Kevin,
One of the "new realities" of this town is the overall rudeness of EVERYBODY coming here. I hate to get all "In my day" on people, but there was a time where people were reverent. Now they are not. All these newbies and wanna be's are here, on their cel phones or talking at the top of their lungs during performances. Even myself at times, will have to just "write off" certain tables. You see them coming in. They are there with their friends and families, waiting on their time to perform. They are rude as hell, I've seen them standing up to talk, right in front of a performer. Yes, I can scare the Hell out of them, but it is usually not worth it.
I recently had a situation just like that. There was this woman, obviously pretty drunk, who kept yelling out "please come to Boston" by Dave Loggins. She wouldn't shut up, and our round, we obviously her target. She kept seemingly talking directly to me, and actually came down right in front of me almost YELLING at me to play that song. I kept trying to play it off and explain that it was a writers night, and what we did. I kind of made fun of her, but she was oblivious. Each time it came for my song, she would walk down, get in my face, and beg me to play it. Then, when I didn't she would slowly turn around, and behind her back, shoot me a double bird, with both hands. She would stand there a minute, blocking everyone's view and then slowly go sit down, to heckle me, while sitting on the guy she was with's lap, making out with him. And this was on a writers night. Was very uncomfortable for everyone there. But it happens.
The deal is that this writers night, like a lot of them, was in a hotel bar. Even in Nashville, like many of the venues you all talk about, they are not about the music. They are their for food, for conversation, to sell drinks, to pick up the opposite sex, so we are just part of the show. And yes, if they bring people in, they are going to get leeway. Nature of the beast.
Even in Nashville, not everywhere is the BLUEBIRD. The Bluebird is different for a reason because it established their rules at the beginning of the club. The "Shhh" and no cell phones are the rules if you want to be there. If you don't you can go elsewhere. I've seen a lot of people tossed out for conversations and overuse of Cell phones.
Recently there was a big thing in the media about Broadway star Patti Lupone, who stopped a huge Broadway show cold, when a person in the front row TOOK A CELL PHONE CALL in the MIDDLE OF THE SHOW. Rudeness is everywhere, just like the mood of most of the Internet. A lot of crap and nasty people out there.
Interestingly enough, was we talk about all of this, I recently joined Twitter, which I HATE in many ways but find amusing in many ways. Great during football cames cause I catch up on things I have missed during the season. But one of the people that have ended up on my Twitter feed is comedian Ron White. He was here in Nashville last week during a lot of the snow and was hanging out in a lot of the downtown bars. Interesting to see these celebrities and what they are doing even when not on the stage.
An interesting twist to our era. Nothing is sacred and not much is private.
MAB
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