Click Here for the TBOX2009 Royal Court.  Ah, the TBOX Royal Court... is there any honour so prestigious, any designation more shrouded in mystery and aura? Probably. But, this is to answer your questions about what the TBOX Royal Court IS and how its members are appointed. The TBOX Royal Court are basically the VIP's of TBOX, the people with the lowest badge numbers (# 1 thru #50 this year) - representing the Elite, the people who have shown flair, style, commitment, grace, enthusiasm, and support for TBOX and who are thusly designated as Royalty.  This all started around the turn of the century, when we started writing numbers on people's hands and then making badges in 2002 (See "Badges") - it became a big deal to be "Number 1" and also, to have another single digit number.  By 2003 and 2004, we were talking about "The Top Ten", and in 2006, at TBOX11, was when we formally created and designated the Top 30 Badge Holders as THE ROYAL COURT, and made the ridiculous giant cardboard glitter numbers to designate them, and gave them recognition on the web site.  Then, at TBOX12, we started doing the Royal License Plates, a tradition carried on through today.  TBOX2008 had 40 members on the RC, and TBOX2009 will have the Top 50.

People ask all the time, how do you get on the Royal Court??  What does it take?  How do you decide?  Well, here’s basically the deal on how people got on the royal court…

Duties of the Royal Court

The Royal Court Members are all invited to be part of the Opening Ceremonies, onstage at the Cubby Bear, and each will have their own stickers for you to collect at TBOX2009. They are the leaders, the ambassadors, and will guide your group throughout the day. If you need help or guidance at TBOX, ask a Royal Court Member!

Number Ones

Read here about this year's Number One, Harold!!!  The naming of Number #1 started at TBOX6 - my good friend Lionel, now retired, was with me and 7 others at Clarke's on Belmont for Breakfast, preceding going to Bar #1 at Lakeview Links.  I designated him to have the #1 written on his hand, so he was the first number one.  In 2002, my very good friend LA Michelle, who had been at TBOX's 3,5, and 6, provided immeasurable help and commitment to putting together TBOX7, and was thusly named the First Badged Number One.

#1's Throughout The Years:
TBOX6, 2001 - Lionel (Retired); TBOX7, 2002 - LA Michelle (Retired); TBOX8, 2003 - The Ubiquitous Mr Jeff Davis aka "JD"; TBOX9, 2004 - Kara B, Wrigleyville's Sweetheart; TBOX10, 2005 - Tony Y; TBOX11, 2006 - Teri; TBOX12, 2007 - The Evil Triplets, Biggins, Goze, and Bill; TBOX2008, Sarah K, Above

At TBOX8 in 2003, The Honor went to The Ubiquitous Mr Jeff Davis, aka JD, a Chicago Party Legend.  Kara followed #1 in 2004, due to her unabashed enthusiasm and unwavering commitment to TBOX, having first attended in 2000.

At TBOX10, a man I love, Mr. Tony Y, was named as the Number 1 for 2005.  He was about as Regal as you could possibly imagine.  Whenever I have needed a pick-me-up, Tony has always been there - I mean, except for how he almost never answers my calls anymore - but besides that, he's the man.  And, he lives in New Lenox now, so I have to cut him some slack!  And Teri was a Fine #1 in 2006, having begun the lobbying the day after TBOX in 2005, as we kept up the tradition of alternating #1's as male/female each year.

TBOX12 in 2007 brought together the "3 Men I Admire Most" as the Triple-Number One's - Biggins, Goze, and Bill.  Bigggooooonnnes, from my hometown of Vero Beach, I went to high school with, a lifelong friend, and he has been at Every TBOX since 2002.  He introduced me to his College Roommate, Goze, who lives here, and we became great friends, and Bill was his friend, who I also became good friends with.  Bill and Goze have each been to every TBOX, except each missed one, we think it was #5 or #6 (that was when I lived out of town, there was a little dropoff in the regulars there) - anyway, they were honored as 1A, 1B, 1C in 2007!

Sarah K became #1 at long last for TBOX2008, and as she can tell you, it was worth the wait.  An innovator of Stylish Dress and going Wire to Wire with Style, she earned the top spot in '08, and I actually flew to Minneapolis personally to present her with the plaque below and give her her formal invitation in April of that year.  Yes, we take this seriously!!!   Read more about Sarah here.

All About Number Two

But, it's not all about Number One... Somebody has to be Number Two, and Being #2 actually carries a lot of serious responsibilities.  While being #1 is all about glamour, #2 does all the dirty work. Legend of the Crawl FRED, was appointed as "#2 for Life", and he carried this sober responsibility through TBOX12 in 2007.  Alas, he then got married, and his career as an International Banker was taking him away to London.  He was going to miss TBOX.

This is about how the conversation went:

Fred: My company is sending me and my wife to London for 3 years to live and work!
Me: You're going to have to choose between TBOX and your career.
Fred: I choose my career.
Me: You're going to have to choose between TBOX and London.
Fred: I choose London.
Me: You're going to have to choose between TBOX and your wife.
Fred: I choose my wife.

So, Fred, the man behind the scenes, who had cut all the wire for TBOX10, 11, and 12, who had manned the bullhorn, who made sure everything went smoothly, was OUT...

I knew there was only one other person who could fill his shoes, and I picked up the phone and called Seattle Greg, and said, "Seattle Greg, I need you to come to TBOX2008 and be Number Two..." -- before my next sentence, he had gone online, booked a flight, and was ON IT.  He did a great job in 2008 and will be back at the #2 helm for 2009.  One of the traditions is that you are to go up to him, as with Fred before, and scream in his face, "WHO DOES NUMBER TWO WORK FOR??!!!!" -- and he will scream back at you, "FESTA!!!!!"  I call Seattle Greg "Seattle Greg" because his name is Greg and he lives in Seattle.  He actually is a native Chicagoan (a South Sider, of all things!) and we used to work together until he moved out west in the late 90s.  He was at TBOX1, TBOX2, and TBOX7, and told me, "If you ever need me back, I'm on the next plane..." - and so he was - and is.

Number Three "For Life"

As of this writing, FUJI is #3 for Life -- also a position with serious responsibilities.  So much has been said and written about him -- and his story is so mythic in its sweep -- that it's difficult to summarize his Party Career without restating cliches that have already been digested by tens of thousands of his raving fans. To start with the obvious, he is the greatest and most influential partier of the early 21st Century Midwestern United States, and has introduced more innovations into partying than any other Chicagoan of the last 20 years. Moreover, he is among the few artists of any discipline that is simultaneously one of the best at what they do and one of the most popular at what they do. Relentlessly imaginative and experimental, he has grabbed a hold of the international party consciousness and never let go, always staying ahead of the pack in terms of creativity but never losing his ability to communicate his increasingly sophisticated ideas to a mass audience. His supremacy as a party icon in the Upper Midwest remains unchallenged to this day.

More Pictures of Royal Court Members Through the Years

TBOX2008 - Jenni #7A and Sarah K #1 "Miss TBOX 2008"

Kara #1 from 2004, Goze #1B from 2007, and Teri #1 from 2006 all in One Picture!

Fred #2 at TBOX11 with the Bullhorn!

Chris with Tony Y (#1 from 2005) and Tony F with the Ridiculous Oversize Cutout Numbers

TBOX2008 - Tom K, JLo, Beth, Carrie S and the Royal License Plates

The Crazy Big Numbers at TBOX11 with #3 and #4

TBOX12 - The first year of the License Plates