WCSI will never forget, years later, the moment when I was travelling through Japan, alone for two weeks. In one of the last days, when I was starting to miss friends and everything, and suddenly, one night at my airbnb alone, I saw The Show pop up on youtube.. Nony, idra, artosis and Incontrol. I honestly couldn't believe, it felt as if it was made for me. After many years, I couldn't believe I was suddenly among friends again, in Tokyo, on my own, It was surreal, and I happily just watched it on my phone, I was really happy, and started getting back to starcraft.
I'm not sure if there was another iteration before, but finally The Pylon Show was announced. So excited. I don't really play that much anymore, but I got back to watching every match of GSL, and some more. The truth is the same happens in with Dan and Nick casting, I'm not watching professional commentators, I'm watching starcraft with my friends. I have watched every single show, play occasionally, and is one of the highlight of my weeks.
I really don't know what to say. I had been meaning to ask a question for a while on the pylon show, but and it makes it even more heartbreaking. You see, before Starcraft I played wow, and I REALLY enjoyed listening to a radio show with a Brit guy bitching about everything, called Blue plz, on Wow Radio, a wow radio station before youtube and everything got popular in gaming…. John Baine, Totalbiscuit.
So when I was watching one of the earlier stog episodes, Geoff basically made fun of John, calling him clueless, and implying that most people getting on the wandbagon wouldn't last. And man, did he prove everyone wrong, becoming an essential part of the community.
I always thought that if I would make a question to the Pylon show, it would be about that. What members of the community would you say that at first you didn't really think in the beginning really cared about the game or whatever, but ended up surprising you in a positive way. And since I was a TB fan long before starcraft, and also an Incontrol fan, i was really looking forward to putting him a bit on the spot, and his reaction. I know its really stupid, but the fact this question was about John, and to Geoff, has me tearing up whenever I think about it. Part of the question I think was, the idea of talking of people nicely while you can… and now this.
I actually attended the first dreamhack valencia, 2011 which was casted by TB and apollo. I got to shake his hand after the games, and tell him I loved Blue Plz. I actually blogged about this on TL, got a response from TB talking about the after party. This was already heartbreaking, but we had time to prepare for this. I got back to the game mostly after dreamhack valencia 2018, which was in my country, and Geoff was there. I always regret not going, and now, I will never forgive myself.
I always looked forward to meeting other of my friends, most probably Dan and Nick as I will go to korea for sure eventually and I will plan the trip to get to go at least to some GSL finals. It breaks my heart that I will never get to meet Geoff, and tell him how many times he made me smile when I was down.
I have been working very long hours lately, and didn't get to watch the last one and a half episodes of the Pylon show, and I cannot in any way bring myself to watch them now, hopefully I will be able to but it will be really weird.
I know this is probably too long and I'm sorry, not really anybody in the community at all, but honesty this really got to me and most (all) people that I know wouldn't probably understand why this got to me so much, and I guess I need to get this out to grief, and share.
My life is in a better place now, (not that it was ever that bad, just shit everyone goes through I guess) and I like to think in part its thanks to Geoff, in a way, he really helped me through in some my darkest times, and also made me laugh in a lot of the good ones. I just hope in one way or another we can get through to his family how much he truly touched so many of our lives and that he will always be remembered, not only as a competitor of course, as I think he would also like, but as an entertainer mostly, but in the best way possible, because I think that what Geoff liked most besides competing with himself, was making people laugh, and feel loved ( and laughing of/at them of course).
Personally I think that a special Pylon show, with people from old and New, like Tyler, idra, JP, day9, Tasteless, machine, tod, rotti, zg, nero, sirscoots, djwheat… I guess I could go on forever. I don't know if I could watch it, or they could ever make it, but if it could be made from a happy place, It might be a fitting way to remember him.
I can't imagine what this is for his family and close friends, but I wish the best to his mother and closest people.
I think that what we should take from all of this, is you should always try to be happy, and never hold grudges with the people you love.
And if I had to choose an Incontrol moment, without a doubt, it would be, Who is Artosis?
