Posted
by Joel Mathis
November 9, 2007 at 1:22 a.m.
Maybe Tegan and Sara were right
To The Mountain Goats Superfan:Hi there. I'm Joel, the square-looking guy who was standing (and occasionally sitting) two feet in front of you [tonight at The Mountain Goats concert.][1]And I'd just like to tell you that you nearly ruined the concert for me.Like you, I'm a fan of the band and John Darnielle's hyper-verbal singer-songwriter indie-folk-rock stylings. I'm perhaps not as big a fan as you are-I only own one album-but I like the group well enough to A) plop down my $10 and B) stay up late on a work night.Furthermore, let me say that I know that a club show is not-[the petulance of Tegan and Sara aside][2]-a tea party. I expect yelling. I expect whistling. I expect raucous sing-alongs. If one doesn't expect and embrace those things, then one should stick to one's iPod and leave the live shows alone.What I guess crosses the line for me is what you did: SCREAMING-not singing, and certainly just singing loudly, but SCREAMING-lyrics throughout the night, drowning out the band itself. I hereby acknowledge that I may be an old fart.Truth is, I thought you were humorously riffing on the whole Tegan and Sara incident when The Mountain Goats took the stage, played a couple of notes and you screamed: "EVERYBODY SHUT THE (EXPLETIVE) UP!" I even giggled.Turned out, though, that was just the beginning.You were so persistent and so concert-obscuringly loud that I considered, briefly, that you might in fact be a heckler. If that's the case, though, you have an unusual stamina for heckling-one that involves obsessively memorizing the lyrics of the none-too-prominent band you were there to see.The alternative began to assert itself in my mind: You are a Mountain Goats fan, and a big one at that. So why would you be so ... loud?It occurs to me that perhaps you take The Mountain Goats very seriously indeed. And that wouldn't be surprising: Darnielle's lyrics about failed relationships and other personal matters are so harrowingly specific (but cleverly crafted and compellingly delivered) that I imagine his songs have stopped a few people in their tracks, recognizing themselves in the music. And, perhaps, with you at the back of the room, you felt you still needed to let him personally know how much his music had specifically touched you. And perhaps the need to let him know that made you forget that there were many other people in the room-all of whom came to hear him, not you.Or maybe you're just That Guy.A friend later told me I should've moved elsewhere. He's right. But the room was so packed, and you were so loud I doubted there was anywhere I could go that would free me from the soul-shattering penetration of your screams.Anyway, I guess it's possible that I'll see you around at other shows in the future. I hope you have a good time. I just hope you'll let me have a good time too.Yours truly, Joel [1]: http://www.lawrence.com/events/2007/n... [2]: http://www.lawrence.com/blogs/rogue_scarlet/2007/nov/06/tegan/
and 5 others
Comments
Lawrence.com does not necessarily agree with comments posted below - responsibility lies with the relevant user alone. Read our full policy.
DOTDOT (anonymous) says…
"Ya'll shut the fuck up or I will BLOG about your asses. I mean it. Don't think I'm serious? Try me."
You, sir, are the intimidating one.
But who's Tegan? Who's Sarah?
Never mind.
Joel (Joel Mathis) says…
Well, it SOUNDS ridiculous when you put it that way.
(Sigh.)
DOTDOT (anonymous) says…
A mere tribute to your follow through. :-)
OtherJoel (anonymous) says…
yeeeeeeeeahhhhhhhhhhhhh! you tell 'em mathis! wooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
OtherJoel (anonymous) says…
You should have gone to the Evens on Wednesday at the Love Garden. Everyone just sat on the floor and quietly enjoyed the music, although Ian encouraged some sing-alongs from time to time. Maybe I'M showing my age, but I could stand to see a few more shows that way.
chewyfally (Falestine Afani Ruzik) says…
That happened to me a a Coldplay concert many years ago. Only with every scream, the guy elbowed somebody in the back or in the head.
It sucked, I know how you feel.
In other news, we played the Mountain Goats' "No Children" at our wedding. Half the crowd was appalled, half were bent over in laughter. We still have friends/relatives coming up to us and singing the song. We also put it on the mix CD we passed out as wedding favors. The song is very dear to us.
beatle919 (Marcy McGuffie) says…
Posted by DOTDOT (anonymous) on November 9, 2007 at 7:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"Ya'll shut the fuck up or I will BLOG about your asses. I mean it. Don't think I'm serious? Try me."
You, sir, are the intimidating one.
__________________________________
Well, his route was more mature than mine at a recent Split Lip concert. Some guy who was high on who knows what really got into dancing. Him and his backpack kept hitting the husband and I (he was mostly in front of us even though he was all over the place). We couldn't very well move because the place was packed...the hubby tried talking with this guy. Other people told him to calm down. His ugly paper mache halloween mask began to irk on my nerves...I grabbed it and threw it backwards leaving him blaming my husband. Oops. Later on, idiot decided he wanted to push his way towards the back of the crowd. A couple of minutes later, he wanted back in front of us. I stood solid ground and would not let the f&ck*r through. The asshat started pushing me and realized I wasn't going to budge, so he started going around. I lost it and grabbed his shirt. Asshat kept going forward as some sorosticunt who had not witnessed idiot's asshattery looked at me and said: "what did he do?" I spewed a series of expelitives and she looked at me funny. Idiot's shirt ripped in my grip, as he moved forward in the crowd.
Even sober, I don't feel terrible about ripping his shirt or getting rid of that gawd-awful mask. People around me (minus sorosticunt) patted me on the back and smiled....oh that just makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
beatle919 (Marcy McGuffie) says…
Then...at the next concert we went to - some dude tried to solicit sex outta my husband in the men's room. Now, that shit just makes me laugh...but, he wasn't too thrilled.
Maybe we just oughta stay away from concerts for awhile...
liz (Liz Weslander) says…
Sounds like there's at least one in every crowd.
There was a guy with the overly-exuberant "whoo-hooing" / fists thrown above the head syndrome who nearly ruined the last half of the Gillian Welch show at Liberty Hall a few months ago. People were surprisingly patient with him as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd late in the evening, but finally united against him when he decided to light up a cigarette and blow it right on the performers.
Keith (anonymous) says…
Maybe we should change that bumper sticker from "Mean People Suck" to "Most People Suck". I sat in front of 2 dingbats at the Neil Young/Lucinda Williams concert at Starlight a few years ago, (I know, I need to get out more often) who talked/shouted to each other the entire show. Who the hell goes to a concert to talk to a friend?
Joel (Joel Mathis) says…
I'm going to go on record as saying I'm not a fan of the "c" word as it's been used around here lately. I love all of you, really I do, and I don't want to stifle anybody ... but it's just a level of ugliness I'm not comfortable with. Sorry if I seem prissy, but it's the way I feel.
And Keith -- Neil Young-Lucinda Williams? Perhaps the concertgoers were merely deef and didn't know the show had started.
Keith (anonymous) says…
They were younger than me. As are most folks these days. Of course that doesn't preclude their being deaf. I was merely wishing they were dumb.
matt (Matt Armstrong) says…
Yeah, I don't like all this cigarette talk either.
DOTDOT (anonymous) says…
I thought "suck" started with an "s."
But anyway, I hear you.
Joel (Joel Mathis) says…
And I hear you, too. Perhaps I've lowered the level of discourse with jokey euphemisms...
And Matt: Hayooh!
OtherJoel (anonymous) says…
The "C" word... Coldplay?
clayhill70 (anonymous) says…
Blowgun darts dipped in Nembutol....thats the ticket.