Welcome to My Bus.
Photo courtesy of Beloved Beauty Bear
Eric Altomare.
Wow.
What a week that was!
And he's still going, wending his way through Ohio and Michigan today on the Magical Mystery Tour Bus of Sparkly Myth and Legend, then Chicago and Wisconsin tomorrow, then flying off to LA on Wednesday ...
So to recap: After we arrived at WeirDay, there was such a total tsunami of media that I decided to just step back and let it wash over me rather than add my tiny voice to the incredible crashing din, as wave after wave after wave of interviews and articles and videos of Johnnyness kept rolling in. Which was completely fabulous. So I set out like a small man in a boat to explore it all while I waited for my copy of the book to come.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
#AmazonShippingFail #FMLSoHard
And thus I ended up washing back ashore and pretty much spending the week with my nose pressed forlornly against the glass of the Welcome to My World lovefest, my larger bottom lip quivering ever so slightly, watching everybody else on Twitter and Facebook and just EVERYWHERE laugh and cry and love and sigh their way through 266 pages of Weirisms.
Without me.
This was not quite the WeirWeek I had envisioned for myself.
But oh well--there was still a ton of media to splash around in. Like the Howard Stern interview, for instance.
So also last week, I learned some things:
(1) There is a line I will not cross, not even for Johnny. And that is the rope of tattered g-strings and used condoms that surrounds the Howard Stern Show. I absolutely cannot bring myself to go there. I read summaries of the interview on Stern's website and a couple of other places, and that was as far as I got. But it's OK, because many many many kind fans were super-eager to share every single nuanced inch of the interview with me, so it was almost like I got to listen to it after all. And it was about 7.5 times more detail than I would ever need to know about anybody, including myself, but the general consensus was that Johnny was wonderful and charming and frank and witty (well, of course), and Howard liked him, and it was a great success and brought in a lot of new fans (in fact, Johnny gained ONE THOUSAND Facebook fans in ONE WEEK!). So that was good. In fact, I don't think anybody's been that good yet.
(2) There was something else too but I forget what because OMG MY BOOK FINALLY CAME ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And just in time to save me from having to finally put away the Xmas stuff. So of course I dropped everything--literally, meaning the Xmas boxes I had just schlepped up from the basement--to bend over and take it from where the mailman had left it on our porch, and then I was off to READ READ READ READ READ ....
Aaaaaaand Johnny writes like he talks, so it was like having an extended and riveting conversation with someone I absolutely adore. In which I didn't say anything stupid because I was just listening raptly.
It was nirvana.
I sipped a Starbucks while I absorbed all his words, nodding and smiling encouragingly at times, as if he were seated across from me, laughing out loud at some parts, and also getting really livid at other parts, all of which seemed to contain the word "federation."
And tearing up quite a bit at the very last paragraph.
Ah, Johnny.
I love it. Every word.
And while there's still much to mull and process and ponder and rage at, as I re-read various sections, the overwhelming feeling I came away with was this:
He is exactly who I thought he was.
Yes, there are surprises in the book, for me, anyway, lots of background and details I didn't know, but my initial thunderstruck impression of the Johnny who shattered my world into glittery ice shards and filled it with so much beauty and wisdom and wicked humor and all the sparkle that I had been missing, and all the reasons to fight for complete equality for everyone in this country, in one fiercely dazzling package--that's the same Johnny in the book.
The unsparing, piercing self-awareness; the young cockiness; the hard-won maturity; the humble, wide-eyed appreciation of accolades; the shy vulnerability; the fear that he's not as good as he thinks he is; the thrill that in fact he is; the deeply spiritual understanding that every moment--whether of failure or triumph--is preparation for whatever is next; the cold, bitter wariness toward outsiders; the warm, mother-hen love toward those who have earned his trust; his enormous appreciation for his fans, his friends, and above all, his family--it's all there.
He is an outstanding, courageous, and loving role model for every kid--and every adult--who wants to skate outside whatever lines there are in their lives.
And anyone who can't see that--whether it's presented in five-inch Louboutins and fur, a sparkly onesie, or black jeggings and a T-shirt--is blind in heart and soul, and has my pity.
So: I'm hoping to get to the book signing in Chicago tomorrow--barring sudden Midwestern blizzards--accompanied by my wonderful son David and his camera, where we're going to try to capture tons of photos and where I will undoubtedly say something stupid. If I'm able to speak at all.
Because you know how I am in real life every time I actually get to see Johnny in person:
Just a cluster of nerves.
"There comes a point
where even an American Fashion Icon
must throw on a Burka and Sweat Pants ..."
Photo and caption courtesy of
Beloved Beauty Bear Eric Altomare.
"Buy my single,'Dirty Love' via iTunes.
Tell all your friends to as well. The more copies sold
takes me one step closer to making a video! №1!"
THE WORLD NEEDS THIS VIDEO
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.
You know what to do.
or just click the "Buy" button on the player
at the top of the blog!
Hey, Welcome to My World also is available
as an eBook! More info on Johnny's website!
Please vote for Johnny on Twitter
in the #sports category of the "Shorty Awards"!
Just tweet your vote at this link!
in the #sports category of the "Shorty Awards"!
Just tweet your vote at this link!
Designer T. Rains and Johnny have teamed up to raise money and awareness for The Trevor Project! This organization is "determined to end suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing life-saving and life-affirming resources." Proceeds from the "Army of One" t-shirt sales will go to The Trevor Project foundation. Order yours today! Your support is greatly appreciated!For more information, please visit www.thetrevorproject.org.
They have great tidbits to offer,
and you get a special sneak peek at an exclusive photo
from the Artbook when you sign up!
10 comments:
Wonderful summary of all things that are in the book, and what makes Johnny Johnny.
Great blog. Thank you.
ahhhhh, a blog post. finally!
*throws it to the ground and thoroughly rolls around in it*
mm-hmm! that's better!
so glad you finally got your copy of the book. YAY! isn't it awesome that he writes just like he does everything else? and yup, reading it was like having a long convo with him.
*happy happy happy*
i think i'm gonna have to buy a 2nd copy of the book cause he's not coming to the northwest and of course, i NEED a signed copy.
also thinking about buying his song a dozen more times on iTunes . . . will that raise the sales if it's from the same person? cause this Kitten wants a Johnny video!
xo
Robin
Not sure if you mean the last para of the epilogue or the bit about Patti at the end of the acknowledgements, but either way those made me get all choked up, too. So glad you finally got your copy. It was fascinating and funny and sad and jaw-droppingly infuriating in parts, but like you said, most of all it was Johnny. Great blog, as always.
Oh, Binky, finally, your blog has come!
Beautiful, great blog as always.
"He is exactly who I thought he was."
Yes, yes, yes!!!
Today (Monday, 17th here) I got my copy. I had read through the Kindle version (last week Amazon.com said I had to wait for another 2-4 weeks, and I couldn't wait so long), and I loved and enjoyed it, of course, it's Johnny's book, but I love paper and ink much better. And I could see all the pictures. This made my day.
And your blog made my day for the second time, perfectly.
Good luck to your and David's trip to Chicago!
Hey Robin, I'm holding out hope that he will still come to the NW, fingers crossed, don't give up hope yet, girl.
Binky, I love how you weave Johnny references into your narrative, simply brilliant and one of the things I especially love about your writing. Even references from an interview you didn't listen to! lol
" So that was good. In fact, I don't think anybody's been that good yet."
"to bend over and take it from where the mailman had left it on our porch"
LOL
Oh, honey! I felt so sad for you that it took so long for you to get your copy of "Welcome to My World".
By the end of the week, I felt so completely vindicated in my view of Johnny as a brilliant creative genius. His song, his book, his skate to "Dirty Love" on TV, fabulous and wonderful. The most powerful proof, though lie within the pages of "Welcome to My World".
Johnny's use of language through every word and sentence, reveals the astutely adept turnings of an intensely creative mind, honed to sharp focus by intuitive senses, and life experiences as he takes us on a tour of himself and his world. Every experience, every thought, every plan, emanates with the same artistic genius we have seen Johnny express through his skating over the years. The written word has so obviously provided him with just one more medium through which he can let his brilliance flow into the world.
His ability and talent are such gifts to us all.
Thank you for your blog, today. I laughed outright at your description of "the rope of tattered g-strings and used condoms that surrounds the Howard Stern Show". Girl! I crossed that line for the first time in my life. I listened and found my mouth falling open as I gasped in shock at the content of some of the questions, before I then burst into giggles over Johnny's willing audacity to honestly answer the blunt questions being thrown at him. Rock on Johnny!
Binky, I agree about the Howard Stern interview. I didn't listen to the whole thing because I just couldn't take it. It wasn't so much that Johnny was being all TMI or anything, it just seemed like Howard Stern was totally disrespecting him and asking him questions that no one should have to answer, ever, especially not for something so public. He was not bluntly insulting and spoke as if he supported Johnny, but the whole thing was very crude and potentially hurtful. Anyway, lovely post and enjoy the week's abundance of Johnny-ness.
wonderful blog, MM, and exactly how I felt, too. The most unbearable moment of the book was when I learned the audience laughed at Camille. It's my fave of all his costumes, and very nearly my fave of the short programs, and I didn't know this happened as was completely crushed. Also re Howard, agree 100%, couldn't go there either. Meanwhile, God bless Johnny for being Johnny.
First MM, wonderful Blog as always! I also held back on writing anything about Johnny's media blitz or even the book itself because so much was coming so fast and furious, especially the first couple of days since the release. I would sign on and it would take me hours to go through all the FB and Twitter posts to see if there was anything new, any article or pic or video I wanted and so forth. Slowed down a little now, thank goodness!
Re the Howard STern show, I completely agree! I don't got there, even for JOhnny! I saved the audio and video links, and I've skimmed the print version, but I have not listened to or watched it. Even though I know by now Johnny acquitted himself well, I'm not sure if I ever will listen to it. I was concerned when I heard Johnny was going on the Howard Stern Show, and based on the questions he was asked and the apparent tone of the interview, my concern was justified, as was others'. HOwever, Johnny held himself well and handled it brilliantly, which is probably not what Stern expected. Bravo Johnny! And of course all the new fans!
As for the book, yes, Johnny writes like he talks, and I completely agree it's like having an extended conversation with him. I literally felt like I could hear him talking to me. And he got it down in such a short length of time for the quality of the writing! I laughed, I cried, I got angry, I felt vindicated, I was happy, I was sad...
OH yes! Good luck with making it to the Chicago book signing! HOpe you get there and David takes lots of wonderful pics and he remembers your name!?!?!?!?
And re 'Camille', I did know it was initially laughed at when he came out wearing it, and I never got that! One of many things I just don't understand, I suppose! Made no sense to me to laugh, and the costume certainly wasn't funny.
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