The morning arrived early; we had a busy day ahead. Adi and I got up before 5 am because we are heading to Austin today for the premiere of her uncle’s film, Song of the Cicada, at the Austin Film Festival (more on this in a bit). I had an hour to do my Sadhana before we departed the house to pick up a Sprinter Van that we rented to take Adi’s entire family south to Austin for a three-hour drive.
I did my practice inside today because the ground is still wet outside from the rain from the last few days. It wasn’t until the very end of Nadi Cleansing that the “blue pearl” appeared before my eyes. On these mornings where I have a definitive schedule, I noticed it is harder for me to relax into my practice, but I know it’s important to continue, nonetheless. I wanted to stay centered for the long family drive by balancing my central nervous system before interacting with the inevitable “family history”. Of course, there is nothing out of the ordinary to deal with, just those little family peccadillos that arrive whenever a large group of adult family members get together in a confined space with a lot of time to talk about the past and relive past family drama (you know how it is, it’s family!). Overall, it was a nice practice and I felt great getting the day started.
Listen to David narrate this blog!
Adi and I got in the car at 6:30 am to pick up our rental van which was an hour away. We stopped for a cup of coffee, picked the van up and returned back to Mansfield right before 9 am for the trip to Austin. Adi’s mom, Morticia, was waiting in the “family parking lot” as we pulled in and standing beside her was Brennon, who was all ready for the trip. Nine of us total will pile into the van for the drive.
Now a little more on the purpose of the trip. Adi’s uncle is, to say the least, a very eccentric mortician; I know this may sound like an oxymoron, but it’s true. For the purpose of this missive, we will call him Uncle Fester (keeping with the Addams family theme). Fester, by all accounts, is a brilliant man with a photographic memory and a taste for the macabre. He loves collecting expensive antiques and adorns his home is a way that looks eerily similar to the Addams Family. Anything you ever need to know about history, ask Fester and he can give you an account of it with dates, people and the reasons behind why something happened. Give him five minutes and he will teach you something—sometimes a fact you didn’t even want to know. He’s a wonderful man with an incredibly kind heart, who also, paradoxically, loves slicing things up to see how they tick. And by things I mean small animals, human cadavers, or even narrative themes that have been passed down through the ages and been accepted as truth without further investigation. He is, in the truest sense of the word, a detective of life…and, obviously, death…
Read Memoirs of a Renaissance Man!
So, many years ago, Fester met some documentary filmmakers on Halloween night that were so taken with him that they asked him if they could grab a couple of cameras and just follow him around for a few weeks to shoot a short piece on him. The resulting 11-minute piece was so enthralling that they decided to make it into a documentary feature which took more than 10 years to produce.
Tonight marks the premiere of the film, Song of the Cicada, which was an official selection at the Austin Film Festival. Adi’s mom is thrilled because she too is featured in the film and the entire family is going to see what all the hubbub is about. In full disclosure, Adi’s mom was a little nervous about how her brother would be portrayed because no one has seen a cut of the film yet, including Fester.
There was much excitement as the van got loaded up for the drive and soon all the secrets would be revealed. Would Fester and Morticia come out unscathed? Only time would tell.
Song of the Cicada
The drive was fun. We put on a “road trip” music list with classics from the 70s and 80s and blasted the radio as everyone sang along. The entire family was in good spirits for the drive, and I got everyone playing the “license plate game” where we try to see how many states plates we can see on the drive. Along the way, we stopped at our favorite, Buc-ees, for a snack (this would turn out to be our only meal until much later that evening) and we rolled into Austin at 12:30 pm. All of the ladies finished getting ready before we headed over to the State Theater on Congress for the red-carpet event for the film.
It was a thrill watching how excited Morticia was watching Uncle Fester being featured as the star of the day. Fester didn’t disappoint with his choice of apparel either; he wore a cape, and perfectly pressed Gabardine slacks that were accented with white and brown wing-tipped shoes; he donned a monocle that seemed challenging at best to keep on his eye, oftentimes betraying him by dropping from his cheek, only to be saved by the cord that hung from his neck. Watching the monocle dangle from the string became hypnotizing until he grabbed it once again and place it on his cheek until the next fall. The piece de resistance was the perfectly polished cane that he leaned on to offer him support while hangers-on tried to get closer to this rising star. The outfit achieved its intention by making Fester look as if he were a count from the Royal Family and everyone around him was soaking up the lunacy that was unfolding. It was a pure joy to watch.
Photographers snapped pictures from several different angles, and it was especially surreal to be included in the family pictures with the star of the show. The Addams Family has regained their glory and the world was taking notice. After taking several photos we joined the throng of people as we headed into the theater and were led to our VIP seats. As we were shuffled to the middle of the theater (perfect seats for movie watching) I turned back and noticed that the entire theater was filling up. It was going to be a sellout.
There is something so special about seeing someone’s dreams become a reality. Fester always longed to be a star; he longed to be noticed and today everything he had ever dreamed of had come true. Although we had yet to see the film, I could feel something in the air. I had a feeling he was going to be a huge hit. There was a palpable feeling in the air as the director’s family introduced themselves to us and said they were so excited to see what we thought of the film.
“Have you seen the film?” the director’s father asked me.
“No.”
“Do you know anything about the film?” he pressed.
“Not much at all.”
“Oh, good! This is exciting. I know you’re going to love it.”
When it came time for the film to roll the excitement grew. Then, Fester entered the theater with the director and producer as the entire audience broke out into applause. As soon as they all got settled the lights dimmed and magic occurred. Within moments the first genuine laugh poured out of the audience and soon one laugh turned into two, then three…
A star was born. The audience fell in love with Fester and his world of quirks and idiosyncrasies. The film was equal parts shocking and heart-warming. As odd as Fester sometimes appeared, the audience couldn’t help but fall in love with him. Even more exciting, Morticia became a star as well. Beneath all the kidding and sarcasm between the two siblings during their onscreen scenes, a deep love was revealed. You could truly see how much Morticia, and Fester loved each other. Two spooky siblings who share one familial love. It was a joy to watch.
Following the film there was a Q and A and Fester took the time to thank his sister, Morticia.
“Stand up and take a bow, sis” Fester said.
Morticia rose from her seat, and she got a giant round of applause. The day was a hit. The trip so well worth it. This is family with all its peculiarities and idiosyncrasies; in the end it all comes down to love. It all comes down to accepting everyone exactly as they are, because at the end of day, this is what makes them special. How boring would the world be if we were all the same? We need more Fester’s and Morticia’s in the world. Then the world would get a whole lot more interesting.
To hear this blog narrated click the link below: