Rufus's Towel Bitch

I am now Rufus's Towel Bitch. I've just got home from a brilliant day out in our Nation's Capital city for the launch of the MOJO Honours List in HMV Oxford Circus. I managed to see Grinderman (the new band the features Nick Cave and Warren Ellis) and the ever brilliant, Rufus Wainwright. Grinderman were impressive - Very loud and completely bonkers, but there is a certain charisma that Nick Cave brings to the band that just demands respect. It could be his handle-bar moustache combined with his thinning hairline, but I think it's more because he's one cool dude.

CK and Rabbi couldn't make it, so it was just CP, LH and myself. However, we couldn't see anybody we knew when we got to the store at 11am, so we ended up lurking for a bit, then we went to the pub which I knew to be their local. They weren't in there when we went over just before noon, but the 3 of us were pretty famished and decided to have lunch there. We finish our lunch and head back to the store where we spot AT, he's not going over just yet and by this point, Paul McB had text me saying he was on his way in. So we decided to stay with them and head over when they did. I haven't seen either of them for a while and when Paul McB arrived, he sat down with the 3 of us and we started chatting and laughing, it made me realise how much I miss him. I asked him if he could arrange for us to meet Rufus and he said he would do his very best for me. :)

OK, so we're in the pub waiting for the evening performances (mainly Rufus) and after much piss-taking from AT, I spot Rufus arriving and immediately I shout: "Rufus! Rufus! Rufus!" whilst pointing frantically out the window of the pub. AT dashes to the door and shouts hello to him, poor guy, having some random bloke shout hello to him from the doorway of a pub opposite!. After that, it was back to playing "Six degrees of Kevin Bacon" where we name any actor/actress and you can always lead it back to Kevin Bacon by films that they have been in. Not believe me? OK. Here's an example: Catherine Deneuve to Kevin Bacon... Catherine Deneuve was in the film "8 Femmes" with Emmanuelle Béart, who was also in Mission: Impossible with Tom Cruise, who was in "A Few Good Men" with no other, than Kevin Bacon... Try it ;) We've spent many a drunken night playing that game..

OK, so the 3 of us head over to the store to get ready for Rufus's performance. I'm already thinking that Paul won't be able to get me in to meet him because Paul is still in the pub getting drunk and playing the Kevin Bacon game, and Rufus is about to go onstage in about 10mins. I'm also getting annoyed because for Grinderman, we ended up being quite far back because we were told that we were standing in the fire escape route (which was right in front of the stage). However for Rufus, the so-called designated fire escape route was full of staff! I ended up going to the side where although my view was Rufus's back whilst he sat at the piano, it was a clear view. His performance was brilliant - His voice gets better every year. The long note in vibrate was a perfect example of this. I spot Paul walking about and he comes over to tell me that Rufus has got to dash off as soon as he can afterwards, but Paul can get me to the corridor at the side of the store and I can try my luck there to grab him just before he leaves - but there's no guarantee of anything. So during the last song (Going to a town), we're in the corridor and I'm getting all nervous. I spot a pile of towels (clean) and pick one up jokingly saying to the girls that I can pretend to be the Towel Bitch and then pounce on him to have my photo taken with him. The performance ends.. Oh God, here we go.. Here he comes! I'm fully expecting him to walk straight past, but immediately, I'm there going "Rufus! Rufus!" He comes over to me and looks at me with a puzzled expression on his face and then looks at the towel I'm still holding in my hand and I hand it over to him - what am I doing?! Do I offer to mop his brow?! Still, I seized my chance.. "Rufus! I know you've got to dash off, but is there any chance I can have my photo taken with you please?" "Why sure!" Leah accidentally takes a picture just when I'm asking him and he's like "Oops! Let's do it properly!" So I'm there with my arm around him and I'm there thinking "Do I smile or not?" because I know that Rufus likes to pose in a serious face with his dark expressive eyes. I spot that Leah is actually shaking whilst she's taking the picture. Fortunately, it turns out fine and I can proudly say that I now have a good photo taken with Mr Rufus Wainwright. I thanked him and he was incredibly gracious - Such a lovely guy.