Brian and Me
Lileks' Bleat today reminded me of a story. He said,
I have a Brian Setzer story. I always liked Brian Setzer - must have been all those Stray Cats videos in the early days of MTV. Back in my law school days when I lived near downtown (Loring Park neighborhood), I was eating at the Brueggers on Nicollet Mall, at 11st street. In walks Brian Setzer. He was in town, playing at the State Theater – I believe with his “big band” though I may be wrong. He orders lunch and sits down two tables from me. Lots of hair, leather, and tattoos peeking out under the hair and leather. One of the young women working there notices him, gets a little giddy, and decides to clean tables over near Brian and I (notice how I’m part of the story now?). The tables didn’t really need cleaning, but it was a good cover. It was pretty obvious why she was suddenly so interested in table sanitation and the old Stray Cat wasn’t fooled. He smiled, said hello, and invited her to sit down. I think that he was so distracted by her cleaning frenzy that he figured it would be easier to just have her sit down with him so he could eat in peace. Setzer seemed very nice, and answered all her questions very politely. I left thinking that here was a guy very comfortable with his celebrity.
You usually hear horror stories about someone approaching a star (major or minor) for an autograph only to get chewed out. I suspect it does become annoying – but the fans are their customers. It just comes with the territory. (I know - Easy for me to say.) It seems to me that many celebrities like to call attention to themselves – traveling with their entourages, etc. In my story, Setzer was alone and went mostly unnoticed except by the Bruegger’s girl and me.
Learned something interesting in the paper: Brian Setzer, rocker nonpariel and walking embodiment of mid-20th century geetar sensibilities, lives in Minneapolis now. There’s a chance I could run into him in the grocery store. I wouldn’t know what to say, except for Thanks, and Thanks again, and that Gershwin quote you slipped into a song a few albums back made my day, and can you please just hold this pick in your hand for a second so I can frame it? Thanks. Also, sign my child’s arm. Here’s a tattoo needle. I’ll hold her down. She’ll thank me later.
I have a Brian Setzer story. I always liked Brian Setzer - must have been all those Stray Cats videos in the early days of MTV. Back in my law school days when I lived near downtown (Loring Park neighborhood), I was eating at the Brueggers on Nicollet Mall, at 11st street. In walks Brian Setzer. He was in town, playing at the State Theater – I believe with his “big band” though I may be wrong. He orders lunch and sits down two tables from me. Lots of hair, leather, and tattoos peeking out under the hair and leather. One of the young women working there notices him, gets a little giddy, and decides to clean tables over near Brian and I (notice how I’m part of the story now?). The tables didn’t really need cleaning, but it was a good cover. It was pretty obvious why she was suddenly so interested in table sanitation and the old Stray Cat wasn’t fooled. He smiled, said hello, and invited her to sit down. I think that he was so distracted by her cleaning frenzy that he figured it would be easier to just have her sit down with him so he could eat in peace. Setzer seemed very nice, and answered all her questions very politely. I left thinking that here was a guy very comfortable with his celebrity.
You usually hear horror stories about someone approaching a star (major or minor) for an autograph only to get chewed out. I suspect it does become annoying – but the fans are their customers. It just comes with the territory. (I know - Easy for me to say.) It seems to me that many celebrities like to call attention to themselves – traveling with their entourages, etc. In my story, Setzer was alone and went mostly unnoticed except by the Bruegger’s girl and me.
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