i feel like i need to express some of my thoughts on laura. this isnt intended to be a eulogy, so please bear with me on my ramblings. im a little thrown off by the whole thing.
im in frankfurt right now. i was awakened with a phonecall around 8 pm german time concerning the very untimely and extremely unfortunant death of Ms. Gavoor. i dont have anyone over here to talk to about it with (besides rich), and unless the funeral is next wednesday, i wont be able to attend. so, i figured i would open up on here. i met Laura on a wednesday night down at alvins in 95 for family funktion. i kinda jumped into a conversation between her and claude young. until then, id never seen a woman (let alone a human being) freely discuss their passions for detroit techno, as well as the development of its artists. she floored me with it! the thing i awlays respected about her is that she never pulled any punches. she always told the story straight, or at least how she saw it. she may have been considered to have (for lack of a better term) a big mouth, but she was never one who couldnt be corrected. for this, i always had the utmost respect for her. in this world of backbiting snakes around every corner, she was always up front, as well as being open to suggestion. She set the record straight, and she stood up for detroit artists, wether they were managed by her or not. i think this is more than i could say about most of the people ive come across in her exact same position. anyhow, i sat with her and claude for at least 2 hours. barely spoke. interjected here and there... maybe a nod or a naive little "YEAH! TOTTALLY!" here and there. surely, not something that contributed in any way to the conversation at hand. i ran into her again about 3-4 months later. i wanted to say hello, but figured "why would she rememeber me??" and left it alone. near the end of the night, she made a point to come say hello and tell me she was leaving. i never forgot that. i keep thinking about all the countless people ive met where i had to think ahead of time on how i would say hi and what would be the best thing to refresh their memory with, and because of this instance, ive eternally felt bad whenever i get approached and dont rememeber meeting the person who approaches me. ive learned over time that these things just sometimes happen, but for whatever reason laura rememebered me. and i think im not alone with this. for about a year or 2 after that occasion, i would run into her all the time. shed always be in the middle of the floor, shakin it. metroplex 10 year anniversary: stacey pullen in the main room... her and adriel might as well had a spotlight on them. didnt matter really, cuz her energy straight lit the floor up on its own! plenty of other occasions, but this one has always stood out. over time, she kinda stayed more in the background. i didnt see her as much, but at the important events. it was always a joy to see her out. thinking back to the good ol days of 95 and such when everything was all about fun (har har). and then i rememeber when i had jumped on as resident at family. when things started cookin down there, laura was a permanant fixture on tuesdays. part of the original true spirit of the night. id be playing, and just seeing her on the floor partying always gave me an incredible feeling! i mean, shes heard them all! if laura was dancing, then the dj most likely was doing something right. seeing her on the floor gave me more encouragement and confidence. then around 6 months into family, she gave me full on support. offering her booking services to me and such. although i declined her offer (im a kinda do it yourself kinda guy), i was thoughoughly grateful for her even having the interest. looking back, i kinda wish i had accepted, as this would have been the only chance her and i wouldve had for working together. laura will be missed. by me, by the party scene in detroit, as well as her spirit for the city itself. there might be some people who dont have the kindest of things to say about her. im not one of those people. if youve read this far, you should kinda aska round and make sure claude is aware of this. ive lost complete touch with him, but im positive hed want to know. my thoughts and prayers go out to lauras family. and to you, Laura, go find armando and larry levan. the party is waiting on you. rest in peace. love always, derek. _________________________________________________ The simple way to read all your emails at thatweb http://www.thatweb.com
