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Friday 5 September 2008

This one's for Manuel.....

I had a really cute four top in for dinner on Thursday night, two cute girls with two cute boys. They were so cute they could have been LOL Cats. Turns out they were a band, the guitars gave it away. In they traipsed, as musicians tend to do, all I'm in a band sort of attitude. Their necks were unable to support their huge heads of hair as they all held them to one side they way most bands in the mid 90's did. (Ride, Charlatans, etc) They had their best gig clothes on and were ready for a night of rock and quite possibly roll. Or as it turned out, acoustic folk. Bless their sensitive little souls.

corduroy n roll.....

They had completed their soundcheck at the venue and had popped into my place for some pre-gig nosh. They nearly shit a plectrum when I presented them the menu, the prices are set not for lovely indie kids but rather for the parents of lovely indie kids. I got them their two diet cokes and jug of water though. They were timid to the point of being annoying. But damn it I was in a good mood and dropped my snootier than thou attitude and let them order two starters and two mains to share between the four of them. I'm all fucking heart.

But I didn't want them going back to the gig venue with their confidence all shattered and upset, I have an ability to shatter confidence. I'm not proud of that. So I engaged them in some conversation. I figured I wouldn't be getting much of a tip so they owed me a moments amusement. Musicians never tip well. That said I did serve the Minnesotan band Low a few years ago who, despite their deathly name and slowcore music, actually tipped high.

So stating the obvious I opened with, "You guys in a band then?"

"Yeah man." Answered the chap who was obviously the lead singer, he had the "best" hair.

"And what sort of stuff do you do?"

They looked at each other and then the other boy with the Thurston Moore haircut and sporting a Sonic Youth t-shirt said, "It's like eh.....you know.....acoustic stuff man.....with eh....you know eh....folk sort of .......eh eh....eh.....influences." It took him about a minute to say that.

"Nice." I opined that he was the band's bad guy, no stranger to the world of whacky backy.

Maaaaaaan.

The ladies weren't much better. But one helpfully added, "It's like bits of Dylan and Van Morrison with Duke Special. Yeah that's what it's like." There was nodding all round. It was like they had just decided that that was their sound.

Getting a bit animated the lead boy jumped in to say that they were doing it "their way though, for the new millennium."

I was biting my hand to stifle the tears. But they were so cute and almost innocent I listened along. I was given various MySpace addresses to check them out on but if I don't write things down straight away I forget. But after a while it did get more than a bit dull and I palmed them off to one of the new waiters. But as they left they gave me cute waves and one of the dudes told me my name would be on the guest list later if I wanted to check them out.

How sweet.

But wait, there was sweeter still to come. Not a tip though. As I waited for my taxi home I got a text message from a friend who was at the gig to tell me that the band had dedicated a song to me, apparently their best song.

Awwwwwwwwwwhhhhhh. I was chuffed. I turned to the chef who was standing beside me who replied, "Fuck dat, you cant buy a pint with that."

Best tip in ages......

31 People trying to get Manuel's attention:

Anonymous said...

that's so cute!!! i hope you were flattered!

Manuel said...

byw: yes, yes I was........sniff sniff sniff.........I was touched......

B said...

what a bastard you were for not going to their show eh? just imagine their cute sad little faces when they noticed you didn't show up.

Manuel said...

b: me? gig? after work? at my age? catch a grip til yerself....

Manuel said...

belfast youth worker: I've just noticed you're having a shandy or two.....hope you had fun!

Anonymous said...

I'd shit a plectrum if someone dedicated a song to me. We've got bullet proof plecs. here in Limerick, but we're hard around the arse.

But their art Manuel, the suffering and poverty.

Manuel said...

sniffle&cry: yes, years of chasing the elusive 'deal' that never comes and they end up bitter and downtrodden working the classical section of their local hmv.....you know it's true....

Anonymous said...

bless their little angst-riddled, folksy hearts! almost need insulin to counter all that cuteness... LOL-emocats... Awwww....

Manuel said...

daisyfae: I bet they are tucked up under their bob dylan duvets by now......bless....

B said...

You should've said "(Get A)Grip(On Yourself)" to show your age more.

Manuel said...

b: I'm down with the kids and their whacky lingo....

Jenny said...

bloggy tear here, that's the nicest story I've heard in awhile.

bitter? who's bitter?

(not you.)

Anonymous said...

could the word "dandy's" or "foppish" have been used to describe these folks ?

tess said...

so who were they?

Anonymous said...

I'm sure in the future they will look back on these times with fondness..... after a dizzy career in sound engineering/roadying, found fulfillment as a security guard or got the accountancy job the aul wans wanted them to take in the first place.

Lottie said...

That IS so cute. When they are rich and famous maybe they will dedicate an album to you.

Unknown said...

Acousticky folky singery type kids are just the best there is. Were they local? You know they're going to come back to see you... and send all their acousticky pals to dine at your table, man.

Anonymous said...

if Low eat anything like they sound i'm surprised your still not servings them - i get depressed just thinking about Low, god knows what serving them was like

Manuel said...

boxer: yeah but I only fall for it once a year, so they had better actually tip the next time....

redleeroy: oh yes certainly foppish, foppish and delightful.....

tess: welcome......cant remember but they were lovely.....

anfearbui: look back in anger more likely.....

lottie: they can dedicate some royalties!

conan: yes local.....from some nice middle class superb or other...

toast: there was no laughter, no chat, barely an emotion.....that's why I've never written about it......

Mudflapgypsy said...

Mentioned in dispatches, eh?

Jolly good, now, just gimme the goddamned money.

B said...

but thats a stranglers song

Megan McGurk said...

It's refreshing to hear a story about how polite and engaging the kids are these days and I bet they looked super cute, too.

Anonymous said...

Cute overload.

Manuel said...

muddy: yes, yes that's what I'm thinking today....

b: are the kids not down with the stranglers?

medbh: like little cherubs......

jill: totally....

Arthur C Boyle said...

Kids eh? Wasn't like that in my day. They'd have been clipped round the ear and sent back up the chimney.

The Mistress said...

Groupie.

B said...

ah I see what you done!

...and actually they are, great at oxegen.

Anonymous said...

27 comments at 3.30 in the morning?

Can't be fuckin arsed reading them all, but 'sound' all the same.

Anonymous said...

Aww. That's so cute. They were probably disappointed when you didn't show. Just the kinda of story I needed after the shift I had :D
(just for the record town-wide festivals are a very bad idea)

Native Minnow said...

That makes you like a celebrity or something though, right? Right? Now you're going to get all the undertipping indie crowd.

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