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Ballfesting with Michael 

at PBS Station CPTV

Hartford, Connecticut

Thanks to Pat, Pamela, Debbie, Tricia and Crys for sharing their PBS evening with us.

From The American Coordinator for the Fan Club & CPTV Team Leader Pat Webb 

I'm not sure about the others who were in the Hartford station, but I don't think I've recovered yet. 

I've been to the UK for many of Michael's concerts and have always felt very lucky if I have a chance for a quick hello on his way in and out of the various venues.  Occasionally there's been time for a quick autograph or photo. 

However, being in the studio with Michael was really special, truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and a thrill I will never forget. 

Somehow waiting at the stage door for that quick hello won't be quite the same.... but I'll take it.  Bring on the tour!!

Pat W.

From Pamela - Northeast USA

Hi -

I know that other Hartford attendees will be providing wonderful reports, but I can certainly share some tidbits!  I hope they're not repeats or too detailed (I'm much more comfortable lurking than posting).  First, however, I would like to thank Pat (Spudsy) once again for organizing the callers...I know that I was able to participate in the great evening & support Michael because of her efforts.  She also looked fabulous on television (the camera did quite a few close ups of her terrific smile).

I brought along a friend who had never heard of Michael (poor dear!), but by the end of the evening she was certainly a convert.  The two questions she kept asking me were, "How do you know all these people" and "Why didn't you tell me that they would all be so nice!"  We were both so impressed with the respect and affection that the fan club members showed Michael...while everyone was supportive & VERY
enthusiastic, Michael was allowed his privacy as well.  For example, when he had taken group photos & had signed quite a few autographs, he said he was thirsty & started working his way out of the studio. Those who were clustered around him but had not had something signed quickly cleared the way to the exit (I think I saw one of our group bring him a water bottle as well) & we all appreciated the time that he had spent with us.  He was a consummate professional & seemed to turn on when the lights came on.  Did anyone else notice that he would do a little jog in place to get his energy up right before the camera turned on?

The hostess (who was the lucky recipient of a few Michael smooches) said that he was "charming" and added "I understand why these women are traveling around the country to see him."  She also thanked the members of the fan club for their hard work and said "the volunteers have been amazing."

Michael mentioned that he is working on a new video at the Cafe de Paris with a really small invited audience.  The format will be like Unplugged with an acoustic setup.  The host asked him "What else do you want to do?" Michael replied, "I like what I do and I want to come over here & do it.  I'd like to expand the audience and go to places like Australia and the Far East."  When the host asked how U.S. fans discovered him, Michael said, "The way people have found out what I do is through PBS...Then they go onto the Internet & there are a few web sites & they start talking and find out how to find my music.  It is a process of spreading the word."  He seemed pleased that we were there answering the phones & used the word "fantastic" quite a bit. Off camera, I heard the host ask Michael if he had arranged for us to be there & he just laughed & said something like, they did it on their own (Unfortunately, I couldn't hear all of his answer). It was fun to have him answering phones with us too...he spoke with one of my callers & she upped her pledge amount!

I don't know if my favorite part was when he sang a snippet of the Tinky Winky song from Teletubbies & mused about recording a children's CD or when we shushed him (he was whispering with the host before a pledge break) while we watched Gethsemane on the TV monitor. It was great to see him laugh & joke with us. Oh, and during the interview he couldn't remember what songs came up after the pledge break, so glanced over to the fan club members for coaching (what a partnership)!

Then there are the minutes I spent tucked under his arm while they organized a group picture... <<sigh>> ...it was so surreal!  It felt silly not to make conversation while they sorted out the confusion of everyone lining up for the photo...while on the other hand I won't pretend that I know anything about who Michael is beyond the joy I find in his music...but I took a try at it.  I'm a Harvard-educated fairly tough businesswoman who found myself trying not to stutter as I looked up into those blue eyes...has anyone mentioned that he smells really really good ;) ?!?  While I was determined to treat him like a regular (although fantastically talented) guy, that dimpled grin is quite distracting.  I think that I told him I enjoyed his music & asked him if he was looking forward to going home (he certainly was & also hoped to come back) & we may have talked about a U.S. tour (he again said he would like to but that it depended on if there was enough interest...& he said that he knew that we wanted him to tour here). Of course, we may have talked about world peace or sushi or something completely different...it is somewhat of a blur.  I can only say from personal experience that Michael is patient, very fit & that I thoroughly enjoyed being snuggled next to him for the photo (too bad they finally sorted out the group, or perhaps I could still be standing there!!).

I read that Michael was tired at the beginning of the week (thank you for those great reports from the other stations!)  When the host asked him about jet lag, Michael said, "I'm just getting over jet lag, getting into the swing of this and I'll go back and get a fresh lot." He mentioned that he's going right back into the recording studio to finish his album, so I hope he's not too tired.

Wait...maybe the silliest part was when Michael joked about "Help Yourself" & started to take his jacket off (some of us did make woo woo noises)...when the host mentioned that Tom Jones was also a Welshman (Michael said some very complimentary things about Tom Jones), Michael then told a joke about putting 3 Welshmen in a bar to get a male voice choir. 

It was a wonderfully giddy evening & I enjoyed meeting both Michael & Phil & other members of the fan club.  What a great group! 

Best wishes to all of you lucky ones who will see him in concert this fall.  Thank you for sharing him with America.

- Pamela

From Debbie - Washington State

That was me (with the water bottle)!  I remember he was surrounded by a lot  of people, and he kept turning to either side of me to sign things for people. I'm not very good at getting myself noticed, so he never moved in my direction. Then I think I remember he looked around, perhaps for Phil, and said something like "Can I get some water? I'm really parched." I didn't see Phil anywhere and nobody else did anything, so I went and got his Evian bottle. I don't know who the lady was that I asked for it from, probably somebody dreadfully important at CPTV.

 That water bottle made it possible for me to actually walk up to him. I don't know if I could have otherwise. I think he appreciated it. I hope so! I hope I hadn't thwarted some escape signal. He did sign my photo (one I took at York last year that I'm rather proud of - not your typical concert photo) and even paused to comment on it. Phil was there by that time and he said some nice things too. That meant a lot to me.

I can't really add much substance to what has already been said because I was in a total fog. But I have a couple of anecdotes I hope you will enjoy.

Lesson #1 - When your airline makes the national news 3 days running because they've cancelled hundreds of flights and stranded thousands of people, get another airline. Somehow, some way, get another airline.

Lesson #2 - When driving in an unfamiliar city whose streets follow a more creative geometrical pattern than right angles, do not rely on Map Quest for driving directions.

My friend and I learned Lesson #1 before we left and managed to find a flight that got us there OK. We learned Lesson #2 the hard way, and as a result we were 30 minutes late for our shift. Those 30 minutes were torture, let me tell you. But in the end, it all turned out better than we could have imagined.

The phones at CPTV were set up in two sections. One section was on camera, with four tables on risers and four phones per table. The other section was off camera, with a couple of tables and phones to take the calls that spilled over from the on-camera section. Since we were so late, my friend and I had places at the last table, off camera. At first we were disappointed. But not for long.

When Michael came in we all cheered. He looked very pleased and then his face lit up in recognition when he saw Pat Webb. It must be nice to see a familiar face so far from home. He went immediately over to the main tables to give Pat a hug. Next thing I remember he was standing behind the computer table where all the pledges were being tallied, which was right next to my friend and me. I'll let my friend tell most of the interaction if she wants, but the end result was that we told him we'd come from Seattle. He kind of cocked his head the way he does and mouthed "Aww" or something and then walked around the table to give my friend a hug. "That's a HELL of a long way," he said. I got a hug too. Hence the fog I mentioned earlier. All I could manage to get out was "Thank you for coming" (brilliant!) and I think he said "It's my pleasure" but I'm not sure.  It meant so much to me that he was the one who approached us. He was so kind. Everything everyone has said already is completely true.

When we first arrived at the station, we were followed in by a lady named Dorothy who was the Volunteer Supervisor. She was quite a character. She had no idea what was in store for her that night. We told her we were from Seattle and she couldn't believe it. The rest of the evening whenever she walked past us she would shake her head and mutter "Seattle." One time she was sitting at the computer table next to us and Michael and Phil were behind her. She got Michael's attention and said "They came all the way from Se-ATT-le." Then she repeated it to Phil. Another time she stood to talk to us for a while and she said "Have you seen a map? Do you know where Connecticut is?" I guess we made an impression on her anyway!

After a few breaks had gone by for Newshour and Michael's concert, Dorothy was again sitting by the computer table and Michael was standing next to her. She reached out to touch his arm and pointed at the volunteer tables. "I've never seen anything like this before. They're not MOVING. They're supposed to get up. None of them have left their seats." Michael laughed.

One of the CPTV ladies told us after the show was over that a woman had called up to pledge the amount that would get her the concert CD as a thank you gift. Then she called back later and said she forgot she didn't even have a CD player! So she had to change her pledge and get the video instead.

I had such an incredible time, despite the fog - or rather because of the reason for the fog! :-) But I wish I could remember more details. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you Pamela - since we were so late we didn't have much of a chance to mingle. And I wasn't in my right mind.

I'm so grateful I had this opportunity. I will never forget it. Well, not the parts I actually can remember!

-- Debbie

From Tricia - Iowa, USA

Funny... the one thing you never hear mentioned regarding PBS pledging is the obscene phone calls.

I had several... and eventually became quite adept at pretending I was taking a pledge (keep phone to the ear) while moving my other hand over to disconnect the call.  They had asked us NOT to slam down the phone or give any indication of what was happening... but it was hard not to give it away.  The one of Pat's that Michael saw was caught on tape and is just hysterical. 
 
The manager of the station came over after the first pledge break (before Michael was in the studio) and asked me how it was going.  I said that aside from a few inquiries into my sexual preferences, everything was going fine!  He said unfortunately that was a rather common occurrence. 

During the last pledge breaks (during the U Conn program), the callers had evidently tired and the calls were more of the hang up variety.

Lucky Crys and Debbie... they never thought that little side table would be the best seat in the house.... no calls to interrupt their gazing.  And great off-camera proximity.

The people making pledges who actually got to talk with Michael were thrilled beyond belief.  One woman had her VCR going but had had to go to another room to make the call to the station.  I told her which volunteer I was so that when she re-watched the tape she could "see" her chat with Michael.  She
increased her pledge by the way after she had chatted with him.  Another woman (upon hearing my non-New England voice) asked if I was one of those who had traveled to see him and where I was from.  I told her and she said it was obvious to see from his demeanor in the studio why we were all so devoted to him.

Many of my callers wanted to know about other CDs and videos of Michael's.  Unfortunately many did not have internet access but I gave them what information I could.  One woman said she had be trying in vain to find anything of his since seeing him in Aspects on Broadway ten years ago and was surprised and thrilled to "find" him on her PBS station.

It really was a great night.  The people at the station were lovely to deal with and seemed very appreciative of our help.  The on air people kept mentioning the fans who had traveled from all over to be there... again and again.  And even mentioned everyone's names.... Er, Crys... uh.... yours translated to "cryzzzz".... but WE knew who she meant!

My memories of Thursday are mostly a blur.  It seemed like it was over all too fast but it certainly was fun being there.

It was terrific putting names to faces and, hopefully, I'll be seeing some of you on tour.

Tricia

Addendum:

I was thinking after I had posted that perhaps I gave the wrong impression about Pat's reaction to THAT call.  She didn't slam down the phone. 

She is in the background while Lee Newsome (the female on air personality) is giving a pitch in the foreground.  You see Pat pick up the phone and answer it, listen briefly, sort of pull back a bit glancing at the receiver and quietly put the phone down... but with the most amazing expression on her face.  You might not notice it if you weren't looking for it.  But if you know it is there, you won't miss it.

Tricia

From my very first ever, and still Ballfest Buddy, Crys Ager ~ Washington State

Hi All,

I have been a lurker at heart lately but just want to share what was an incredible moment......4 days later the smile is still on my face.

I, first, have to say it was wonderful to meet everyone that I did and I didn't have the chance to meet everyone since (as Debbie did say) we arrived a bit late but you really are an awesome lot and Michael knew it at every turn. He seemed chuffed to bits at everyone support....great job guys!   :) And sorry, it's taken a bit to add my thoughts, but I only got back to my email today at work.

And to our charming gentleman .. Michael, thank you for the most incredible evening.

>> He did sign my photo (one I took at York last year that I'm rather
>>proud of - not your typical concert photo) and even paused to comment on it.
>>Phil was there by that time and he said some nice things too. That meant a
>>lot to me.

Debbie is being more than a bit modest here.  It is an amazing picture she took while Michael was still behind the curtain at York waiting to come out and he cast a marvelous shadow on the wall of the theatre backstage.....the picture came out very beautiful and unusual.  Michael and Phil were both very admiring of it and that they had never seen anything like it.  Our gal Debbie is an awesome photographer!

>>>Lesson #1 - When your airline makes the national news 3 days running
>>>because they've cancelled hundreds of flights and stranded thousands of
>>>people, get  somehow, some way, get another airline.

Can anyone say United.  I am not as nice as Debbie and they had us panic-stricken that we would not be able to make it or be stranded like 100's of others in Chicago.  So with the help of a most exceptional Vice President of our company, she helped to get us set up on another airline nonstop Boston.

>>>Lesson #2 - When driving in an unfamiliar city whose streets follow a more
>>>creative geometrical pattern than right angles, do not rely on Map Quest for
>>>driving directions. My friend and I learned Lesson #1 before we left and
>>>managed to find a flight that got us there OK. We learned Lesson #2 the
>>>hard way, and as a result we were 30 minutes late for our shift. Those 30
>>>minutes were torture, let me tell you. But in the end, it all turned out better 

>>>than we could have imagined.  Since we were so late, my friend and I had 

>>>places at the last table, off camera. At first we were disappointed. But not 

>>>for long.

Can you say, DUH?   I mean how stupid were we?!?   Our hotel was only 1.3 miles from the TV station, but the Map Quest directions had us back on the freeway to Boston.  30 minutes of torture.....talk about absolutely H-E-double toothpicks!  I thought we were both going to end up in tears.  It always pays to do a practice run to know where you really want to go.....lesson learned for Oct in the UK!   So not only we were late, but Tricia and Pat had tried to save us seats but they were taken by others.  So we were (as Debbie mentioned) relegated to a small round table back away from other volunteers.   And yet....it just goes to show how much fate can step in to lend a hand to a really desperate MB fan in her greatest hour of need.   For who happens to be standing there 3 feet away from us for much of his off-camera time while in the studio....but our own Mr. Ball.   My biggest dilemma was now how to appear nonchalant and not just gawk at him the whole time.   Do you know how hard that is?   To sit there with him  3 feet away telling stories.....and that laugh......just to hear that laugh. Being stuck in never-never land turned out to be the best thing imaginable that could have happened.....how different the night would have been if we had been sitting with Tricia and Pat (sorry ladies, but as much as I love you...).  How many fewer photos I would have gotten. 

>>>Next thing I remember he was standing behind the computer
>>>table where all the pledges were being tallied, which was right next to my
>>>friend and me. I'll let my friend tell most of the interaction if she wants, He 

>>>kind of cocked his head the way he does and mouthed "Aww" or something 

>>>and then walked around the table to give my friend a hug. "That's a HELL of a 

>>>long way," he said. I got a hug too........ It meant so much to me that he was 

>>>the one who approached us. He was so kind. Everything everyone has said 

>>>already is completely true.

The interaction....well Mr. B is the certainly the sweetest, charming, and most handsomest of men.  We did say hello while the TV people were setting up for Michael's 1st go on screen.  I asked if I could give him something I had brought.  MB retorted "Of course, you can."  So starting my well practiced speech....."We wanted to bring you something so we thought a subliminal (a word I kept stumbling on in the car, and totally slaughtered face to face with MB.....Debbie who knew my speech by heart...cracked up....MB cracked up and said "would the word be subliminal?") message so you would have Seattle in your mind next time (in the form of a Seattle Mariner Jersey...who are our professional baseball team) you come to America and to let you know your Seattle fans love you."  Well!  He took the Jersey out and held it up and said "what a really cool shirt" and "Thanks you so much".  Then turned to Phil and said "Hey Phil, look at my cool shirt".   It thrilled me to death because he seems genuinely to like it.   I turned back towards the table, then found Michael dodging the TV camera and table between us as he came around and gave me a huge hug :) .....what can I say.....strange things float in your mind at a moment like that.....my 1st thoughts were how lovely he smells (as my face was buried in his neck) and how soft his suit was....strange, I know, but that is what popped in my mind. All I could mumble was "Thank you for coming, Michael".  And he said (still hugging me) "No love, thank you  for coming".   I could have died happy at that very moment.  Michael as charming as ever hugged Debbie too.....the incredible nature of this man.

>>>She got Michael's attention and said "They came all the way from
>>>Se-ATT-le." Then she repeated it to Phil.

Yes, not for one moment did Dorothy let Michael, Phil or us forget where we were from.  At least for one precious night, it was indelibly etched in his mind that he has huge (numbers of) fans in Seattle :)

Michael's most charming traits: (as noticed by Debbie and I as we watched him)

*He still nervously bounces his knees just before going on camera, what a doll.

*Constantly tucking a stray curl behind his right ear.  (earlier in the evening, I did mentioned his cutting his hair again....I am one of "those" who like the bit of length...and he laughed and said he was  growing it back out)

*Rubbing his chin with his right thumb?  A new one on me. And of course, all the normally adorable ones like rolling his eyes, making faces and that oh sooo cheeky grin.

Funny phone & other moments:

Debbie mentioned the caller who orders the CD, then totally forgot she didn't even own a CD player and had to call back.   WE can certainly all understand how Michael can fluster a woman :)

Tricia (bless her heart) got sweet little old lady with whom Tricia took painful measure to get all her information for the pledge form.  When they got to the zip code the poor lady could not remember it, so she laid the phone down to go in search for it.....5 minutes later she still had not come back and Michael was back on TV....we think she got caught back up in Michael and forgot she was ever on the phone to begin with. Once, again the power of Michael to totally distract :)-

There was even an obscene phone call (I'll let the poor woman clue you in to her identity if she wants) but the funny part was Michael's reaction.  He noticed the funny look cross her face and asked her what was up.  She told him and he wanted to know what the caller said.   Michael cracked totally up and then went off to tell Phil, all that could be heard was "Phil,  you got to hear this one......."  A true "Frat boy" at heart, and the "blue" sense of humor is definitely live and well inside our guy.

During "Gethsemane" it was just before a on screen pledge break and Michael was standing with the host whispering.  He kept getting ssshhh'd by us all but was not taking the hint, so I said "WE are trying to listen HERE."  and Michael grinned, made a face, and nodded to the camera "Oh him, he's not very good".   The man can certainly make you laugh and wit just comes so quick to him.

As everyone has mentioned, there was time at end as he did in every city for photos and autographs, more hugs and kisses.  So many fun moments to remember.  Such an incredible evening.  Michael was the sweetest, most open performer I've ever met.  I never dreamed he would be so truly  friendly, open and caring.  To share himself so completely for one incredible night. We truly are a lucky lot.  The station manager kept saying to Michael that he was lucky to have us -- but I believe we are more lucky to have him. A night I will never, ever, forget.  Thank you, Mr. Ball for your generosity and kindness.

Cheers & Love,

  Crys Ager