Last night I had the weirdest dream. I was walking down the street with purpose - as if I knew where I was going. I turned and headed into a large steel building. You know... like the kind they use for auto-body shops, children's bounce houses, and fundamentalist churches.
Inside it was air-conditioned and carpeted with rows and rows of fold out chairs. Up front there were two men (also seated in fold out chairs) reading from a Popular Mechanics Magazine to a packed audience. I found a seat in the back next to Dagromm and The Illustrious Q. I noticed that Q was talking to Dagromm in an overly loud voice - which made Dags a little uncomfortable because the two presenters were noticeably annoyed by the interruption.
Then, as if overcome by raw emotion, Q stands up and belts out the opening verse to Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA.
Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
'Til you spend half your life just covering up
He then stops and looks right at me, giving me the "come on dude, I need you on this" look with his eyes. And for some reason I respond reluctantly with the line...
Born in the U.S.A.
The Q responds in kind screaming the remainder of the chorus...
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
He drops it down a notch but continues with great enthusiasm into the second verse...
I got in a little hometown jam
And so they put a rifle in my hands
Sent me off to Vietnam
To go and kill the yellow man
Only this time several people from the audience stand up and join him in the chorus! By the third verse Q has the entire audience on their feet. Everyone is belting out the chorus and I can swear I hear back-up music coming from somewhere. I too find that I am drawn to Q's raw power and I join the group. I notice even Dagromm is up on his feet and clapping his hands like a love-struck fan - singing every word.
This is when it gets weird. By this time, the two leaders of the Popular Mechanics Magazine Read-along have stepped aside. Q prances around in front of the crowd before turning around and ripping off his jacket to reveal a bright read jumpsuit with writing on the back. It says:
Dear Q: As a loyal fan of Texas A&M, I am sending you this jump-suit so that it can be properly baptised. Your friend, Tom Brokaw.
Q then runs and leaps into a giant tank of water at the front of the room. He bounces up and down in the chest high pool as the jump suit fills with water. Soon the jump-suit is near to bursting and Q looks like the girl from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory who ate the blueberry gum. Dagromm and I are forced to go into the tank and retrieve Q, rolling him onto the carpet and down the isle. The crowd continues to chant...
Born in the U.S.A.
...and Q chants right along with them.
As Dagromm and I open the door to the outside, the bright light of the sun hits our face and I awake - baffled by my dream.
