I can sign this thing properly. "Nonsense.", Dietmar says. "Just sign it on my back". And that's precisely how it went down. It was appropriate and symbolic, in that I was "riding" his back for most of the day.

Many thanks to super sockii for taking these pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N05/2771560160/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N05/2770704593/

So I inscribe my name into history, pose for some pics, and proudly carry the Flag back to my seat. Perma-grin had set in big time. And it wasn't going away any time soon.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096307@N05/2770425452/

TBC.........

[Lynne]

Tamadude rocks, Tamadude rocks! Lovin' this ...

[DirtyMartini]

[quote="Tamadude"]It radiated an aura of energy.[/quote]

Those would be the noxious fumes.


[quote="Tamadude"]IDietmar says. "Just sign it on my back". And that's precisely how it went down.[/quote]

Save yourself, D -- burn that shirt.


I love hearing how folks all gathered and gave you support, Tama. Awesome.