In case you missed what happened Friday night when I came home from work, check out my post The Look of Love. Apparently Barry and Company are willing to throw a few long term fans under the tour bus to accommodate the bullies making the most noise - some of whom come to see Barry on a monthly basis.
I have other things going on in my life right now (impending surgery being one of them) and areas of my life where I want to grow - areas that don't include Barry.
This doesn't mean I'll never see him in concert again, although I'm not planning it, but I need a break. There's just too much drama in being a fanilow anymore.
With that said, how does one go about saying good-bye to Barry Manilow?
Here's a start:
T-shirts:
The Magazine, later called Barry Grams:
Tour Books:
Music books for the piano:
... to be housed in their own box, along with years of articles cut out of newspapers and magazines.
Calendars and more tour books and Barry Grams...
Let's not forget the copy of the screenplay for Copacabana:
A few of the LP's, the rest are still in storage from when I got married and moved.
All piled nicely into a plastic storage container:
Oh, and we can't forget the mousepad I bought in Vegas:
And now we're ready for storage.
Honestly, this isn't all of it, there's still the cassettes, CD's and DVD's which will also go to storage. Maybe someday I'll sell it all, but right now, I'm content with not having to look at Barry's face anymore.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, his pictures and music have been deleted from my iPod Touch. I still have them electronically stored, just not where I can get to them easily.
Au Revoir, Barry.
6 comments:
Well, that's done it. Mom just called and I gave her the news about being kicked off the fan club's site because of a bunch of bullies on there.
Her response? "WOODSTOCK?" and "the man with his hair sticking straight up in the air and would blow away in a strong gust of wind?"
Congrats, Barry, you've just ticked off a 76 year old great-grandma who doesn't care what she says! Her attitude, like mine, is that he can have his bullies if that's how he wants it. I'm sure they'll make charming visitors when Barry retires.
Dawn, you're doing the right thing. Put everything away for a while. I've been at the same place you are. The photos you posted look much like my collection. I wanted to burn everything in a big pile in the back yard. But it's against the law to burn trash in my town. ;-) So I waited, then sold LOTS of stuff. (There's $$$$ in that stuff, although some Fanilows blasted me for not giving it all to the Manilow Fund. Uh...no. We needed the money.) I did keep the tourbooks and most of the recordings, and a couple of other things. I gave away four or five (can't remember exactly) file boxes full of magazines and newspapers and clippings.
I've since made peace with my fandom. Don't know if I'll ever watch any of the many video tapes and DVDs I have. They might go one of these days to free up lots of storage. I won't be going to any more concerts. But I enjoy his pre-2002 music, and especially enjoy all those 2006 bonus tracks on various releases.
And I enjoy the Manilow newsgroup. So I hope after your surgery, and you're feeling terrific, you'll keep dropping by. Although I'm no longer the fan I once was, I still find keeping up with Barry's exploits to be a fascinating exercise. And there are some pretty great folks who post there, where there's no moderation, and we're free to post what we like. :-)
Good luck to you! And MUCH GOOD HEALTH!
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Dawn,
This weekend I saw a great show ...
And received a great wake-up call.
It's too painful for me to go into detail - let's just say that I got hurt, I had a long discussion with a good friend,and then came home to a conversation with my dad's doctor about his impending death. It was enough to wake me up. Finally!
Life is short.
Too short to waste any of it on negativity.
And I, from this day forward, refuse to let anyone into my life that doesn't respect me and care for me in ways I damn well deserve to be respected and cared for.
I see my total break from ALL things Barry to be one of the healthiest and most positive moves I will ever make.
And I know it will be the same for you.
Good luck with your coming surgery, and God bless. If you ever want to email me privately, please do, BMeskunas@aol.com.
Brenda
Brenda, first I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. Losing a parent is maybe the most difficult thing we can endure. Both of mine are gone, and also both of my husband's. May your dad's remaining days be peaceful.
As far as being hurt during your Vegas trip, they (Barry, Garry, Marc, fans, anyone) can't hurt you unless you allow them to. I learned that, and am much happier for it. But if you're truly finished with all things Manilow, including the old beaten-up newsgroup, good luck, and take care.
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Rachel has discovered one of those plastic bracelets that I purchased at the M store at the HIlton last year, to raise money for the Manilow Fund. She's decided it's now her favorite toy, so I guess I can't toss that into the box. :o)
Ha! She's turned a useless Manilow object into a priceless cat toy. Good job, little feline! Enjoy! :-)
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