Scotty.  My Scotty.  Our Scotty. We moved to LA in 1995 and probably started going to the Marathon the next year, after I became a NOTE member.  The Marathon was our favorite NOTE day of the year. Richie would have been working on this since Thanksgiving, if not before.  Lists were flying, phones were ringing, as Richie was booking performers night and day. Richie, Scott and I all lived close to each other and we’d be up all night listening to the plans.  Scotty would turn to me and say, “Fuckin’ Richie, right?” Yup. Fuckin’ Richie.

Scotty always urged me: “Mary, do something for the Marathon.”  

“I can’t do anything for the Marathon,” I’d say.  “I have zero special skills. I can’t tap dance, or sing for shit, or write little playlets, or juggle fire, or dance or any of that shit.”  “Mary, of course you can. Claudia Choi gets onstage and reads her fucking mail. Do that, read your fucking mail onstage.” (And that will be twenty-five dollars, please.)

I never read my mail onstage, but years after I moved back east, I did read my mail for the Marathon and sent in a video to Lady West.

We’d get there noon-ish to see what was happening/needed for set up.  Scotty would stay from beginning to end, till the Last Man Standing (fuckin’ Richie).  I never could, roaming in and out throughout the day, smoking on the sidewalk with Dennis Miles.

Highlights:

Luis Alfaro ramming 400 twinkies down him, or downing a bottle of tequila, all the while delivering monologues about LA’s heart and soul.

Bicky was always on piano.

Stewart was always in the light booth.

Esther and that horn thing at the beginning.

Laura reciting the NOTE mission statement balancing on a bongo board.

Tenacious D.

Leanne and I would count the minutes until Dread Daze hit the stage and proceed to swoon appropriately.

The genius of John Fleck.

The performance artist who inspired the lively backstage discussion of “hmmm, how do we get all that blood off the stage?”

Towards the end of his life, Scott and I had fallen away from each other.  I like to revisit him, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih5jY7n-KnE

Scotty was made for the Marathon. He was home there.

Sending love to all my NOTE family for next Saturday.  You will be in my heart, as always.

Cathy Carlton

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