Demonstration for KPFK

Photo

Caption Needed

Information

Location:	Angels Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, CA
Date:	December 22, 1973

Highlights

Held in the Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, CA. The members of the barony participated. Bevin Fraser of Sterling was the autocrat.

Memories

(The following was not part of the original annotated history, but was received in email on July 1, 2003:) "This event actually occurred on two consecutive weekends, starting the weekend before the one listed. The event was really a demo, as the faire was a fund raising affair for the NPR station named.

"On the first weekend, Henrik came down (he was King at the time). A crowd of about 20 of us (in garb) went down to LAX to pick him up. Even then, people couldn't just go into the arrival and departure areas, so we received permission for two of the ladies to go in and guide Henrik out the door where we were waiting. As he stepped through the gate, someone stepped up behind him and threw a cloak over his shoulders, the rest of us went to our knees, and a herald proceeded to loudly announce him by the full list of titles for the King of the West---right there on the main concourse at LAX! He was stage-whispering "Get up! Get up!", but we stayed planted on our knees until the herald had finished.

"After that days activities were done at the Faire, the lot of us descended on an ice cream parlour just before closing time. The staff were really great in agreeing to serve us, even though it meant that we were going to keep them past when they would have otherwise gone home. We were still in garb and Henrik was wearing his mail shirt. As we were filing past the register to pay our bills, you could see by their wide eyes that the staff were overflowing with questions. When Henrik stepped up to pay his bill, the dam broke. In answer to questions about his mail and whether it would really protect someone who wore it, he turned to Aeofweg} and asked to borrow the dagger Aeofweg was wearing. Henrik proceeded to poke himself several times in the stomach, and then gave the dagger back. The staff were amazed. Outside in the parking lot, Henrik groaned a little and lifted up his shirt. There were little red pinpricks all over his belly. He turned to Aeofweg and said "Milord, your blade is slimmer than the one I usually do that with."

"Henrik, myself, Christian of Orange, the Wanderscribe of the Inland March, and Aeofweg Aeofwegsson all crashed on the floor in Bevin's apartment in Santa Monica. I crashed by the front door, Renfield had the couch, Aeofweg was behind Bevin's desk, Christian was by the patio doors, and Henrik was opposite the bar by the short hallway that led to the bathroom and Bevin's bedroom. I roomed with Christian for many years, and it was his habit to sleep with a window open. This was no different---he opened the patio door a little. Bevin's apartment was three blocks from the ocean, and a cold, damp draft came into the room. Aeofweg began quietly complaining, but Christian ignored him as if he were already asleep. Renfield bought the act, and as he was fairly close to the pario door, got up to close it. He banged a shin on the coffee table and managed to barely avoid tripping over various pieces of furniture (it was very dark in that apartment---you could follow Renfield's progress by the noise he was making). Since he was up, Renfield decided to make a trip to the bathroom, and started feeling his way toward it. "Beep." Renfield "Huh?" A little further.. "Beep, beep." A couple more steps.. "Beep, beep, beep." Renfield Henrik, is that you?" Henrik "I don't want to be stepped on, therefore, I'm a marker bouy... beep, beep." At this point, we all dissolved into howls of laughter. I laughed so hard I could hardly breath. At this point, Bevin came out of her bedroom, snapped on the hall light, and said "How dare you people have all this fun without me?" "Beep" a couple more steps.."Beep, beep." In the light, she could see that Henrik was the source, twigged immediately to what was going on, and if it weren't for the proximity of a barstool, she would have ended up on the floor. I saw Henrik in Milwaukee last year, and when I reminded him of these things, he didn't remember them. Oh well...they're fond memories for me.

"The second weekend, Andrew of Riga and William the Lucky came down to help us out. Andrew, William, Christian and Hugh the Undecided worked out a fun bit of schtick with the participation of two non-SCA belly dancers. (Trying to remember who did what) Huge and William each grabbed a belly dancer by the wrist and dragged them, screaming and struggling, across the main floor of the Palladium and into a side room (where the rest of us could maintain a safe fighting area for the spectators). Andrew and Christian came running after, and a battle (with predetermined outcome) ensued. After dispatching the dastardly Huge and William, Andrew and Christian doffed their helms, led the rescued damsels to one side, and kissed their hands... whereupon, said damsels slapped the two of them across their faces and fell, sobbing, across Huge and William. Great stuff!

"On the way back to Bevin's apartment that day, we were convoying with Bevin in the lead in her little sports car, Alejandro de Salamanca in his car by himself (he was going to peel off and go back to his place), and Christian driving his car with his lady and myself in the front seat, and William and Andrew in the back. Going around a corner, Alejendro's car stalled and he couldn't get it to restart. Alejandro had been removing some of his upper garb as he drove. As Christian was very good at auto mechanics, Alejandro got out of his car and came back to ask Christian for help. Christian got out and soon had Alejandro on his way. When he came back to his car, Christian noticed a look of shock on Andrew's face. He asked "Andrew, what's wrong?"

Andrew "He's bald!" Christian "Yeah, so?" Andrew "But..but..He's bald!" In all my days, I've never seen such a whipped-puppydog look on anyone as I saw on Andrew that day. It's as if someone he trusted completely had said "Yep, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but the world IS going to end tomorrow." Alejandro always dressed well, and all of his garb was completely accessorized, which always included hats. Andrew had never seen Alejandro without a hat. It was the complete destruction of an image." -- Eric Von Rheinhausen