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Re: Sorry For The Delay But Here It Is 'The Convention'
Hi,
Very entertaining though this was a long mail.Say, did you every
get to visit Abbey road or any such places of similar interest???
Shashi.
---Beau McCrury wrote:
>
>
> Hello all,
>
> WARNING: THIS POST IS LONG. IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CONVENTION
ANYMORE
> PLEASE JUST SKIP OVER THIS.
>
> I've been chaffing at the bit to get this out, believe me, but I am
surprised
> how I can get so far behind in such a short time at being away but I
am now
> finally finding myself far enough ahead to give 'the convention' the
time I
> think it deserves.
>
> First off, I'm sure this will be boring to many of you that is more
inclined
> to travel
> and who are more oriented to Who related activities as the reports
of the
> convention have been, at least on the 'other list', somewhat
> derogatory, but for me overall, it was a pilgrimage.
>
> I think the premise that I view my trip to London is made up of a few
> significant things:
>
> - I've never been across the pond, have never really picked up a
traveling
> Jones and the very thought of being 'abroad' was exhilarating
>
> - To have actually spent the cash to do the convention, thus I have
already
> made the
> investment to make this trip worthwhile. (I sure hope The Who
> don't do anything significant, monetary wise, until spring.)
>
> - I designed a trip that was non-obligatory, that is not having the
vacation
> to see the relatives and making sure that my girlfriends plane
fair was
> paid for so I got to do my Who stuff and make sure 'I' had my agenda
> uninterrupted.
>
> - Bottom line, I had my ducks lined up and my own outlook lined up
to have
> a good ole Who time!
>
> Through these blue eyes this is what I saw (in semi-chronological
order as
> best
> as I can get it):
>
> First off, traveling from the left coast, a ten plus hour trip, once
you
> arrive
> try to stay up until a normal bedtime hour local time, you wind up
biting the
> jet-lag bullet first off and getting that out of the way.
>
> I am incapable at even crossing the street! Having traffic on the
other side
> of the road, when making a left turn they turn to the inboard lane.
I'm
> sorry,
> but if Hazel wasn't holding my hand I would not have survived.
Suffice to
> say
> that I eventually was resigned to whenever I left the sidewalk I was
simply
> left with looking as many ways as possible and should have been
yelling
> 'incoming' in hopes that the citizenry would have once again saved
another
> tourist dweeb from being run over!
>
> The underground is exemplary. In S.F. Bay Area standards, the London
> underground is fast, clean,
> efficient, safe, friendly, affordable and anything else that I could
say
> nice about it. Basically, from anywhere in the city, you have a
maximum of a
> seven or 8 minute walk to an underground station, at which point it
only
> takes you a maximum of 40 minutes to get anywhere in the city.
Locals will
> tell you that it has gone downhill in the last 15 or so years but
still a
> big plus to what we have out here.
>
> London feels like a safe town to be in. Mind you there are places
that I know
> of in London that I wouldn't be caught dead in by myself in the day
time, but
> for all intents and purposes, for the traveled touristy places,
safe. For
> example, I found women, stylishly and attractively dressed, walking
by
> themselves (and not street walkers mind you) down streets at 10pm,
using
> the underground etc. Certainly unusual for my neck of the woods.
>
> London is pricey. However I put myself in the mind-set that I was
going to
> this theme park called London and was issued this funny,
multi-colored money,
> and I just went around, spending way too much. All I can say now
is, I'm
> broke until spring.
>
> Oh, by the way, Lela Buis:
>
> Thanx so much for spending so much of your vacation with Hazel and
I. We
> first
> met up with Lela at St. Paul's for 'evensong', not so much for the
religious
> significance but for the musical acoustical experience of hearing
the devoted
> sing there evening prayers in such a cavernous and truly splendid
place. A
> truly musical experience if not for the clamoring of tourists
interrupting
> the sheer beauty of the acoustic.
>
> We found ourselves with Lela on much of our non-Who touristy
excursions, which
> was a big plus for Hazel and I in that we were able to find
ourselves in
> places
> that we would not have particularly have chosen, but when finding
ourselves at
> these particular places found ourselves surrounded by what in part
is the
> culture of
> London that we would not otherwise have seen. Thanx Lela for your
insight and
> your patience, most particularly with me. Bottom line, if you
should ever
> travel
> with Lela, eat your Wheaties, cause she's on the go, is going to
seek out the
> best of things and is just going to have a damn good time at it.
>
> You've probably already have gone to bed by now but here it is, The
Who
> related
> portion of this nonsense.
>
> The Who films (day before the convention):
>
> Lela, Hazel and I got there early enough to cool our heels and have
a pint
> way before the others arrived (only to find out much later in the
evening
> that I was staring directly at and during his dinner, 'Brian In
Atlanta'!
> (And let me tell you how lovely it was to finally meet Mr. Atlanta!)
As the
> time wore on to the actual meeting time, 'sho nuf, hey come the
listers! Of
> course these are mostly contributors of the 'big list', many of
which I was
> not very familiar with but the few that I had met conveyed me to
such great
> chroniclers of our band that I better not mention any names here since
> there are
> some I will miss.
>
> The films were notably introduced by Richard Barnes and Dougal
Butler. Being
> that I have now had personal conversation with Mr. Barnes (that I
can now piss
> him off by calling him Barney) spoke much of the significance of
Keith in
> particular, The Who as a popular cultural force and gave some
insight as to
> what it was at being part of the inside track that was The Who of
that Keith
> Moon era. Now I'm sure that Dougal made some significant remarks
before the
> films were shown but being that Guinness on tap is not available in
my parts,
> that I indulged, and my thoughts get clouded when my eyes begin to
float, I'm
> going to have to defer to someone elses post as to what Dougal
actually said.
>
> The first part of the film showing can be seen through bootlegs that
many of
> use have collected over the years, but these boys were clean. What
was shown
> was BBC, first generation Who broadcasts. A real treat to see in a
movie
> theater venue. After intermission was 'The Kids Are Alright' which
was for me
> at least nostalgic from seeing it on the big screen when it was first
> released.
>
> A big part of this evening was not only having conversation and
meeting
> a great many of you listers but to have some exchanges with Barney and
> Dougal. At one point, having Barney on one side of me and Dougal on
the other
> I asked Dougal 'If Keith could have had a better relationship with
Kim, would
> he still be alive?', he differed to Barney who said 'If Keith was
alive today,
> he would be dead'. Make of it as you will, I certainly found the
response
> glib
> but also telling of the self destructive force that eventually
overcame Keith.
>
> Come the next day, they be a convention!
>
> As we were strolling towards the Astoria one day... we came across
good ole
> Brian
> and Max, whom we had met the last evening and in turn invited us to
a fabulous
> authentic Hong Kong style dim-sum lunch, Max picking up the tab!
What can
> I say
> except, once again, thank you Max, absolutely brilliant! After
which we
> found our way to the Tom
> Wright exhibit at the Frevd's Gallery. Lovely photos, but at 225
pounds
> each of
> previously published photos that were not particularly well produced
(out
> of focus
> and not on good paper) found ourselves quickly finding our way to
the Astoria.
>
> Oh yea, the convention:
>
> We were queued along side of the Astoria a good 30 to 45 minutes
after the
> announced
> opening. The only fortunate thing was seeing good ole 'Daltrey
Dave' and
> meeting
> a couple of German speaking women, one of which gave me her e-mail
that
> bounced back.
> What can I say except par for the course. Send a note if your still
> interested in
> what little I know of Roger's Fishery...yea right!
>
> The convention itself I will not say was poorly produced. What I
will say
> is that
> it was produced by Matt & Mark of Naked Eye, that is grass roots and
> community organized. Hey, I've been there. It
> basically
> reminded me of a locally produced, voluntary effort, void of big
production
> money
> and largely based on personal contributions of effort and hard work!
There
> was no
> evidence of Trinifold or 'big money' production and certainly was
not a Who
> produced
> evening. This was us, the fans, coming together worldwide in
celebration
> of our
> own mutual interest at a most significant time.
>
> Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon - the book was there first ever to be
> released to the public.
>
> Dear Ms. Moon, Kit, who was so gracious as to autograph my copy of
the book
> and who
> I now have a photo of her and I standing together, who I had the
chance to
> tell how
> much her son meant to me was there. She told me that only a few days
> before that
> Mandy, Keith's daughter gave birth, which of course now makes Keith a
> grandfather.
>
> I believe her name is Fran, Keith's sister, her lovely two children
and
> husband were
> there, in celebration of a life.
>
>
=== message truncated ===
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