Sunday, August 21, 2011

A Beautifully Blue & Glittery Highlight from Tour


Okay, let’s talk about one of my favorite days on tour.  My friend Michael just sent me some pictures and it reminded me of this particular day.  I want to share both the story and a photo.
My friend Charlene said she wanted to do my make-up before one of the shows.  I said great.  However, Charlene and I have very different styles and looks.  She rocks the glitter and pastel colors like no other.  Me, not so much.
Charlene said I couldn’t look until it was all finished.  
Well, when it was all finished and I could look, I saw my face, but with Charlene’s make-up.  Lots of light blue eye-shadow and lots of glitter.  And it just wasn’t quite right.
I looked like a raccoon impersonating a mermaid.   
And so I repeated a phrase I came to use often at this point in tour, “Well, I don’t know anyone in France.”
Unfortunately at this same moment, a pile of glitter got into my eye and I began to cry, with just the one eye.  I am almost 100% positive that I said, “ Ouch! I got a bunch of glitter in my eye!”  Remember that for later. 
So, the show starts.  I fix the smeared make-up from my one teary eye.  I try to ignore my make-up situation during the opening number.
Then I go out for our first solo number, about thirty minutes later.  As I approach Brent backstage in our usual meeting spot, I notice something different about him.  And as I get closer, I see that he has bright blue eyeshadow and glitter on each eyelid.  
He looked like a beautiful drag queen.  
He told me that he was trying to make me feel better about my make-up, because I was crying about it.  Isn’t that sweet?!  Inaccurate (like I said, I am almost certain I said I got glitter in my eye...and I like to point out when Brent is wrong) but totally sweet.
Well, when we got out onto the ice and the spotlight hit Brent’s pretty little face..WOW...I truly realized how much make-up he had on.  He looked liked Liza Minnelli.
I first gasped, then got an uncontrollable case of the giggles.  All while skating. Brent had to tell me under his breath to keep my “shtuf together!” (except he used a different, more direct word.) I couldn’t look at him the rest of the number.  I had to turn my head away, even if my hand was on his face.
So there we were, a beautiful mermaid-impersonating raccoon and even prettier drag queen, avoiding eye-contact during a very long and painful five minute ice skating routine.