sometimes you lose and sometimes you lose big

It was frightening. The crowd, the howls, the cheer leaders, the lion, the terror. Bloodsport for all, they say. Well… not for me I say...
Last Friday I joined forces with Hardcore Arena for his ultimate battle. But this is no Memento. I’m gonna write down the story as it happened, starting from… erm, the start!
We met @ Metropolis downtown. He was looking for some Cure cd singles. I wanted to exchange the U2 album & dvd I have mentioned in my previous post. I took the new Obi album at the cashier desk and discovered I should pay six more euros, even if the Obi thing didn’t include any bonus dvd whatsoever. I think that Bono is to blame for that – remind me to ask him for a complete refund!!!
Anyhoo, we left the store and started walking our way to the Box. He wasn’t in a good mood but, when asked, he just answered it was post-office exhaustion. But that was not true. He was just dead worried about the forthcoming battle. Nevertheless, three tequilas and one onion pie later, he didn’t look that tired to me. He even gave me a goodie bag full of albums [Chemicals, Alex Lloyd, M83, Laurent Garnier, X-Cutioners, etc]. Instead of suffering a... sudden bliss attack, I had a devastating headache for no apparent reason [the previous night’s vodka units consumed excluded] and, for a moment there, it looked like Hardcore Arena would lose an ally!!! But T.T. joined us soon afterwards, brought along lots of free cd’s for both of us [I am so fucking happy I own a copy of the TEUTONIC compilation, with German electro bands back from the early 80s!!!] and a wonderful present: the 3-dvd edition of HELLBOY, along with a comic book and a great action figure of the red big guy himself! Marvelous!!!!!!!!! Can you think of any better painkiller? I, for one, can’t!!!

Anyhoo, when it was time to go, we shot one more drink and then tested our armors, bows and arrows. Ready to fight we got out and let the cold wind hit our faces. Yes, that was definitely a cause worth fighting for…
A couple of minutes later we entered the arena. It was packed with spectators thirsty for blood and massacre but we were pretty determined not to do them any favors. At first we were afraid, we were petrified… oops, wrong lyric!!!
It’s easy to say “I am gonna hold my hammer tight and fight till there’s no one standing except me” but it’s another thing to actually be there. And boy we were there… All three of us. But the lion never showed up. Our back up never came. The cavalry went missing. And we were left alone. And then curtains fell, doors were closed and locks were…erm locked. And the battle began. And our opponent was cruel and big and mean and dirty and strong and so fucking unmovable!!! And he had some problems in the beginning but then he got it straight and it was obvious we were outgunned for good, so we started to retreat and I was hearing voices asking for help but I had to save my ass and that was already too darn difficult. And there were losses. There was collateral damage. And, hands down, we lost. At least we managed to gather our colors and save our flag and left through a tiny door. It was dark, rainy and dangerous, outside. But we managed to escape, without having to surrender. So we kept our pride. And, although I wouldn’t go back for all the money in the world [well, almost], I don’t consider that to be a lost battle. It was worth it. And, if u ask me, one should never give up and always try to win. But it’s not my battle. I’ve given mine and lost already. So I can’t practically help. I can only urge the other[s] to try again. And then win. I’ll drink to that…

Unfortunately, Hardcore Arena was so into this mother of all battles that no one has heard from him ever since. I know he’s ok, or at least he was when we parted ways. Rumor has it he’s only preparing for the next hit. Others would say he’s given up blog updating and site-seeing [wow! cool wordplay – got it?], just to work out and feel strong enough to face the fear again… I tried to reach him but all I got was a press clipping stating he will emerge Friday or Saturday out of nowhere. And through the grapevine I heard he left this world and went to live up to his LUCKY STAR, if u catch my drift [you don’t, I know…]. Who knows... I sure hope he’ll be back soon. The world is empty without him and the blog-world is rather poor without his jukebox choices and memoirs from a past, urban life…

If u worry about T.T…. simply don’t. I don’t know if he has any money left after having purchased his gift to me but he’s just fine. To tell the truth, it looks like he's gonna bury us all :-)

And… as for me…
well…
you know me – I’m a veteran of lost battles but still in one piece, so I should make something right, I guess. You could say I’m born to survive. I’d say I don’t have anything to lose, so…who can beat that?