Good Vibrations Magazine

“I’d never normally call a coworker at 7:30 a.m…..” my coworker is telling me over the phone at 7:30 a.m, “unless I’m calling them to tell them that they get to deliver something to the True Color Tour folks at their hotel today.”

“I’m awake, I’m awake,” I say. “What time do you need me?”

My heart is pounding and my pulse quickens….I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. It’s Friday June 29^th, and at 7:00 the True Colors Tour concert starts and I’m already so excited I don’t even want (and can’t fathom drinking) a cup of coffee. Now I find out that I get to deliver Good Vibes gift bags to the hotel where Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho, Erasure, Rosie O’Donnell, Debbie Harry, the Cliks and the Dresden Dolls are staying. Oh boy, what to wear, what to wear?!

We headed over to the hotel around noon. I didn’t want to get too excited—we were after all, just dropping off the gift baskets. Who knew if we’d even see anyone? It ends up we didn’t, but along the way, my coworker let me know that there was a chance that we could get backstage to say hi to GV Board Member Margaret Cho. I got goosebumps and looked at her with my mouth agape. Really? Really? Really? I said, or maybe I just thought it. Would Margaret remember that I was the hugest Cyndi Lauper fan ever? I had talked to her about it when we filmed our Conversations with Margaret Cho videos.

I went home and spent the next four hours getting ready. If tonight was the night I was going to meet my idol, everything had to be perfect.

It’s 6:43 and we’re standing outside of the backstage access area at the Greek Theater in Berkeley.

“The Margaret Meet & Greet is over,” they are telling us. We originally had thought it started at 6:45 but apparently that’s when it ends. My coworker works a little of her verbal magic, and the guy disappears, only to reappear a few seconds later to hold the curtain back for us to enter. Magic, like I said!

Margaret looks beautiful and we all say our hellos. At one point she looks at me and says, “you wanted to meet Cyndi, didn’t you? Let me get you Meet & Greet passes for that.” If my heart could sing, it would have busted out a very loud opera right that very second.

Instead I tried to look calm and said, “that’d be great, thanks.” We are given the passes and told to come back at 7:45. We try to act like normal people for the next hour.

While we wait, the Cliks and then the Dresden Dolls take the stage. Both are great. The lead singer of the Cliks furiously makes out with Margaret Cho as they leave the stage. It’s awesome….the whole place cheers. The Dresden Dolls come on wearing amazing make-up. A song or two into their set, Amanda stops to say a few words–and it went something like this…. “Thanks to Margaret Cho we received some gift baskets from Good Vibrations….Brian has himself a brand new prostate toy.” (the crowd cheers) “This next song is called Coin-Operated Boy but it’s not about dildos…”

Amazing! We are giddy and then before we know it, it’s 7:40.

Time to go.

We are standing in line next to my coworkers Carol Queen, Jack, JP and his boyfriend Nate. We are told that because there isn’t a lot of time, there is no time for autographs, just a quick meeting and a photo. We stand in a line for a few minutes, waiting for Ms. Lauper: enough time to chat with the great guys in front of us. They tell us that they just took the Queen Mary gay cruise. They also tell us that they got married, and instead of gifts they requested that money be donated to the Matthew Shepherd Foundation. It’s a great story, and they are adorable.

And then the time comes.

In a surreal moment, I’m walking towards Cyndi Lauper and her hand is out and my hand is out and I introduce myself. Sarah Joe is behind me and does the same. I turn to Cyndi and say, “We met because of you…and now we’re going to get married.” When I tell her this, she kisses me on the cheek. We take our photo and she turns to me and starts to wipe off the lipstick mark. “Oh, no, leave it…” I tell her. And then, because nerves give me a motor mouth, I continue… “And, my mother says to say hi. When I was younger I had posters covering my room and my mother always said, ‘I don’t know about that Madonna, but I sure love that Cyndi Lauper.’” Cyndi Lauper smiles and tells us to “have a great wedding.” My girlfriend hands her flowers, and it’s over and my heart is pounding and I have a grin on my face I can’t erase.

My face hurts with a smile twenty years in the making.

The rest of the concert was amazing. Erasure was fun, Margaret and Diana were great, Rosie was hilarious and then of course Cyndi was so many things—beautiful, amazing, sweet, powerful, poignant.

The tour leader, the visionary, the kind spirit that wanted to celebrate diversity and love and equality with music and voices….the singer that changed my life when I was 15 and felt so alone…so many things….

“There’s a store called Good Vibrations,” she said at one point, “Margaret Cho is on their board.” And then I think she said something else, but it’s all a blur and the crowd was screaming and she launched into She Bop and I started jumping up and down.