I was reunionizing with a bunch of friends from my heydays when suddenly up walks Mike Gordon. Swear to God.
I approached him. Couldn’t help myself.
I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Mike very briefly on two other occasions; once at UMass Springest 5-10-92, with my friend Spogga, who I’m about to include in tonight’s story, incidentally … we tried to tell him “F00T’s Secret”, which is a track off our 1991 album The Big Big Cake With The Little Little Pebbles In The Middle, featuring simultaneous seperate storytelling that occasionally overlaps, and of course it likely annoyed rather than amused good Mike Gordon, but that’s another story for another time …
… and I think I got to say hello to Mike either at the Clifford Ball, or at Great Woods when he was hanging in the lot.
… and one time I had a hello at Higher Ground, probably Leftover Salmon were playing.
Anyway, we were outside on the sidewalk, and I saw Mike coming toward us, and I walked up and just went, “Could I shake your hand please?” or some stupid thing, and we shook, and I actually like patted the guy’s arm and said, “I love you, man” as he and his friends made their way by myself and our friends. Then I told him I’d just read his interview w/Burlington Free Press & thanked him for what he’d said, and he said he hadn’t read it yet. Mike & co. moved thru the door to the Karatarbar or whatever the place is called, next door to where we were, at The Spot.
Now, The Spot is on Thayer St. in Providence, which, well, it’s just a neat street in the city. My friend Spogga, who I mentioned, works as the music director there, and he and I go way back all the way to third grade. We grew up learning music together, and actually wrote and recorded four full albums together of original tunes that we still believe are great. In fact once when we were like 17 we wrote to Phish (this was say, 1991) and asked if we could open for them sometime! Ha! Anyway, Spogga was hosting entertainment at The Spot, and I was to play, and our friends were there …
Mike came back thru again while we were still standing around outside, & he exited the Karambate or whatever it was, and Spogga was there with me this time. Spogga of course invited Mike up to The Spot, mentioning that he had a fretless bass hooked up … Mike was cool about it man … he was quick about dealing w/us I gotta say, which happens in that ‘celebrity’ situation where he doesn’t know us whatsoever but we’re totally gaga over him. !!
Spog mentioned that he bought Lawn Boy on Absolute A-Go-Go records in the shop that used to be across the street, and I mentioned that I brought Spogga to a Phish show at the Campus Club in Providence in 1991.
It was casual enough, I think, that I didn’t feel like a total fanboy dorkhead. He didn’t end up joining us at The Spot, but we did end up playing some Phish!
Anyway, that’s the story of how I got the chance to hang out ever so briefly tonight with one of our most cherished music heroes.
Peace! 