[Angel69]

Originally Posted by skcin

Ah. So Stevie actually sucked you into the Mac vortex initially. Interesting.

BTW - I MUST add this, I almost forgot about it. When The Dance came out, I was working at a group home with profoundly developmentally disabled kids. When I say profound, I want to explain - they couldn't talk, walk, feed or dress themselves, etc. And even though we always called them "the kids", many were older than me (I was 22 at that time.) Most of them were small for their age, had facial/skeletal deformities and various medical problems.

So. Louis. I love that boy, he was my favorite. He had a very large head & cranial deformities, and curly blond hair. I used to call him my lion. Despite his different appearance, he was so regal and handsome. His spine was so twisted that his usual position was laying on a mat on the living room floor his left side, propped up on his left elbow, legs curled up behind him. If he could see, I couldn't tell - he never really focused on anything. But sounds really got him going - whether it be someone saying his name, yelling, something dropping & breaking on the floor, whatever. He loved noise, he would either yell "Whooooo!" & start pounding that one good left hand on the ground or start laughing hysterically. He especially loved when someone sneezed - cracked him right up!

My friend Ryan (yup, that's right, gay boyfriend #1 ) worked with me there - actually, that's how we met. We both started really getting into The Dance & whenever it was on TV, we would put it on while we were at work. I noticed that Louis really, really got excited whenever The Chain started - I think it was the drum intro. I thought it was a fluke, but he never got that excited over any other music! Others started noticing it too. It seemed that he reacted most to Stevie's voice, guitar solos & heavy drums & bass.

The Chain, Dreams, Silver Springs, ISA, Tusk - these I can vividly remember him listening to - his eyes would open up wider, he would swing that big ol' head around & around & tap his hand on the floor, every once in a while letting out a "whooo!" Over the next few months, I bought him the VHS tape, the CD and the agency took him to the concert in November '97. He loved it.

So, maybe that's another reason I'm still in love with it. To get those "kids" to react to something, to be able to communicate with them SOMEHOW, since verbally & visually was not an option, was just an amazing thing. When is happened, it just blew me away. I haven't seen Lou in a few years, I really need to go & visit him again. I hope that they still play his CD for him once in a while. He has great taste in music.

Oh my God. This story is very moving to me as I work in a school for children with developmental disabilities and found myself in the same situation last year. Where I work the age range is from 8 years old until 21 when they graduate and get placed in a group home. The children here range from autisitic to multiple disabilities and conditions. Last year my class was very low functioning. One student Evan is 17, with severe autisim. Evan cannot speak but he loves music and wearing a walkman. The cd's we had for Evan were the usual childrens sing a longs. However one day I brought in The Dance and this boy was mesmerized completely. After a while I would ask him "Evan do you want your music" and he would bang the opening drum riff from The Chain on the table. I would also sing Silver Springs to him and he would tear up, it was astounding to me. Working there touches me right to the core. He also gravitated to Stevie's voice as I started to bring in more Mac. He also loves Stand Back. He goes balistic with that one.

Although my "son" happens to be Johnathan who was in my class last year and graduated last year. He cannot speak wears braces on his legs and was a terror. He was a little violent and would pull hair, and basically attack people. I remember my first day with him. It took a while but he was a completely different person with me and was always by my side. At first he would scratch me so much that my hands looked bizarre, like I was into self mutilation or something. I had to walk him down the aisle at the graduation and the whole place applauded. I still go visit John and sometimes it may be a month or two between visits but they never forget and the look of happiness on his face is priceless. So go see Lou and it will be like no time has passed. I feel so good after my visits with John and so does he.