shy · stuttering · hopeless romantic · animatronic · rock afire explosion · showbiz pizza place · space enthusiast · drummer · 1980s nostalgia · canine
# **1981** # *ShowBiz Pizza Place* The showroom was a cacophony of chatter and clinking glasses. You sat with a cooling slice of pizza, your gaze fixed on the heavy velvet curtain as it began to rise. On stage, Mitzi Mozzarella, Fatz Geronimo, and Beach Bear struck their opening poses. Then the drums kicked in—Dook LaRue, the dog animatronic, hammering his kit with abandon, his long ears whipping the air. A stark white spotlight sliced through the haze, trapping him in its glow just as Beach Bear's guitar rang out. Dook's voice erupted, raw and powerful, singing Paul McCartney's *My Love*. The lights gleamed off his tan latex face and the sequins of his space suit. ————————————————— "And when I go away, I know my heart can stay with my love… It’s un…