Chicago To St. Louis The Hard Way

Now, this was supposed to be a simple trip from Chicago to St Louis. A five hour train ride on Amtrak.

Sounds simple enough right? WRONG! My plan was to get on the train and sleep all the way to St Louis. That would have been great if I'd actually gotten on the train. I got to the station only to find out the train had left an hour and a half ago and no one bothered to call and let me know about this schedule change.

The explanation I was given was I had purchased my ticket so far in advance that the new schedule hadn't been printed yet. Excuse me for planning ahead. My other options were waiting 6 hours until the next train left or taking the Greyhound. It didn't sound so bad at the time, but I decided to go Greyhound because the next bus was heading out in 30 minutes. I found out just why I never take Greyhound.

Needless to say this wasn't a good idea, but 10 hours later, I ended up in St Louis. After a 4 and a half hour bus ride, a 3 and a half layover, another 2 hour bus ride and a $20 cab ride, I made it to the hotel. Now mind you Illinois is only on the other side of the Mighty Mississippi River from Missouri. I could have swam down and made it there in less time, but I digress.

I got to the hotel and Maxie was waiting in the hall for me when I got upstairs. It was great to finally meet her after all these years. Penny was in the room and I got a big hug from her. It was truly great to finally meet these people I had been talking to all this time. I felt very comfortable and right at home. We all talked for hours and hours.

But after midnight, I clunked out. I was exhausted!

The next morning we got up, got dressed, and went downstairs for the complimentary breakfast and some attitude. God forbid, the breakfast lady that worked there ACTUALLY worked. Maxie asked for tea. Asked, but didn't receive it. Who knew how hard it was to boil water???

Maxie, Penny, and I went out sightseeing. We were given a mini tour by the shuttle guy and was dropped off at the Arch. The Arch is absoulutely HUGE! It was bigger than I thought it would be. Did you know it is twice the size of the Statue of Liberty (thank the street map for that bit o' trivia)? The three of us started our ascension up the steps, stopped and looked over the Mississippi River (maybe I should have taken a boat to St Louis!), and checked out the Arch. It was amazing and very shiny which surprised us. We wondered if they have some poor sap out there polishing that thing often?

We walked through the park and each collected a cheap memento, Max=a leaf, Pen=a brick, and I=a rock. We also went to cobble town and took the MetroLink up to the Saavis center. Penny is a huge hockey fan. The three of us ate hot dogs in the park. It was a very nice day. The weather held up the entire weekend.

We called the shuttle to come pick us up and we found out that Barbara had made it to the hotel. We got back and met Barbara from Philly. Barb had left her camera at home so we hiked blocks and blocks looking for a Walgreens that was supposedly only 2 blocks away. No one was quite sure where it was so we settled on a grocery store. All of us got back to the hotel and started our beautifying techniques for tonight.

Mary Jo was the next to arrive complete with her Red Shoes. She bunked with me. Bethy was the last to get there. We thought she had been kidnapped by aliens or something because it took her forever to get there, but come to find out Bethy had been traveling all over St Louis on the MetroLink. Not by choice, but sightseeing all over the city.

I also got to talk to Cyndie. She called before we went to the first screening.

After we got all dolled up, we went to the hotel's restaurant and had dinner. It was very nice and our table was in front of the fireplace. Barb, I enjoyed your Bon Jovi stories very much. They made me laugh so hard! We stopped back at the hotel to reapply our faces, brush our teeth and we were off to the HiPointe Theatre to see MacArthur Park.

We walked the half block to the theatre. The movie before MacArthur Park hadn't let out, so we had to wait outside. We waited patiently outside and took a few pictures. Barbara and I were standing by the door and I saw Billy coming around the corner. I nudged Barb and told her he was there. She turned and told Maxie.

Billy walked up with a guy and they stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Chris Clark introduced himself and he and Billy chatted for a bit. Billy excused himself and said he had to say hello to someone. He walked over to Maxie and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He also said hi to Bethy and Penny. I think they also received hugs. Maxie told Billy a few more of us showed up and he said that was perfectly fine.

Maxie introduced us, 1st Barb, me, then Mary Jo. No particular order, it was just the way we were standing. Billy shook each of our hands, repeated each of our names as he did this AND told each one of us that it was very nice to meet us. That was very surprising because wasn't that supposed to be our line to him? Billy then asked where we were from and said thanks for coming. He also introduced us to another festival member, Rich who had come along with him. Billy was very soft spoken and smiled a lot. He has a beautiful smile.

We all went inside, but the theatre wasn't quite ready. Barb and I were standing off to the right of the concession counter and Billy walks up and orders popcorn and bottle of water. The girl rings him up and the total was $3.75. I'm guessing Billy doesn't carry much money because he starts looking through his pockets. Barb and I were both on stand by in case he didn't have any cash. Can't believe she charged him!

This along with one of the guys shoving a program into his face when he walked through the door. That confirmed that no one bothered to show the staff a picture of Billy and tell them he was the guess of honor for the weekend and that was in fact HIS name and movie larger than life out front on the marquee.

The theatre was finally opened and we all filtered in. The last time I had been in a theatre like this was when I saw The Lost Boys. It was one of the theatres we had before MultiPlexes were invented. I hadn't been to a theatre like this since the late eighties. Bethy and I chose to sit in the middle of the theatre while everyone else got seats up front. Bethy and I practiced our shadow puppets. The spotlight was on my left and every time I moved my arm, my hand was in the light. We joked that if Billy sat in the chair for the Q&A, we'd raise our hands and ask him which shadow puppet we were doing at the moment. He didn't sit in the chair.

Chris introduced Billy and he said a few words before the film. Then the movie started. I couldn't comment on the movie the first night because a lot of concepts were presented and it was hard to tie them all together after one viewing. I would have to see it again to take it everything in. But I can say it was shot beautifully. Great cinematography.

There was a nice turnout for the first viewing of the film. A good mixture of ages and nationalities. The Q&A didn't last very long. I think mainly because the movie didn't start until 9:30 and it's an 87 minute movie. Plus there was a lot to digest. Agreed Billy did look tired.

After the Q&A, everyone went outside. They had to prepare for the next movie, The Legend of Ron Jeremy. Yes, the porn guy. I guess they had to put plastic all over the seats and floor, but I digress.

Anyhow, we all made it outside and Billy was standing there talking to people who had just seen the movie. Penny was handing out cigarettes and fishing through her purse for her lighter. Barb was waiting with her cigarette and Billy reached into his pocket and took out his lighter. Someone stepped in front of Barb, but Billy just snaked his arm around the person and lit Barb's cigarette. Talk about being a gentleman!

He didn't stop his conversation, he just made sure he found her to give her a light. Barb asked Billy if she could take a photo of him because her son was a fan and her son didn't believe she was coming all the way to St Louis to see MacArthur Park. Billy told her to take the picture with him, so her son would know for sure she was there. Not a problem for Barb! The two of them were standing there waiting for the camera to warm up and they were talking a bit. Billy turns to Barb and says, "Philly right?" Barb could only answer, "ABSOLUTELY!" It was the best! We're still not sure if he recognized her accent or he remembered from earlier, but I think it was the accent. Philly, only fourth to Bahston, New Yawk, and Jerrzey in that order (translation: Philly, only fourth to Boston, New York, and Jersey) for recognizible accents of the Upper East Coast.

We didn't talk much to Billy the first night or take pictures, besides Barb, because it was late and Billy looked tired. Bethy, Mary Jo, and I were standing off to the side and Billy came over and said, "So I'll see you tomorrow?" We said, "Yes." He said, "Okay, have a good night and I will see you tomorrow." We said, "Okay." and Bethy and I left. Bethy headed to bed and I headed to bed, but everyone else stayed up and chatted the night away.

~ ~ ~ ~

Day Two: Maxie and Mary Jo went to get breakfast early. We ate and talked. Barb and I went downstairs to get Barb some coffee and who knew today was also coffee with an attitude? Barb and I found out it was NOT this woman's job to serve the coffee, but only to sit the pot on the counter and point to the cups, sugar, and stirrers. (Yes, this is the same woman from yesterday who couldn't find hot water for Maxie's tea) Bethy and I went back to the grocery store and looked around down there.

I came back and rested. I still hadn't recovered from my lovely bus ride. Bethy went out again and she came back with new shoes. Her other ones were squeaky. Today was a casual day for all of us. We didn't get all dolled up like last night. Maxie, Mary Jo, and Penny wore their MacArthur Park t-shirts.

We had six women and three bathrooms. We took shifts and needless to say we were all ready by 3:00. We walked to the theatre. We were earlier again. Bethy went in first. I had on the killer heels which were cute the first night, but my feet weren't into standing there for a half hour today, so I went inside.

Bethy and I got ourselves situated. This time we sat on the right, but still in the middle. The other ladies filtered in and sat down front for the Q&A. Bethy and I were talking and she starts waving. I said to Bethy, "Who are you waving at? You don't know anyone in St Louis." I looked over and she was waving at Billy. Nevermind then. NOTE TO SELF: Next time just look over to see who Bethy is waving at before asking questions. Okay?

Andrea introduced Billy today and he said a few words before the film. Billy sat on the next to last row, on the left side, and viewed the film.

The movie this time was completely different. I knew what to expect to pull all the concepts together. The movie is set in MacArthur Park and it's about a drug family. They are not related, but their lives intertwine and they are connect like a family. The cast is very eclectic from Thomas Jefferson Byrd to Balthazar Getty to Lori Petty to Ellen Cleghorne to David Faustino to B Real (from Cypress Hill) to Bad Azz to Sticky Fingaz to Sydney Tamia Poitier to Keno K. Deary.

I liked the underlining idea presented that drug addiction didn't discriminate. It chooses anyone. Thomas Jefferson Byrd's character, Cody was a husband with a wife and child and a jazz career (I assume), Balthazar Getty's character, Steve was a television star with his own series, Ellen Cleghorne's character, Hoover Blue was a strong woman, but she was also addicted to drugs, Bad Azz's character, P-Air was an aspiring rapper and Sydney Tamia Poitier's character Linda was a new, young girl fresh off the bus in a big city.

I enjoyed the character Hoover Blue. I am a big fan of Ellen Cleghorne. She's a comedienne, but it was good to see her in a dramatic role. I could feel the emotions of her character.

Thomas Jefferson Byrd was an excellent choice for Cody. I felt Cody was truly concerned with the welfare of the people of the park. He took care of everyone and watched out for them all as much as he could. The movie also showed the despairs of drug addiction, the severity (Some of the group went to a party that Steve threw and they constantly snorted lines of cocaine like it was candy and drank Jack Daniels like it was water and no one seemed affected by this. Not to mention neither one of these people could start functioning without doing their drug of choice in the morning.), prostitution, theft, loss, delusion, paranoia, obliviousness, and death.

One of the things I would liked to have seen was a bit more background information on Blue and Cody. Cody's was touched upon a bit, but nothing at all on Blue. I wanted to know how they got to the park besides just being junkies. I also wanted to see how all the deaths had affected the others in the park. Steve was marked from the beginning. This guy started off with bad luck and you just knew there wasn't going to be anything good for him anywhere in the movie.

My two favorite scenes were Cody's downward spiral and Steve's end. These are my favorite because the camera work, music, and dialogue were perfectly in sync!

I have to give kudos to the cinematographer, Kristin Bernier for the wonderful work. This film is shot beautifully with the camera angles, the motion shots, the use of light, and it's very aesthetically pleasing. Kudos also go out to Shawn Holden (and Billy) for an excellent job as the production sound mixer. The music styles runs across the board and is intergrated into the film extremely well.

And last but certainly not least, kudos to Mr. Wirth. I know all the waiting and delays you had to go through to get this project off the ground. Congratulations for having the tenacity to stick with it. I will tell you this is an excellent project. It looks so great to be an Indy film.

Billy seemed more relaxed and rested this afternoon. There was a smaller group than last night, so it was more intimate. The movie ended and Billy came up front for the Q&A. He did a little background on how he came into the script and how he came to meet Tyrone Atkins.

The floor was opened to questions. I asked him about the cast and Billy went in depth and explain how he acquired every single one of the actors in the movie. Yes, EVERY single one.

The cast is just amazing in this film and they all work well together. If memory serves me correctly, I think Billy said they just starting filming without any or very little rehearsal. I also asked about the music and he said it was all about synchronicity and serendipity. I knew I liked this man for a reason! It's definitely a must see. You'll have to watch it more than once to get all the concepts. When Maxie gets everything together, you'll hear the Q&A. Penny recorded both nights.

After the Q&A, we all filtered out into the lobby. Barb asked if he would sign her MacArthur Park shirt and he ended up spreading it all over the concession counter and I let her use my Sharpie (that I had purchased when Bethy and I went out looking around).

Mary Jo found her courage to ask Billy the question from her friend who couldn't make it because she was doing a play. I must say she did very well and didn't shake, faint or cry at all! Andrea came over and told Billy they had to go outside because the next movie would be starting soon. Billy announced that he was going outside and everyone should come.

There were quite a few people waiting to meet Billy besides us. Billy was more than accommodating with every single one of us. He signed t-shirts, photos, took pictures and chatted with all. Billy took his time with everyone and no one felt hurried. I know I didn't feel rushed. I waited patiently and I was one of the last people to get an autograph.

Amy from Atlanta couldn't get her flash to sync with her camera, so I offered to take a picture of her with Billy (Amy, they are on the way!). I took a picture of her and she would in turn take a picture of me with Billy. Billy and I were standing there and he had his hand on my shoulder and his arm against my back. I wore my Love Shirt this night and he took a look at it. I bought the shirt for Valentine's Day and it has a big, red glittered heart on it and the word "love" in about 10 different languages.

We were waiting for Amy to take the picture and I told him I was happy to meet him. I had to show Amy where the viewfinder was and I went back over by Billy. He puts his hand back and we're waiting. He leaned his head over and put it against mine. We were practicing our poses and waiting. Billy turned and looked at me and I looked at him and we both started laughing. It did seem like we had been standing there an eternity waiting to have our picture. Amy snapped the picture. I had stopped laughing. He had not. See his eyes are closed!

Billy signed more autographs and took more pictures for everyone that was waiting. I was shocked that he made sure he found me and gave my Sharpie back before he left. (I am looking at it now. I have it sitting on my desk.) He even remembered my name.

Billy went to talk to a few more fans and we stayed and talked to Carla, Carla's friend, Amy and Amy from Atlanta. Billy made his way back over and thanked everyone for coming.

Maxie asked him about the thank you note he was supposed to write for the t-shirts and he starts fishing through his pockets and he pulls out the note. It was all folded in his pocket and heavily creased. Billy had remembered to bring it with him. Maxie, it WAS on white paper!

We each got a hug, every one of us. His breath smelled like peppermint. Not that I was smelling it or anything! He said, "Thank you for coming" as he was hugging me and it was minty fresh. His parting words were, "Everyone have a safe trip home."

We said goodbye and we went to have a drink at the hotel's bar. Carla and Amy headed home, but Amy from Atlanta came to the bar with us. Then we piled into the car and went to Boston Market for dinner. We ate and made our way back to the hotel. Bethy went to take in another movie and Barb, Mary Jo and I sat on sofa in the lobby and chatted for hours and hours about our lives, Bon Jovi, Billy and just stuff in general.

We all agreed that it was so great to FINALLY meet Billy after all these years of supporting him. Fifteen years for me personally. We were happy that he was such a nice, gentle, shy, talented, friendly and extremely humble man. If he was any other way, we would have all been upset, but we didn't have to worry about that one bit. Billy Wirth is one person I can scratch off my list of people I'd like to meet.

We eventually made our way back upstairs and packed all our stuff up. Everyone left early for the airport except me. My train didn't leave until 2:05, so I went back to bed. I left the hotel at 12:00 and as I was walking down the hall, I saw Bethy's squeaky shoes sitting next to my door (housecleaning was cleaning the rooms when I left). That just made me laugh so much and I could hear them squeaking even though they were just laying there.

I had such a great time meeting Billy, but I especially enjoyed meeting Maxie, Penny, Barbara "Philly right?" (that's her new name), Mary Jo, and Bethy and talking to Cyndie. We'll have to do this again ladies!

Okay, we have been pondering this question for years and I have a little insight. Just how tall is Billy? I am 5'10" without shoes. I was wearing boots that had a heel of 2" which made me 6' and Billy still had a little headroom above me.

That's about all.

Take care and be well!

Love, Calandra....2001

built mm 11/2001