Utterly Surreal

Monday night I went to see Robyn Hitchcock at The Nick with none other than Hall of Famer Peter Buck playing in his backing band. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After all, things had changed for him considerably since we first met (I was 16 years old at the time) when R.E.M. played at Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa in 1985. Incidentally, he was wearing blue suede shoes that night and I thought he was the coolest human being alive. I was just a geeky teenager but he took pity on me and was cool.

So Monday night I didn't know if we'd get to catch a glimpse of him before the show or if he'd just hide out until it was time to play. To my pleasant surprise, he came strolling through the front door of The Nick during the opening band's set and casually leaned over the bar to order a drink. He even paid cash for it, with no pretense about getting anything for free. Gradually, people began to turn their heads and do a double take. A few folks approached him and offered greetings, including my friend Dave. But for the most part, people left him alone (probably becaused they were simply in awe). He couldn't have been nicer or more down to earth to the people who did approach him. There he was just hanging out and having a drink at the fucking Nick on a Monday night. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, The Nick is a longtime hole-in-the-wall Birmingham rock club that has seen thousands of up and coming bands grace its stage (including yours truly) on the way to playing Atlanta or Nashville, with some becoming rock stars. It's pretty much our version of CBGB's.

Robyn came on and played his set with Pete, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin (who both also tour with R.E.M.) and was fantastic. It was truly bizarre to watch Pete work his magic onstage. My buddy Mac told me that he had spoken to Robyn that afternoon and asked him why Pete was doing this (playing the small circuit that is) when he certainly didn't have to. The guy is a gazillionaire after all. He said that Pete couldn't be happier playing places like The Nick or the Possum Pouch in Two Tooth, Arkansas. He just loves to play.

That's rock n' roll and that's why I love Pete Buck.