I recently got to go see probably my favorite band in the world, The Jayhawks, out at City Winery here in Nashville. After the show, I had the good fortune of getting to meet easily one of my biggest musical and songwriting heroes, their frontman, Gary Louris. His lovely wife was kind enough to bring me and my wife backstage to meet him and I can honestly say it was the thrill of a lifetime. I was reminded of what Steven Van Zandt said in his book, “Unrequited Infatuations,” when he said he “doesn’t like to meet [his] heroes….in case they’re assholes.” Well I am pleased to report that was anything but the case. True to form, Gary was very down-to-earth, just as he comes across on stage and in interviews, and was genuinely interested in my thoughts on his Patreon channel, to which I subscribe (and highly recommend) and even inquired about some of the music I make. It didn’t take long for he and I to begin talking about our second love - that of our favorite NFL teams. He is a big Minnesota Vikings fan and I am a big Buffalo Bills fan and we got to spend a few minutes talking about where we thought our teams were headed and how he had gone to a Vikings vs Bills game in Buffalo a year earlier. To be able to have a regular conversation with one of my heroes was such a true privilege. I forgot to ask for a picture, but the memory is etched into my mind forever. It was also great to see the genuine love and admiration both he and his wife have for one another. It was an inspiring thing to witness that made the entire experience even more memorable. I did manage to get him to autograph an LP of Rainy Day Music though, as seen below: