Re: Confessions of a Jazz Butcher Fan

Confessions, eh?

All right then...here's mine.

1. I never much cared for 'Lost in France.' There. I have said it. God, it's like a huge weight has been lifted. Seriously, though...I am fan enough to have found something worthwhile in the deepest of cuts, the B-est of B-sides. Hell, I even like 'Turtle Bait'...but 'Lost in France' never did it for me.
2. I feel I may have outgrown 'Caroline Wheeler's Birthday Present.' When I was in High School, it was a definite favorite. My friend Mike and I would shout the lyrics out the window of his beat up sirocco But some 15 or so years on, I tend to skip to the next track. In concert it holds a certain charm, but mostly because it seems to amuse the band so.

Dark secrets...

If I may address Mike's confession (number 3), allow me to say that I too have seen Pat, Max and Owen display patience above and beyond. When last they played LA, I watched as a couple of guys laid their JBC Vinyl out on the bar (they had it all...and I know, because I do too). I watched as all three gents signed EVERY single one. I've witnessed sober and drunk alike chatting Pat up and I have never seen him turn a cold shoulder. These are arguably the most polite men in Rock and/or Roll.
On a bit of a tangent, I am reminded of a scenario in Madison, WI 2000. I watched as a somewhat timid fan approached Max, expressing admiration. As some of you may be aware, Max has a bit of a problem with his joints (back, neck, hips etc). When he turned to look at the admirer, he had the appearance of looking sideways at him, almost down his nose. In response to the easily misunderstood physical cue, the poor guy politely slinked away. I noticed a sort of pained expression on Max's face, and told him that I thought the guy had misinterpreted his body language. Max replied "I know! It happens all the time...it's terrible!"
So, if Max has ever struck you as standoffish, don't take it personally. He is a bit stiff in appearance, but he is as sweet as they come.

-Brian Received on Wed, 3 Sep 2003 04:48:38 EDT