For the Lyric Wheel-Summer 2004 Just an Old Fashioned Boy The Lyric Wheel is always an adventure. This time, Unovis found me a song that just seemed to fit Duncan and Methos so well... It’s at the end of the story. Rating: PG 13 for slashy discussions It was just a musical review, an old Cole Porter revival. I had to finish up some work on an appraisal at one of the small museums in Paris. Methos invited himself along and frankly I didn’t mind. His snarky comments kept the plane ride from Seacover from getting boring and he caught a couple things about the exhibit before I did. Sometimes I forget just how smart he is. We decided to hit a little night life and a theater nearby had a revival, “Troisieme Ambassadeurs” I remembered the review and it looked like fun. He muttered something about hoping the lead was a little better than the original but when I asked if he’d rather see something else, he just grinned and started over to the box office. We settled into our seats, enjoying the songs, dancers and the excitement of a live theater in this day of film and home viewing systems. The songs were bright and funny, Cole Porter in top form. I think both of us had fun and afterwards, we stopped for drinks. “You should have seen the original cast.” “I did.” Methos looked sidewise at me, “You’re kidding.” “No, I had a little money invested with the Producer, Ed Sayag. He invited me to the opening… Tenth of May, if I remember correctly, 1928.” “Hummm… My involvement was less formal. I liked Jazz and Linda Porter wanted me to meet her husband.” “Really?” “You don’t think we got along?” I stopped to think about it. Methos was the tall slender type Cole was known to favor. Ed introduced me to him but I was not willowy, for which I was grateful since I found two of the ladies of the cast, Mary Leigh and Eleanor Shaler most attractive. “I imagine you got on quite well. You have a thing for musicians.” “Well everybody needs a hobby.” He snarked at me, but then put up his hand, “You’re right, I do… and other charismatic types I yawned, “Sorry, Methos. It’s been a long day, and night. Let’s head for the hotel. The hotel had lost the reservations. “I have a room with a queen size bed, but nothing else, gentlemen. I’m sorry…” Methos muttered again, this time I heard him, “…old-fashioned notions.” “I like old-fashioned hotels. This happens in the big fancy ones, too, Adam.” Methos kept muttering about old fashioned ideas and boy scouts as we went up to the room. Once in the room, he headed for the bathroom and I heard water running. Knowing him, he’ll blithely use up all the hot water. “Old fashioned?… How in hell does he figure I’m old fashioned? I’m not the one who didn’t know who popularized the Twist. I’m not a boy scout either. About the only point I match up with them on is “be prepared.’ So is he. I mean, he has stashes everywhere. Oh, every Immortal with two brain cells that know each other has things tucked away for a rainy day. Amanda probably has more than either of us. I think she just likes jewelry. But none of that makes me ‘old fashioned’. I’m not even sure what that means any more. Fashion in clothes changes with the wind. Things I wore as a youngster were out of fashion before I was 100 years old. Now, and not just in Scotland, the kilt is back. He probably wore animal skins. That, or hand woven linen loincloths… Getting him into a suit practically takes an act of congress. He did wear a turtleneck and slacks today, but he’s usually in levis that are one step back from indecent. I’m not sure why it bothers me when he says I’m old fashioned. Finally he wanders out of the bathroom with clouds of steam for company. His hair is slicked back, probably the same way he wore it in the twenties. I wish I’d noticed him then. Maybe that would have given me enough time to understand him. He’s a slightly vicious old thing, he’s too many people to get to know in less then 10 years. Seventy or eighty might have worked. Maybe. He hadn’t bothered to tie the robe tightly and I couldn’t help looking at him. Five thousand years old… What would seem old fashioned to him? “Are you committing my body to memory, MacLeod?” “Just trying to figure you out, personally, I think you’re the old-fashioned one.” “I’m just a guy, Mac. Just a guy.” Then he flashed that evil grin at me, ”You know where I live, you come around and I'll give you just a hell of an old-fashioned time.” “At the moment, you live here, “ I said. Then I realized just what I’d said. I could feel my face getting hot. I could feel something else getting… reacting. The look I was getting from him… Actually, I’d seen it before, the first time we met… and the robe was definitely not concealing his reaction. “Ah, Duncan… Why don’t you bring me a beer, if that mini-bar has one, and we can… talk about old fashioned things… starting with Athens.” Talk? Somehow, I had a feeling that there wasn’t going to be much conversation. -30- Note: Cole Porter was born into a wealthy family and started writing shows-music and lyrics, before he graduated from Yale. His marriage was a sexless one and his wife, Linda often selected young men for him. The Review did debut May 10, 1928 and was quite successful. The people here, with the exception of Duncan and Methos, are real. An Old-Fashioned Boy I'm a girl out of fashion For I'm looking for an old-fashioned boy, The very moment I discover . |