Behind the scenes on The Pink House movie set

It was August 1, 2001, and ten years to the day from when our original Pink House lease began. Jay called me because Ian had invited him and any other former housemates he could round up to drop by the set where they were making the Pink House movie. They were planning to film the movie's big party scene that day, and the idea was for real housemates to join all the other extras. I had read an early copy of the script, and of course was curious to see how the shoot was going.

Especially since it was all happening at Clay Boyer's former pad on 15-501 South, the Starpoint house, which I remembered fondly as the spot where Melissa Swingle told me I had an "old soul" at a glam rock party sometime around 1998. The nice Christian girls then living at the real Pink House had refused to let them shoot inside the house, so Ian and company had to find a stand-in location for the interior scenes. I swung by the Teeter to buy a few bottles of Boone's Farm, without which no Pink House party would be complete, drove downtown to pick up Jay from 401 Pritchard, and we made our way out to the set.

The Pink House movie set, aka the Starpoint House, August 1-3, 2001.

Ian welcomed us with open arms, and immediately resumed his directorial duties, leaving us both with all-access ability to hang out as long as we wanted. Greg Humphreys and the rest of Hobex were there, including Kai, who would shortly leave the band, but had spent the past couple of years playing keyboards with them after his stint in Dag ended. Stephen Akin showed us some dailies. We met Zack Ward, who played Murray, the film's lead, based on a hybrid of Jay and Ian. He was very cool and down to earth. We met Rick, the art director who was also cast as the head neo-Nazi who N'Wal ends up dosing with acid. And other crew and cast members, including Omar, aka N'Wal, the doppelganger of N'Gai, and Pilar, the Spanish actress who played Zola, who I gathered was based on both Zia and Jiffer. Plus a ton of extras. Everybody was super friendly. And it was very exciting to see Ian and Tessa making a bona fide feature film, even more so since it was about the Pink House.

Jay had his own liquor of some kind, and we were sipping all afternoon. Which meant by the time the party scene was filmed, we were the only two souls who were actually a little buzzed, since everyone else had pink cups full of water.

Then, we came back either the next day or the day after that to chill some more. During the times we were there, Karen Hurka stopped by, and Lem, and Chip. I took a bunch of photos, exactly 130 of them, as it turned out later. Which I thought was a good omen. And then we went home and started looking forward to when the film would be completed, so Jay and I could be discovered by Hollywood poohbahs as the extras who shone brightly enough to be given their own talkshows, or something. Assuming our scenes didn't end up on the cutting room floor.

Welcome to "The Pink House"

"Alumnus Returns to Shoot Film," Daily Tar Heel, 7/26/01

By RUSS LANE

"The Pink House," an independent film shot in and inspired by Chapel Hill, is described as "Woody Allen does `Animal House.'" It defies all natural law.

And it doesn't stop there.

The film's writer-director, UNC alumnus Ian Williams, is a native Californian who lives in New York but still considers himself a Southerner after spending nearly a decade in Chapel Hill. In a similar manner, the film's crew is an odd yet fascinating clash of Los Angeles, New York and North Carolina cultures.

Most of the 40-member crew is affiliated with Chapel Hill or the University in some way -- think "The Six Degrees of Silent Sam," and you get the right idea. Two of the three producers are former Morehead Scholars. The first assistant director, whose father is a professor at the University, knows more about "Dawson's Creek" and "The Andy Griffith Show" than is safe. The production designer literally has no home, keeps his possessions in storage and travels from location to location like a gypsy.

Also thrown into the mix are nudity clauses, enough mobile phones to keep several telecommunications businessmen well-fed for eternity, healthy doses of Duke-bashing -- always good for a laugh -- and the never-ending battle to obtain financial backing ("We're stilling raising money actively. You can run that in bold print. We're very nice people and we'll do the best we can with your money").

Welcome to "The Pink House."

Or more specifically, welcome to the world of Ian Williams.

Although he graduated 11 years ago...

Legendary in Chapel Hill for generations of coed misadventures

"Matarazzo & Ward in the 'Pink'; 'Dollhouse' and 'Titus' Stars Square Off in Coed Comedy," Business Wire, 7/24/01

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--July 24, 2001

Actors Heather Matarazzo and Zack Ward began principal photography here Monday on the feature film "The Pink House." The college comedy is helmed by writer-director Ian Williams, and co-director/producer Tessa Blake.

Best known for her hilarious and poignant portrayal of supergeek Dawn Weiner in "Welcome to the Dollhouse," Heather Matarazzo stars as the evil sorority queen Charlotte. Her performance in Todd Solondz's 1995 black comedy garnered an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut. She can currently be seen in Disney's "Princess Diaries."

Ward stars as graduate student Murray, whose 48-hour, rushed Masters thesis on "The Ten Archetypes of Americans in their 20s" forms the backbone of the film's plot. The role represents a departure for the handsome actor, who can be seen weekly in Fox's hit sitcom "Titus" as dimwitted Dave, stepbrother of star Christopher Titus.

"We're thrilled to have Heather and Zack on the project," said producer Penny Franks. "Casting these two roles was key, and both just nailed it from the first reading. Who knew a Canadian guy and a New Yorker would be such natural Southerners?"

Franks, an LA-based commercial producer, returns to film work for the first time since actor-director Geoffrey Nauffts's award-winning "Baby Steps," a short costarring Kathy Bates.

"The Pink House" is the tale of five misfit graduate students sharing a house in Chapel Hill while attending the fictional Carolina Baptist College. The University of North Carolina stands in for the college, and a real life pink Victorian, legendary in Chapel Hill for generations of coed misadventures, doubles for its fictitious counterpart.

The Filmmakers

There is more than a hint of autobiography in Ian Williams's creation of Murray. Williams lived in the real Pink House during his undergrad days in Chapel Hill, and went on to co-author the seminal bestseller on Generation X, "13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail" (Random House, 1993).

Since that time, Williams has written cover stories for Washington Post Magazine and his work has been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, and Atlantic Monthly. He has appeared on "Oprah" and been interviewed by CNN. He previously directed the short "The Rescue of Autumn," a featured selection at Atombomb.com.

Producer and co-director Tessa Blake is no stranger to filmmaking. She directed the festival favorite "Five Wives, Three Secretaries and Me," which was selected for the 2000 Outstanding Contemporary Documentary series by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The comic documentary, distributed theatrically by Castle Hill, is a bittersweet portrait of her Houston millionaire father and his many Texas Exes. Last year, Blake shot the award-winning short "Project ALS," which profiles the efforts of three sisters racing against time to save one of them from the ravages of Lou Gehrig's disease.

Executive Producer Gill Holland's many credits include Morgan J. Freeman's 1997 Sundance triple winner "Hurricane Streets," the 1999 American Film Institute award winner "Bobby G. Can't Swim," and Tim Kirkman's comic open letter to North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, "Dear Jesse." Prior to forming his own production company, cineBLAST!, he worked for October Films, The Independent Feature Project and the French Film Office. He is an adjunct professor at the prestigious New York University Graduate Film School, an Indie Spirit Award nominee, and has served as a juror at film festivals from Sundance to Scandinavia. Like Tessa Blake, Holland was a recipient of the prestigious Morehead Scholarship to the University of North Carolina.

The 'Carolina Connection'

Williams, Blake and Holland met when all were students at UNC in the late 1980s. The Carolina connection is evident throughout the "Pink House" crew sheet. Holland's fellow Executive Producer, Patrick Long, is also an alumnus, as are crewmembers from cinematographer to music supervisor (the film features local favorite band the Squirrel Nut Zippers).

Ian Williams and Tessa Blake also share the distinction of having worked on the University's student-produced soap opera, "General College." The show was at that time syndicated on cable systems across the country by the now-defunct National College Television network. Blake appeared opposite then-unknowns Billy Crudup and Dan Cortese on the serial, while Williams hammered out plots behind the scenes. The two tapped several other alumni of the campy serial to fill the "Pink House" cast and crew.

Among the "Pink House" actors who call Carolina alma mater is Fred Weller, who plays arrogant Student Body President Pritchard. He recently portrayed singer-songwriter Brian Wilson in ABC's movie-of-the-week "The Beach Boys: An American Family." Previous credits include the feature film "Stonewall," the television series "Missing Persons," and the Broadway revival of Lillian Hellman's "Little Foxes" with Stockard Channing.

Even Canadian Zack Ward can play Six Degrees of Carolina. Last year, he played the Legendary Red Dog in Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous." His costar was none other than Carolina's own Billy Crudup, who used to costar with Tessa in General College

"The Pink House" continues principal photography through August 11. It will be edited for a Spring, 2002 festival tour, and a subsequent theatrical release the following Fall.

What an incredible set-up for a screen play

"College Life At UNC Goes Hollywood," WRAL, 7/23/01

CHAPEL HILL — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is headed for the big screen.

Filming started Monday on the independent film, "The Pink House." Writer Ian Williams created the script as a tribute to the house he lived in while a student at UNC.

"I was living at the actual Pink House, and there was a party planned for that night at the house that we did not plan, so we were trying desperately to stop the party from happening," Williams says. "That same day, none of my roommates paid the rent, so I remember thinking, 'What an incredible set-up for a screen play.'"

The "Animal House"-type comedy is scheduled to be finished in March.

The Lost City

From April of 1997 through October of 2003, I could often be found tending shop at the Lost City, Chapel Hill's most underground music and video outpost. Lem and I opened the store in 1997, in the basement of the Ogburn building at 412 W. Franklin Street (the building that houses the Mediterranean Deli). We quickly discovered that friendship and business don't always mix.

My other Lost City business partners over the years included Uzoma Nwosu (Uzi), Bill Berzinskas (Billie Blaze) and John Lomanto, and Bryan Boggs, aka DJ Sploo. In 1999, Lost City moved across the street to a spacious, one-story house with a lot of character at 402 W. Rosemary Street, where it remained until we closed our doors on October 31, 2003.

Many friends visited the store while our doors were open. Sometimes a camera was around, more often not, because I had a business to run! But here are a few shots of Pink House denizens at the Lost City.

(Jay swung through to shop for the latest fashions on 7/9/00, Matthew Dan Stewart came all the way from San Francisco on 4/22/01, and Jenny taught her niece Kelly how to play Tron on 2/24/02).

Third annual Hi Mom! Film Festival

Hi Mom! press release, 10/9/99

Name: Camille Hawley
E-Mail: chawley@email.unc.edu
Home Page: http://metalab.unc.edu/cpg
Date: Sat Oct 9 15:45:12 1999

The Carolina Production Guild is pleased to announce that we are now accepting short films and videos to screen at our third annual Hi Mom! Film Festival. Hi Mom 2000 will be a three glorious days and two swingin' nights of rowdiness, food, drink, free stuff, music, and (oh yeah) movies. Hi Mom is a festival for filmmakers with big ideas and little bank accounts, deep thinkers with shallow pockets, short on gimmicks but long on talent. The festival is an opportunity for filmmakers of all ilks to come together as group to have fun and learn from one another in the capital city of Indy culture in the Southern US, Chapel Hill, NC.

Filmmakers are encouraged to attend. We'll find lodging for them (as space is available) and we will ply them with beverages and pancakes in the shapes of their initials. And we will have prizes of 16mm film stock and other goodies for best film and video in various categories. Anyone is eligible to enter (except for fat cats. No fat cats allowed.) We can screen SVHS, VHS, super8, 16mm, and 35mm.

This year the festival will take place March 3-5, 2000, at various venues in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC.

To enter, send a VHS tape to: Michael Connor 401 Pritchard Ave. Chapel Hill, NC 27514

ENTRY FEES AND DEADLINES Early deadline: January 11, 2000 Early Fee: $0 (right, that's zero) Final deadline: February 1, 2000 Final fee: $10

For more info, visit: metalab.unc.edu/cpg/
Email: mconnor@email.unc.edu
Phone: 919-967-8969
Post: Hi Mom! c/o Michael Connor 401 Pritchard Ave. Chapel Hill, NC 27514

They evicted the raccoons!

N'Gai stopped through to see me yesterday. He bought a cargo van last month. Says he's putting together plans to launch a magazine this summer targeting black college students around the state.

Ohmigod, he cut his dreads off! They're totally gone. Completely. He looks just like he did when I first met him, back before he first moved into the Pink House.

I also had an encounter earlier this week with the maintenance guy who works with Jim Lilley, the property manager hired by Sylvia Chi to care for the Pink House. He walked into the store, checked it all out, got a membership, rented some movies, and was running his mouth to me the whole while. Very talkative character.

He told me all about how they renovated the place after Jay and the remains of our crew moved out. They put in a new heat pump, ran power lines from the garage to the back of the house and installed a washer/dryer unit in the kitchen closets, put in a dishwasher, replaced the refrigerator and range, cleaned out the entire basement, put in fluorescent lighting down there, redid both bathrooms, and redid all the heating ducts.

And explained what the problem was with the fucking heat. All the ducts that led up from the furnace had interior valves that were closed. I couldn't believe it. I lived for three years in a house with fucked up heat. Oh, and they evicted the raccoons who used to live in the chimney.

Then he rented She-Devils On Wheels, told me how it reminded him of growing up as one of the leaders of a biker gang in Miami in the early seventies, and started spinning tales about drunken biker parties from back in the day. Right on!

Mel back in town, Jay heads to Berlin

Do you realize I don't even have your new phone number? Are you really back in town, or is that just an illusion?

Information still gives out your old Pittsboro #, 542-5805, so that's no help. And on a night like this (Saturday the 20th), when I was trying to call you to invite you to a going away party for Jay Murray (he's going to Berlin for like six months) at his house so you could hang with lots of fun people, it poses problems (I would have tried to reach you about this before, but I've been out of town a couple days this week and just found out about it myself in the last day or so).

So step up, girl, and give me a call or something! Otherwise your slack ass is gonna be in heap of trouble!

- e-mail to Mel

Jay was a bass mechanic

alt.music.chapel-hill, 1/22/99

From: cat...@email.unc.edu (George J.A. Murray III)
Subject: Re: Bass stuff for sale!
Date: 1999/01/22
Organization: Chapel Hill Music Lovers
Newsgroups: alt.music.chapel-hill

In related news:

Ibanez RB800 bass for sale. Pearl-white finish, active electronics, very
playable two-octave neck. Very Berklee-style music-school bass (which is
why I'm selling it). $400 with hardshell case OBO.

Jay Murray
967-8969

Jay on the bass in his room at the Pink House circa 1994. Photo courtesy of Mel Keister (Lanham).

Jay gainfully employed at Besa Mi Burro

Last night I was out on the town with my friend Trish hand delivering invites to this party next weekend. And we went by the place where my friend (and former roommate - you met him in Boston that one time) Jay Murray works, this really cool Mexican restaurant called Besa Mi Burro. I hope it stays open. They had about four customers in there besides us and nine employees including Jay running around trying to act busy.

It's ultrafunky on the inside, you sit at the bar in these big creaky chairs, there's weird Mexican shit hanging everywhere, like right in your face, crazy dim colored lights everywhere, obscene hand-lettered Spanish signs, you drink the margaritas out of gigantic, heavy glass bottles, there's a guy dressed like a friar sweeping the floor, and everyone else in the place is wearing funny hats. We also know the bartender, and he's crazy.

- e-mail to Carolina

Anyone can be a raver!

Sender: Quynh Tran
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 16:51:21 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Rave story (fwd)

Hey Erik,

This is the story, sorry I couldn't have mailed it to you sooner but unbeknownst to me, it's DTH policy that we don't email our stories out before they're approved by our editors and that's when they're about to be printed. I hope this does some justice to the material and if you have any questions or comments...including complaints, feel free to get back to me. Feedback, no matter how good or bad is always useful. Again, thank you so much for all your help. I now feel a little less clueless as a result of our chat.

-Quynh
933-3294

Daily Tar Heel, 4/27/98

by Quynh Tran

Staff Writer

When most people think of a rave scene, Chapel Hill is not the first place to come to mind.

Though most think of big cities and underground music, Chapel Hill has played host to a happening rave scene for the past six years.

"There is a rave scene no matter where you go," said Erik Ose, co-owner of the Lost City Music and Video store on Franklin Street. "As long as you have people who enjoy the music, you've got a rave scene."

The scene in Chapel Hill began with small private parties thrown at houses and apartments, which accommodated 100 to 200 people.

As popularity grew, so did the parties which can now be found all around the state at dance clubs, music halls and occasionally warehouses where attendance can mushroom well beyond 3,000.

The type of music found at raves go beyond the better known techno sounds of Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers.

Most raves encompass a broad range of underground music such as jungle, drum'n'bass, hip-hop, house and happy hardcore.

Happy hardcore is a high energy blend of straight and happy beats with a break and back beat behind it, described Uzi, Ose's business partner at the Lost City Music and Video.

Accompanying the music are themes which heighten the body-groovin experience of every party, said a frequent raver.

From names like Tunnel Vision, Neutronik, Sunshine Beats and Afrika Bambaataa, party goers get an idea of what to expect before buying tickets at prices ranging from $5 to $35.

"At the bigger parties, you can find something like six rooms with six separate themes all playing different kinds of music," said Thomas Khanz, a 19 year-old raver from Carrboro.

The featured DJs are also a big, if not the main attraction to most parties.

"People go for the DJ's, that's how you know if it's going to be good or not," said Brian Williamson, a 17 year-old from Raleigh.

Artists such as Steven Mccreery, DJ Sandy, Terry Mullen and Brownie are a few of the popular DJ's who draw big crowds due to their unique mixes and solid reputations in the scene.

Along with the slammin' beats the DJ's provide, it is common for party goers to find eye-catching advertisements for upcoming events, free mix tapes, t-shirts, candy and smiling faces which often accompany friendly hugs.

"I recently went to (a rave) at the Cat's Cradle called the Vegan Vibe where they were handing out fruit to promote veganism," said UNC sophomore Stephanie Crane, a psychology major from Charlotte.

Contrary to popular belief, the rave scene is not about rampant drug use and out of control teens jumping to loud chaotic music.

"You can find drugs anywhere and I'm sure there are people who go to raves looking for a fix," Khanz said. "The scene is really more for feeding off of everyone's positive vibes and forgetting about the past week's problems."

Many parties have age specifications requiring 18 and older, but others are all-age parties where drinking laws are enforced.

"It's just like a typical club where you have to be carded and wear bands if you're under-age," Crane said. "(Drinking) is generally less than what you would find at the other clubs."

Unlike regular dance clubs which begin at 8 p.m. and close by 2 a.m., most raves open their doors at 9 p.m. and don't wind down until 6 a.m. or after depending on the party's energy level.

"Anyone can be a raver as long as you're into the music and develop an understanding of PLUR" (an acronym for peace, love, understanding and respect), Ose said.

When asked for his thoughts regarding the rave scene in Chapel Hill, Uzi said, "It's exciting to see the scene growing."

Khanz added, "You don't normally find the really big parties in Chapel Hill. You need to go to places like Greensboro, Winston-Salem or big cities like Atlanta to find the really big crowds."

Raves have gotten so popular in recent years that it is no longer uncommon to find people traveling across the country to attend them.

One such party which attracts people from the east coast is Beyond, a rave held 2 to 3 times a year at the Millennium Center in Winston-Salem.

The Beyond parties are the biggest in the state with around 4,000 people, Ose said.

Sometimes raves mean more than just crowded dance parties. As a member of Rebate, a non-profit organization which emphasizes education in technology, Uzi is doing his part to stimulate more growth by exposing others to the scene for a good cause.

"We're throwing a party May 1 on the parking deck on Rosemary Street," he said. "It's a free event but donations can be made to raise money to provide underprivileged children with computers."

But most ravers agree the parties are just a great way to have fun.

"If you want to experience a great time without pressure for sex or even drugs, rave parties are really great for that," said Khanz. "You can be whoever you want to be and have an awesome time doing it."

Reliving the madness

Sorry we didn't get to hang out for dinner or whatever when I saw you down here the other week. I thought we were going to chill after 10 pm, like you told me when we saw each other on Franklin Street, so I didn't even get home until around the time your flight left.

Oh well, just wanted to say hi, that it was good to see you, etc., and you need to call me in advance the next time you come to town! Okay? Dana just spent the weekend with N'Gai and myself, reliving the madness of college life.

Good luck with the rest of your semester. You're almost done with law school! Can you believe it? Wow. So what's next on your life roadmap? Make sure to keep your fans informed.

- e-mail to Rashmi

Clearly before she was famous...

What's the story, hon? Where is you? I have a time-sensitive questiion I need you to answer for me! I'm trying to get in touch with this girl that your friend Tift knows, and can't remember Tift's last name. So that or her (Tift's) phone number, assuming she's still living in Pittsboro, would help me out immensely.

Help! I'm going crazy trying to locate this girl. Talk to you soon...

ps - Boogie Nights came out on video yesterday. Have you seen it? You need to. It's the bomb!

- e-mail to Mel

Guess who has a quasi-starring role in Deep Rising?

Guess what I just heard? You need to go check out this flick that recently opened called Deep Rising, about some underwater aliens or similar wackness.

Why? Because a fellow knucklehead has a quasi-starring role (well, he's at least got speaking lines, so that makes him something more than an extra, definitely. I haven't seen it yet). Yes, it's Clint Curtis!

Deep Rising cast photo

Damn. I need to get back in touch with that boy before he becomes the next freaking Leonardo DiCaprio and forgets all the little people who helped sculpt him into the great actor he is today.

- e-mail to Dana

Sad to see the Pink House go, but everything has its cycle

What's the deal with the (718) area code? Are you living in Brooklyn now? And which other Pink House alums are up in New York?

I really only saw Jess for about 10 minutes, but the paintings she showed me some photos of looked really good, like she's definitely matured as an artist. She said she had stuff up in several galleries.

...

Business at the store is definitely picking up, but I won't be satisfied until it's booming. We just hit 500 video memberships this week. More of our tapes are renting on a regular basis. We finally got our adult section out on the shelf. We're trying to get a Lost City catalog produced so we can drum up some mail order business.

And the underground lounge we're running (the 333 Lounge) is going strong. This past Saturday we had 75 heads roll through from 11 pm - 4 am (actually this particular event was still kicking at 5 am) who paid to get in ($3 each). That was the highest amount we've done at the door yet. It would be really cool if you end up coming down this fall on a weekend when we're running one, so you can check out the rebirth of Club Zen before we get shut down by the Chapel Hill fuzz on some wack pretense.

Ok, enough about the nuts and bolts of my shady plans to become a wealthy high-roller and destroy the entire foundations of capitalism from within.

What I need to do is send you a copy of this article that Ian Williams wrote as his "farewell column" for the Independent, where he was writing a bi-monthly column that was pretty good. It was all about his finally leaving Chapel Hill, and about the Pink House simultaneously reverting to a renovated rental property suitable for lease to sorority chicks. Seems the Pink House was the very first place Ian went to an off-campus party when he arrived in town as a freshman back in 1985, so it held a special place in his heart that made it all the more fitting for it to end up as the last place he'd live before finally leaving town. You'll like this article, I'm sure.

...

I told you that N'Gai moved in with me, right? Oh my god, I just remembered him telling me that he now works with Shyam Patel, who just got a job doing graphic design alongside him at the Chapel Hill Newspaper. Crazy. I haven't talked with Shyam in like eight months, but I guess he's still in town. Incidentally, Jay had the Pink House's final number switched over to his new house, on the corner of Pritchard and Carr streets (his friend Gerald's place).

...

Yeah, it was sad to see the Pink House go, but everything has its cycle. Denizens like the ones we knew will move in again sometime in the future. Anyway, it was time I stopped feeling like I could flow through the Pink House every time I was downtown or bored and wanting to get into some trouble. Not that I've really been doing that sort of thing lately, mind you.

The only really fucked up things about the house's demise is that (a) they ripped out every shred of vegetation in the entire back yard, all the way back to the chain link fence, and put down gravel so the new dumbasses wouldn't have to park their freaking cars on the street, god forbid, and (b) some miscreant painters that Jim Lilley (Sylvia's current property manager) hired to do touch-up work and paint the ceilings goddamn painted over the Mona Lisa.

We initially figured it was the crew of spaced out UNC students and their girlfriends who Jim Lilley brought in to paint the majority of the house, inside and out, and who were in there painting for two weeks, taking breaks every day to smoke bowls on the roof outside your old room. Then one of them came through the Lost City the other week and when I asked him why they'd done it and under whose orders it was done, he acted totally freaked out, and swore up and down that they hadn't done it, that Jim specifically told them not to paint over it, since it was one of only two murals by the artist left inside houses in Chapel Hill, and it must have been the other painters who came in after them.

This tragic occurrence serves as the focal point for Ian's article, where he concludes it was such a typical thing to have happened - in Chapel Hill, anything (or anyone) that stays around too long gets painted over.

When are you coming down in the fall? If you want to crash, you're welcome to sleep on our futon. Let us know...

- e-mail to Lydia

Speaking of people you did see...

I remember we only got to see each other for like 5 seconds when you were down here in May, so that's probably the last time we spoke. The store looks much more together now that it did when you saw it, but at least you got the general impression.

...

Speaking of people you did see while you were down here, I saw Jasme outside this bar called Brothers Pizza (well, they actually just changed its name to Silent Sam's) about two months ago, telling me she was going to go play her guitar on the street and try to make enough money to come back and buy a slice. She's performed a couple of times at the new Franklin Street Starbucks, and from what I've heard, she's gotten really good.

...

So Mark Chilton passed the bar. Or I think he passed the bar. I know for a fact that the last time I saw him we were both in a bar. It was this spot called Hell, in the former Troll's location, now operated by the owners of the Lizard and Snake, and sort of like Henry's, only with pool tables and more downscale. I believe he said he found a job in Raleigh doing labor-related law.

Business at our store is going good, but wait until we get the inflatable furniture in there. Or the scratch-and-sniff clothing. I'm not kidding.

N'Gai says hello. Did I tell you he was my new roommate? Jenny moved out at the beginning of August, and started her new job in Greensboro last week.

- e-mail to Rashmi

The Tree House

After the Pink House's demise in the summer of '97, N'Gai moved into the Tree House with me in Chapel Hill, and our adventures continued for another year.


Our couch was always open for traveling Pink House refugees, as well as other itinerant characters including Rooster, before we pawned him off on Alex Shumaker, some girl who kept us up all night with her enthusiastic screaming, and a dope who crashed in N'Gai's room one morning by mistake. Discovering the scene, N'Gai was not pleased.

Then N'Gai moved to Winston-Salem, but still came back to visit for special events or touring jazz performances, like Sonny Rollins at Duke, or when Archie Shepp came to SECCA. Shepp delivered a flawless set, highlighted by a haunting version of "Mama Rose," and we were there sipping wine in the front row.