Frank Moore’s
The Uncomfortable Zones Of Fun
experiments in experience/participation performance

at Temescal Art Center, Oakland, California
Saturday, February 4, 2012

Ah, yes!  The new punked up flier worked!  It scared off the middle of the road people who want to be entertained, want a show for their night out, want to be passive with the illusion of risk within complete shells.  It may have scared off the good reviews in THE HUFFINGTON POST, etc.  But it did attract risk takers willing and ready to actively participate, explore, experience, experiment, improvise, play, etc.  So this night was very satisfying!  And people kept coming in all night!  I felt like a bartender!  The night kept going in different directions, sometimes in several different directions at once, all to the music of Kene-J [aka MY SON] and sometimes with Jason on sax.  We went through panic attacks, lame theater games, relationship fireworks which cleared some of the audience out, and into juicy erotic states.  I kept asking probing questions in my sit-down comic act on which several people commented.  I had a complex, deeply emotionally rich group of adventurous spirits to play with.  And I learned a lot.  For example, the guy who came off the street near the end of the three hours [he was just walking by and saw I was performing inside], informed me that in the 00s when he saw my jams in San Francisco, they called me THE KING OF THE LEATHER DISTRICT!  You learn something everyday! 

Da Boyz and Erika

This would be the first performance with the new flier!  Frank had added several lines to the flier … “Do you dare to be in experiments in experience/participation performance” and “ARE YOU HUMAN ENOUGH FOR THIS?”, and had Mikee re-design the flier itself, all hand drawn.  The new flier was amazing! And we would see if it had any effect on the kind of people who came to the performance … and it did!

As we were setting up, several people poked their heads in early … a couple of young Asian guys, and then an Asian woman, all of whom did come back for the performance.  Mikee's back was out!  Linda would be driving the van over!  But we were still ready by 8pm!  But people were coming in early, and a good group of people, and people were coming in all throughout the night! 

As we were finishing the set-up, Frank selecting the light gels, etc., Frank encouraged people to check out the free stuff, to sit down on the mat … and said, “This might be the best part of the performance!”

When the set-up was complete, and everyone was gathered on the mat, Frank said to everyone, “What an interesting looking group.” 

Frank turned right to the first person on his left, a black guy in a sweatshirt and jeans who had come in with a young woman, and asked him how he had heard about the performance.  He said that she had found it online, and what attracted them to it was that they liked to go to interactive things, performances, etc., “interactive play art” … and they have been to a lot of events.  Frank asked her, “What kind of play?”  As an example, she said, the Exploratorium at night, which was a completely different experience than in the daytime … more for adults.  Frank said that he had done that too, “in my youth”. 

Frank asked her what she does, and she said that she is a college student.  He is a “network systems engineer”.  We were to find out later that their names are Emmet and Heather.  She studies molecular biochemistry. 

Now Frank turned to the next person, a young Indian woman.  She had seen a flier, and then her friend, who was with her there, had also told her about it, as he was planning on coming.  She was attracted by the word “fun”.  Frank asked her if she liked “uncomfortable”.  She thought about it … she said that “uncomfortable” usually had a negative feeling for her … she said she didn't like to feel uncomfortable, but on the other hand, she liked to go outside of her “comfort zones”, so she guessed in that sense, that it could be a good thing.  Frank asked her what she does, and she said that she works in SF for a small nonprofit, Pesticide Action Network.  Frank asked he what she does for fun, and she laughed, saying, “I work for a small nonprofit ...”  But then she added that she likes to do things with her friends, like this, and gestured to the guy and the girl she came with.  She liked reading, hiking in the hills around here, and recently started running. 

Now Frank talked with the guy sitting next to her.  He was a graduate student in electronic music and recording engineering.  Frank asked him if he played an instrument, and he said, “Not well ...”  He said he used to play the saxophone in school, and he plays keyboards very badly …  Frank said, “I don't believe in 'not well'.  I like raw.”  Then he and Linda told the story of the Outrageous Beauty Revue band, and how Frank would only have them rehearse a song enough to get through it one time, and then it would go into the show.  And he would take the song out when they started to get good at it.  They basically learned how to play their instruments on-stage!  Raw!  They had started by trying to get “real” musicians, but the real musicians couldn't play raw, so they played themselves.

Frank said that he could play music, and the guy said ok tentatively …

Now Frank turned to a guy who he later said looked like Will Farrell!  When Frank asked him how he had heard about the performance, he said that he couldn't remember, and Frank asked, “I guess you don't remember what attracted you to it either?”  He said no, he did … it was a lot of the words on the flier that had attracted him to it.  Words like “shaman”, “erotic” … Also, he said that he is a performance artist himself, and does interactive performances, and so his coming to this was kind of like research … He was interested in how it feels for someone coming into an interactive performance.  Like he felt a little uncomfortable coming into the performance, a little nervous …

Frank asked him, “Have you ripped off anything yet?”  This got a big laugh!  He said yes …  He had noticed the way that Frank asked everyone questions … it felt to him like it included everyone in the performance, made people feel more a part of it, as opposed to presenting something to the audience …   Frank said, “Community.  Tribal.”   He said yes. 

Meanwhile, other people were coming in, including Jason the sax player from the last performance.  When Frank noticed him, he said, “You came back!”  Frank told him that there would be another musician coming, who would play keyboards, but that he could “get to work”.  Jason said he wanted to wait a little bit, if that was ok. 

Frank turned back to Will Farrell, and asked him to describe his performance.  He said that it was called “Knights of Reverie”, and he did it with a friend, and they called themselves, Sir Pomp and Sir Psycho, and dressed in Edwardian costume, and interacted with the audience playfully.  Frank asked him, “What kind of play?”  He said, “Not erotic ...” Frank asked him, “How not?”  He replied, getting Frank's hint, that he guessed that any playing was erotic in a sense … there was a lot of laughter, it made people feel good, connected …

Frank asked him how he got started doing art.  He said that he can remember a moment, when he was in school, and the teacher saying, “Anybody can draw ...” And he thought to himself, “So why did I just go to school for years for this!”  We found out later that he is a graphic designer.  Frank said that most teachers do not tell you that, and this segued into the story of how Mikee's teachers and boss were always telling him that he couldn't draw.  But when he started working with Frank, Frank had him start doing art projects, figuring that he was a graphic designer and could draw!  It was only one day, after having done fliers and other art projects for several years, that they were sitting around looking at the art, and asked Mikee when he realized he could draw … thinking he would say that it was when he was 12 years old or something like that!  But Mikee said it was only after he did the third project for Frank that he realized it … because his teachers and boss had always told him that he couldn't draw!  So when Frank went to the Art Institute of Chicago (didn't know how he got invited to speak there!) to speak to the incoming class of art students, he had Linda and Mikee cover a wall of the auditorium with years’ worth of Mikee's performance fliers, and everyone was looking at them before the event started.  Frank told them all the story of how Mikee thought he couldn't draw because his teachers in college told him he couldn't draw, etc. …  So, Frank told them, “Quit art school, and start doing art!” 

Frank also told the performance artist the story of how Frank took a painting class in college, really as a laugh, because he had been painting since he was in high school.  The teacher told him that he could not critique Frank's paintings because he did not paint them with his hands, but with his head!  Frank said that you would think that as long as they are on the canvas, you should be able to critique it. 

So now Frank asked the performance artist if he would perform now.  He said ok, and stood up, saying that he had recently discovered this game, which was a lot of fun, a variation on the “Ro-Sham-Bo”, or “rock-paper-scissors” game.  He had everyone stand up, and described how we would all mill about, and then find a person to play “rock-paper-scissors” with.  The loser of that game would then stay with the winner, becoming the cheering section, rooting them on in the next game, and it would go on like this until there only two left, and then someone would win!  So we played the game, and it became like a big noisy tournament, and was quickly over, shouting and cheering and rooting!  When it was done, and everyone was sitting back down again, Frank said, “We could play it again later, when everyone is nude.”  Laughter.  

Then Frank turned to the performance artist and said, “Did you notice my tactic?”  He replied, “Yes, you slipped in the word 'nude' ...” And Frank added, “Yes, and then I called attention to it, just in case anyone missed it the first time!” 

Now we think Frank turned to a young guy who had come in more recently, and sitting in the back, asking how he had heard about the performance.  The guy had seen a flier on Telegraph, and it had looked interesting, and then he was getting some ice cream, and realized that it was happening that night, and just kind of stumbled in ...   Frank asked him if he always stumbles into things?  He said something like, “Well, actually, yes ...”   Frank asked him, “Does that work for you?”  He said that it did!  Frank told him, “I like you.”  He replied, “I like you too!”  Frank asked him, “Why?”  He said, “You make me laugh!”  He was obviously enjoying the performance. 

Now Frank turned to a young man who was sitting with Jason the sax player.  It turned out that he was Jason's room-mate, and had come with Jason.  Frank asked him if he is a musician, and he said yes, he plays a lot of guitar.  Frank asked him if he brought his guitar, and he said guiltily, “No ...” We didn't have a guitar there, but Frank told him he could play keyboards …   He didn't end up playing. 

There were a couple of women who came into together, a black woman and her girlfriend, a redhead.  Frank asked the black gal first how she had heard about it.  Her girlfriend had seen the flier and thought it would be a good thing for them to do together, to “draw me out” …   Frank asked, “Draw you out into what?”  She replied, “So this is getting deep … that is the question …”  She said that it was something that was coming out in their relationship …  She said that they were trying to get to a point where they could enjoy being together, creating together, building the relationship together ...

Frank turned to her girlfriend, and asked her what had attracted her to the performance.  She said that she likes performing … Frank asked her if she performs, and she said, “Not enough.”  We think that Frank asked her what she would like to perform, and she talked about wanting to perform in a more organic way, as opposed to being up on stage, performing “for” people … more coming from herself, and connecting to other people … which was why the interactive nature of this performance was attractive to her.  Frank asked her if she would read a chapter at random from his book, “Art of a Shaman.”  She said she would.  Linda said she could come up and sit next to Frank … the girl chose the chapter titled “Art of Risking”.  Frank pointed out before she started the photo of him in front of the Chicago Art Institute.  There he was, as Frank put it now, thinking “What the fuck?!”  Everyone laughed! 

So she read a page or so of the chapter, and showed everyone the photos that accompanied the text, and then she got up and asked if she could read with the other mic, back where she had been sitting … she said the space felt too restricted … So she went back onto the mat, and continued reading, somewhat like a performance, the chapter.  But then, at one point, she handed the book and mic over to a guy who had been there since the beginning, in a wheelchair, for him to keep reading.  He asked if that was ok, for him to read.  Frank and Linda said sure, and he read the rest of the chapter.  A great chapter!  Especially in the context of Frank's conversation with the girl about how she wanted to perform, and also the conversation with the performance artist. 

Frank talked with the guy in the wheelchair now.  He had picked up a flier in a “restaurant in Emeryville”, and had been attracted by the feeling of the flier, and he had also looked Frank up online.  He worked in a law office as a paralegal, working on workplace and disability rights.  Linda asked if he had known Frank was disabled before he came.  Yes, when he had looked Frank up, he had found out more about him.  Frank asked him if knowing that Frank was disabled played a part in him coming to the performance.  He said that it did, that he was already interested in the performance, but that it made him more inclined to come and see who Frank was, and what he was doing. 

Frank asked everyone to come closer, so everyone was much closer to Frank and Linda, much cozier.  Now Frank turned to the third friend in the group that included the Indian woman and the guy who had said he didn't play music “well”!  She was a black woman with braids, who said she has just finished college and moved out here from Chicago to start her life.  Earlier, Linda had described how when Frank was invited to Chicago, they had his writings displayed in the museum, which was a strange juxtaposition, because his writings were talking about subversion and how museums were homes for dead art, etc.  Frank asked the third friend now if she had been to those museums.  She said that when she was younger they would have museum sleep overs, so she had been there, but not for a while.  In the course of talking with her, Frank had the occasion to hint that her friend, the guy, was still invited to play music, and hadn't played yet! 

Since he had said that he played sax, Frank asked Jason if he could play his sax.  Jason said sure, and set it up for him.  He took it and held it, set up the reed … but didn't play … 

There could have been some other conversation at this point, but it wasn't long before Frank returned to him and pointed out that he wasn't playing yet!  He replied that honestly he was on the edge of having a panic attack because the last time he had played was eight months ago, right before he had a mental breakdown.  Frank suggested that he could just hold it and go through the motions of playing it, but not actually play it.  He tried that briefly, and it was great!  Everyone loved it.  Frank asked him, “Did that increase or decrease ...” his panic attack?  He said that it increased it.  We think that the performance artist now jumped in and asked if he could say something … He said he was really rooting for the guy, Chris, to have a breakthrough, and play the sax.  Frank asked Chris if it would make his anxiety decrease to play the roto-toms nude.  Chris said a decisive no!  Frank said he could give the sax back to Jason, and he quickly did so, and seemed very relieved.  The performance artist asked, if it wasn't too personal, what happened to cause his breakdown. 

Chris described having spent years in film school, and coming to the end, putting together his “reel”, and feeling in the end that he had wasted all that time and money, and that what he had done was “shit”.  He overdosed on clonazepam, and spent some time in the hospital. 

Frank asked him what he wanted, and he said that he wanted to do something that was useful, that was helpful to other people.  He had realized that he did not want to go into film because people were so cruel to each other in that field, and now he was finding that it was the same in the recording field, and he was just about to finish his school for recording engineering and feeling that he did not want to actually do that.  He was thinking now of going into education, to teach young people … Frank said that he, Frank, dropped out of school … “a lot easier than having a breakdown”.  Frank said that he had one more semester before graduating, and Linda described how graduation meant that Frank would be back home with his family, isolated.  Being in school allowed him freedom and contact with other people.  So he dropped out, hitchhiked to Santa Fe, did not tell anybody he was going so they wouldn't try to stop him.  He had no money, and no where to stay, so he ended up in a crash pad for two months.  Frank repeated, “A lot easier than a breakdown.” 

Frank asked Chris if he is doing something meaningful right now.  He said, “No.”  Frank said, “I think you are,” and then asked for a show of hands from everyone there who also thought that Chris was doing something meaningful right now, being there.  Almost everybody raised their hands, and Frank pointed this out to him.  

Meanwhile, Kene-J had come in and got set up playing keyboard, but for a while it was very quiet, and Frank told him at one point, “Don't make me look bad, turn it up!”  He encouraged Jason to play with Kene-J, but Jason never actually got up to play sax until later. 

Now we think Frank asked Emmet, the performance artist, and the redhead, how the performance was for them so far.  Emmet said that he was enjoying it, he enjoyed the relaxed quality of it, but also that he really liked being involved in the performance whereas most things they go to they are just there to be entertained, not called on to participate that directly, and he liked that.  The performance artist said that he was liking it, and Frank asked him, “Are you getting ideas?”  He said yes … but now we are not remembering what the ideas were!  The redhead said she was enjoying the performance, but wanted “more”!  Frank asked her if she and Erika would undress each other and dress each other up in the costumes and jewelry.  She said sure.  So they got up and went to the costume area … the redhead spent a while picking out her own outfit, actually asking Erika which one was the “best” outfit?!  They undressed each other, although the redhead told Erika to leave her panties on, and put costumes and jewelry on each other. 

Meanwhile, we think Frank asked the performance artist to talk about how he came to do the kind of art that he does now, and somehow the artist's response turned into a description of an exercise that they would do in improv class, which was to throw their hands up in the air, like they had just won the gold medal, and say, “I am a failure and I suck!!”  He had everyone do it with him, and the whole room was shouting this!  He described it as a way to take the charge out of feeling that you had screwed up. 

Frank said that this was beside the point, because Frank had asked him to talk about himself.  The performance artist said that this really was about himself … and added that he would rather talk about where he is right now, than to go into the past and talk about who he was … and he was taking up too much attention in the performance … Frank said, well it is his, Frank's, performance, and he is asking him to talk about himself, so therefore he is not taking up too much attention.  We are not remembering exactly how the rest of this conversation went, but we did not really get to hear much about the performance artist personally … he seemed to evade talking about himself. 

Now, Erika and the redhead were sitting back down on the mat again, and Frank asked the redhead if she would perform something.  She said yes, but she didn't know what to do, what to perform, and asked the audience for ideas of what to do …   The guy who had “stumbled in” said that he had an idea!  He said she didn't have to do it if she didn't want to, and he confirmed that she and the other girl she came in with were a couple.  They were … He said that she could sing a beautiful song to her girlfriend about all the things she despises about her!  She said ok … but she needed music, or a tune to sing to, and was asking for suggestions … Jason offered to back her up on sax, and so they started …   Jason began playing in a kind of sultry torch song style, and she began … “Vicious! … you're so vicious!”  She repeated that phrase several times and then it segued into … “Anal!  You're so anal!  You get down on the floor, always scrubbing the floor! There's another spot on the floor! … there's a cobweb!  Another cobweb!  You need to sweep again!  How many roommates have you gone through because they leave dirty dishes in the sink!”  Her girlfriend was laughing all through it!  The song was great! 

Once she had finished, Frank suggested that her girlfriend could now do the same, sing back to the redhead what she despised!  So she started to sing, more like talking … she said, “You say I'm vicious, but your hair is all over the place, in the bathtub …”  And then she started saying something like, “The things I put myself through to prove to you that I love you ...”  But this is where she stopped … she said that she had to give the mic to someone else, and she leaned into her girlfriend and was pressing her face against her girlfriend's face, probably saying something …   Frank was starting to suggest that the two of them could now do a duet together, but she said she had to go.  It was a very heavy feeling, and she left right away.  The redhead was still sitting there on the mat, and Frank said to her, “If I were you, I would go with her.”  Her girlfriend said, as she left, “That won't be necessary.” 

Once she had left, everyone in the room was stunned.  Emmet said that he didn't think that the redhead's song was mean, it was a beautiful song.  The redhead said that it wasn't about the song … She got up to get changed back into her clothes. 

Now, Frank asked Kene-J if he would do his thing.  Two songs.  Kene-J came up and sat next to Frank, and did two of his rap songs, which are always great.  And while he rapped, the redhead changed out of her costume.  As she was putting her clothes back on, Frank said that he is available if she wants to perform.  She said, “Thanks, Frank.”  And soon she left. 

At some point soon after, others in the audience, including the performance artist and the guy in the wheelchair, left too … Linda said later that she had a feeling that they were going to be involved in what was happening with the couple outside. 

But before the performance artist left, Frank asked him if he would help Linda undress Frank.  He said yes, and they soon had Frank undressed. 

It wasn't long after this point that the three friends left, the group that included Chris.  But others came in … another group of three came in, and Heather, the college student with Emmet, made a gesture of recognition.  She didn't really know them, she said, but had met them at Lanesplitter next door just a little bit ago when she had left the performance space and went to get some pizza!  It was a guy and two girls.  Frank asked him what he does.  He said, “Nothing right now, I'm unemployed ...” Frank asked him what he does for fun, and he said that he likes to draw.  Frank asked him what he likes to draw, and he said, “I like to draw male genitals.”  So Frank asked him if he would draw his, Frank's, genitals?  He said sure, and Heather offered the back of a large envelope for him to draw on and Mikee brought him a pen!  He drew as Frank talked with his friends.  Frank asked the girl next to him what she does.  She said she is a graphic designer.  When Frank asked her what she designs, she said, “Logos on wine bottles.”  Frank asked her what she does for fun, and she said right away that she likes to dance.  “What kind,” Frank asked.  “Freestyle!” she said.  Frank asked if she would dance now.  She was replying even before he had the question all the way out, “Yes.  Yes!”  Her girlfriend would dance with her, and Frank asked if they would let Erika dress them in costumes for the dance.  They said sure.  And then Frank asked if they would dress in only the costumes, getting undressed first.  They said no, they liked their clothes.  One of the girls was saying she liked her vest!  Frank said ok, and so they went up to the open space in front of the big backdrop, and danced around a bit while Kene-J played keyboards … 

Another one who had come in was the Asian woman who had peeked in before the performance started earlier.  Frank asked her what had drawn her to the performance.  She talked in a nonlinear way about feeling safe in there, the nice lighting, there was good water and chocolate and she had gone out to get some food because she likes to give back money to the people who give her money, and that she had followed a good path to get there, and thought she would come in and give a few dollars …    Frank asked her what she does, and she said that she is a disabled mom of a 3-year old, and does home schooling and field trips, and goes to Temple … she talked about going to church on Sunday like everybody else.  She said she likes to knit and draw and create things, and she liked to make new friends. 

There was another guy sitting toward the back who Frank talked with also … he said his wife had seen a flier for the performance.  Frank asked where she was, and he said she couldn't come.  We don't remember much more of what he said!

Now Frank said that everyone left in the audience should play an instrument and join the band, and he, Linda and Erika would dance together.  Jason took up the roto-toms, and everyone else grabbed some instrument … the genital artist played a mean harmonica and train whistle … it was a great jam!  Frank, Linda and Erika danced erotically deeply in the darkened room with the slides projected on their bodies …   At some point, Frank had Linda and Erika go around and “get” people in the audience.  There was a guy who had come in with the other new people … he was sitting toward the back …   Linda and Erika got him, and Emmet, and Heather … Kene-J … the disabled mom …  Jason said, “No thanks.” 

After the lights came back up, Frank asked everyone to move closer, and the guy in the way back came all the way up front and center, right in front of Frank.  Frank asked him what he thought of the performance, and he said that he really had only recently come in, maybe a half hour, but said that he has known Frank for a long time.  He said it goes all the way back to when he first saw Frank at Julie's Supper Club in the leather district south of Market in SF.  Tonight, he just happened to be walking by, and noticed the signboard with the flier on it, and that it was Frank!  He went on to say that Julie's Supper Club was the best show he had ever seen, and Frank basically shut down the club!  It was the last time they had the big tent out back, which was there that night, and not long after, the club itself shut down!  Frank said, “How many musicians, nude dancers, and audience members can fit in a club?”  He totally got what Frank was saying about that performance.  He was just bubbling over with praise for Frank.  He said he used to live in that neighborhood south of Market, which was known as the “leather district”, and Frank was “The King of the Leather District” at that time!  He totally surpassed anything that had ever happened there.  And he obviously knew that Frank had later run for president, because he said something along the lines of that the Julie's Supper club appearance was “working up” to the presidential run!  He said, “You always blow my mind.” 

Now Frank turned to the others who remained and asked each person what they thought of the performance.  We think that Emmet talked about deeply enjoying the evening, and again about how he liked that he could be involved in the performance, and that he liked the way that Frank asked people questions.  His girlfriend Heather talked about how they go to a lot of events together, but that they sometimes have a hard time finding things to do.  She said that he will say sometimes that he just doesn't know what to do, and so she was always happy when she brings him to something like this that turns out to be good, that his eyes were open and he was having a good time.  Frank said, “His eyes are joyful.” 

Next, Frank talked with the disabled mother.  She spoke in a nonlinear way, saying it was very spiritual, “seagull-like”, “unattached”, “overtaking” and “under thinking”.  She said “it looks neat”, “looks young”, “looks small”, and she knows that she is there and its safe, and that she will go in the right direction in a bit …  She said something about the costumes looking great.  Frank asked her then if she would wear a costume.  She actually said that when she came in there, she felt like taking her shirt off because she saw other people with their shirt and their pants off … 

Frank asked her if Erika could undress her and dress her in a costume.  She said sure, and that she likes her body actually!  And they went over to the costume area and Erika took off her clothes, and dressed her in various items.  Erika said later that it was the first time she had undressed someone at a performance who was not wearing underwear.  She was very calm and comfortable with it. 

While Erika was undressing and dressing her, Frank talked with Jason the sax player.  Jason said that he admired the way Frank asks questions, how he “boils things down to what they really are” and sets aside all the bullshit that surrounds it … He said, “I feel like, just from seeing you ask those questions, I am going to ask myself those questions, and get down to the bullshit that surrounds my life.”  He said there has been a lot of bullshit in his life recently, so much of it that it is hard to see the truth underneath it all, and that Frank makes it easier to see it, and he appreciates that.  Frank said, “So this time, you did learn something.”  “Yeah I did,” he said.  Frank said that last time he had said ...  and Jason finished his sentence … that he had said that he didn't really walk away with anything.  Frank said, “But you came back.” 

Frank asked Kene-J to come sit on the mat, and asked him how many of these performances he has been to.  Kene-J said that since 2003, “maybe 50”!  He said that he liked the Wildcat Studio in Berkeley, where we did a number of performances.  He said that he always walks away with something different, because of different people's reactions … He said it was inspiring to him.  He related it to the fact that he is always recording music, and his experience of the performances comes out in his music, all the different reactions.  He said it felt good to be back, and he will be back again. Frank said, “I missed you.”  Kene-J said he missed Frank too. 

Frank said he wondered why the “Will Farrell look-alike” left.  That was the performance artist.  Laughter …

When the disabled mom was sitting back down again, Frank asked her how she felt in the costume, and she talked somewhat nonlinear again, in a kind of personal language, but that made sense … “I love my belly”, “I had to have coconut because its healthy” (she was eating some of the candy), and “I wish I had some toothpaste”.  She said she felt complete tonight, good and happy, “lots of water” … she said she felt more of herself, she felt good. 

Frank asked her if she would rock nude on his lap at the next performance.  She said, “No!” right away, laughing.    Frank asked why, and she said because he is older, and that she would rock on Heather's lap, because they are “the same size”, and she is like a sister.  She said, laughing, “I would do that.”  Frank asked her if she was saying he was “fat”!!  She said, “No.  I think his belly looks like a squash.”  Laughter!  Linda repeated this for Frank.  “Do you like squash?” Frank asked.  She said she does like her mother's cantaloupe soup, that it was like a squash soup.   The guy from Julie's Supper club said at this point, laughing, “I just want to say I am so glad I came in here!” 

Frank asked if she was saying he was old??  She replied by talking about Frank, Linda and Erika as being the same age, and same “size” … she said she wouldn't just go sit on Frank's lap, she wouldn't be naked … she said she loved her body, but she wouldn't … and then she pointed to Heather and Emmet, and this time said that she thinks they are partners, so she wouldn't sit on Heather's lap.  She said we are all friendly, but she respects people, so …  

Frank said, “On that note, The End.”

After “The End”, Jason came up and gave Frank and Linda a copy of a CD that his metal band just put together, and asked if Frank would do vocals on a track with his band.  Frank said he would love to!  So they would set it up. 

Also, Emmet wanted to buy a copy of Art of a Shaman, and Frank signed it for him, and inscribed it to him and Heather, “To Two Brave Adventurers”. 

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