Beginnings: 1984-2000

I have been truly blessed to have Roger in my life for these many years. I honestly cannot imagine my life without him in it in some form or another. To fully understand this "relationship" I must tell the story from the beginning.

=The 80s=

I first became aware of Roger back in 1984 (at the tender age of 12) when the video "Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy)" came out (ah, the old days of MTV when they used to play videos). Once I got over the initial "Wow! A guy in a loincloth!" shock, I really started listening to the music, and was quite impressed. I begged my parents for the In the Eye of the Storm album, and received it as a Christmas present. I was thoroughly impressed with the entire album - my immediate favorites were "Only Because of You" (which remains my all-time favorite), and "Lovers in the Wind."

I got to looking at the inside sleeve, and saw that there was an address for correspondence. I immediately wrote a letter - most of which was embarassing, to say the least - and was surprised to get a response with a personal message from Roger. Needless to say, that created a monster, and I was constantly writing and calling the studio. Thank heavens Roger was a patient man, otherwise I would have been in big trouble!

It wasn't too much later after that started that I found out he was in a band called Supertramp. The first Supertramp recording I purchased was Breakfast in America, the popular choice. I was extremely impressed, and was elated to find out there was more music of Roger's out there that I could listen to.

On January 4, 1988 (just got back to school after Winter Break), I decided to call the studio to see how Roger was doing (prior to this time, he had fallen out of a sleeping loft and broke both wrists) and was surprised to hear an gentleman with an English accent on the other side. I asked who he was and he said "This is Roger" - as hard as it was, I kept my composure. We talked about everything - music, life, etc. It was a wonderful conversation - Roger was very gracious in talking with me. After that, writing became less and less, and before I knew it, 10 years had passed and I had a family of my own to tend to.

=The 90s=

Not much went on in the early part of this decade - I remember calling the studio once and I believe I spoke briefly with Mikail Graham (I can't be certain of it, though). Then there was no peep out of anyone until April, 1998 when I received a postcard in the mail with Roger's tour itinerary. I tell ya, to see that in my P.O. box was fantastic. I squealed with delight, quickly looked around to make sure no one saw or heard me do that, and I started making plans to attend the May 12th show in Minneapolis. I took my mom as a belated Mother's Day present, plus I did NOT want to do this on my own. We packed up my little car and made the trek. We got lost a couple of times, but we finally made it to the hotel around 5pm.

On the day of the concert were many firsts for me. We arrived at First Avenue via Yellow Cab (my first cab ride) around 4:30 p.m. We at lunch at O'Donovan's, a pub across the street from the venue (my first venture into an Irish pub). I was so nervous I couldn't eat that wonderful salad I ordered. We were the first ones at the venue, which was neat. We met a lot of interesting people: the ones that stood out in my mind was Scott Morgan, a gentleman who travelled all the way from Kansas City, MO that day just to see the show, and one couple who had been following Roger around for the last week. The dedication that these people had for Roger gave me a wonderful feeling inside.

Like every concert I have ever been to, the doors opened late (at 6:30 instead of 6:00), but I was the first one into the venue, which I thought was pretty special. My mom and I sat down at one of the front row tables and waited patiently for the show (okay, my mom waited patiently, I was a nervous wreck). The setting was so intimate: the candles on the tables gave a real ambiance to the place (regular lighting would've probably sent every creature in there running to a deep, dark cave). Then it was showtime!!! When Roger took the stage, the crowd welcomed him with a standing ovation. Roger looked and sounded great! I remember being in total awe of him, my head resting gently on my hands - I probably looked like a goofball to everyone around me, but I didn't care. He played Supertramp classics such as "Fools Overture/Lord is it Mine?", "Take the Long Way Home," "The Meaning" and "The Two of Us." He played two songs from his first two solo albums: "Had a Dream," and "London." While playing "London", he forgot the start of the second verse, giggled, and started in again. When he came to the line "Let's blame it on the Yanks," the crowd cheered again, and Roger smiled and said "I thought you'd like that one." He played several songs from Rites of Passage: "Don't You Want To Get High," "Every Trick in the Book," and "Red Lake" (with some persuasion from the audience). He played "It's Raining Again" and "Breakfast in America" on his wonderful harmonium affectionately called "Grandma." Also in the playlist were two new songs called "Lone Child" and "Death and a Zoo." Roger was so polite in taking requests (one man jokingly yelled for "Free Bird"). The surprise of the evening was when former Supertramp bass player Dougie Thomson took the stage to play on "Hide in Your Shell" and "Give a Little Bit." The crowd went wild!!!

After the show was over, my mom and I decided to stick around to see if Roger would come out and greet the people, and about a half hour later, he emerged from backstage. I was waiting patiently, but when my mom saw an opening in the crowd, she grabbed my arm and dragged me closer to him (I don't know who was more excited, me or her). I remember saying to my mom "I can't do this," but there Roger was in front of me, larger than life. Then it was my turn. I had rehearsed everything that I was going to say to him when I met him face to face, but best laid plans weren't meant to be. I remember saying "Hi," waving my hands, and that was it...I was rendered speechless. But being the wonderful person that he is, I believe he knew I was nervous, so he talked first: "Do you want to take a picture?" I shook my head yes, and we stood together and got our picture taken. This next part I will never forget: once the picture was taken, he gave me a kiss on the forehead, hugged me, and said "Thanks for coming." I was able to squeak out the words "I've waited 14 years for this." After that, my mom and I left, and all I could say was "Oh my God, he kissed me!!!"

=2000=

The year 2000 was one of the the most difficult years in my life, and I wasn't handling all the changes very well. Roger left me these words of encouragement in my guestbook, and this is something I will always be greatful for.