Little Stories from the Glitter and the Glue
Here’s a little story about Song#8: “Speechless”
Don’t know if you know this Sam, but Dee was actually a pretty instrumental fan to me.
You guys came to shows whether there were 250 people in attendance or 12. Whether it was a late and rainy weekday, or a perfect Saturday night.
I was always happiest on stage when I knew Dee was there. For all her health reasons and the fact you both lived so far away, I felt humbled by your presence and knew in my bones the difficulty involved in getting there. Even the last time I saw you, it was necessary to figure out how to get her and her wheelchair down a flight of stairs in that old Downtown building (below street level, no less). As always, she smiled when she saw me. As always, it was just what I needed.
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When I wrote Speechless, I immediately had this video idea that meant asking you and her to be the main characters. The idea centered around each of you being separated—physically apart from each other—but with an inkling that you would hopefully see each other again soon.
That’s because you were going to “a dance.”
And people came from miles away, all piled into this large one-room building…like some abandoned old church with a river nearby. Just to watch both of you dance. And these people wore feathers, and wore suits, and hats, and dresses and shiny shoes and whatever made them rise up. And the band played and played, with everyone taking a turn on the dance floor.
And then there would be the slow reveal of both of you finally meeting in the center of that dance floor, with a cheap, cracked disco ball focusing the camera’s attention on you. And then everyone joins in at the end. Fade to black.
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I found out that Dee passed through Facebook. Suzy, I think. Though I truly only knew you through the old FOC’er message board, Facebook, as well as our all-too-brief conversations at shows…well, I cried that night. Sad because my sweet friend was gone. Sad because I knew I’d never again get that little extra energy boost seeing her at the show. Sad having to tell my son that “Dee Bunny” was not alive anymore (that’s what my family calls her because of the stuffed animal she knitted him when he was born).
I sometimes like to imagine how that video would have turned out. I’d like to think that as shy as she was, and as clearly charming as I am, I could have convinced her to dance ….at least once.
And that makes me smile.
Sam, the song Speechless is dedicated to her. Hope you dig.
The Glitter and The Glue will be released April 7th, 2015. Pre-order it now.
