Friday 18 May 2012

I Quit the AA

So it was the last episode of Frasier, then it was the last episode of M.A.S.H (we watch a lot of Comedy Central). These shows were on consecutive days at that same crucial time, and remember we are presently still dogs without baskets in dust with the potential paradise kitchen veiled before us, so I decided to quit the AA. All series have to come to an end sometime, and mine has lasted nearly fifteen years.
I'm not sure I would have done it under any other circumstances. What a life.
The Architectural Association, in the form of Mark Cousins and Belinda Flaherty in what used to be affectionately called 'General Studies', has been very good to me, picking me up when I first started going to Vegas, persisting with me when I had to start making up titles for courses. My career there was a triumph in an institution that values performance. Always the AA organises itself around the event, and any performer loves that. It doesn't organise itself around dreary one to one tutorials (although it may look like it) because they are really only one to one tutorials, it thrives on event, event is the main thing- the best in the world, the main event and the next main event, the next big thing etc. It is not really drawn to circumspection, more often than not, it is drawn to what the Americans affectionately term, 'blowhard'. I guess that's why working there might become rather draining
When I wrote my e-mail to Belinda and Mark last night I had tears in my eyes and Lloyd Cole on the HiFi. It has been a rare privilege to do what I did over those years, which for much of it was to take the day getting pissed in the Coach and Horses until I felt 'just right' before the appointed hour, and then do it, and then get pissed again because it felt so wonderful you'd done such a good job.
Unfortunately that kind of stuff can't last forever.
However, if there are any members of my old classes at the AA reading this by some chance, my love to you all. It was good, sometimes it was brilliant, I hope never was it dull. To paraphrase Keef, 'If I was dancing it was either going very very well or very very badly'.
Kisses to BK and MC.

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