From time to time, I'd hang out with him there. I wasn't a regular couch surfer, although I spent a few nights at 401 over the years under various circumstances. But I was a semi-frequent visitor, first downstairs, then upstairs, too, after Barbara Berry and Andrew Pearson moved in. As the years went by, Jay became the most senior 401 resident, just as he had at the Pink House. He continued his long stint as a WXYC jock, filling the airwaves with a weekly dose of choice, obscure cuts. It was hard to think of Chapel Hill without him.
The Pink House vibe lived on at 401. It wasn't just that Jay's first room looked like an exact replica of his tiny nook at Chez Pink. (Both rooms were about the same size, so he didn't have much choice.) It wasn't just that he and his housemates eventually painted all the rooms in different day-glo colors, reminiscent of how the Pink House living room got made over in bright purple, or that they threw huge, out-of-control house parties at the drop of a hat, or that bands also practiced in their basement. Of course, the basement at 401 took things to another level, big enough to host slamming DJ sets, rock shows, theater gigs, and dance performances by the Fly Five. I can't imagine what Pink House parties would have been like if we had that much space to play with.
It was something deeper than that. With the glaring exception of MC Paul Barman, nearly everyone who I met there over the years added something positive and creative to the mix. Featured here are a few of the more memorable mugs from the early 00's.
(Among other dates, photos are from Halloween party, 10/27/01; post-Valentine’s Day bash, 2/23/02; Isaac Trogden’s senior art show opening, 4/11/02; 401 Tag Sale, 5/22/04).
For more scenes from the 401 Pritchard era, see online albums like THIS ONE from Meredith, and the ones HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE as faithfully archived by Ellie, including a photographic record of Fly Five performances.
