Bumbershoot

Sunday, September 6, 1998
One year ago: Last Bus

I woke up this morning to the sound of Jack playing his twelve-string guitar (softly) on his deck. On second thought, maybe it was Emma, the cat, walking on me that woke me up. After a shower, I joined Jack on the deck, combing my hair and listening to the music. It was a beautiful morning, cool and sunny. He made me oatmeal, then fired up his computer. He did some work, then I checked my email (wonders of a shell account!), then I went and reposed myself on the couch with a book while he did more work. Talk about dedicated! He told me later in the day that the programming challenge he was dealing with was still being rolled around in his head! But this wasn't evident to me from his behavior.

I agitated a bit for getting going to Bumbershoot (a large arts festival in Seattle), because a band I wanted to see was the first one on the bill, but when it became clear that we probably wouldn't get there in time, I relaxed and let myself doze off on the couch. Jack came to a stopping place, and we did get going, but I wasn't in a hurry. Go with the flow! We picked up 39 cent cheeseburgers from the McDonalds' drive-thru, and headed off to Seattle. We did make a one-minute stop at my place so I could drop off my bag, then drove to Westlake Avenue, site of Book Publishing Company where I was once on strike. We walked to Seattle Center from there. I saw my dance buddy Doug walking away from the Center, and said Hi!. At first he didn't recognize me, with sunglasses and baseball cap and during the daytime, instead of hair pinned up and ready to dance at night. He had just been at the first show (which I had missed), a band called the Dusty 45s, and had gotten in some good dancing. He was going to spend the day at home, then come back in the evening for the Squirrel Nut Zippers, which was the only other show on my "must see" list.

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After Jack and I entered the Seattle Center grounds, Jack decided to buy some sunglasses from a vendor. He had trouble choosing a pair (he says he is probably an INTP) but finally picked out some aviator-style shades that were normal looking. We stood in line for the armbands that would ensure our entry to the evening show, then made our way to the blues stage. Sorry, that's the "House of Blues" Stage, sponsored by Southern Comfort. No free samples of this fine liqueur were available, though. I don't think I've tasted it since college days!

We settled down on the lawn to hear T-Model Ford, an old black man. "I think I'm seventy-six years old, but I'm not sure. I can't read, and I can't write, but you can't beat me on this!" (points to guitar) "The only way you can beat me is to play along with me!" He sat down to play, accompanied by a drummer of about the same vintage as himself. These guys rocked! After a little while, I saw some friends dancing down by the right-hand side of the stage, next to a path. First I went down to speak to them, then went back and convinced Jack to move down there with me. In a few minutes Hep Jen and Joe Ross arrived, then various other dance folks, including Mark and Holly whom I'd been talking to last Friday.

I got to dance with several folks, enough to satisfy my dance craving for that part of the day. Jack walked up close to the stage for a bit; apparently T-Model Ford was using an unusual model of guitar for the kind of music he was playing. While I was dancing, Holly was talking to Jack about whether we'd be going over to another venue to hear Question Mark and the Mysterians (or is that ? and the Mysterians ?). Jack said (reported to me by Holly later) that it would depend on what I wanted to do. Gratifying! Anyway, that plan was fine by me, so we walked over to the other side of Seattle Center, past the craft booths and crowds, and through a maze-like path along the perimeter of the Center to the entrance to the old Arena.

The Mysterians were fine. We sat in the stands at the back of the hall, which was more comfortable for Jack's poor back (it pains him sometimes). This is a one-hit band, and their famous song is "96 Tears." Apparently they've been gigging ever since, with the original members, and developing their chops, so they sounded great!

Then it was back to the Blues stage for R.L. Burnside's brand of raunchy, down-home blues. It was a sunny afternoon, but I had applied sunscreen before we started out, and Jack insisted he didn't need it. After that band, we started to wander towards the book fair, but we were distracted by what we first thought was a Zydeco group. We stopped (still a good distance away, but we could hear and see clearly) and looked them up in the detailed schedule. They were a Canadian group called "La Bouttine Souriante," meaning the smiling something-or-other. They had an accordianist, a brass section, a drummer, and a very pretty girl tap dancing as part of the rhythm section. Very catchy! I defy anyone to be depressed when accordian music is playing.

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After fighting our way through the lines that protrude from any popular food stall once again (I don't know how they could arrange these better, but there must be a way!) We found our way to the bookfair (sorry! the Starbucks bookfair), a collection of small and local publishers of various sorts, hawking their wares. Jack was interested in the comix and graphic novels, but didn't make a purchase. We were both amused by a woman advertising her book about Love and Sex on the Internet. I was pleased to run across an old correspondent of mine from the days when I was doing more mail art (more than none, that is). Greg Hischak does the funny, dark, beautifully produced miracle of xerography, Farm Pulp. (P.O Box 2151, Seattle WA, 98111-2151) I immediately renewed my long-lapsed subscription.

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Before dinner, we watched part of the Big Nazo show. These puppeteer performers (or masked musicians and clowns?) are super funny! Original songs, big heads, fast pace. I loved it and would definitely see them again.

Jack was determined to find the Dixie's Barbecue stand, and after some hunting and asking we finally made it. I had a beef brisket sandwich without extra heat, and Jack had one with "The Man", as their hot barbecue sauce is called. Rich! but very good stuff. By then it was time to make our way to the stadium, for the concert that we had obtained arm bands for on arrival. Again we had to walk down a maze-like series of paths and chutes, first getting blocked by the crowd, then being urged to "walk faster!" by people whose job that apparently was. But we were walking as fast as the people in front of us; there was no way to go faster!

We sat for a while in the stands, listening to a salsa band that was the opening act, Bio Ritmo. Very appealing! And we saw Dan Osborn's shaved head gleaming out of the crowd, so I knew that I'd be able to catch up to at least some dance friends later. We walked to get a beverage, and I saw that the booths that were actually in the stadium included "Gone Troppo", my favorite clothing vendor! I would have bought some things, but I had left my checkbook at home, darn it! Oh, well, I think I really have enough dresses and skirts right now.

We walked down the stairs to the field, and found the dance crowd again. We chatted with them for part of the second band (Morphine, not really to my taste) then Jack and I went and sat in the stands again. Jack wanted to leave (work to do, you know!) but was concerned about leaving me at Seattle Center. (We had already discussed this several times during the day.) I reminded him that if he hadn't been with me today, I'd have probably been right there in the same spot by myself. Holly had said that we could go home together, whether walking or by bus. I was totally digging his courtesy and concern (though he admitted that it was partly a carryover from taking his daughters to Bumbershoot, despite the fact that I am one year older than he is!) but reassured him that it was OK for him to go. So he left when Morphine was done, and I went down to join my dance friends for Squirrel Nut Zippers, the main act of the night.

The dance group-mind decided to try to move closer to the stage. I walked along, but soon gave up on the idea of trying to dance there. It was rather crowded, and it was too dark. I might have tried if I had bought the glow-sticks when I had a chance, and put one around each ankle. Holly and I moved up into the stadium seats again for a while

The band itself was rather a disappointment. Their sound was muddy (not surprising in the stadium setting) and the playing was ragged (which they could have controlled, I think). But then, I'm not a rabid fan of theirs like some in the crowd apparently were. Holly and I could again see Dan Osborn and others dancing, in a circle in the crowd back where we had been originally, so we walked on back there. I did get some dancing in (better with no shoes on, it turns out, on the astroturf) so the evening wasn't a complete washout. The sound was even worse back there because it was bouncing off the stadium walls, but the crowd was digging us! Dan wrote on his site that he gave away about a thousand cards with his URL today. Holly and I left before the last number. I think a large portion of the crowd did the same!

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Holly and I walked back to the International Fountain in the middle of the Center grounds. We were supposed to meet up with a young friend of hers who had parked her car at Holly's place, since she doubted that this girl would be able to find her way back to Capitol Hill on her own, being new in town and all. But there was still quite a crowd drumming away at the fountain, so after walking around a bit, we grabbed a bench and decided to wait for the girl to find us. We chatted generally (it was at this point that Holly revealed what Jack had said when I wasn't there earlier in the day) and rested our feet. The girl (I can't remember her name) found us with cries of joy, and we walked to where I hoped we could get a bus back up the hill. Darn that useless number 8 bus! The last one of the evening was already gone. So my next proposal was to take a bus from where we were (the west end of Belltown) to downtown, where we would have an easier time making a connection. The very next bus to appear, after just a few minutes, was one that I realized would take me close to home, so on we got, and rode, and we wouldn't have to change!

Seeing folks I knew was the theme of the day, both dance people and even a guy from work, so Jack had been pleased that he ran into someone who runs the open mike nights at Crossroads Mall. So that theme continued when I met a Cacophony member on the bus, my friend Ashleigh! We chatted a bit on the way downtown, then Holly, her friend, and I continued up the hill to 14th and Union. It was just a few blocks more to walk for me, but the others had farther to go. But at least it was flat! Much better than hiking up one of the steepest hills in Seattle, if you ask me.

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So what a great couple of days! I do enjoy the time I've spent with Jack, since our first email contact in May, and first meeting in June. I'm impressed with his care and consideration of others, his sense of humor and fun, and his intelligence and talent. We've had great times together (see the Mask of Zorro, Fogerty Concert, Pi). And he's cute, too!