Holy crap was traffic bad tonight. Note to self: Starland is a PAIN IN THE ASS to get to during rush hour.
Tonight my schedule was finally synched up with Henry Rollins' and I got to see him perform at Starland. Clocking in at just under 3 hours, it was an evening full of some of the best stories you'll ever hear come out of someone's mouth. He told of rad nights with his favorite bands, his trips to Lebanon and Syria, and his idea that exotic beasts of the wild should be dispersed throughout random cities of America just to keep us on our toes. Of course there were some political rants Rollins-style thrown in as well.
I would like to bitch just for a paragraph or two about people who talk during a SPOKEN WORD performance. A stupid drunk chick behind me would not shut up and distracted me from the show a few times. Plus, our waitress appeared to be louder than any other waitress in the place (Starland was set up like a nightclub, with long beergarden style table seating on the normally general admission floor, and regular circular dining tables in the bar areas overlooking the floor. I was in the dining table area.) Not to mention the other two people who felt it was perfectly fine to answer cell phone calls and speak at normal volume so that the rest of us silent folk could hear their conversation.
It really upset me. I was taking this whole event so seriously- I wanted to soak up every single word Henry had to say and these idiots were being disrespectful. But I realized, I have a choice. I can confront these people or hope they go away. If I called them out on their behavior, that would take even more of my time away from the performance, as I would have had about 5 exchanges over the course of the show. And I don't know about your experiences with them, but I find that drunks aren't usually up for being told what to do. Trying to reason with them is about as effective as trying to clap with one hand (yes I stole that line from Anthrax). After I came to terms with the fact that I can't save the world from rude dumbasses under the influence, I eventually figured out a way to tune them out.
When the show was over, I knew where I was going: the tour bus. You know me- I can't pass up an opportunity to try to meet one of my heroes, especially one that's had a really profound effect on me. Since Henry had stated in a mass email that he normally comes out to talk to his fans, I knew my chances of speaking to the man were pretty good.
Being used to waiting a good hour before bands come out to chat after shows, I was surprised at how quickly Henry came out. In fact I almost didn't notice him as I was checking my text messages. I threw my cell into my purse and whipped out my copy of "Smile, You're Traveling" for him to sign.
When I approached Henry, I warned him that I was about to say something dorky and told him how the book has really made an impact on me and has inspired me to travel to random places alone. "Not any place like Syria," I said, "but I have now been to Wisconsin and Austin, Texas." Henry looked at me and paused. I thought he was going to shoo me off or move on to the next kid.
Instead, he launched into a story about his time in Tehran. I honestly don't remember half of what he said. I think it was something about how the people don't hate U.S. citizens, but have a real problem with our government. He was being drowned out by my heart pounding in my ears as I realized- Henry Rollins, the man whose writing has basically taken over as the voice in my head, was now telling me a story to my face.
As the group of fans (there were probably at least 30 or 40 people waiting to talk) stood in a circle around us, it took everything not to throw my hands to the sky and dance a jig of joy that this was actually happening. It was this weird perfect moment. I mean, the reason I love him is for his stories and take on life, and here he was telling one of those adventures in person, directly to me.
I had asked the girl next to me to take a picture of me and Henry. It came out god-awful. Let's just say I now know what I would look like with 2 1/2 chins. So that won't be posted. I would have taken another posed shot, but there were so many people waiting. I didn't want to hog his attention, especially after the cool storytime moment. If only I remembered what he said! Stupid joy distracting me.
