Logo artwork ©Nick Haus 1999

The 1st Annual G lobal O n R eflection G iant G athering October 8 - 10, 1999 New York City "NYC-ya" Testimonials [ View Photos ]

DATE: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 03:11:02 -0400 (EDT)
FROM: Harry Silver (aka “Gary Green”)

Could I be the first one to post a message after that wonderful time I
just had? I don't drink, I found the keyboard with few problems...COOL!

My heartfelt sympathy goes to all who for whatever reason were not able
to attend. In my opinion the evening was an unqualified success and far
surpassed whatever expectations I may have had.

I haven't been with you very long but within thirty seconds of my
arrival I felt quite at ease with you wonderful people.

Your photographs and bios notwithstanding, I was gratified to find so
interesting and diverse a group of people:-)

I won't soon forget this evening. It took decades but I once again
shared the same space with a room full of GG people. It was a good and
warm feeling. I'm so very glad to have met you all. Until now you have
been, well, text! Now I've seen you, spoken and joked with you, and you
have become real.

I hope to see as many of you again as I can manage. Although Derek
didn't make it, I sensed no loss of good cheer. Indeed, after absolutely
amazing renditions of  several pieces of GG's music performed on the
Kaen, one of which turned into a sing-a-long (yelp-a-long) I felt more
like it was Derek's loss for not being there. He missed a good
experience. He missed something very special.

Thank you again for a wonderful evening. You are a fantastic and
fascinating raft of humans!

Harry (Gary Green for a day)


DATE: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 08:37:12 -0400
FROM: Richard Hilton

I can add nothing to this (incredibly as that may seem) except to say
thank you to all for being my friends ... I'd like to
say that I am honored and privileged to be in the presence of such
wonderful people. Words do not suffice to say what wonderful
feelings I have for every one of you who attended.

Best,
Rich


DATE: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 09:21:03 -0400
FROM: David and Stacey Shur

I concur.  Special thanks to Mr. Hilton for being the Heartland coordinator-
not an easy job with 50 people running around eating and charging food to
his card! ... 

I am stepping up to the plate to describe Saturday night, as no one else has
volunteered.  Due to prior family obligations, we got there late, so I
missed the the first 2 hours and dinner.  My wife and I walked in and
immediately saw a bunch of people wearing the GGORG tee-shirts designed by
Nick from California.  People were laughing and someone was making a speech.
The Heartland Brewery Mid-town is a lot different than the restaurant some
of us went to earlier this year for the smaller New York gathering.  This
one was huge, with high ceilings, and lots of windows.  Music by Shawn
Phillips was playing over the PA system.  As we walked in, a bunch of people
came over, and introduced themselves.  It was an incredible experience
seeing all these people in person.  Smack in the middle was Bert and his
lovely wife.  People were milling around, drinking, talking, introducing
themselves, discussing items from the digest, and simply having a great
time.  Ginny unleashed her kaen, and played some Giant tunes, and several
people chimed in with vocals.  At one point, In a Glass House was blasting
from the ceiling speakers.  People were exchanging tapes and CD's and simply
running back and forth to each other, as new introductions were made.  I had
to laugh as I watched the other people in the restaurant leaving.  They were
obviously puzzled why this group of people had on these black tee-shirts,
and were listening to this weird music.  Patrick handed out his flyers from
the poll, and Toby Trott gave out his "activities program" with a cover
drawn by Diana Green.  I believe Toby also took the actual attendance last
night, so I'll leave it to him to report on the final count.  Yehuda even
called from Israel, as he was unable to attend.  People started leaving
around mid-night, and we all hugged, shook hands, took pictures, and thanked
each other for coming.  I hope someone reports on the Friday activities and
the Sunday and Monday activities.   Again, special thanks to Rich Hilton for
all his efforts.  We had a wonderful time.  It was not a night any of us
will ever forget.  -David Eric


DATE: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 13:07:06 EDT
FROM: Paul Kane

I too would like to add my "so sincere" pleasure of meeting the coolest
bunch of people with impeccable taste of music & accomplished intellects 
to boot! Thanks to all who came to the heartland & made me a Giant for a 
day too :)


DATE: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 14:18:10 -0400
FROM: Jonathan Roberts 

> I can add nothing to this (incredibly as that may seem) except to
> say thank you to all for being my friends.

And to you, Rich. Plus a big thanks for handling the logistics and
heuristics of we mystics.

Great to meet everyone (just about) and to those I didn't manage to
talk to much or at all. I'm just a quiet sort of person (that is,
until my guitar amp warms up).

Do we have an inordinately high number of folks on the list who have
a hard time picking things out of a sonic backdrop?


DATE: Sun, 10 Oct 99 17:52:12 -0400
FROM: Kiirja Paananen

Hello GORGGeous people--  ;-)

I can't describe how many overwhelming feelings I had when I
walked into the restaurant at Quality Inn on Friday night and saw
your faces. This is the most incredible group of people I have
ever had the pleasure of meeting. I only wish I had had more time
to talk to everyone....

"There coming over Tappan-Zee bridge...."  ;-)

I am back from GORGG and I am incredibly elated to have met so many
awesome people, and yet sad that it went by so quickly.

This was my first trip to NYC which was somewhat overwhelming all by
itself, but I must say I left there with a much better impression of
the city than I expected.

Anyway it was, as they say, TOTALLY awesome. You will be seeing lots
of photos posted on the web-- I don't think they took this many photos
at the Academy Awards! ;-) There was also lots of beer drinking and
a great deal of hugging. ;-)

I can't describe how many overwhelming feelings I had when I
walked into the restaurant at Quality Inn on Friday night and saw
all those faces. This is the most incredible group of people I have
ever had the pleasure of meeting. I only wish I had had more time
to talk to everyone.

We totally took over the Mr Class and Quality restaurant much to the
dismay of the employees there...non-GORGG folks left in droves! :-)
Same thing happened at the Heartland on Sat-- we took over the world!
Pinky and the Brain would have been proud! ;-)

Tatsouru and Yoko served us a traditional Japanese breakfast Sat morning,
which was delectable! We watched a few Gentle Giant videos, which I have
never seen, and that was a very moving and enchanting experience for me.
I sat there thinking "how could anyone NOT love this band?" ;-)

I went on the CD shopping tour-- it wasn't in my budget but that's
what my "roomates" wanted to do so there I went! ;-) I planned to get
only 2 CDs (birthday presents to myself---hey someones gotta be good
to me...) --I got six... BUT two of them were under $2 so that hardly
counts ;-)  Two Caravan, Magma, Univers Zero, Entrain (a Boston band),
and Bela Fleck. I also received a tape from Tatsouru of a live Earthworks
performance from last May, a tape of In A Glass House from David Eric,
and Dick Dammits MIDI Mischief CD. Thank you for sharing!

Heartfelt thank yous to:
To Tatsouru and Yoko for their hospitality and chauffeur service. ;-)
To Rich for organizing the Heartland dinner.
To Toby for the name tags and puzzle books.
To Nick for the awesome t-shirts.
To V-Bert for general event coordination.
To Scott and Simon for the birthday presents. ;-)
To everyone for being so friendly and supportive and charming and cool!
;-)

Gentle Giant lives on in all of us. :-)

kiirja


DATE: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 21:43:42 EDT
FROM: Skip Rizzo

Hey there's DEREK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dr. Skull

p.s. awesome, simply awesome!


DATE: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 18:33:06 -0400
FROM: Richard Worthy

First off I would like to say what a pleasure it was to meet all of you 
last night. The evening was a rousing success in my opinion. I dont 
think anyone was disappointed that Derek never showed. (Afterall who 
needs Derek when you have Mammie!) To finally put faces to the names 
I've gotten to know the past couple of years was the greatest thrill of 
all. For all of you who are depressed that you couldnt make it I'm sure 
we could set up some private consultations with Dr. Skull! The evening 
began the same way for me as did last Januarys meeting. I walked in with 
my wife, The Dead were playing over the sound system and the first face 
I see is that of the man we all owe our thanks to -- Mr. Hilton. (How a 
man like him could have a Lady as nice as Honey for a wife I'll never 
know!) I started to make my way down the bar meeting everyone and then 
came to this strange looking man. When I introduced myself to him he 
said " Mammie --- thats all you need to know". When I was trying to 
picture what everyone would look like on my in that evening the only 
picture I could come up with for him was a large black woman. Let me 
tell you, I couldn't have been more wrong. after working my way all the 
way down the bar I got to meet Julian aka the ranting man and his lovely 
new wife. I noticed that he was sitting at the exact opposite end of the 
bar from Rich H. I hear that when they met there was a whole lot of 
flashbulbs going off. I have to get one of those pics! Over the course 
of the next hour or so between trying to get a drink from the 1 
bartender on duty I got to meet and get to know some of the nicest 
people I've ever met. The highlight of the evening was getting to meet 
Bert and Jorunn. Nicer people just do not exist! Over all the music was 
great (even tho the rest of the restaurants patrons were scared out of 
their wits by it) the company was even better and it appeared that a 
good time was enjoyed by everybody.I hope to get to meet even more next 
year whereever we have the 2nd annual GORGG.


DATE: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 19:42:10 -0700
FROM: Frank Lauria
Subject: gg: GORGG...

...was GGreat!!!

more soon

P-Frank


DATE: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 23:58:38 -0400 (EDT)
FROM: Mammienun

GORGGORGGORGGORGGORGG!!!! Wow! Fantastic! I'm just now home after 7 hrs.
and 4 buses, so the blow by blows will have to wait until tomorrow
evening at which time I'll have to come up with some kind of 'GORGG
poll'. I would like to thank v-bert, Hilton, my roomies Dr. Skull and
Jesus, the amazing Geir Hasnes, Scott Steele (for the 'Altoids'), and
everyone else for making this a weekend I will remember and cherish
forever. What a trip! E<EE--wz>z


DATE: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 00:43:16 EDT
FROM: Dave Lederman

At the Mr Class and Quality Glass House this afternoon talk of GORGG
2000 started. Since those on the right bank were pushing for a European site we
thought that England might prove an advantageous locale. It's reasonably
accessible to most, the language situation is easy to deal with for many,
and there's 5 of tBitB (out of 8) living over yonder so with some encouragement
and luck we might have some join us! Mebbe we could have it at the site of
the very first GGigg. Start saving yer shekels and planning yer vacations
folks. Round 2 should prove to be at least as much fun as the first!
Thanks to all those who helped get the first GORGG off the ground - special
thanks to V-bert, Hiltonius, Ginny, Jerry, Callisto, Tatsurou, Toby, guest
of honor Geir, and the patient spouses of various gigantes, for their efforts -
and of course Derek (har har hardehar har).

Big Whoops - In my fatigue and haste let me not forget Nick (of new yawk
;->) in the GORGG special thanks department. my apologies if I've overlooked
anyone else. (mebbe Mammie and Dr. Head - er Skull, for being themselves, 
you 'wild and crazy guys' ;->)

-dave


DATE: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 19:35:14 EDT
FROM: Marc Catera

As far as Derek not attending GORGG all I'm going to say is Si Brader, John
Jakob, Kiirja, and I had dinner with somebody who had a Derek Shulman
nametag, just ask them.  And It sure looked like Gary Green over there at
the table near Diana Green!!

Now, is it just me or are the jokes funnier now that I know the faces that go
along with them?

As said many times before THANKS to everyone who made this happen, without
you all this never would have left the good idea stage.  Thank you for and
unforgettable night.

The top quotes said or over heard at the Heartland Sat night:
1.  "OK, which one of these guys is Mammie?"
2.  "There's Derek, he just walked in, I think that's him, ahhh maybe, ahhh,
no."
3.  "That Honey Hilton seems so nice to be.........well, you know."
4.  "That KID is Julian Belanger?!?"
5.  "And with Radio City Music Hall in the background, that's pretty cool!"
(My wife after listening to Geir and Advent sing part of On Reflection out
on
the sidewalk)
6.  "Shhhh, What did he say?"  (As Geir was speaking)
7.  "Shhhh, What did he say?"  (As Bert was speaking)
8.  Hey, what's this playing right now??
9.  "So why are you people all wearing the same shirt, and who is this
(pointing to the giant)?"
10.  "Where's Bert? (many people when they first arrived)
11.  "OK, so which one of these guys is Mammie?"
12.  "Look at Simon going to work over there......"
13.  "If I'd have known I was going to listen to this I would have dropped
some acid before I came to work"  (the bartender)
14.  I can be pretty annoying, huh? (Me)  "Yeah, I know" (Kiirja)
15.  Man, so that's Mammie, huh.

And finally the memory most indelibly etched in my memory
Rich and Julian arm wrestling to decide once and for all who's right
regarding all O-R topics.


DATE: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 21:42:20 -0700
FROM: Laura Lauria

Hey everyone - Laura Lauria here.  Just wanted to say how great it was to
meet all of you on Saturday night.  While not being an O-R member myself, I
may as well have been after hearing Frank talk about it and talk about and
talk about it.  Every so often I would take Frank's place during a chat
while he went on to do something else but nothing prepared me for Saturday
night.

It was truly an amazing evening.  To finally put faces with all the names;
it was just great.  Never have I felt more welcome by a group of people that
I hadn't met before.  I'm so glad Nick's first "grown up bar" experience was
spent with all of you.  Midified Nick was just as amazed as I was.  Now if I
could just get him to stop sneaking sips of my beer.......

Too bad the weather didn't cooperate with us on Sunday.  I understand a jam
was to take place in central park.  Guess that didn't happen......? At least
we managed to trudge through the rain to visit Strawberry Fields before
heading back down the turnpike.  A great finish to a great weekend.

The company, setting and weather were all just perfect.  You should all take
a bow for pulling this off.

Gently submitted,
Laura Lauria


DATE: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 00:24:11 -0400
FROM: Drew W. Eaton

Hey all!

There will be plenty said in description of this event.  I won't go into
that.  I just want to echo the sentiments already expressed about how
special it was meeting all of you.  I was unprepared for how emotionally
overwhelming the weekend was.  No matter.  I want to say thanks to all of
you, just in general.  I specifically want to thank those of you who
inquired (sometimes repeatedly) about Janet's health.  (FYI, the latest
diagnosis is pneumonia.  I feel a bit of guilt for having left her at a time
when she was so ill but once she got over the drug interaction on Thursday
it seemed as though it was safe to leave.  Regardless, she's going to get
over this.  It will be history, and, for me, a part of the amazing story of
GORGG '99) You are all absolutely wonderful.  I hope it doesn't sound too
over the top to say I love the whole collection of you knuckleheads. :-)   I
also hope you all won't be shy about sharing your reactions.

Drew


DATE: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 10:41:05 +0100
FROM: Bill O'Reilly 

Dear All,

It was great catching up with you'll Saturday night in the flesh!  Thanks
again to Rich for taking that great leap of faith of having $4000 poised
over his mastercard (even it it was only for a short time).  Everything
seemed to go off without a hitch.  Great venue/food/beer etc.

Even though I was only in the country 20 hours ( and most of that time
seemed to be spent sitting in taxis) it was well worth the effort. A big
thank you to to Patrick and Gabrielle for giving me the night off by looking
after my daughter and congratulations on their new arrival Audrianna
(spelling?).

I look forward to catching up with enyone who heads over this way and
to GORGG-2000 in Amsterdam

O'Reilly


DATE: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 10:43:56 EDT
FROM: Dick Dammit (aka Damon Mathews)

Really!  That can't have been too much fun..running table to table to
collect! Thanks Rich!
(I especially loved it when he put on that apron and told people to "Kiss
mah grits!")

-DD-


DATE: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 02:06:29 -0400
FROM: John Jakob

The "BOZO BUS" arrived at its final destination, one final "honk" and off
into the night...

What a weekend!  People, beer,beer, people, beer, beer, beer...fun!

Is there anything more to say?  It's 2 a.m. I can't say any more.  I'm
overwhelmed.

John


DATE: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 11:33:06 -0400
FROM: Tatsurou Ueda 

I'd like to add to all the reminiscence of GORGG by
reviewing yesterday's California Guitar Trio performance at the
Bottom Line New York.

The show was opened by the amazing performance of Richard Leo
Johnson, the one-man guitar duo. His double-neck acoustic guitar,
6st. & 12st., was already spectacular to look at, but seeing and
hearing him run his fingers across the two necks was just amazing!

California Guitar Trio gave an outstanding show as usual. It was my
third opportunity to witness the three and I have to say that this time
it was so special in many ways.
First of all, the joy of listening to the wonderful performance with a group
of fantastic prople - Paul Kane, HarryGary Silver, Bert Vijn, Jorun Nome,
Geir Hasnes, Gary and Aneta Citro, Alan Benjamin, Rich Hilton and
my wife Yoko. (I hope I didn't leave out anybody's name here)
Secondly, there were new repertories - traditional Japanese classical
piece "Rokudan" was presented in precise fidelity to the original form.
(Hideyo Moriya said they came up with the idea of doing Japanese
classical music while eating Sushi and Tempura at a Japanese restaurant in
Salt Lake City). "Bohemian Rhapsody" was certainly one of the high points
of the night as well as the last one before encore - Beethoven's 9th
symphony. Thirdly, the band was joined by one of the best bass players today:
Tony Levin. Tony played 5st bass and the Chapman Stick on several songs 
including the world premier of his own piece (a beautiful one!) due 
inclusion for his new solo album.

Lastly, thanks to Geir's persistence, it was made clear that Tony Levin did
used to listen to Gentle Giant, and has been impressed by them. Also Geir
brought up that he and his friends should work on a GG tune for future
shows. Later Geir was also seen talking with Hideyo Moriya encouraging him to
add a GG tune to CGT repertoir.

After the show, and waiting around for Geir to finish promoting GG among the
performers, the group, though reduced in size to 6, took the rare
opportunity to listen to Geir's "lost GG tapes" in 6 volumes which include 
both published and unpublished tracks. By listening to some tracks we were
convinced that BITB still have a lot to offer to the discerning palate 
of today's music lovers. "Opening" and "Azreal's Tear" from the video game
soundtrack are not to be missed by all GG fans. A 1984 Gary&Ray single
(what's the title?) has very catchy _'80s New Wave_ groove and little 
Gentle Giant-ness that many of us will surely appreciate. To find the
existence of all that material is quite exciting. There's a lot to look
forward to in Under Construction 2 !

All in all, it was a memorable day that I wished would never end!

Tatsurou


DATE: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 10:58:20 -0400
FROM: Marty Mermelstein

I would like to thank all of you who came in to NYC on Monday to meet
me. I am glad to have mat all of you and put faces to the names. I hope
we do this again and that I have the opportunity to spend more time with
you next time.

Regards,
Marty


DATE: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 11:28:51 -0400
FROM: Dave Astley, Sr.

_________ANT SPEAKING___________

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY!

I am still choked! SOB! I am missing you all already.

GORGG! What a thing to happen. In my dreams I  could not have imagined a
better time. For those who couldn't or didn't make it. HA HA HA! HO HO HO!
Christmas is coming so ask Santa for a GORGG 2000 ticket. Shop early to
avoid disapontment. Even you circumcised boys out there who don't have a
Santa in your life. I have to go and take a shower now to wash out the last
remaining dregs of GORGG perspiration. No sweat. What am I talking about ?
Who knows? OVER TO DAVE

_____________ANT OUT________________

How can I follow that..except to say that I found the whole event to be
totally boring,the highlight being a monstrous BLT sandwich in HOG
HEAVEN!!,Oh yes,I did overlook the chocolate cake and the ride to Heartland
in the Skullmobile,meeting Rich Hilton was the biggest disappointment,WHAT
A BORE!!

the truth will emerge sooner or later..

love,

Dave Sr & Ant [I did hear that he fell asleep on the can]

DATE: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 16:13:41 -0400
Subject: gg: Post GORGG Blues

Hi All, its Thursday afternoon and I'm just about recovered from one the
most wonderful weekends of my life..words cannot express my feelings in
full so I'll try to keep them to a minimum.I'd like to thank all those
involved in organizing this great event,you know who you are..I'd like to
take a little credit too for finding the Mr.Class & Quality Inn,I enjoyed
myself so much,I forgot how old I was,but now I remember..I want to say in
all sincerity that I feel very fortunate to be associated with people of
your calibre,it seems like I have waited all my life for last weekend..I
have deliberately not mentioned anyone by name,I feel that would limit my
adoration,I just love you all..

Dave Sr.mature student


DATE: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 22:01:38 -0400
FROM: Alan Benjamin 

I only have a minute to write, but would feel guilty if I didn't put in a
quick word about what a simply amazing time I had at GORGG. Although my
expectations were unreasonably high, the event was exponentially more fun
that I could have possibly imagined (even with Derek's no-show). There are
so many people I want to thank individually, however I must postpone this
activity until a later time. For now I will just attempt, however
inadequately, to express my appreciation for all you wonderful people who
feel just as much a part of my family as anyone I know. Thanks so much for
a wonderful experience that will stay with me for life (as I hope you all
do too)!

Take care my dear friends,

Alan


DATE: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 09:51:44 EDT
FROM: Reginald Dunlop (aka Julian Belanger)

Hello Giants!

I enjoyed the Gorgg gathering in NYC a whole lot. I have a couple of
complaints, though.

1 - Derek Shulman NOT showing. LOSER!!!

2 - Led Zeppelin in the CD player at the Heartland Brewery gave me visions
of stuffing a cucumber down my pants and turning my amp up to 11.

I have a couple of fond memories as well.

1 - Watching Dr. Skull get down to Ginny's *Kaen* playing.

2 - Listening to Jesus Tapia describe Phil Miller's guitar playing which is
probably the best I've heard since the pioneering days of political
correctness.

3 - Kicking Rich Hilton's ass in an arm wrestle ;)

4 - Dave Astley's story about visiting NYC in the '60s was a classic as well :)

5 - I can't forget Jerry's dinner chat about those "Charisma Records" sound
quality gripes.

6 - Bert greeting me (the Ranting Man) with "Canuck Breath!"

7 - Last but not least...my run in with Dick Dammit. Here's the dialogue.
Julian: "Hey Dick!" DD: "Who are you?" Julian: "Julian The Ranting Man" DD:
"Ahhhhh! YOU GOOFBALL!!!" :) Then, Dick Dammit walked away. I spoke to him
later, though. :)

My wife thought the whole thing was a blast. Ain't nothing like listening to
National Health while dining I say.

REG


DATE: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 12:44:39 -0400
FROM: Drew W. Eaton

> 1 - Watching Dr. Skull get down to Ginny's *Kaen* playing.

In defense of Skip, that wasn't him, it was me.  Skip wouldn't do anything
so blatantly silly  ;-) .  I can't even blame alcohol, having consumed all
of maybe 2 pints at the time.

Drew


DATE: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 11:55:54 EDT
FROM: Simon Brader
Subject: gg: DisenGORGGed

Hello,

I went to New York and had quite a nice time.  I met some people on the
First day. Then I met some more people on the second day. Interestingly,
the same people that I met on the first day were also there on the 
second day. On the third day some of the people I met on the first day 
and the second day were also there. But some weren't. We had some drinks
and some food in a hotel on one day and in a bar on another and then, 
on the last day, we had more drinks and some food in the same hotel 
as the first day. Everyone was nice.

Then I went home.


DATE: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 11:57:38 EDT
Subject: gg: EnGORGGed

Hail friends,

(Henceforth that takes on a whole new meaning!)

What a weekend. Magical, wonderful, unforgettable. I have never before met
such generosity of spirit, openness of hearts and kindness of souls. Leaving
the ggang in the hotel on Sunday was one of the most gut-wrenching things
I've ever had to do. I had a lump the size of the big apple in my throat all
the way back home.

To each and every one of you, the greatest deepest thanks and love.

Go well,
Simon
"We are living in days of wonder"


DATE: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 09:53:02 -0700
FROM: William Tindall

Beautiful.  Perfect.  Exact.  Gorggeous.

Beautiful,
           Bill


DATE: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 13:28:41 EDT
FROM: Virginia Landgraf

Friday night I arrived at the Mr. Class & Quality Inn at about 7:30.  Toby
Trott was greeting us with nametags & booklets.  Tatsurou & Yoko, Rich,
Gary, Jerry & Eileen, Bert & Jorunn, Alan, Simon, and several other people
were already there.  Simon immediately told me we shared a birthday and that
I squinted all the time when I laughed (do I?  I never realized it before).
This led to some really strange expressions being made by both of us (if
that got photographed, you know the story behind it).  At one point I
mentioned a Sacred Harp singer who shares our birthday and so ended up
describing Sacred Harp singing conventions as "the Watersons to a factor of
forty." ...

I bought some CD's from Bert (truly the most scrupulous and over-apologetic CD
salesperson in the world) and learned how to pronounce Jorunn (accent on the
first syllable).  We almost got off on a Scandinavian languages thread (not
that I speak any, but in my current temporary job I sometimes have to type
them and want to tell them apart).  Tatsurou looked over my just-purchased
CD's with interest.  One of them was Le Orme's _Contrappunti_, which
somebody said was their best album (it *is* good, but I still think _Felona
e Sorona_ is better).  There was a thin guy without a nametag with unruly
dark hair, a scruffy beard, and a purple Texas Christian University shirt.
FROM the shirt I thought he might be a less clean-cut member of the Promise
Keepers conference welcomed on the sign at the hotel, but it turned out it
was Mammienun.  Bill T and Nick walked in (I think when Si and I were making
those strange expressions on our faces).  The Bozo Bus arrived.  None of us
expected Drew Eaton to look the way he does (I thought he reminded me of
Dave Pegg, though not in the specific facial features department -- he
thinks it's the pate).  At one point Jesus Tapia was making a videotape and
I ended up speaking some Thai and singing the Thai cat song.  Jerry asked me
if I was sick because I hadn't played kaen yet.  Finally Eileen got me to
play and I plunged into a medley of Reformation hymn tunes which segued
directly into "Wreck."  Then Gary said that Geir had been outside when I'd
done it so I had to do it again.  (Not a punishment!  Did any of your
parents ever tell you, "If you don't have a good time you'll have to go back
and do it all over again"?)  I had to run for my bus shortly after 10, so
others will have to fill in what happened later.  On the bus one of the
passengers inquired about the case so I opened it up, and the driver let me
play.  Another passenger said it sounded like a cross between Paul Simon and
Yanni (I haven't heard the much-derided Yanni, and I assume he meant the
South African accordion playing on _Graceland_).

Home after a bus and 2 trains on Friday night, I stupidly started playing
Bert's CD's when I got home, so missed more sleep.  Saturday morning I was
too hyper to care, and we had a great lunch at Caravan of Dreams in the East
Village.  St. Mark's Sounds seemed like a pretty generic large used record
store (I seem to recall it being better 15 years ago -- or was it that my
tastes were more hip to their selection 15 years ago?), but Mondo Kim's
actually had "Canterbury" as one of their category labels.  (We couldn't
find any GG in the store though, so there are gaps).  With the CD's I bought
on Saturday, plus the ones from Bert, and other recent acquisitions, I have
enough to last for the year, thank you very much.  (But will I be able to
keep from buying new ones unless I totally turn off the internet?)  At the
end of the tour we missed meeting Dr. Skull's party at Washington Square
Park (CD browsing always takes longer than you expect), and so I played kaen
while Bert tapped on his hand drum while his leg was resting up in the
V-Bertmobile.  (Bert, I hope I wasn't too much of a reckless driver.  If
they had speed limits for pedestrians in New York I'd be ticketed every 3 or
4 minutes, cited for weaving, and eventually my license revoked).  A young
man walked by with vinyl LP's by Big Star and the 13th Floor Elevators, so
he & I started talking about college radio garage music.  An old man was
curious about the hymn tunes I was playing.  A drunk man tried to get me to
play somewhere else but I had a prior engagement -- and we were off to the
Heartland! ...

We were allowed to put 5 CD's into the changer at a time.  Scott Steele
contributed 5 that he'd bought that day (what was the address of that store
you went to?), including some Thinking Plague and Phil Miller.  I put in
AtT, National Health, a Malicorne album that has mostly a capella tracks
(which were hard to hear over the conversation -- in retrospect I should've
chosen one with more instrumentals that would have been easier to hear),
KC's _Black_ and Tull's _Stormwatch_ (the last of which was never lit upon by
the randomizer).  When "Tenemos Roads" came on we all cheered, and clapped
at the end.  I heard that somebody overheard some "regular" restaurant
patrons wondering why we were all cheering for the CD player...

Sunday I was a "missing piece" (see below) but Monday we had a delightful
lunch with hard-working Marty, Dave Sr., Ant, John, Diana, Drew, Nick, Gary
& Aneta, Rich, Geir, Bert & Jorunn, Tatsurou & Yoko, and am I leaving else
out?  Topics discussed included the Stranglers, the Reapers' Christmas
Album, and the nature of freedom.  I had better not go into all the
implications of this last one or this message will get *much* too long!  ;-)

> Too bad the weather didn't cooperate with us on Sunday.  I understand a
> jam was to take place in Central Park.  Guess that didn't happen

No, it didn't.  I had left Princeton about 8, so I didn't get Alan's or Dave
Lederman's phone calls until that evening.  But I didn't play kaen in the
rain (it can stand some water but it's unwise to keep it in wet conditions
for long) -- in fact the only playing I did all day was after the service at
5th Ave. Presbyterian Church, when some curious people asked me about it.  I
had run into more people I knew than I expected at church so I was running
late, so I'm relieved that none of you tried to meet me at 12:30.  After
making it to Columbus Circle and seeing no one I recognized under the
umbrellas (nor being able to figure out a dry place to play), I felt as if I
had 2 options: go to a museum and hope some other GORGG'ers might be there
(but that's like finding a needle in a haystack) or go to the regularly
scheduled Sacred Harp singing in Brooklyn.  I decided to go to the singing,
and it was terrific and ecstatic, and I only wish those of you who would've
dug it could've been there, especially since I didn't have a chance to say
good-bye to some of the out-of-towners who weren't still around at the
Monday lunch (e.g., Bill T and Scott -- they said you got in at 5 in the
morning.  Tell us about your adventures).  Then I relaxed at the 10,000
Maniacs show at the Bottom Line -- I thought Drew might be there, but he
wasn't...

> Come on Gorggers...get with the program! What was your 'defining moment'
> of last weekend?

The sense of exultancy over the music during "Tenemos Roads."  Rich playing
air keyboards, everyone cheering at the climax.  People cheered for "Black
Cat" and TH,TS,TR too, but they weren't as long and didn't sound as loud on
the CD player, so there wasn't that same sense of build-up, even though
these were GG.


DATE: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 12:44:57 +0000
FROM: Diana Green

    Too frazzled still to make a detailed GORGG report, but I would like to
offer some random observations:

    Three acts I heard for the first time there: Tasvillanian Presidentti 
(I KNOW that's spelled wrong), Mr. Sirius, and that wonderful Japanese
classics/rock band Tatsurou showed us the video of - sorry I can't remember 
their name.

    When Geir got up to talk, he remarked, "we have this wonderful voice
playing now for me to talk over..." That was Shawn Phillips! I felt so 
vindicated!

    I want to thank everyone who worked on putting it together- great job,
all!- but it's very important that I publicly thank Tatsurou and Yoko, 
as well as Drew and all the boys on the Bozo Bus- John, Ant, Dave sr.-
I could never have gone without your generosity.
More when my synapses begin firing again...

High point of personal note: Tatsurou drove Ant, Nick & I out to an overview
point to see manhattan at night. wonderful ride, beautiful view, much
silliness with running Ant down as he snapped us getting into the car, and 
that great Mr.  Sirius and Gryphon music on the ride back!
    personal sidebar: to show his bravery, Tatsurou put three artists in his
house at the same time. And it's still standing!

> What was your 'defining moment' of last weekend?

So many it's hard to pick. My first thoughts, in the order they come to me:
Running through Soho trying to keep up with Ginny.
Seeing the Japanese Yes box.
Playing Kiirja's guitar.
Meeting David Eric.
Sitting by Dr. Skull and living to tell the tale.
Exchanging Grouchoisms with Rich.
8 hour bull session on the Bozo Bus!
Vegetarian jazz brunch.
Seeing the Manhattan skyline at night.
Singing "walk a million miles" to Mammie!
But the best part for me had to be:
 (drum roll, trumpets, Mr. Sirius sings a few bars)
Tatsurou and Yoko's traditional breakfast!
New (and some familiar) foods shared with people I was starting to really
know, with the anticipation of a memorable day in all our minds. Good music
plays as people of like minds share ideas and enjoy one another with the
promise of something even more unforgettable in the offing: what could be
better than that?

still,
diana

ps- Dr. Skull- keep throwing those coasters, you'll hit that fan yet!


DATE: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 09:56:19 EDT
FROM: Simon Brader

I'm sure the photos will be published soon, but for those of you who sadly
couldn't attend, I thought I would flesh out some of the characters who
defiled New York with their presence last weekend.

Richard Hilton:
With his tall, athletic build and cascade of flowing locks, you could easily
mistake Rich for Fabio. A shy, unassuming man, he kept himself very much to
himself throughout the event. Deeply insecure, he hired a gorgeous 'Honey'
from a modelling agency and tried to pass her off as his wife. We saw right
through the deception, as the girl did not carry a white stick.

Skip Rizzo:
AKA 'The Shy One'. Bespectacled, balding and the archetypal 9 stone
weakling, Skip amused us all with his collection of identical Brooks Brothers
button-downs and tasselled loafers. One highlight of the weekend was when 55
O-Rers gathered round encouraging him to say 'boo' to a goose. It was a
dismal failure. However, don't be mislead. This man will be the Republican
senate candidate for California next year. His anti-drink, anti-drugs,
anti-porn, anti-violence polemic bore the pants off us all. A politician to
his manicured fingertips.

Toby Trott:
AKA: 'The Man with the Upside-down face'. Toby came direct to GORGG from a
Paris catwalk show where he was modelling the latest Calvin Klein creation,
'Retreau'. Always the first down for a light breakfast of fruit and muesli,
after his 5 mile run, Toby astounded us with his attention to detail as he
handed out name badges for GROGG '97.  With his boyish good looks, there 
is something really distinctive about Toby, but I can't put my finger on
it for the moment.

Eileen McCarthy:
Babe.

Jerry McCarthy:
A bastard. She is way too good for you.

Gary Citro:
A nauseating oaf who did little to help the event except run around like a
blue-arsed fly picking up VIP guests and taking good care of them. You just
can't get the staff these days.

Drew Eaton:
On the surface, this mild-mannered obese bank clerk appears to be a caring
and compassionate soul. However, closer examination reveals a beast of dark
depravity. Our suspicions that he was in fact a Pittsburgh Steelers fan were
soon confirmed, but it was his insistence that the hapless Dr Rizzo use his
laptop computer to surf for obscene and disturbing images (and making him
save them to disk!) that really gave the game away. For relaxation, Mr Eaton
used to throw his dog off the back of a moving pick-up, in search of
lesbians.

Dave Astley:
Dave Astley is 98 years old and the second oldest member of the list. His
greatest regret is that he has never met any of the members of Gentle Giant.
It was difficult for us to get a clear impression of his personality because
Mr Astley hardly ever speaks. Even when he does, his broad German accent is
virtually impenetrable. However, he will stand out for all of us as the man
who drank the bar dry of Diet-Pepsi.

Ann Catera:
Babe.

Marc Catera:
A bastard. She is way too good for you.

Mammienun:
AKA: Joe Unpronouncable or 'Preppy'. Arriving in his brand new Porsche, Mr
Nun (who made his millions by discovering where the shift key on a Web-TV
console is) immediately made for the nearest barber shop before heading to
the local gay bars.  When last seen he was writing 'Would anyone like to 
see my Slick Woody' on the restroom walls.

Scott Steele:
AKA: The Scarlet Pimpernel. It was impossible to keep tabs on this short,
wiry livewire! Whenever a conversation about fusion broke out, up popped
Squeele to change the subject. Immediately recognisable in his Saville Row
suits, Mr Steele is nonetheless very careful with his money. His one
indulgence all weekend was an .88c cut-out bin copy of Starcastle's debut
album. (There was an amusing inscription on the inner sleeve which read 'To
my ickle Richy; just what you asked for. Love HiltoniMum, Xmas '75)

Diana Green:
Apparently Diana can write with either hand, which must be a blessing in
this mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world. After the main course at the
Heartland, she had some cake. And eat it too.

Geir Hasnes:
Geir is a member of a long-lost pigmy tribe from Patagonia. He had never
before been subjected to the white-man's world. As an anthropological
experiment, he was exposed for the first time to the boogie rhythms of
Gentle Giant. However, communicating through a guttural dialect and 
by making sign language with his genitals, he seemed to be telling us
that in his village the only God they worshipped was Ricky Martin.

Ginny Landgraaf
Winner of the 'most nicknames' prize. Gginny or Shorty or Slowcoach or
Stagestruck Landgraaf as she was variously referred to, is a mystery wrapped
inside an enigma. The least musical member of the group, Gginny saw it as
her mission to explore every last bar in the city despite the protests of the
more spiritually enlightened. Her hunger for fleshly pleasures was such that
she lost the power of speech. If there is anyone who actually did hear her
speak, please let us know! When last seen, she was standing on a barstool,
her stumpy little legs straining to raise her high enough to catch the 
barman's attention, so that she could buy a round of double Jim Beams 
with frosted Jax on the side for a group of Taoist monks.

John Jakob:
He may be smooth and svelte but appearances can be deceptive. A rabid
anti-smoking fascist, John wore a Michael Jackson style facemask throughout
the proceedings. John recently bought a new-fangled contraption called a
'tape-deck' and is confident that one day in the next few years, he will
master its fiendish complexity. He could not be cajoled into sharing any of
his attempts so far for love nor money.

Yoko Ueda:
A babe.

Tatsurou Ueda:
A bastard. She is much too good for you.

The Family P-Frank:
Role model for the Addams family. The sight of those kids devouring their
meals of bugs and worms whilst Mr and Mrs P had deviant sex whilst hanging
from the chandelier was quite entertaining in fact.

Bert Vijn:
An evil and manipulative monster. Surplus-Bertus was so arrogant that he
refused to speak English all weekend. Having climbed on board the GORGG
bandwagon at the very last minute, Bert nauseated us with his barbaric
displays of charm, friendliness, humour and intelligence.
There is, believe it or not, an even darker side to this Scandanavian-based
Svengali. His base needs, his depraved appetites were such that he spent the
entire time in New York looking for a 'pusher'. Once the speed had kicked
in, he would career round Manhattan like a demented dervish, pausing only
occasionally to suck face with his slave-girl.

Jorunn Nome:
A beautiful, sweet, lovely girl wholly under the spell of the Eeeeeevil
V-bert.

Jesus:
Our second most famous guest.

Derek Shulman:
What a guy! First to arrive, last to leave. I lost count of the number of
rounds he bought for us all. He is, it has to be said, incredibly patient
and giving. No autograph request was too many, he didn't refuse any of 
the girls a trip to the Simon Dupree Wagon that he had so thoughtfully 
brought along and as far his promise to reform Gentle Giant with 
immediate effect, well, what a climax!!

Kiirja:
With her dark Latin beauty and bloodshot eyes, 'Gabby' was the talker amongst
us. Using her (more than) ample girth to barge her way into crowds, she
would monopolise the conversation. Strangely, no-one knows on which date
'Busty' was born. No matter how much she was pressed, or how much some of 
us wanted to press her, she remained mysteriously silent on the subject. 
Is there more to this than meets the eye? Kiirja's biggest ambition is to 
move back to France and open Un Restaurante De Cheval.

Dick Dammit
AKA : Damm Dickit. Damon disgraced himself by being arrested for
ICOAWWUTIOASJ on 42nd Street. For those of you not familiar with the NYPD's
crime acronyms, this means he was In Charge Of A Wheelchair Whilst Under The
Influence Of A Sports Jacket. Luckily this was Central Manhattan where the
penalty is a condescending sneer. It would have been much worse had it been
in Harlem. Then he would have had to wear shades and become a strip-joint
owner and pimp.

Amy Benjamin:
Babe.

Alan Benjamin:
A bastard. She is way too good for you.

Julian Belanger:
Julian is the oldest member of O-R, although he was accompanied by his
beautiful child bride. It may just be me, and I don't want to cause offence, but
does this man have an opinion on anything? I gave him a quiz to complete. It
was a multi-choice to the question 'Are you indecisive?' He ticked the box
marked 'Maybe'! Mind you, he did cut a dashing figure in his 'Jimmy Page 
is God' T-Shirt when he arrived. Later in the evening, he disappeared 
with a marker pen, only to return having added the words 'And so is Rich 
Hilton' on the back. Julian was somewhat embarrassed however, to be beaten
in an arm wrestling contest with P-Frank's youngest. As a result, Julian
has promised to take her advice and listen to Voivod.

Bill Tindall:
If you have ever wondered what the Seven Dwarves rolled into one would be
like - look no further. Bill is a master of deception. To the casual eye it
seemed like he was asleep during the entire event. However, closer
examination revealed the true cunning of the man. He really was asleep
during the entire event. Always desperate to avoid buying a drink, Bill 
finally ran out of excuses by the Monday and had to use the old 'I've 
blacked out, collapsed and been rushed to hospital' ploy again.

Ant:
A real Noo Yoiker. Ant took time off from his duties as Capo di Capo of the
Vegan family to walk amongst the 'normals'. I'd heard New Yorkers liked their
steaks rare, but Ant's was still mooing! Apparently his tattoo, 'Networkers
do it in Interconnected Fashion' was done during a stay on Rykers Island
having been sent down for smuggling offensive coats over the Canadian
border.

That's all Folks. If I have missed anyone I shouldn't have, tough! If I
have offended anyone, then my work here is done ;-)

Thanks for the memories,
Go well,
Simon


DATE: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 08:15:32 -0700 
FROM: Bill Tindall

Simon, you left someone out.  You're such a self-effacing unselfish
unbastard, I feel it is my duty to tell the world of your charms, so:

Simon Brader (Pronounced "Broader"):  This humourless imp kept us
all in stitches by staying completely to himself.  His "I'm not here, I'm
with your wife" prescence was truly appreciated by all who had wives.
Shunning the current trends in fashion, Si displayed an almost rebellious
sense of sloppiness, looking more like a pile of rags than a man.  The
Potato-sack was very fetching, and the "Hat made of Pickles" was a winner.
His closely shaved face was the subject of much discussion, the results of
which are currently unknown.  He is a very shy and retiring satyr, and all
that were present still wonder, "Who let HIM in???"

Bill "ZZZZZZZZZZZ" T


DATE: Thu, 14 Oct 1999 14:01:06 EDT
FROM: Marc Catera

I think we all need to get "Simon Brader thinks I'm a bastard" T-shirts for
GORGG 2000  I had already started working on my treatment of Si then I read
Bill's but I'll do it anyway.

Si Brader showed up in a fashionable plaid short sleeved dress shirt, high
water  lime green polyester pants and masking tape reinforced eyeglasses,
that really made an "I'm vain, I get to do this," statement.  I suppose it
was attractive in some weird "Benny Hill, the Final Days," sort of way.

It was immediately evident that Simon was uncomfortable around others
expecially members of the fairer sex. In fact, Simon insisted on sitting
between me and John Jakob at dinner so he would not get exposed to any "girl
germs, eeewwwwww!" from my wife or Kiirja. It was also obvious that Simon was
not very educated in proper behavior.  All throughout dinner we repeatedly
reminded him that it was not polite to pick his nose at the table.
Eventually, he stopped digging, offhandedly remarking something about
finally having gotten enough saved to eat later.

Communicating with him was also quite a chore, using a series of clicks,
spits, and phlegmy coughs to make is thoughts known.  This resulted in an
almost constant line of saliva drool puddling in front of him.  That did not
prevent him in any way from quoting directly the lyrics of Donny Osmond, Leif
Garrett, and KiKi Dee songs which seems to be the only music he knows of. He
was constantly asking people what that disturbing devil music was playing
on the stereo.

Probably the most disturbing part of the evening came near the end when while
standing by the door, Simon looked at a male patron not connected to GORGG
and said, "C'mon lets blow this place, you know what I mean?"  He nodded,
winked and then suggestively motion the poor fellow to leave with him for "A
bite to eat." The guy ran out of there faster than a 12 year old girl 
runs into a general admission Spice Girls concert.


DATE: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 12:00:04 +0100
FROM: Ant

For me there were many parts to this thrilling few days.

Pre-GORGG at Dave Astley's in Toronto, where I also met John Jakob.

The great Mobile party on the Bozo bus with you Dave, John and the
hilariously entertaining Diana.

The 1st night at the MQi. Talk about emotional rush!

The fun stay at Tatsurou & Yoko's with Dick Dammit, Di, Kiirja and
Nick. I haven't giggled so much since I was at school.

The Heartland - Nuff said!

Hanging out, shopping and seeing Ginny busk with some of the gang.

A rainy day in NJ at the MQi again. Yes I did fall asleep on the
carzie but it didn't detract from my enjoyment.

Lunch with Marty M and a few stragglers including Bert and Jorunn.

More Bozo adventures back to Buffalo on the bus albeit with flagging
energy.

A last taste of Astley hospitality and frenetic music in Tronno.

It all added up to the trip of a lifetime.

Ant