Thursday, November 30, 2006

It's Not What You'd Really Call "Stalking", Would You?!?


So, you all know I'm a hopeless fan-git over this Scottish singer, right? Right. I'm sure you're all bored to tears with my constant mentions of him, but deal with it. Not only do I love his music, which is ever-changing and growing, but he's a really great person as well.

His name is Fish, and he has the soul of a poet. I've always been attracted to the written word, and Fish's lyrics are just poems set to music. Anytime a song (or a poem) can take me out of myself, it's worth enjoying more than once.

Fish hails from right near Edinburgh (Jeni, you may run into him one day in Tesco!) in the Lothian area of Scotland, and plays mainly to crowds in the UK and Europe. I had just about given up on seeing him ever perform here in the Southern United States, but the Internet saved me! I discovered through an online forum that Fish would be playing a few dates on the Eastern Seaboard in 2000! (Yay for the Internet!) The gig that would be easiest for me to see was Atlanta, Georgia, at the Variety Playhouse. I made plans to make the long drive, knowing that this was probably my one shot at seeing the Big Man perform.

And perform he did. The show was great, but it was what happened afterwards that cements my love and admiration for the man. After the show, Fish is known to unwind with an alcoholic beverage or four, and typically, he invites fans along for the ride. At the gig, Fish announced that he would be repairing to a pub around the corner, and we were all welcome to join him for a post-prandial libation, if we were so inclined.

I dragged my poor husband (who at this point, had been awake for nearly 24 hours) off to the pub after the show so I could meet the Man in person. We hung around for as long as we dared, but JF was tired beyond belief, and wanted sleep in the worst kind of way. We decided to leave before Fish ever made it to the bar, and JF set off to fetch the car. As I waited on the corner, Fish comes sauntering by, and snaps off a smart salute in my direction. I stood on the corner for about 3 nanoseconds, debating whether or not to follow him into the pub to ask for an autograph and a picture. It didn't take long for me to turn and follow him inside. As I walked up to the towering man, I hovered a bit, wondering if it would be bad form to bombard him so quickly after arriving, but decided to go with the whole gauche, gushing fan-wank American persona I had so cleverly crafted, and tapped him on the shoulder. (Of course, since he's 6 foot 5, I had to stretch a bit to REACH his shoulder, but there you are...) He was as nice as could be, and not only obliged me for the autograph and picture, but I got a hug out of the deal as well.

Fish is known for personally answering emails, visiting fans whenever he happens to be in their hometown, and hosting special conventions just as a way for his fans to celebrate his music. His music is only part of what makes him special to me -- the other part is just being a damn nice guy. I know I was just another face in the crowd that night, but it made me very happy.


Note: My wonderful husband figured out what I was doing wrong, and resized the picture for me. Yay for the technical guru husband!

12 comments:

purple_kangaroo said...

Awww, how nice that you got an autograph and a hug!

Old Lady said...

Isn't cool to meet your favorite celebs?

Marni said...

You were in the ATL and DIDN'T CALL?! Shame on you! I would have met you and let JF sleep all he wanted...

Oh well. Next time.

Glad you had a wonderful time. It is so nice when you meet someone you admire and they DON'T let you down.

Matt said...

Wow, he sounds cool! I'll let you know if he shows up at Tesco, but a big celeb like him probably makes it to Marks & Spencer, at least.

Jenevieve said...

Oh, that was me above.

ccw said...

How nice! Sounds like a great evening.

Please post the pic soon!

KLee said...

Jeni -- no, he often shops at Tesco. :) He tells stories like :"well, there I was in Tesco, and...." I'm sure he's flush enough to make the odd trip to Marks and Spencer, and other poshy places, but he's not snobby at all. He acts just like a regular guy.

KLee said...

Oh, and Marni -- this was before I knew you. It was back in 2000, or I surely would have hit you up for a visit!

Phantom Scribbler said...

What a great photo that is!

Coffeypot said...

Back in the day, when Marni was wee tiny, I got to meet Peter, Paul and Mary after a concert. They were at the Fox in Atlanta and came out on stage after the concert and signed autographs and just talked. They were so cool, uh hip. Just regular people visiting with friends. But I didn’t get a hug like you did. Mary was hot back then, but I was so into folk music that I would have let Peter or Paul hug me, too.

If ya’ll are in the Atlanta area again and you call Marni, can I tag along, too. I’ll be good. I won’t cuss. I won’t get wobbly legged, commode hugging drunk. I won’t cuss. I won’t… Hell, forget it.

Karyn said...

That so totally, freaking ROCKS. Good on you!
Good on him too - it is so nice to hear about celebs who are not complete and utter tossers.

I'm heading to MidLothian on my UK tour to see Rosslyn. :) You know. Whenever that happens.

ccw said...

Love the picture!