The story of "Primitive" was in Brian’s head. I think it was personal for him. It dealt with relationships and the process of unwinding in bed and relaxing to the point of falling asleep. While working with Brian we had a few setbacks due to his health. He had HIV and was dealing with complications. He was sick one week and he needed to go to the hospital. This was really the first time that I learned about what he was coping with, and I was really concerned for him. The amazing thing about Brian was even though he was in the hospital for something really serious, he always had a crazy sense of humor that would make you laugh out loud in the scariest of times. He had multiple hospital visits during our time together working on "Primitive". We grew close as friends, and he really became a creative mentor to me whether he knew it or not throughout this process. This wasn't just a skating experience, this was much much more. I went on to compete at the U.S. Open and Brian met me there. He was there for all the practices as well as the competition. He sat in the kiss and cry area after the events. He told me funny stories to keep things light before and after I skated. It was a professional highlight for me. I
, Jeri!
