My sincerest apologies to Mother Hannigan: My Hiro adventure

[Spamlet]

Yup, this will be a long one. I'm gonna gush. Some questions were actually answered, though, if you'd like to skip to the very end. I won't blame you a bit.

So yes, miracles do come true. Some of you know that although I tried to buy a ticket the very second they went online and the site said sold out before they could even process my info. I've tried several times since then to buy one online (well, without requiring to take out a home equity loan) but to no avail. The night before the gig, two separate people here had my hopes up with "an extra ticket available for someone" correspondences but they ended up going to a someone other than me.

Not to be discouraged, I set out to the show early on the extremely slim chance that maybe one fan'd have one extra ticket. It began raining pretty hard so I was running quite a bit which always means dodging through dense obstacle courses of potentially treacherous, eye gouging umbrellas on the mean streets (well, sidewalks) of Manhattan. I had a bit of trouble finding it too, because the hotel is on W.17th but it turns out the Hiro itself is on 16th.

On the train, I'd crudely fashioned a pathetic, little Deadhead type sign saying "NYC Eskimo Friends, 'Spamlet' needs 1 Miracle" etc. and after going down the whole small, assembled line it was clear nobody there had one to spare. On my return, a very avuncular man with a white beard said "You look just like your picture on the internet" it was "MurphUSA". We learned that a girl in line had gone to a sold-out Ray LaMontagne gig yet a few people (herself included) were still able to buy tickets at the venue itself. Soon after the line started moving, Murph's wife joined us and I found out that a $30 ticket was indeed still obtainable! I couldn't believe it was really happening. Let that be a lesson for future reference for anyone going to a sold out Hiro show! Don't overpay a scalper. It can be done.

Because we were there early I got a perfect view of the band. Center aisle seat in row 5! Literally only about 8 feet away. Beautiful venue. Guy next to me had only seen Damo open for Fiona (twice, though) so he was psyched for a full set. He also was taping the show with some kind of recorder that hooks to an ipod. I got his contact info and will find out how it came out, but I know some others were recording too. It was ideal acoustically; the place was quiet as could be during the songs themselves. Damo even told us we were "so well behaved!".

About the new song: Damo asked if people wanted to hear something old or something new. The majority yelled "old!" so he laughed and said "just for that you get something brand new". When it became clear he meant something no one had ever heard I was beside myself. He had trouble deciding though asking aloud "what's the newest song I've written?" I shrugged "Righteous little witch?" and the whole band looked shocked. Damo responded with a pleased "ooh!" and for a moment there I thought he was going to play it.

Instead he graced us with one he said he'd started work on but still needed finishing; so he asked for a color, emotion and bodypart (like he famously did in Madison) and the rest is already history.

Can't say enough about the fun the band was having together. They were like a comedy team riffing off one another. In addition to what's been discussed about the band requests, Vyvienne stopped the show when she asked for "You can leave your hat on!". Damo thought she was joking but she protested "you said we could pick anything!" his reply was "well, anything we know!". She told him it was from "The Full Monty" and with perfect comic delivery he muttered "I didn't see that film." but he still tried gamely for a moment to learn it from the others.

So she opted instead for "CD" which DR couldn't believe either but he insisted that 1) Vyv tell the story 2) They perform it the "traditional" way (drunk) and 3) that she sing it. Thankfully, her hilarious attempts to do so without knowing the lyrics are now up on "YouTube". For a while there it became the adorable, charming Vyv show. The next two songs were hers and Lisa's and the earlier 'glowing ring' moment has already been mentioned. But it all came back together powerfully with the last few songs ending with a very funky "Volcano".

Apparently, my post is too long so I'll put the after-show tale up in a second...

[Spamlet]

After the show, wanting to meet the band I tried to ask someone who said they knew Shane where they'd be coming out. I was sent on about 5 different wild goose chases. At one point I went all the way out to the garage told that that's where tour buses etc. usually were. I went to another place that turned out to be the hotel's restaurant next door and then was told to go upstairs of where we'd seen the show.

Waited there for quite a while when eventually I spotted Tomo come from backstage and went back down to ask him. He said they were all backstage so I asked if I could come back. He was understandably reluctant since he then explained to me that at that point it was just people they knew well and record co. folks. Luckily, he confirmed for me that the balcony I'd just come from would be the spot. I apologized for confusing him with what may've seemed a stalker-like request. I'd been sent down so many blind alleys and didn't want to be in the wrong place again.

Patience paid off and I met Vyv up there first. She really did love that new toy glow ring she'd gotten from one of Tomo's relatives and was a joy to be around. Damo and Lisa arrived at the same time and he was as warm and open as the first time I met him. We talked even longer this time even though almost 3 years have passed so he understandably didn't remember much about our first encounter. Or even Cleveland itself. I explained where it was and then where Ohio was. Our slogan "the heart of it all" describing both the shape of the state and it's geographic location in the country. It helped but he admitted quite jovially that he was already pretty drunk so everything was a bit vague. We talked about some interesting things. One being some more insight into why elephants appeal so much. He asked me what the biggest animal on the planet is, then what one of the smallest was. Then he asked "so why is the elephant afraid of a little tiny mouse?" He honestly didn't know but found it interesting. Then I offered that elephants don't seem to be very aggressive and maybe they recoil to protect the mice for fear of stomping them. We seemed to like that theory as much as another.

We talked for quite a bit but at some point while Damo was meeting someone else, Lisa and I met for the first time. But wow, did she make me instantly feel like we'd known each other for years. So warm and sweet. We talked about this site and she asked me what my screenname was. Her reaction was "you're SPAMLET?" then she told Tomo, Vyv and Damo. Talk about irony, eh? He and I have a long, intense conversation and naturally he forgets me several years later but what kills me is that I'm actually well known to them while being completely unknown to them. There's the internet for you, yeah?

Anyway, this is important, it turns out that Lisa's mother "back in Reade (sp?)" reads EF all the time and gets very upset when people say negative things. She said someone joked about her looking stoned and asked if that was me (it wasn't). She also said someone said her "diction was f*cked". Although I never put it that way exactly I admitted I had made one or two comments about that, but it was mainly due to mumbling in "Then Go". She understood why I'd say that because she said that in certain songs like that one it's intentional.

Having put that behind us, I owned up to the only other 'could be mis-perceived as negative' thing I've said here regarding her which was the discussion about her not being used to her best potential on this album. That's been discussed in depth here already. We talked about it further and she saw what I meant and wasn't offended. Nevertheless, Mother Hannigan: you needn't fear because I vow that I will only say positive things from here on out about your enchanting daughter. I feel about her now the same way as I do about my sisters.

Someone asked her how she liked NYC and she said she absolutely loves it and would move here tomorrow if she could. She didn't care what part. She loves that you can walk to whatever you need, unlike LA where everything requires driving. She also claimed she honestly doesn't think she makes enough money to live in Manhattan. I still find that hard to believe but am sure that soon she will. They're only getting more popular by the day.

This all went on for well over an hour talking back and forth to the band members. Shane's cousin is from NY and since she was hanging with him he's the one I talked to only briefly.

You just can't believe how welcoming they all are. It was very dark in there so the pics I got were mostly outside. I'll try and upload them from my phone but am having driver issues with the program for that.

OK so here's the "setting the record straight" section:

Damo says the album artwork was mostly just taken straight from some doodlings he did in his journal. That's why the lyrics which aren't on the album. They are from a working version of the still unfinished song many of us were calling "She" but the title of it is actually "Slow". Of the lyrics we have the part that we couldn't figure out actually goes "She f*cks off/ to France/ with a boy/ Our dance/ is almost over." I admit to being waay off on that one. Glad I was 'cause the real lyrics are very enlightening.

He isn't signing autographs anymore or taking pictures with fans because he wants to feel like just a normal person talking to another normal person. No celebrity/fan division. Happily though, he still doesn't mind "doing you a drawing"! He did a balloon holding girl one for me this time.

They've recorded a lot of stuff, some of it old ("Didn't take long" was actually recorded) and he's not completely against putting old songs on record but he does seem to want to use more new material. The "happy" record coming out in January is mainly just a joke but, like us, he doesn't want to wait years again before the next one.

Both Vyv and Lisa have each written enough songs of their own to have a full length album. Both ladies also said they want to record one at some point.

Lisa and Tom told me that surprisingly "Sleep, Don't Weep" was actually written a few years before "Cold Water".

Lisa says she was never an art student. She took it for like one semester or something.

They asked me a lot of questions too about myself. We talked about acting etc. As we were all leaving Damo gave me some advice. After saying I'd keep trying he told me "try is a fail word". I was thinking about it all the way home.

[Miss Pink]

wow thats quite an impressive story!
well done!!


oh and HELLO MAMMY HANNIGAN

[Gatsby]

that was an interesting read

mammy hannigan reads here eh?

Funny that your infamous Spamlet, i can see why hehe

[tuckatangent]

Awesome story, Spamlet! Thanks so much for sharing!

[SisterMidnight]

great story doug.. yay you got in! and an after party with the band? how cool is that?!

so we should really watch our language now if lisa's mom reads huh

[Hot Burrito]

That story makes me love bein an eskimo friend!! nice one spamlet!!

tho its makes me a wee bit jealous cus i dont think they'll be messin about so much at the london gig cus its bigger and not as intimate? small gigs are so much better

[borneoman]

Wow!!! Great story!! Shocking that they read the website, especially Mummy Hannigan!!! Don't know of any city called Read in Ireland... Maybe it's Reading in the UK???

So they've recorded It Didn't Take You Long!!!! Maybe for a future b-side? Can't wait to hear it!!!!! Did they mention why it was not in 9?? Did they mention other songs that were recorded??

[Soleillily]

Wow Spamlet!!!! How awesome that you got in and were able to hang with them like that....so so cool

"Try is a fail word"....so next time I won't try to get backstage to talk to them, I will! Haha..only messing'!!! I love that he said that...


Oh, and hello (!) Lisa's mom...your daughter is so lovely!

[Hot Burrito]

Originally Posted by Soleillily

Oh, and hello (!) Lisa's mom...your daughter is so lovely!

And we'll try not to say any bad words

[tj]

What can I say Spamlet? Jealousy is an emotion none of us like to admit to... but... I'm pretty jealous!

[yankphin21]

Very nice story. hope to experience something like that in the Future

[Gatsby]

i was the one who said lisa looked stoned.. or actually maybe it was that she was on mushrooms.. not too sure

either way im ready for my spanking

[administrator]

i'm glad you got a ticket in the end, and had such a great night!

[Rue Saint-Denis]

That would go under the best day of my life! Was it the best day of your life, Spamlet?

[Gatsby]

liking the monster sized avatar em! ^^

[SisterMidnight]

yeah nobody better try and buffalo him..

Originally Posted by Revelate

i was the one who said lisa looked stoned.. or actually maybe it was that she was on mushrooms.. not too sure

either way im ready for my spanking

you're so naughty

[Gatsby]

thin ice

[SisterMidnight]

i have no idea what you're talking about

[Wheels]

Great story. Hello Mrs H!

[murphusa]

Hey Doug, good thing I am not a shy person!

In one of my discussions with Damien a few years ago, we also discussed "try"

[VolcanoesMeltUDown]

Thanks so much Spamlet! And hello Lisa's Mother!

[GlttrGrrl]

Ever the contrarian, I have to ask, isn't the Blue Whale the largest animal on the planet?

[SilentNight]

what a story. thanks for sharing

I adore Lisa and hope her the best! we'll never have enough of her singing.

[liswyn]

Nice story Spamlet... and no, it wasn't boring at all. Glad that things worked out for you in the end... you're really really lucky.

[Five Leaves Left]

thanks for the post. now i'm really excited that he recorded "Didn't Take Long" i really really hope that he releases it. and its cool that he doesnt sign autographs or take pictures i would imagine how pissed off someone would get if they got asked that everywhere they went, i remember on the bob dylan dvd it showed how pissed he was to the point where he carried a camera around to take pics of everyone else "you dont need my autograph, if you needed it i would give it to you."

[Five Leaves Left]

hmm....i wonder if mother hannigan secretly posts on eskimofriends.....

[simog]

A brilliant story - I am rather jealous!

Thanks for taking the time (and boy it must have taken a while to type) to share it with all us eskimos.

[cille]

Thanks for sharing, spammy. Nice read!

[Tommy]

''She said someone joked about her looking stoned and asked if that was me (it wasn't)''

Ooops :P

I love everyone really

Thom