This report is the result of the scribblings I made contemporaneously in a little notebook – there were 72 sides of paper, and I filled almost all of them. Taping the event wasn’t allowed, but I’ve taken minutes of heated meetings for years, and I don’t do shorthand. I can write with my eyes shut, in the dark, standing up, and with the book upside down. I can even read most of it back. This may well be the most comprehensive report you will find. If you know of one better, point me to it, and I’ll update this!
The first paragraph is not exactly germane, so feel free to skip it, but it exercised a powerful effect on me for a good hour on that first day, and I began to wonder whether it was setting the context for the entire event. I hadn’t wanted to go, you see. Not that I didn’t want to see David, but I’m well aware that my obsession is with the character of Angel (Lisa, stop sniggering, and allow me some dignified denial…), and to find that the human has feet of clay, or even orange hair, might spoil that magnificent obsession. After all, the Brighton event a couple of years ago generated so many complaints that it finished up being investigated by a consumer watchdog programme. David has a lot to live down. I might come back and never want to write another word of fanfiction, or watch an Angel video again, because sometimes what lives in your mind is much, much better than reality. And if I chucked it all in, I should miss it. I should miss it terribly. I’m distinctly less tolerant than I used to be in my younger days, and considerably more cynical. It might be very hard to please me at an event like this. (And the shivery scaredy-cat part of me is afraid I’ll stick out like a sore thumb and be entirely out of place, and all those stupid things I should have left behind me by now.) And my back is already up at the ticket price. So, I’m going with very mixed feelings. OK, I’m excited, too. Inside this non-teenage exterior is still, well, a teenager. Somewhere.
This, then, is the memory of the weekend, rather than just of the event. Pick out of it what you will. Sorry it’s taken a couple of days – it’s 23 pages long… Oh, and I really can’t remember how to spell Hagen Daas, so I’ve taken my best shot at it.
29 October 2004
I live in Sheffield, and therefore a sensible way to get to London would be to drive south. That’s not the plan, though. LisaP lives on the other side of the country, so that’s where I’m going. And I have *never* had so taxing a journey. Halfway there, I *need* to pee, but there are no available toilets. 10 miles later, there is still no loo and now I *really* need to pee. Another 10 miles, and I’m considering banging on the door of the next house I come to. Yet another 10 miles – 2 of them in standing traffic – and I’m eyeing up the hedgerows, which are exceeding thin and very close to this busy dual carriageway, but I’m desperate and jiggling by now. But, it’s only 4 miles to go. I can do this. Then I get onto LisaP’s street, and it’s a maze! I have to drive up and down three times before I can find the house number. Do you think anyone wants their roses watering/fertilising? And at last, there it is. Peep the horn, get Lisa to open the door – I need to get a run at this. Lisa understands the urgency as this body barrels past her, and she rushes to open up the downstairs loo – the one that is kept for the dog food and the cat litter tray. I don’t care. Do you know, there’s nothing, absolutely nothing, more wonderful than a toilet.
What’s that? You want to know about the London part? Patience. I’m getting there.
So, a quick cup of tea, and we’re off. Well, we are until we get to the M25, that is. Terry Pratchett regards the M25 as a mystical sigil that brings the characteristics of Hell to everything within its boundary. Come to think of it, so does Chris Rea. Sounds about right to me.
Lisa is very organised and has the AA directions to our hotel in Stratford, as well as direct to the venue if we really hit trouble. Unfortunately, I’m the navigator. Now, I may have many sterling qualities, but navigating is not one of them. In fact, I have an absence of navigating. So much of an absence, that I’m right out the other side. So, we’re lost.
Eventually, though, thanks to Lisa, we find the hotel, and then I find that I’ve failed to secure a car parking space. Rats. On a stick, even.
I’ve also discovered that, having pratted about getting film and batteries for the camera, I’ve forgotten to bring it. Double rats. Lisa says I can rely on her.
DB? I’m getting there. Don’t rush me…
We check in – the hotel seems OK, then go straight to York Hall for registration, which starts at 6.00pm. We don’t have time for the tube, so we take the car. Friday rush hour. London. We like to live dangerously. It’s fine, though, and we arrive there by 5.15 – it’s taken us all of 15 minutes.
The road between the hotel and the venue is dead straight, and in the distance, centred on this road, we can see The Gherkin. Wasn’t Rodgers the architect of this monstrosity? People might like it, but I still think it looks rude and shouldn’t be allowed. I imagine it’s the closest he could get glass and steel to a phallic symbol, and it’s a statement about him, not about architecture. I’ll shut up now.
“Oh, look,” says Lisa. “There’s York Hall…and there’s the queue!”
Now, take it from me, I didn’t actually get a tape measure out, but the queue must be all of 150 yards long. Are all these people going to the same thing that we are? ‘Cos there are definitely some strange people there. People you wouldn’t want to get caught down a dark alley with. Can we go home, please?
“No,” says Lisa, “they probably think we’re pretty weird, too.”
We can’t park the car, and being clamped would not be a good start to the weekend. Horrifically, she threatens to toss me out of the car and make me stand at the end of the queue – all by myself – while she parks the car.
“But you need me to navigate,” I whine. She’s cruel.
“No, I don’t,” she says. But we’re saved by the bell. A space. And it’s immediately across the street. Lucky, or what?
The administration are amazed by the turn out, and they open the doors early. Whilst we are queuing, two separate people come up to us (probably because we are the only non-weird people in the queue) and ask what is going on. They go away none the wiser. We get to the door by 6.30pm. Lisa presents the wrong piece of paper, whilst I smugly present my correct ticket. The door steward tells me to take her in and help her find the right thing. Vengeance is mine!
We get our envelopes, containing the order of events – subject to change, we are warned – and a rather garish orange wristband. Wear it now, warns the lady, or you won’t get in if you forget it. She then looks into my envelope.
“Oh, she says, “you’re asking a question. No, TWO questions.” Me? Asking two questions? Wow! One for Jane Espenson, and ONE FOR DAVID AND JAMES!
I’ll faint. My brain doesn’t work. I can’t form words. Me? SPEAK to DB? Wow!
We stagger down the street, and a very nice man in a sweet little newsagents tells us where most of the restaurants are. Somehow, we locate a nice Italian restaurant – La Forchetta - and flop down to be soothed and pandered to by attentive staff. We have mussels in cream sauce – and they are to die for, not even counting the fact that the sauce has been specially made for us sans the garlic, so we aren’t breathing garlic all over HIM. Not even from a distance… Mustn’t knock over our boy with garlic breath… Lisa has a super lasagne, and I have the most fabulous pizza, with a crispy crust as thin as lace. The restaurateur talks to us. He asks us where we have travelled from. ‘London,’ he says, ‘is finished.’ He’s thinking of moving to the provinces. We try to persuade him to relocate his culinary skills in our direction, and he does, indeed, seem to consider it. We deserve him more than London does!
Then he asks, ‘Are you here for the convention?’ Shock! Is our groupie status tattooed across our foreheads? We aren’t even wearing the wristbands yet!
“Yes,” we mutter, coyly. “What is it?” says he. “Someone from the television?” We nod, dumbly. He gives us a gentle stare then scuttles off. Probably no new restaurant in our parts, then…
No longer ravening beasts (thanks to the M25, we missed lunch), we repair to the hotel, just in time to see SMG on Jonathan Ross. JR keeps trying to pull her chain, with a great deal of toilet humour (literally). She, however, is pretty, witty, ripostes superbly and is probably extremely brassed off with him. He concedes that she is a good interviewee. He says that not all his guests are. Sometimes he might as well be talking to a lamp stand. Then he asks about her relationship with David (although at first, he can’t remember David’s name). He seems to want to get her to talk about a relationship that *developed*. ‘More like brother and sister,’ she hastens to say. ‘So, it started on best behaviour…’ he starts to ask. ‘Oh,’ says she, ‘I don’t think David was ever on his best behaviour.’ And she tells how he used to like to moon the cast. What on earth are we to expect tomorrow? Will we get…? Oh, my.
And so to bed.
30 October 2004
Lisa assures me I do not snore. Apparently I purr gently. Make of that what you will. It isn’t an entirely good night for either of us; despite sleeping with the window open, we wake up with stuffed heads. And we didn’t have a drop of booze. Well, Lisa had wine, but I only had water. Honestly.
When we get to York Hall, the place is queue central. There are hundreds milling around outside, and inside are more people queuing to buy photographs. £25 for a signed photo of DB? And I think the man said £30 for it if you wanted one of JM. Grrrrrrr. And there is NO merchandise other than photographs. I’d hoped to buy the odd item or two – or many – and certainly the odd Xmas gift or two, but this is not to be. Photos or nothing. Did I say Grrrrrr already?
Oh, and the venue has a coat of arms on the wall over the stage, which I suspect is that of the London borough of Tower Hamlets, but I haven’t checked. The motto reads ‘FROM GREAT THINGS TO GREATER’. Appropriate. I like it.
Jane Espenson’s Q & A
The first live session is Jane Espenson. There are some interesting answers to interesting questions. On the point of why vampires aren’t re-souled wholesale, Joss makes a management decision – let’s not go there, it will weaken the hero.
My question?
What is it like writing for, a show where every little action, every speech, is analysed and dissected for current meaning and for future importance, and where every inconsistency is identified and debated?
Well, the writers simply didn’t realise at first that what they wrote would live with them forever, and then it’s too late.
When BtVS moved to UPN, they spent the first year (season 6) without a censor, which they’d had for the first five seasons. Then, a censor appeared for season 7, and the writers really didn’t like to be restricted again.
Oh, and Jane Espenson makes an appearance in ‘Band Candy’ – she’s the cafeteria lady, where the candy is being handed out.
Is she as proud of Tru Calling as of BtVS? No, Buffy was a landmark.
Jane’s favourite BtVS character? Anya.
When did Joss first think up the Spike/Buffy relationship? Pretty early in season 4.
She was glad that Andrew was redeemed as much as he was, although David Fury was worried that it might send the wrong message.
If she were able to revise anything, it would be in season 7, the war with the potentials, which was likened to the Iraq war, when that was never meant as a parallel. However, she’s less concerned now that she’s seeing the analysis settling down to ‘don’t go in alone’.
The most daring episodes she considers to be ‘Hush’, ‘Once more with Feeling’ and ‘Smile Time’.
Spike’s re-souling was not post hoc rationalisation, she assures us. We were meant to think that he only intended to have the chip removed – he was always going to get a soul – and perhaps that wasn’t made clear enough.
Dawn/Spike was popular, and was not consciously dropped – there was simply too much else to do.
Jane reminds us that she has a fondness for Room w/a View. She wrote it, and was happy with it. Dennis was originally called Bob.
She was asked how much freedom the writers had, and tells us that they are given the scenario, and the characters, and the important piece of information for the scene, then they get on with it. She feels that, with joint writing, it works best if one writer does, say, the first two scenes, and the other does the last two, rather than try to work jointly on each scene. ‘Superstar’ is her favourite episode, and the one with Willow and the skin-eating demon.
One questioner put the view that the Buffyverse published fiction is pedestrian, and asked why fanfic writers are not approached to produce better work. Jane wishes that this would happen – she feels that fanfic writers get the show better than the professional writers, and doesn’t know why this doesn’t happen.
Another questioner asserts that Angel has an Oedipus complex with respect to Darla, and Jane agrees that sounds good. Some of the show’s writers think that Darla is more Angel’s true love than Buffy is, and Jane likes that, because it frees up Buffy for Spike. Lisa and I have views about this. They aren’t necessarily the same views.
Jane confirmed that both Joss and she are atheists, attracted to the notion of redemption through suffering.
She was asked why Spike, once he became corporate – sorry, corporeal – didn’t rush straight back to Buffy, and said yes, she’d wondered that, too, and she confirmed that the BtVS season she had most enjoyed writing for was season 5. Jonathan touched her most, especially his end where he really got what it was all about. She likes writing standalone episodes and says that her favourite Star Trek episode is ‘Trouble with Tribbles’.
There were often heated discussions over concepts behind scripts, for example, whether Buffy could love Spike, because this was a big deal. However, Joss was always in charge, and would make the clear decision. Sometimes, she said, she felt as if she needed to be a chameleon to write all the parts and give the characters their proper voices.
Her favourite book is ‘Pride and Prejudice’; her favourite episode that she didn’t write, ‘Once More With Feeling’; her favourite episode that she wished she had written, ‘Hush’ and ‘Fool for Love’. If there were another spin off, she would like to see Spike, with Anya as his assistant.
She was asked whether the franchise might pass to someone else, and explained that this was Joss’s creation, and would be a tremendous burden to undertake without him. She would not wish to work for someone else taking on the franchise.
The best advice that she could offer to writers is to always be positive, rather than self-deprecating, about their work – people see what they are told.
She was asked whether Spike, in season 7, was driven by Buffy needing him, not by love, and replied that Joss is now on record as saying that Buffy loved Spike, although there are a lot of differing views amongst the writers.
This was a really interesting session, with a lot of discussion.
Next, though, was the Welcome session, where Lisa Powers, our extremely efficient Mistress of Ceremonies, wearing a black suit and a long feline tail, introduced us to all the guests.
There were, Jane, Amy Acker, Luke Perry, who asked all Americans to use their absentee vote for Kerry, Juliet Landau, James, and then David, who was kitted out in camouflage coloured combat trousers (NO indication of whether he goes commando underneath…) and a blue-grey New York City sweatshirt. He wore this outfit for the whole convention, occasionally donning a navy and white zipped jacket over the top. His opening words?
“I’m not jet-lagged; I’m not hung over; and I’m not in a bad temper.” We suspect that this is a reference to the Brighton fiasco, and indeed, he seemed throughout to be exerting himself to please.
Now, if you do not want to read a load of rambling gushiness, pass on to the next paragraph. The guy is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. His pictures in no way do him justice, and they are gorgeous enough. He has NO orange hair, he is chiselled, and doesn’t carry an ounce of spare flesh. And he is HUGE! He dominates everything around him, as if space simply wraps itself through a number of dimensions in order to accommodate him. His voice is dark brown velvet, like molten chocolate. And he moves like a big cat. Meep! Okay, enough of gushing for the moment. I’m sure there will be more to come. Don’t worry, there will be gush warnings.
DB’s Q & A
The guy sits himself down on a rather inadequate orange chair, and there is a large screen behind reflecting just what’s going on. Now (gush warning) the guy sits on this chair, knees akimbo, feet crossed at the ankles. Sigh. He tells us that he has assumed the position, and that we may fire at will. SIGH!
He tells us that the addition of Spike to the cast of ‘Angel’ definitely allowed more development of the character of Angel, with the addition of more witty scenarios. He personally was upset that there were not more episodes around the two of them. His favourite season is season 5.
When asked whether he was hurt in his fight scenes, he explained that he had a knee injury last year, with surgery on 24 October, so was unable to do many of the fight scenes in season 5.
When asked if he and Jaime were planning a second child, he pointed out that he had been away for three weeks, filming in Shediac. He had found it tough being away from his family, and they did, indeed, hope to be blessed with another child – not tomorrow, but in the future. They had also considered adopting.
Asked about his likes, he said he loved flea markets. The coolest things were old pub signs; a mirror that he bought in Pasadena; and he likes old watches and clocks. His mother’s brother is an antiques dealer, and that’s where he got the bug from an early age, which first showed itself in activities such as bouncing around on valuable antique furniture.
Asked about the most difficult scenes, he named the one in which Connor returns (that must be ‘A New World’) and ‘Heroes’, which was the hardest emotionally.
As an aside, he informs us that York Hall was built in 1926, and there is a pool underneath it. There is certain speculation about the uses of that pool.
When asked what he would be if not an actor, he says an architect. He loves buildings, and loves to take pictures of interesting buildings. At home, he has remodelled the house, and although it’s done now, they spent a while with no kitchen, the refrigerator outdoors, and living on take away pizza three times a week. There’s some minor remodelling of the backyard going on at present.
His greatest accomplishment? Having his son. (Note: I don’t think this is unusual – all men seem to think that the women have nothing to do with this process.)
A questioner said that her favourite episode was ‘Passion’, and she asked why Angelus’ malevolence was so compulsive. After some discussion on why the Netherlands might be compulsive – or not – he told us that Angelus was wicked to play. The demon relishes slow pain, the mystery and elegance of it, and there is a need in people for some of that. He enjoyed playing Angelus, although sincerely hopes that no one is going out killing puppies.
Asked about the Dido music video, he confesses that he didn’t know who Dido was, but loved the song, and thought that she has a brilliant voice. When he first saw her, he told her he was there to be fitted for a wardrobe, and asked what she was doing there. The video was a two day shoot, and was an…interesting process, which he is not likely to repeat. He loves music, but didn’t know how much…work…went into doing the videos.
Asked whether it was true that he and SMG used to eat gross things before kissing scenes, he said that he used to do lots of gross things, but that was a while ago, and he’s got over that stage. In the last couple of months, Bruce Dern has been a great help to him in seeing how to approach things. He admitted that he used to pull his pants down on set to, well, get loose, but that is in the past.
Asked if he felt a prat doing any particular scene, he said that season 4 was often dark and muddy, with confusing plot lines. All of the Cordelia/Vincent stuff freaked him out, as did being jacked up against a wall.
Would he like to be immortal? No, that would be too painful. Anyway, in a weird way, being burned onto the screen is a kind of immortality.
His honest reaction to being told about the puppet show had been ‘Oh, my God!’ and that the writers must have been on mushrooms. He had had enormous hesitations, but it had been great. The cast and crew had all found it difficult to keep a straight face. (Note: one of the screenings included outtakes from season 5. There is an outtake of the Angel puppet behind the desk and its actions and expressions reveal that all the working parts are still present and fully functional. Use your imagination. It was hysterical.)
The most important thing he had learned was honesty. ‘Angel’ had been like a vortex, sucking him in. He didn’t remember a lot of days and scenes. He’d done a lot of falling down, and picking himself back up again.
Perfect qualities for a hero are kindness, openness to change, balance, inner strength and the ability to communicate. His Dad is his biggest hero. At the age of 21, in 1991, they had both driven across America, and David had got to know his father in a way that he had never imagined.
He does read some of his fan mail which is forwarded to him from places like 20thC Fox – not all of it, but some – and he does reply to some people.
Asked if he had as much fun with Angelus as we did, he said that he really liked to play him. He found that he could bring out Angelus in Angel, and loved the role a lot.
Asked if there was a difference between a real kiss and a stage kiss, he was adamant that he was not sticking his tongue down someone’s throat. He confided that lighting had been a problem in love scenes because of his broad shoulders, and he’s needed to be a contortionist to allow the lady to actually be visible to the camera. He liked to talk to the female half of a love scene, and find out what was comfortable for them. He loved working with Julie Benz in that context, because she wasn’t scared to go places. It’s harder doing a love scene with those who are less comfortable about it.
Asked if he has done anything really bad in his life, he assured us that he was a good Catholic boy once. He’d done a lot of things in early life, and being only human, has his own personal demons.
Asked which guest star he enjoyed working with, and wished could have stayed longer, he named Daniel Dae Kim, who played Gavin from Wolfram and Hart.
Asked about a dream destination for a romantic weekend, he said he’s been attracted to the Maldives. He waxed enthusiastic about the possibilities of Hagen Daas ice cream and his wife, and an all over sort of coverage. (SIGH!)
For future roles, he told us that they had, just 3 weeks ago, sold to ABC a project about a cop called Jack Ballantyne who played a hit man for hire, but was an undercover homicide cop with a family and two sons. He was looking forward to shooting that next. In more general terms, he would relish roles that were heroic but vulnerable, action roles, and interesting villains.
If he hadn’t played the character of Angel, he would have liked to be either Buffy or the Watcher. He thinks that Anthony rocks…
Asked what his acting method was for finding Angelus, he said that it came from watching other performances, and from digging deep within himself to see how he himself might be feeling in the circumstances.
He said that he never stopped to think how to escape being thought of as the vampire. The roles he chooses are determined by the people involved and the story.
Scary things? Birds and lobsters. Think of all those clacking claws, even tied up, waving towards tender and sensitive parts… he also wondered how the lobster would feel waking up beside a person. Very surreal.
Asked about the early episodes, he said he found it difficult to talk about. Glenn Quinn had been a great guy. It was obvious that he still felt very strongly about Glenn's death as a result of drug abuse. After a long moment’s pause, he said, with passion, ‘Don’t fuck with that shit.’
His best memory of the series was of the unaired pilot, of being on top of that really tall building, of standing there freezing, with 4 pages of dialogue, and being told not to go TOO NEAR THE EDGE, because he always messes with people’s minds.
Asked about the best piece of advice he would like to give to Jaden that his father gave to him – hold onto your name.
Asked which he preferred of Darla, Buffy or Cordelia, he refused to be drawn, specifying all three, in a heart-shaped bed, with champagne. He also got a reminiscent gleam in his eye about the ice-cream possibilities here.
He did agree that he and SMG had had a unique chemistry on screen; that the two characters had really sparked, like lightning in a bottle. Cordy had been feisty, and he was upset that she had to leave – as an actress, Charisma had great timing. Julie Benz as Darla had been – so great.
If he were a contestant on Survivor, he would take the Hagen Daas, his family and the Bible, because there was lots of reading in there, and he made of point of reading the Bible every day (this last was said with a great deal of assumed innocence and eye rolling), and his last meal would be steak, pasta, chicken…. The boy really loves his food.
He would love Joss to do Angel the Movie, and thanked everyone for their campaign. He seemed to be very touched by that.
He was asked to draw for some of the hundred prizes (Lisa and I got NO prizes whatsoever, not even breakfast with him, which is probably a good thing, because if one had won but not the other, there would be a buried body somewhere).
When it came to a 12” figurine of Spike (described by our MC as 12 inches of Spike), he poo-poohed it, confiding that if Spike had 12 inches then his own hung all the way to the knee, oh, and a little to the left.)
Then he drew the ticket for 12 inches of Angelus, and I think it’s best to say no more.
David’s session was wonderful. He came across as a genuine guy, a devoted family man, and with a rather wicked sense of humour. Oh, and not at all stupid. And did I mention BEAUTIFUL? There really is no other word in the English Language.
We are totally overcome (gush warning). We have been in the room with this absolutely perfect piece of masculinity. We’re weak at the knees. We need sustenance. We stagger outside (we’re going to do quite a lot of staggering in this couple of days) for fresh air. The programme has overrun. David should have finished at 1.00pm, with James starting at 2.00pm. It’s 1.30. Across the road from York Hall is the Museum of Childhood. Inside is a café that sells decent sandwiches and outside are a set of tables and benches, from which we can see that Lisa’s car has not been stolen. She’s found a spot on the customer car park of a wine merchant, currently not open for business, and therefore not needing the car park. The car is unstolen and unclamped. The omens are good.
Almost nobody else has found this little retreat, but it’s a good job that someone has, because another orange wristband wearer trots over to tell us that James’ question and answer session is just starting. So, a quick gallop back:
James’ Q & A
James tells us that he chose extracts from Macbeth and The Tempest as audition pieces. He loves the way in which Caliban’s piece is written – the rhythms and language. He believes that this is among the best in the whole English language. And, of course, Caliban is a monster.
Things that he has never done that he would like to do? Hang-gliding and skydiving.
He’s done a lot of comedy work. When playing Macbeth, he also played the part of Andrew Aguecheek under a stage name – productions are embarrassed to admit that their lead player is also playing a second role.
It was hard doing some of the things that were required on BtVS, because he enjoyed being a monster, but Joss was intent on making him more human, because monsters are only so interesting. He loved doing the show.
Love it or loathe it, the internet is important, and he doesn’t see it as intrusive, because just now he is choosing to be public. He advertises and distributes music without a label, because he gets 95% of the profits. James gave everyone a tip here – to use the internet, you need two computers, one for surfing the net and one for storing your information, because otherwise, no matter what, your information will be accessible.
Asked if he had ever kissed a man, he said that he had played a gay artist, and seems to remember he had kissed the guy. No, he didn’t enjoy it. Wouldn’t he like to kiss Nick Brendon? Well, he does have a sweet mouth…
He confided to us that he had played Eeyore in the 4th grade, and was cajoled into doing a bit of Eeyore. This had been the start of his desire to get into acting.
He told us that the character of Spike had been very clearly defined on the page in the scripts, and that he had therefore not been defining Spike, but giving him immediacy and life. Good acting is not putting on a mask, but revealing yourself. His first professional role had been as Ferdinand in ‘The Tempest’, with a nude scene. The lighting designer broke a leg, and his assistant set it all up like a Las Vegas floor show. Asked who he would like to cast in ‘Macbeth’, he concentrated on the heavyweights – Richard Harris, Richard Burton, Olivier.
He even knew the meaning of effulgent when asked (radiating).
His favourite Star Trek character was Spock. Asked what would be his choice for playing a character of the opposite sex, he decided that he so liked being a guy (with much comic glancing down to make sure everything was still there) but eventually settled on Wilde’s Lady Bracknell.
He told us that he used to paint – exterior still life paintings, particularly of the shadows cast by plants – but he wasn’t painting now.
He would like to do a London stage play, but had family commitments that would preclude that for at least ten years. He did have some plans to tour as a solo musician, but not immediately.
He liked the different costumes in ‘Tabula Rasa’, but not the Hawaiian shirt. He confides that he made a joke in the make-up trailer about the reduction in Spike as a menacing monster; that he was no longer Spike but Lurkle, and Joss almost fired him.
He was asked how he had improvised ‘relations’ with Buffy when she was invisible, and he said that there had been a lot of talk about how he should do the ‘push-ups’ because they looked too real.
What product does he prefer in the bathwater? Oil. There’s so much you can do with oil, although you do have to clean up afterwards.
Would he choose to be a human or a vampire? Human. As Spike, he wanted to give Buffy a rose garden because he was alive.
James, too, drew tickets for some of the prizes. When he got to 12 inches of Spike, he confided that, in contrast to David’s self assessment (down to the knee, hangs a little to the left), he was happy with only 10 and a half inches! These boys…
Luke Perry’s Q & A
Luke talked about his part in Buffy the Movie. He said that he had been excited about it when he met with Joss, but had been disappointed in the film – he was pretty sure that the studio would be kicking themselves now for not letting Joss do it.
It was around here that our row was called to go and have our photographs taken with the boys. Meeep! David and James were closeted in the basement (they spent most of the two days there, with no fresh air and no natural light, and it definitely wasn’t the most pleasant environment, but they remained unfailingly cheerful and genial). We queue down a cheerless stone staircase. Lisa starts to hyperventilate. She tells me to feel her heart. It’s pitter-pattering like a tiny bird beating its wings against a cage. I tell her to feel my pulse. She pokes around my wrist for a few minutes then tells me I’m dead. I haven’t got a pulse. We aren’t allowed to take bags in (is someone afraid we’re going to stuff our hero into a *handbag* and scarper?). I’m not going to leave my handbag where anyone can walk off with it – bear in mind that, before the event, we were told that there was no facility for buying anything with credit cards, debit cards or cheque – it was cash only. Therefore, we are all carrying lots of cash. I hang my handbag on a steward’s shoulder, and she agrees to look after it. I’m neurotic about this sort of thing. I know Rusty has made me a dinky little secret purse to keep my money in, but I’m still neurotic…
The room that we enter has a plaque over the door, with a demon, and the legend ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here’. The photo area has a frieze around the wall, at dado rail height, with some fairly tacky gravestones painted on. Don’t care. He looks gorgeous. (Lisa's interjection here - gorgeous doesn't even *begin* to describe him!)
The boys are sitting on stools, which I guess get very uncomfortable after a while, and the photographee stands behind them, in the middle. Lisa goes first. She may tell you what she said to them – that’s up to her, but she made both of them laugh. Oh, right, she’s going to tell you: They say 'Hi, how are you.' Lisa - without any hesitation – tells them that she's completely overcome with lust, which was what made them laugh. Then it’s my turn. Pulse or not, I’m weak at the knees. I walk in front of them, and both of them shake my hand, James first, and then David. ‘Are you bearing up under the strain?’ I ask. They both crack out laughing and I walk around David and stand behind them. They both turn right round to look at me. David is smiling, and James says, ‘Oh, such a terrible strain it is, meeting all these great people.’ I’m bending over the both of them, and our cheeks are half an inch apart… Meeeep! And I put one hand on each of their shoulders… I’m touching Our Hero again. Dear lord, the temptation…. I try to behave, though, and the photo is taken. Reluctantly, I break contact, and walk off past the steward. She says to me, ‘You enjoyed that, didn’t you?’ with a grin on her face. ‘You bet,’ say I. My thoughts? Cbnujreipoirkvnbhutirpeb cmdsvbrueiwfguyriw xmz. Urk! I TOUCHED him! Eeeep!
Lisa has to go outside and finish hyperventilating. Then she has to phone everyone in the world and tell them that she TOUCHED him. She calls her husband, too, who was, I believe, fishing. Her shriek probably scared off all the fish for the entire day, but he is very patient. I go back inside, because I need to sit down. (Lisa’s interjection here - I've never been so excited in my entire life - ever. I TOUCHED HIM!!! On the right shoulder. Which is the broadest shoulder on the entire planet....and did I mention that he is the most perfect specimen of masculinity? If I had died at that moment I'd have been a happy woman.)
I’m sad. I know I’m sad. I couldn’t resist – not after that. I buy photos, including one of the expensive pre-signed ones. Don’t care. David has a table of photos all to himself. James is sharing with all the other guests. I only buy David’s photos. Everyone else is sweet, and really nice, but he’s my poison, I’m afraid…
I’m glad, though, that most people there seem very even-handed. They are buying everyone’s pictures. They are buying tickets to have their photo taken with the other guests, and they are buying tickets to get autographs from the other guests. That’s really nice. It does mean that there are queues everywhere almost all the time, but it’s really nice that no one is left out.
When I can get my mind back in gear, it’s Amy’s session.
Amy Acker’s Q & A
Amy is incredibly sweet – everyone agrees on that – and she has a large bump in the pregnancy area. She is very, very much like Fred, and not at all like Illyria.
Asked which role she would like to reprise, she immediately decides that she would like to remake Amelie.
She thinks that the fanfic about Fred and Illyria is rather cool. In fact, she has talked to Joss about some of the fanfic (she sees him fairly regularly) and he thinks that some of it should be episodes.
She is asked who she thinks is sexiest, David or James. Totally diplomatic, she refuses to be drawn, saying that both are equally sexy. Oh, and she confirms that Joss is certain that Fred is absolutely and utterly gone, her soul used up in the transformation.
She tells us that Joss came to the set for the filming of ‘Not Fade Away’. And directed just the Wesley death scene. She says that there is no truth in the rumour of an Illyria spin-off, but Joss has said that he would still like to do a Faith spin-off.
Asked if Illyria would have had an affair with Angel, or with Angelus, she is clear that Illyria might have had more in common with Angelus, and that Angel hated her.
Juliet Landau’s Q & A
Juliet came on looking incredibly elegant, as ever, and just as mysterious and magnetic as Drusilla. We think most of the guys couldn’t rip their eyes off the stage…
Her favourite episodes are ‘Reunion’, and ‘What’s My Line Pt II’, where Drusilla gets her strength back.
Joss’s instructions regarding the character of Drusilla included words like ‘ethereal’, ‘diabolical’, ‘sensual’ and ‘little girl’. However, it was Juliet who came up with the Drusilla whimper. When she first used it, that part was cut, so she thought perhaps it hadn’t gone down well, but shortly afterwards, it was made as an explicit stage direction…
She tells us that both her parents are actors, so she was introduced to the rigours of showbiz life from an early age, and she herself danced professionally as a ballerina for 4 ½ years.
She thinks that Spike was Dru’s greatest love. With Angel, he’s a twisted father figure; with Angelus it’s just plain unhealthy; but with Spike it’s sweet (although kinky). She has wondered why on earth Dru, even mad as she is, would actually go off with a chaos demon, dripping all that stuff…
Asked about the blindfolds and gags on Dru’s dolls, she says that Joss had the idea for the blindfold, but Juliet did the rest. She smiles serenely as she is telling us this…
She likens Joss to Tim Burton. Joss is involved in every little detail, right down to wardrobe choices. For costumes for Dru, Joss wanted the Victorian feel together with Kate Moss heroin chic.
She likes the range of roles that she has played, but doesn’t like the way that some people judge that she’s not right for a role simply because of what they’ve seen of Drusilla – doubting that Juliet can do an American accent, even!
Now, we have a break to feed the inner woman. I don’t want to eat. I’m still not perfectly steady – don’t know about Lisa. We wander down Bethnal Green Road, and happen across a Tesco supermarket. Last of the big spenders, we make a beeline for the snack section. Lisa must be okay – she’s chosen a couple of spicy chicken thingies. I can’t eat. My stomach is doing flip-flops. I TOUCHED him! I settle for chopped mixed melon.
David and James episode commentary
Now, we have been promised a commentary on an episode. Our MC tells us that it will be the boys’ favourite episode of all. It will be ‘The Girl In Question’. There is a general groan of agony from the entire hall of over 800 people. Lisa and I start sliding off our chairs onto the floor, but that means we won’t be able to see *him*, and so we do our best to sit up straight. Our hearts, though, are failing us, and our stomachs have left the building.
The boys each sit on an inadequate orange chair, and try to talk over the soundtrack of the episode. This is never going to work, because we can’t hear either soundtrack or commentary. The soundtrack is switched off. David tells us that this is his favourite episode of the whole year, and James says it is one of his, too. David says that David Greenwalt wrote and directed it. He also tells us that David Greenwalt had to talk Joss into doing the ‘Angel’ series, since Joss didn’t think it would take off.
James starts to give us a serious commentary on what is going on in the episode, but David has the bit between his teeth now, and we are given a particularly salacious and wickedly funny commentary. Towards the end, David’s microphone is playing up, and James swaps his for David’s, saying that he’s not contributing much anyway! The commentary is interspersed with sound affects, particularly the vroom-vroom sort and the screeeeeeeeeeeeee sort of the car/bike chase.
It would have been impossible to try and keep up (besides I wanted to concentrate on Our Boy), but I’ll recollect a few bits.
Every few sentences, David reminds us that they are both pining for Buffy.
On the plane, when they are drinking those teeny bottles of booze, there is a point where Angel looks broody. ‘Look,’ says David, ‘I’m thinking of joining the Mile High Club now.’ The camera cuts to Spike, also looking broody. ‘And now James is thinking of joining the Mile High Club.’
The manacles when Angelus and Spike are chained up by the Immortal? Real metal, and VERY painful. David’s view of this scene? They look like Cassidy and Bowie on a bad night. And who knows what kind of wig he’s wearing….
When they get stuck in the door together? ‘Oh, look, another gay moment for Spike…’
When they see Buffy in the club? ‘We’re still pining for Buffy and…oh, look it’s a commercial for L’Oreal. Just look at the hair…’
On the Italian woman at Wolfram and Hart? ‘I don’t know where they got her from, but she could NOT remember her lines. She definitely had breasts, though. But watch James, keep watching….YES, he’s looking down and it’s breasts….Look again, keep looking…there! He’s looking down again…’
Of the motor scooter? ‘Everyone knows I don’t get on unless I’ve got a pink helmet…’
And I daren’t repeat what he said about the jacket…
I shall now be able to watch the episode, but hearing a completely different kind of sound track….
After this, we had been promised a Halloween horror story, read by David, which I was really looking forward to, because I just love listening to his voice. (Mmmmm…Angel…). However, he decided to do something different. He came on stage with a goody bag and presented gifts to people in the audience who had particularly deserving stories, and that was really, really nice. He did it very well, and made everyone feel special. That was a good thing to do. I missed the story, though….
The evening was wrapped up with an acoustic solo set from James. That was very interesting, and definitely not what I had expected.
And so to bed.
….To sleep, perchance to dream. Oh, yes. Definitely purr time.
31 October 2004
Juliet Landau’s Q & A (2)
Juliet’s second session was first on the agenda this morning.
She told us that, when Dru was pretending to be Jenny, and seducing Giles in ‘Becoming Pt II’, ASH was exceedingly hungry, and his stomach was growling enough to causes difficulties for the sound man, and for the cast who were getting fits of the giggles.
Her family has picked up something from Dru as a catchphrase: ‘Look at all the people. Are they nice people?’
Spike and Dru are the Sid and Nancy of the vampire set, and she researched that – she saw weak Dru as the heroin Dru, and strong Dru as the cocaine Dru.
Joss wanted Dru’s vamp make-up to be pretty. In fact, he originally didn’t want any make-up at all for the vampires, but felt he couldn’t have a young girl running around killing beings who looked like people – he needed them to look demonic.
A moment of comedy came when Juliet was telling us that the confessional scene, in which she was still human, was shot right before the killing of Kendra. There was no time for the appropriate manicure, to get Dru’s nails right, so press-on nails were used. Juliet had everyone laughing, relating how, all the way through the fight scene, these press-on nails would suddenly ‘pinnnggg’ off.
Juliet would have loved to be in the musical. In fact, the question was asked several times, because she was so keen, but the script was already written, and there was no role for her.
She confided that the period dresses often took several people to help her get into them. Oh, and she likes to think that Dru wooed Spike back again. There were several episodes that she couldn’t do because she was working elsewhere – this is a problem being a recurring character. One of these was ‘Lovers Walk’, where Spike is pining for her.
Jane Espenson’s Q & A (2)
Jane did a commentary on ‘Pangs’.
Geography-wise, we learned that Sunnydale is outside Santa Barbara, and that Jane is from Iowa. That is why Riley is from Iowa – she was writing in a hurry, and didn’t need to do any research.
The recipe for sweet potatoes in ‘Pangs’, with butter and brandy, is Joss’s own favourite recipe. It was in this episode that it was decided that a starved vampire becomes skeletal.
There was quite a lot of discussion about how the show investigates the grey areas. The ‘villain’ of this episode is the ghost of a native American, yet he was a good man, and he was greatly wronged. Do you kill a man who ahs a genuine grievance?
After this, it’s time for lunch, which is rushed, because the next session is a joint Q and A with David and James. And I’ve got a question to ask.
David and James Joint Q & A
The boys are late arriving. The session starts at 2.00, but they aren’t here (we think, afterwards, that they have squeezed in a TV appearance). It takes me a little while to realise that the queue of those who will ask questions has already formed, without waiting to be called. I scurry off to join the line (I’m not the last, but I’m still a fair way back), and Lisa scurries with me. She’s going to take a picture of me asking the question. Mindful of my responsibilities, I still have my notebook with me, and I’m going to be taking notes while I queue.
They eventually arrive 15 minutes late.
The first questioner asks what if Joss made Spike and Angel a couple. The boys bravely say that they would need a script that they liked – if it’s right for the characters, they are always up for a good story.
Would they take part in the Rocky Horror Show? David says not – he definitely can’t sing, he assures us. He agrees, though, that he would have liked to do ‘The Girl in Question’ in drag.
Writers always liked to include on-set jokes – hence the references to hockey, which was a big favourite of David’s at the time.
The first sight of themselves as vampires? David’s thought was ‘Oh, Jesus!’ It was very uncomfortable, and started peeling. James points out that industrial glue is used and it *stings*. James decides he liked how he looked.
Asked how they got through ‘Smile Time’ without laughing, James said that it’s his job to laugh, and David admitted that no-one could keep a straight face. They both agree, though, that a roomful of Angel and Spike fans is extremely scary.
If they only had 24 hours to live, David is definitely up for Jamie and Hagen Daas, and James, too, would head back to his family.
Spike and Angel are compared to bickering siblings, with Angel being the big brother, and mention is made of the scene in ‘School Hard’, where Angel is holding Xander.
Asked about their food preferences, James has a thing about prosciutto and melon. David gives us a sexy look and says ‘Hello, salty goodness,’ before confessing a liking for spicy food.
Asked about the development of the character of Spike in season 5 of ‘Angel’, James admits that the character is pretty fully formed, and there is no significant development to do. Spike could be said to hate Angel, because he sees himself in the older vampire.
Both would love to do pantomime.
Then a shock of a question. Will you kiss Spike? Now? David asks whether we really think he’s going to tongue this guy, and James is of the opinion that there are good health and safety reasons for not doing so.
David isn’t doing much reading at the moment, but James is ploughing through the third Bourne book, and finding he doesn’t care what happens to the guy one way or the other.
Now, it has to be noted that the sound system in places like this is set up so that people in front of the stage can hear what’s being said on the stage. It isn’t set up for performers on the stage to hear what’s happening in the audience, even when members of the audience have a microphone. And bear in mind that many people are nervous, or strongly accented. David, at one point, thought he was going deaf, because he couldn’t hear the question. And he marched off the side of the stage. There was a collective intake of breath until he appeared at the front of the stage, took the microphone from the rather nerveless hand of the girl holding it, and sent her on to the stage. James was very good with her, and put his arm around her. Then she sat in David’s chair, while David stuttered from down in the audience. The girl was a gem. ‘Don’t be nervous,’ she called out to him. ‘Speak up David, I can’t hear you.’ You probably had to be there, but between them, they had the hall in stitches.
On their comedy likes, David prefers the Saturday night improvisation type and sketches. James like the Dr Strangelove variety.
James insisted that David was one of the season’s best directors – he had approaches from the cast and crew to persuade David to do more episodes, particularly after the closure had been announced.
Both agreed that it would be cool to do an episode where they were swapped into each other’s bodies; then there was a question about the cavemen and the astronauts.
The next question causes a ripple of laughter – if vampires are dead, how do they get an erection? James stands up and wiggles his hips fetchingly; David remains seated and opines, ‘Man, I’m just a walking hard-on.’ Then there’s only one person in front of me, and the session is ended! Only 45 minutes, instead of an hour because the boys were late. I don’t get to ask my question! Wah!! Sob!! Well, at least we both got to see David at closer quarters than our normal place in Row V!
Oh, and the guy standing in the queue in front of me told me that every cash machine in Bethnal Green had been emptied out.
Luke Perry’s Q & A (2)
I’m sorry, I made no notes here. I do remember Luke saying that in action movies, the bangs are real, and hearing loss is a distinct risk.
He also had a question about working with Shannon Doherty, and gave one of the most barbed answers of the event. He told us that she had found the perfect role when she took the part of a witch.
At the start of this convention, a number of people that we spoke to thought that Luke Perry was out of place, and really had little to contribute to this event. I know I thought the same. However, I have to say that, in the Q & A sessions, Luke was perhaps the best performer. He gave very good answers, he shared well with the audience, and he was unfailingly witty and charming. His link to the Buffy/Angelverse might be tenuous, but he certainly did himself no disservice by being there.
The next session was the Writers’ Panel, chaired by Roz Kaveney, which both Lisa and I really wanted to be there for. However, our row was called to go and get autographs from the boys. There were only about seven rows behind us, and we hovered for a couple of those, but the panel was just talking among themselves about nothing very interesting, and the rows were going down quickly, so a decision had to be made. Writers’ Panel or autographs. Autographs or Writers’ Panel. Okay. No contest. We went back to the basement for the autographs.
David and James were sitting at separate tables, each assisted by a steward. Both boys were looking tired, but they were both charming, and shook our hands again. I retained enough brain activity to thank both for having given us so much pleasure, and to tell David that we were all looking forward to seeing his new work. He seemed touched, and good heavens, that man is gorgeous. Sorry, gush alert. You really notice his hands. They are huge, but very, very elegant, with long, artistic fingers. Oh, I could just go on really. Sigh.
When we got back to the hall, the Panel were taking questions. Jane Espenson said that starting with other people’s characters was a good way of learning to write – seeing different depths in those characters, and what you could do with them. Jane herself started by writing fanfic. Her advice was to keep your own voice separate from that of the character.
Amy Acker’s Q & A (2)
Amy had the last session of the event.
She told us that she had been playing her part, from ‘Waiting in the Wings’, as if Fred would finish up with Wesley, because that was how the writing seemed to be going, and she was very surprised when the relationship with Gunn started.
She was asked if she understood all the brainy stuff she had to say. She replied that she’d spent hours on the internet trying to figure out what it all meant, but couldn’t find much. Then the scriptwriters told her that they had made it all up by just picking up good words from science books and tying all those good words together.
She was asked to give a small demo of being Illyria, and she obliged.
She then told us that the blue hair was originally spray paint, but everything at home and on the set became covered in blue, and so she eventually was given a proper wig.
And then, all too soon, it was time for the farewells. David did his farewell first, and separately. For the first time, he seemed to be slightly tongue-tied, although he did talk for several minutes. I think he was very tired, and I think he was also rather more moved than he expected to be. He told us that he had seen two people from one of the ethnic minorities in Bethnal Green greet each other by gesturing to their hearts, and motioning that they opened their hearts to each other. That was what he wanted to do for us. He opened his heart to us.
The reception he received was loud and rapturous, and then he left the stage. He’d only talked about socks once, and showed us a pair of deep blue and white horizontally striped Widow Twanky type socks.
The rest of the guests then said their farewells. And at the end, James said he would love to do it all again, to the general approval of all the audience. As the guests left the stage, the screen showed Grrrrrr Arrrrrgh, and James pulled a cardboard cutout of the Grrrrr Arrrrgh monster across the stage.
And it was all over. Sob.
On the way out, I did pick up a limited edition photo of David from his first post-being-cast-in-Buffy photo shoot which the man let me have for half price because he was packing up. Also on the way out, the hall has a few ‘Angel’ posters on the walls. I stole one. I confess. I just stood amongst the multitude and took it off the wall. It isn’t very big, and it looks like a proof, perhaps, of a magazine cover, but now it’s mine.
Standing outside the hall, a man asked us what the event was. I’m still sort of shy, and Lisa is shameless, so she told him it was an Angel convention. The man weighed up this answer, and clearly found insufficient data. ‘Hell’s Angels?’ he ventured. Now, I have an instinct for self-preservation, and I took a surreptitious step sideways. Lisa’s voice carried the intonation of one who has been mortally offended, and will exact the price in blood. ‘Do I LOOK like a Hell’s Angel?’ she demanded. The hapless man sorted though his options, and, clearly in an attempt to get a better result (and possibly get out of there in one piece), essayed another option. ‘So, it’s a religious thing, then?’ She let him go. Eventually.
We hopped it across the road, back to the wine merchant’s car park, and set off for our new destination, which meant a trip almost to Wales. We couldn’t map read, because it was dark, so Lisa decided to wing it through the centre of London. She’s very good – we didn’t get lost once. Now, if it had been me….
So, we went to visit Fran and her husband, who made us both welcome, even though I was a complete stranger, and plied us with wine and cookies (and a beef sandwich in Lisa’s case – she’s a carnivorous sort of girl) and listened to us prattle. The next day, we went to coo over Fran’s new horse, who won Lisa’s approval (and mine too, except my opinion is purely amateur), and then we set off up the left side of the country to get back to Lisa’s. When we got there, her husband had left her a note, signed ‘Angel’s stunt double’ (she may decide to censor that comment!). (Lisa's interjection - 'not at all. My beloved knows his place.') We’d had two and a half hours of animated discussion on the way north, and I think we’ve developed an entire vampire mythology, which I hope you’ll all see one day. A bracing cup of coffee later (I needed caffeine) and I’m off on my way back across the width of the country to finish up my eccentric journey to London and back.
Lisa will speak for herself, but we had a wonderful time. I certainly did. All the convention guests were a joy to listen to. Both David and James came across as genuine guys, good-hearted, willing to please and be pleased, and proud family men. David (gush alert) is the most beautiful man I think it has ever been my pleasure to clap eyes on. He was charming and witty. And he has the sort of animal magnetism that dominates everything around him. I’m a lost and helpless soul. It’s far too late for me now. (Lisa - We'd worked ourselves into a complete lather over the weeks - terrified that he was going to be not nearly as wonderful in the flesh, and a dork to boot. When he walked onto the stage and opened his mouth all those fears vanished, replaced by teenage swooning and gasping. James was very sweet and made every effort to please, but David has such an unfair advantage over everyone. That animal magnetism that Jo mentioned? It comes off him in waves of pheromones. He is simply the most beautiful male animal that a women has ever slavered over. But the best bit is that he's so funny. Wacky – perhaps not always the most articulate - but a wicked, in the gutter, sense of humour.)
I think David and James made a good team as joint headliners. David, as I have said, was exerting himself to please, but as Lisa has said, he has a wacky sense of fun, and I think he dragged James to interesting places that James might not necessarily wish to go of his own volition. On the other hand, left alone, David is in danger of being so far off the wall that he might never find the building again, and James was able to bring him back to our reality. It worked very, very well.
Niggles? The venue was tatty and desperately in need of refurbishment. Because this is largely a boxing venue, the loo we used was a relabelled gents, with all the attendant facilities, and lack of them. There was no space for merchandising. There was no space for circulating, and it was therefore almost impossible to talk to anyone except those seated immediately around you, or in the queue next to you. You were seated, or you were queuing, or you were outside on the pavement. The lack of circulation space, with the inability to meet people, was perhaps the most serious criticism of the venue. And there really was nothing else to gripe about.
I doubt there will ever be another event like it. Even if there were, Lisa says she wouldn’t go. I’ve told her to say that to me again after the tickets go on sale, but I know exactly what she means. This was wonderful. A future one might not live up to it, and we’ve got fabulous memories that it would be a shame to spoil. Wish you’d been there, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this narrative.
Lisa adds
So go on then , LisaP... what's he like in Real Life?
Unbelievable. I haven't met many famous people in the flesh, but I understand that most of them are far less prepossessing in 'Real Life' than on screen. Indeed JM is unrecognisable as his character.
David Boreanaz, on the other hand? He *is* Angel. For a start, he's *huge*, every inch of 6' 1" (and although that's not that tall these days, he somehow looks even taller) - and incredibly broad. He looks a very powerful creature indeed.
There is no sign of the pockmarks on his skin that you can see on the TV show. I guess he's had some work done to remove them. Neither of the boys were wearing obvious make-up (I guess they must have been on the stage, otherwise they would have looked a bit washed-out, but close up they seem well-scrubbed.)
Both David and James have wonderful teeth (Americans do put us Brits to shame with your shiny orthodontics). David's smile is rarer than James', and indeed most of the photographs with the boys showed David looking pleasant, but not really smiling. I was so lucky to have said something that made them both really laugh, so my photo of David is a particularly lovely one.
His voice is completely 'Angel'. I know that sounds daft, but James obviously sounds completely different, as did Juliet Landau. David has tremendous range in that voice - that huge chest helps a lot - from dripping honey to a very intimidating rumble.
In the flesh he is more Angelus than Angel. His smile, vocal characteristics and the way he moves is decidedly on the wicked side. Jo was particularly wriggly over this, as you can imagine. I would also guess that he can be a bit on the mercurial side. He never put a foot wrong throughout the whole convention, but there was an edge to some of his comments and behaviour at times which gave us an inkling that you wouldn't want to push this guy too hard.
He moves beautifully - and can wiggle that ass better than J-Lo. There isn't a spare ounce of flesh on the guy. He's 100% muscle and bone, but rather than looking starved, he looks really sleek.
There really is no way that you could ever let him out on a street on his own. He'd be the cause of instant traffic pile-ups and women fainting everywhere.
I could go on and on (and on, and on, and on), but my keyboard is starting to be drowned in saliva. Suffice to say that you can keep looking at your 'Angel' videos with complete confidence that you are indeed drooling over the most magnificent man!
Although all the comments I've seen so far about the convention have had nothing but praise for DB and JM, there seems to have been a variety of opinions about the venue and organisation. Agreed, the venue was very tatty and the facilities were poor, but on the other hand we were able to get free parking for the entire weekend within one minute's walk of the venue. The food and restaurant facilities immediately surrounding the venue were very good and far less expensive than if we had been forced to buy everything at the convention centre. And important things like the sound system were good.
I was also surprised to see one convention goer very critical about the event organisers. Admittedly it sounds like she has disability requirements, which I can't comment upon, but we thought that the organisers did a splendid job throughout the weekend and were very helpful and organised. Having run numerous events in the past, it's a thankless task, and difficult to always get spot on. We thought they managed extremely well.
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