Hey Mixter,

It was SO cool hanging with you guys in L.A.. Thanks for the offer to back me up in the future, but I didn't need a bodyguard. The guy was simply shoving into me for 80% of the evening. I didn't want to bring you guys down during the show or afterward about it. All was forgiven between Paul and I on Sacrifice, yet Steve queried why I didn't post about it on the NAGNFC. And truth be told, people like me who have a long history of getting the butt-end of the actions of drunken Sacrifice Moderators IS, in fact, news. The fact it involves me is irrelevant. I would report it even if it were someone else involved, and had made sure the news was reliable as I always cite my sources. In fact, Gary's own website has a long history of ranting against segments of his fans, naming individual posters by name, so if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, my reputation as a Numan fan is safe.
I didn't know about that Recoil episode, or even what was said to Gary. You know I'm no prude. Just look at my hair! But it makes you wonder why people spent the $50 just to audibly compete with the performer over what they will order at Taco Bell for a half hour. I don't mind getting shoved around either. You should have seen us in Charlotte at the Numan show in 1998! The crowd was making me seasick but it was fun! But what happened last week was just unnecessary.
Thanks to you and everyone who has my back on this, which so far is 99% of you. And thanks again for your offer to intervene, Mixter. Hopefully it will never come to that.

Ciao for now,
Jim "The Machman" Napier
NAGNFC

Dear Jim, sorry to hear about the drunk. I'm not a fan of drinking or drunks but I think for reasons of balance I should try to say something positive about 'Smiley'. Is it the guy who I met in Liverpool? And who gave me a lift to my lodgings? And talked pleasantly with me afterwards as if we'd been friends for years? If so, then he's a good guy. A good guy with a drink problem, but a good guy nonetheless.

Hi Paul in Wyoming,

No unfortunately, that guy in Liverpool you were speaking with was Dave and the driver was Geoff. I've never seen Smiley at a concert north of London/Cardiff. I've only seen him at one concert per tour. Dave and Geoff are pretty awesome (as is their rapping friend who rode with us in Liverpool last year). Steve is a good guy too, when he's not inexplicably applying a double standard to the forum rules to defend a fellow drinker, or approaching me with a paper moderators cap instead of as the friend I thought he was. To some, friendship is worth paper. I value friendship enough to have made ours last another 7 years despite his treatment of my friend and I who scrambled to find alternate lodging in the middle of the foreign night.