CHAPTER 4
WASHINGTON
Jim "The
Machman" Napier, Rick Stott, Darlene Garr, Bob Garr, female Numanoid
After a rousing
shower at the KOA Campground, Kat and I made it to the show to find the other
US Crazies near the front of the line. Rick decided not to have the pre-show
party as it was so far from the show. Kat "I'm Not a Mormon" Silures
came the furthest to be there as she is from Utah, so she won the raffle prize
by default. It was quite nice tape of music from the Radial Pair soundtrack as
well as a BBC interview from 1983. WOOHOO! Wanna trade, Kat?
Inside I again
met Brett Wallace and his wife from England. We learned Gemma and Gary call
each other Piglet, so Kat took the liberty of giving them a little stuffed
Piglet from Winnie the Pooh. After showing this to Brett's wife, she turned
around and showed me a tattoo on the back of her shoulder. It was Piglet! I
began to hear Twilight Zone music which was soon replaced by that of
Switchblade Symphony.
The 9:30 Club
was spacious and air-conditioned, quite the switch from the previous gig in
Cambridge. Like all the other shows, this was packed. We again saw Gemma on the
sidelines in the crowd and invited her next to us in the center. Enjoying a
Gary Numan show with Gary's wife was a super experience. Who would've thought I
would be front and center at a Numan concert, bopping along next to his
soulmate? It was too good for words.
I met lots of
new friends after the show from all over the Eastern US. More pictures,
autographs, adulations, questions when all of a sudden….
"Is there
a Kat or Jim here?" We answered yes. Turns out it was a call to the club
from Kat's roomie. Her kitty was the victim of a hit-and-run, although he is
doing much better these days I hear. Gemma and Gary, being animal lovers, gave
Kat their deep regret. Gary gave her a sympathetic kiss and Gemma hugged her.
Before drag racing
each other down the streets of DC, Bob Garr and I agreed to grab tickets for
the Charlotte show on the 31st. As he simulated picking his nose as
he drove away, it put a smile on Kat's face. In the thicke of night we drove to
Ithaca for the free day…