1998
Dream as Rob Halford
Artefact: Article, ‘Rob Halford: between rock and a hard place’, written by Judy Wieder, The Advocate, 12 May issue, 1998.
The dreams are changing
Aren’t recognisable to Rob any longer
Were forever the same
Full of gloss and oil
Heavy boot soles
Landscapes of concrete
Red-lit passageways
Visored loiterers
Hard stares, gleaming
Then, always
As Rob finds himself lured towards a particular vanishing point
A solitary soul waiting for him
A group
A three, one on their knees
His face will suddenly be falling to the ground
This warehouse, parking lot
Bunker world, inverting
His nose cracking
Again, again
As it smacks into the solid grey
That familiar tang in the throat
The watchers, indifferent
Whips, chains at ease
Their collective gaze pulled elsewhere
As new apparitions
Strapping avatars enter
Through hatches, tunnels
Trapdoors that hadn’t been there a moment before
These new ones, though
Now they are full of petals and silk
Black roses, black velvet pansies
Hands held on a restaurant tablecloth as the waiter arrives
Lights a candle for them
Their eyes locking for a moment
A flash of recognition
A sparkle of heat
Glitz
Rob finds himself laughing inwardly as he takes the menu
Padded leather, warm in his grasp
Later, after dinner, The Tonight Show is blaring
But he is falling back into soft sheets
Fresh cotton swooshing up around him, elevating
Meringue brimming at his shoulders, the base of his skull
He sends his arms out above his head
Reaching towards the obscene number of pillows
His dream companion pulling off his boots one at a time
Soft sports socks revealed as the weight thumps to the carpet
These, then peeled back to release pale ankles
Toes that are letting go of their tension
Pulled, popped, one by one
Kissed, all ten
Skin sole, licked
Into this happiness
The answermachine is clicking
Playing back messages that merge with television chatter
Not Leno’s voice, this
We’re really happy for you
I just want to let you know that –
Rob listening, trying to catch the thread
Pop, hiss
Sparkling water glonking down into a tall glass
Offered to him, the extended arm of his dream companion
The confident grin
The hot shower, steaming up the bathroom
A loud rush
Naked outline
And that voice again, appearing somewhere above these merging sounds
Stacking on top of one another
Jay, Cindy, gossiping
The faucet, gushing
Dream companion, singing to himself, a rich silly baritone
The door, knocking with room service
And …
And I just want to let you know that –
It’s not only this
Tears and romance
Hotel monogamy
Feeling free
Weddings
The dreams shift and open up along different routes
Rob finds that it’s easy to take the hotel lift down to the basement
For example
They do this together too
Takes his dream companion with him
Other friends
Gay groupies
The waiter, even
Rediscovering this vista of desire together
Old bikes, parked up
Petrol scent in the closed-up air
Their shadows
Many-limbed
Feeling their way down the hard slope
Aren’t recognisable to Rob any longer
Were forever the same
Full of gloss and oil
Heavy boot soles
Landscapes of concrete
Red-lit passageways
Visored loiterers
Hard stares, gleaming
Then, always
As Rob finds himself lured towards a particular vanishing point
A solitary soul waiting for him
A group
A three, one on their knees
His face will suddenly be falling to the ground
This warehouse, parking lot
Bunker world, inverting
His nose cracking
Again, again
As it smacks into the solid grey
That familiar tang in the throat
The watchers, indifferent
Whips, chains at ease
Their collective gaze pulled elsewhere
As new apparitions
Strapping avatars enter
Through hatches, tunnels
Trapdoors that hadn’t been there a moment before
These new ones, though
Now they are full of petals and silk
Black roses, black velvet pansies
Hands held on a restaurant tablecloth as the waiter arrives
Lights a candle for them
Their eyes locking for a moment
A flash of recognition
A sparkle of heat
Glitz
Rob finds himself laughing inwardly as he takes the menu
Padded leather, warm in his grasp
Later, after dinner, The Tonight Show is blaring
But he is falling back into soft sheets
Fresh cotton swooshing up around him, elevating
Meringue brimming at his shoulders, the base of his skull
He sends his arms out above his head
Reaching towards the obscene number of pillows
His dream companion pulling off his boots one at a time
Soft sports socks revealed as the weight thumps to the carpet
These, then peeled back to release pale ankles
Toes that are letting go of their tension
Pulled, popped, one by one
Kissed, all ten
Skin sole, licked
Into this happiness
The answermachine is clicking
Playing back messages that merge with television chatter
Not Leno’s voice, this
We’re really happy for you
I just want to let you know that –
Rob listening, trying to catch the thread
Pop, hiss
Sparkling water glonking down into a tall glass
Offered to him, the extended arm of his dream companion
The confident grin
The hot shower, steaming up the bathroom
A loud rush
Naked outline
And that voice again, appearing somewhere above these merging sounds
Stacking on top of one another
Jay, Cindy, gossiping
The faucet, gushing
Dream companion, singing to himself, a rich silly baritone
The door, knocking with room service
And …
And I just want to let you know that –
It’s not only this
Tears and romance
Hotel monogamy
Feeling free
Weddings
The dreams shift and open up along different routes
Rob finds that it’s easy to take the hotel lift down to the basement
For example
They do this together too
Takes his dream companion with him
Other friends
Gay groupies
The waiter, even
Rediscovering this vista of desire together
Old bikes, parked up
Petrol scent in the closed-up air
Their shadows
Many-limbed
Feeling their way down the hard slope