Monday, April 09, 2007

my life is complete!

Ooooh, duckies, have I got a story for you!
Friday morning, at six o'clock, I, your humble narrator, and two droogies, Michele and Nicola (alphabetically) got up to catch an early ferry to head over to Vancouver. The plan: spend the day shopping (if you read Nicola's blog, Nicola's Vintage Boutique, you know she's a serious vintage shopper) and then go off to an Arlo Guthrie concert.


I purchased a lovely Prince book ($20, ridiculously overpriced)
and a Temptations anthology ($3.50, 2-album, ridiculously underpriced).
We were solicited for change dozens of times, and no, Nicola had no vintage-flavored luck. Then it was off to the Chan Center to see the sainted Arlo Guthrie, who is oh so near to my heart.
The concert was incredible, easily the best I've ever been to. Arlo Guthrie exceeded every expections, and I'd set them pretty high. I burst into tears of happiness as soon as he walked onstage. I don't know what your favorite song is, and if the artist is alive or dead, but there is no feeling comparable to hearing your favorite song in the world performed live by the original artist. As soon as he started telling the hilarious story leading up to my favorite song "Coming Into Los Angeles", I started crying again because I knew what was coming. And then I bawled through the whole song! I'd never been so happy in my life.
Intermission.
I meet up with Nicola and Michele because we had been sitting in seperate parts of the theatre (we all had great views, by the way) We're all pretty much dying from excitement when my friend Genni, who we'd been staying with runs over.
Sorry to stop the story at such an exciting moment (didn't sound exciting? Well it really was at the time) but if there's one thing you need to know about Nicola is that she's the biggest Doors fan to ever exist.
Anyway, Genni runs over and tells us she'd bumped into one of her professors and her professor's boyfriend. It turns out the boyfriend is not only producers of most of the Doors movies, but he's also Ray Manzarek's (The Doors keyboardist) best friend. The look on Nicola's face, to use a cliche, was beyond priceless. His name was Rich Schmidlin, and I'm sorry if I'm boring you with this story, which if you're not much of a Sixties obsessive or have met lots of 'celebrities' is probably kind of tedious. So we met Rich Schmidlin and he said he would introduce Nicola to Ray Manzarek at a concert coming up with him.
At this point, intermission ends and we go back to our seats.
The rest of the concert is amazing. It's the Guthrie Family Legacy Tour, so he's touring with two of his children, Abe and the beautiful, beautiful, Sarah Lee, along with Sarah Lee's foxy husband Johnny Irion. Arlo Guthrie is a fantastic storyteller, very very funny. Near the end, Sarah Lee and Jonny's four-year-old daughter Olivia wandered onstage and they got her a little microphone and she sang along on "This Land Is Your Land". They encored with a beautiful song called "My Peace", lyrics by Woody Guthrie and music by Arlo.
Thank you for your patience thus far, and now you will be rewarded by the uberexciting part of the story. Rich Schmidlin had backstage passes (He's good friends with Nora Guthrie, Arlo's sister) and we followed him backstage.

(Polaroids taken by the lovely Emma, who was in the front row. Photography wasn't allowed so she got them quickly at the very end)

Standing around backstage was Johnny Irion with Olivia. I asked him for a picture and he obliged, even picking up little Olivia.

What a great picture. Me with Johnny Irion, Arlo Guthrie's son-in-law and Arlo Guthrie's granddaughter Olivia.
Then we saw Rich Schmidlin motioning to us from a dressing room. We went over and there in the dressing room, was Arlo Guthrie, the Arlo Guthrie, My Favorite Act at Woodstock, The Creator of my Favorite Song in the Universe. Being very emotional, I burst into tears.

And lo and behold, my prized possession: me , Arlo Guthrie, Nicola (who's a little shy) and Michele. In Arlo Guthrie's dressing room. Please note Arlo Guthrie's hand touching my shoulder.
Was it the greatest moment of my life?
Will I never be the same again?
Can I die happy?
Yes, yes, yes.

And that's the story of the greatest evening of my entire life.

19 comments:

-S said...

FUN! i just loove concerts. they are my drugs. well, concerts and fashion of course.

Anonymous said...

hahaah wow reading that just made so happy. like oh my gosh im so happy for you i cant even imagine how amazing that was....

Nicola's Vintage Boutique said...

I like how you added "Groupies" as a tag..

it was easily the best day of my life

S. said...

I'm so happy for you! What quality memories.

Emma said...

SHIT, girl! me so jealous. me love concerts long time.

yes, i hate when people are like "ohmygod ohmygod we're both wearing jeans! we're TWINS!" and i'm like "take a ritalin, dude. we're just both wearing jeans. we were not spawned from the same womb, okay?"

sorry if i did that to you, i was perhaps a bit under the influence of...er...concerts when i left my last comment.
so glad you had an awesome time! SO JEALOUS!

Anonymous said...

Oh...my...gosh! Sorry, the part with the Doors thing was the best part for me!!! Jim Morrisson...ahh.
By the way, have you ever heard him on one of their live albums...he's hilarious.
"I'm a Saggitarius...the most...philosophical of all the signs...but I'm gonna do it...I'm gonna do this s**t, 'cause I'm gonna get my kicks before this whole thing comes crashing down!"
Don't quote me, but it's somethin' like that.
Another band I love that was just as high: The Blues Magoos.

WAT said...

You are a cute girl. So glad your musical concert night went into the heights of the stratosphere!

Reminds me of the night I got to see Paul McCartney! No pics of me or his hand on my shoulder tho.

Ho hum.

stilettoheights said...

this is adorable, it brought a tear to my eye, your excitement was beautiful

Anonymous said...

I feel your excitement and I have cried at many of my favorite artists concerts. Most Recently, Tom Waits. There is something magical and amazing that happens at live concerts.

Meg said...

My friend Micheal once accidently stepped on Prince's foot in London. Then I beat him to a pulp for doing it.
That was a story loosely related to your post.

alluretone said...

how come you're so lucky? i don't even listen to arlo guthrie, but backstage?! and to meet your music god would be fdjhfklsdhfjdksl! anyways i can't believe you're gonna get to meet one of the doors soon.. if only jim morrison was alive. oh my god.

Flavia Flanders said...

prince, prince, prince!!
i missed him..!
cya,
+molly g.+

Model Citzen said...

reading this makes me want to go to a concert, i havn't been to one since death cab for cutie last summer... P.S. you're the coolest "groupie" ever!

Eddie said...

Molly baby... I'm so happy that you got to meet Arlo and I can here from the tone of your.. um... writing that you were completely and utterly appreciative of the encounter.

You are beautiful Miss Molly. You look like a page out of the sixties. Also, I must say that I have another layer of respect for you now that I know that you're a Temptations fan (that book WAS ridiculously cheap!).

Love you mucho...

Besos 4 ever

indigomast said...

dreams really do come true! congrats !

Emily said...

wow that was a gd story i love concerts

a said...

that sounds amazing, like a surreal experience. i want that to happen to me. damnit living in london where the only bands that play all sound the same

Unknown said...

Song to Woody by Bob Dylan. I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all if you already know it, but if you don't I suggest it.

maya said...

sounds so fun! i didnt know you know Nicola, I didnt know that anyone in the blogospghere was friends apart from me and Alanna. we're like twins! sorry, I just read Emma's comment and it made me laugh so I wanted to get in on the act.