Chicabombed Away in Turin (Complete)

[samburusunset]

Well, yes there was no show. Suuuuuuuuk! But, that doesn't mean there was no adventure. Or, no Stewart.
We begin today's tale this afternoon. I find hotel clerks to be a wealth of information as a rule (there are always exceptions (Basil Fawlty for example). I went down to ask the desk clerk, who are all nice young ladies here in Turin, about taking public transportation to Borgaro Torinese. I told her I was going to the Chicobum festival and was thinking of taking the bus but didn't know what time they stopped running at night. She smiled. I could tell, the bus wasn't the way to go from her expression. She said to cab it. Dagnabit Stewart! Why can't you play these festivals inside cities!? They can call and have a cab there for me in five minutes. Fine. I'm jiggy wid it. So, between that conversation and the time when I'm ready to leave the heaven's have opened up and apparently every-freakin-body in Turin has decided they need a cab. All the cab phone lines are busy. The clerk can't get thru. She keeps trying and I'm looking at my watch. But, I'm also thinking about yesterday and how long we stood around (Oh, BTW my first stop in Turin this morning was to a shoe store where I got a pair of shoes to save my feet. They are fugly! But, I didn't have much selection.) I figure there's probably nothing going on anyway. I finally decide to head over to the train station and get in the queue at the taxi stand. There's no freakin cabs there either, urgh. When I finally got one I told the guy where I wanted to go and he said no. He quits at 8. It was about 10 til. That ride will take too long. I said, "Well, who will take me? Will another driver?" I was starting to think no one wanted to go too far out of the city. Well, it was either my pathetic inquiry or maybe the guy behind me in line pissed him off, but the driver called me back and said he'd take me. So we side-swiped and hydroplaned all the way to Borgaro Torinese! Man these Italian drivers are craaaaaazy! (Not our Nutters of course)

This part of the park is basically an empty field that's had tents and booths set up with the stage down at the end in a fenced off area. Also based on yesterday I take time to grab a beer and a panini. I have never seen anything like this. The bread was about 4 inches across before it was heated and pressed. After wards it was about a 7 inch waffled 2-sided frisbee of ham and cheese. It hit the spot. I was able to stand in a covered pavilion and eat and watch it rain. It rained and rained and rained. People were looking up the definition of cubit and collecting lumber. Animals were lining themselves up two-by-two. Jagged flashes of lightning ran across the sky. It was a bleak site. But, people were still showing up. Not a ton of people, but a hardy bunch were. I had just gotten off the phone with Paola and turned around when I saw Stewart stride across the pavilion with 2 men. They stood and looked down the main thoroughfare, spoke a bit and strode off. It was then I began to wonder about the fate of the show.
For another 1 1/2 hours the crowd speculated on whether the show would be called. The one guard at the gate was nice and knew some English. He would tell me what he'd heard. Other guys said Stewart wasn't there (LIARS!) and another dude barked "I don't speak English!" Alrighty then. I knew if the show was cancelled it was for everyone's safety. But, it would still suck to have to miss it.

Let me get my jams on and brush my teeth and tell you about my favorite part of the night.

[policefan]

Dagnabit -- can't wait!

[luddite lady]

Cubits---HAHAHAHAHA!

I know it's the midle of the night in Italy now, but get yer damn pyjamas on and finish your story. Please and thank you.

[Divemistress of the Dark]

*dying*

[English-lion]

I love your style of writing you should write some more ........hint hint

[conroy]

How the Dante's Inferno could you even sleep if the best is yet to come????!!! Get your pjs out of bed and finish this lovely yarn!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[luddite lady]

Yeah, what conroy said. Have an espresso or something. There's no gig on July 2. You got the day off.

[Tamadude]

Are you deliberately trying to upset a Wookie?

Darn cliffhanger-writing Nutters.....

Type on!

[samburusunset]

Now I'm back out of my jams. Sorry, I had to get some sleep. I'll try and finish up.
Anyway, during the time it's been raining I've also been standing under the overhanging roof of one of the little ticket shacks. One of the guards that I had been talking to was having a smoke and he asked where I was from if I only came to Italy for the concert, etc. Standing by the other building were two kids who must be about 14 or 15, a girl and a boy. At some point I had wandered over and stood under that overhang by them. The girl asked me is I had come from England. I said no the US and I told them I had come to see Stewart play, I'd just come from Rome and although I'm a big fan I'm also on holiday. I asked if they were Stewart fans and Oh yes, they were big fans also. Aha, kindred spirits we were spanning across age boundaries and borders and all standing in the rain in a field in Italy. I introduced myself and discovered they were David and Julia. David is a drummer (a very good one according to Julia). He had a splash cymbal in his pack which he proceeded to pull out and show me. I asked if they knew about Ben Hur and as they hadn't I explained and said it would be in Milan in November. David took note of this because I heard him tell his mother about it later. I still went up to the gate occasionally when to check on status and basically heard nothing new, but now they were coming with me and when the guard barked at me about not speaking English Julia acted as translator for me. It was beginning to look like there wasn't going to be a show which, as I said, would suck, but now I was getting bummed because these kids were going to be missing out on it.
In the meantime I knew Eugenio was supposed to be at the show and I was pretty sure he was already there. I wanted to make contact with him and at least say hello if I wasn't going to be seeing him for the show.

I'm sorry guys. I can't do it. Turin is beckoning me.

[Madgrad]

No more guilt trips from me! Enjoy Italy, Amy! Look forward to hearing more when you've got time.

[samburusunset]

Ok. Imo wrap this baby up. So, the show is officially canceled, dunno if Stewart's there or not. Moot point right now. Eugenio's supposed to be there and I'd like to see if I can at least try to say hi to him is he is. Roll em:

So, by now the regular guards have toddled off and guys more intimately related to the show (and nicer) are saying, "Sorry folks. No show. Go home and dry off." But, I ask the one guy if he knew whether Eugenio Brambilla is there. He runs Stewart's fan club. The guy says, "Eugenio Bram-who?" and I try to explain again trying to be more clear. And, he says, " He's with Stewart's fan club?" "Yes. He's taking photographs. I want to say hello to him before I leave." "Do you know him? Can you see him? (pointing to the guys standing around)" "Yes. I'd recognize him. I don't see him. " We went back and forth like this for a couple of minutes. Then another guy comes up and, I guess, asks this guy what's going on. I think I heard "Stewart's" and "fan club" and now this new guy says, "Ohh! Are you in the fan club?" "Yes." "Come in," and he opens the next gate and I step towards it. Now David and Julia had been with me and were helping translate and talk to the first guy. As I was walking towards the backstage area, I caught a glimpse of David and Julia running after me like two happy puppies. My only intention was to say hi to Eugenio. But, IF Stewart happened to be there and the opportunity presented itself, I would try to get word to him that there was a young drummer outside who was a big fan and would love to meet him if it wasn't an imposition. I truly don't want to impose on the man. I didn't know what kind of mood he'd be in and whether he'd want to get the heck out of there or what. So, we all gather under the tent and the guy calls for Eugenio and says someone from the fan club is here. While we're waiting David is saying he wants to have his Everyone Stares DVD signed. And I said IF he's here, pick ONE thing (I knew he had a pack full). Just ONE thing. I don't want to bug him. In the meantime our Eugenio emerges from down the way and walks towards me with this, "I think I've met you," expression, smiles and says "Samburu?" "Yes!" YAY - contact! We talk about the sucky rain, the new website, this and that and David inquired about his registration to the website not being approved. Busted Eugenio! He said he'll look into it. I ask if Stewart is there. He is. Eugenio points to Fiona sitting in the car nearby, "That's his wife." Fiona was indeed sitting in the front seat of a small SUV reading. She was perfectly impervious to what was going on outside. I'm sure the woman has read libraries full waiting on Stewart!
I had told Eugenio about David being a drummer and asked if he thought Stewart would mind signing something. He said he'd go ask. By this time, I think David and Julia must have been about peeing in their pants.( An aside: women are all the same. Julia mentioned that Stewart was going to see her messy hair when Eugenio went off to see him. It doesn't matter if you're 15 or forty-something!) Then, around the corner comes a figure in white pants and jacket...no not Elvis!! And I'm fairly certain I heard Italian teen squee. Stewart strode out and greeted us and happily signed David's DVD and talked. Then out came The Rhythmatist CD (SC signs), and a splash cymbal (which SC was instructed to sign on the bottom so the sig wouldn't get hit - SC signs), and I'm thinking Stewart's going to say, "Ok that's enough." But he signs away and chats with us. I ask why he's not using the Blue Bell Ride for the show. He said he found an Italian kit that's just right for this ensemble and the BBR is very loud and isn't appropriate for this set up. Now this is very cute. Lovely David actually went out and bought green cloth and white paint and made his own Flaggy! It's about the right size and everything and looks pretty good. So, out comes phake-phlag and I'm dying, but SC doesn't bat an eye. About that time the top of David's marker popped off and Stewart and I are bent over looking for it in the grass. David didn't care about the damn marker top at this point. Then Julia's Everyone Stares DVD comes out (SC signs) and then her iPod nano (which SC drops then signs) and then I think we're done. I thanked Stewart profusely for his time. That was so very cool of him to hang around and sign all that stuff for these guys. Other people would have signed one thing and waved them off. After that he was gone before we had a chance to walk out the gates. So, even though David and Julia didn't get to see the show they got to see Stewart. I thanked Eugenio and said I'll see him in Milano.

We got to the gate and I said goodbye to David and Julia and their parents. People were still wandering around the site (lord knows why) and I went up under the pavilion and got my phone out to call a cab. I had just started dialing when David and Julia popped up and asked how I was getting back to my hotel. I tell them by cab. They tell me they live in Turin and their parents could take me. I didn't know what to say, except thank you very much. That was sooo kind of them! I knew going in with the show being out there I'd have to take a cab back to town, but I wasn't figuring I'd have to wait for it in the rain. So, they were a godsend. They drove me back into town and pointed out sights and landmarks along the way. I thanked them profusely and we hugged goodbye like old friends. So, even though the show was cancelled (suuuuuck) a couple of Italian teenagers came away from the Chicobum Festival pretty happy (yay!).


Le fin.

[Madgrad]

THIS ^^^^^^ is AWESOME.

[Mary]

You have an amazing story in a pouring rain day Amy!
very happy for you and young fellows.

[nancyrose]

I'm so sorry the show got rained out, Amy, but, wow, what a great story! Sounds to me like you're in for some pretty nice karma after what you did for those kids!

At the very least, I hope the rain stays away for the rest of your trip! Have fun in Milan!

(And David, if you get your registration set up and happen to read this...Welcome!!)

[IndyGirl]

Sorry the concert was cancelled, Amy. Glad you were able to meet some of Team Italia. That was really nice what you did for your 2 friends & it was very gracious of Stewart to sign everything. Enjoy the rest of your visit in Italy.