A Little Story About “Joy”

I saw this trailer and thought I wanted to see it because Jennifer Lawrence is awesome and she looked like she was playing a badass. I mentioned to my mother that we should see this on Christmas and she said, “Oh yes! We’ve met Joy several times. She’s the one who gave dad your guitar!”

Remember this guitar? The one that Billie Joe Armstrong signed all those years ago? I knew it had been a freebie that my dad had been given, but I had no idea by whom. Turns out Joy Mangano rented warehouse space from the company that my parents have worked at for decades. She also apparently lives in a massive estate two towns over from us. 

Back to the movie: I liked it. It left out things like the fact that she went to my alma matter: Pace. And they cut out one of her children. D’oh. The movie starts when she’s a child and building things and then fast fowards to her meeting her husband, having more kids than she should have, and working at an airport. So much for those dreams. After getting her hands cut up on some glass while mopping up wine, she invents the Miracle Mop and we go from there.

I liked the movie a lot. Mangano was a badass who handled mafia men without blinking. Jennifer Lawrence did a great job, too, as did Bradley Cooper for the most part. Despite how the previews make this look like a Silver Linings Playbook Part 2, it’s very much not at all. 

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Billie Joe Armstrong signed my guitar tonight.  Yeah, that happened.  Instead of taking an hour, it took about three hours.  I was playing in my apartment, trying to tune it down a half step and the high E string snapped.  It was ten to eight and Rudy’s was closing, so after a quick text to my guitar teacher, he told me that The Guitar Center on 14th and 6th was open until nine.  I gave them a quick call and headed down.  Ninety-three cents later my string was repaired and I headed up to midtown.  I got to theatre as the show let out and sat in the orchestra near the door.  Michael Mayer, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tom Kitt, John Gallagher Jr, Michael Esper, Gerard Canonico, Lorin Latarro, and Kevin Adams took the stage along with Time Out New York’s David Cote for a Q & A. I recorded about half of it and I’m uploading it as we speak, but that’s not why I’m posting this picture.

As soon as they wrapped, I left the door that was three feet to my left and headed to the Jujamcyn office door on the east side of the theatre.  I also unloaded my guitar from it’s case and crossed my fingers.  People gathered quickly and Billie Joe came out in a matter of minutes and screaming commenced.  He had his own Sharpie and as soon as he came out, he looked down at my guitar, smiled, and signed it before moving towards his car and onwards to sign playbills and CDs.  I gathered my guitar and it’s case and made a hasty escape from the scene to Theatre Circle where I showed my friend my accomplishment and stored the guitar safely back in it’s case.

I texted pictures to a few friends and came home.  Now I’m going to play it.