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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Concert

If you listen to the recording linked to in this post, please keep this in mind: I was 13 then, and I was very excited and nervous at the same time. Some of the things I said may seem out of place; in fact one thing in particular would probably make me come off as some snobbish asshole demanding attention. You'll know what part I mean when you hear it. Just trust me when I say it would make a lot more sense in context. Also, one more thing: my voice isn't nearly as high anymore.
Okay, so yesterday I went to a Nellie McKay concert with my family. I was really enjoying myself. Then my dad asked me if I wanted to request a song. I did, and she attempted to perform that song, but she was having trouble remembering most of the lyrics. By the way, the song was called The Big One, in case anyone is wondering.

Then, she called me up to the stage. I gave out the address to this blog, because hey, free publicity. She asked me to sing the song I requested while she played. I tried, but I couldn't remember all the lyrics either. We eventually just gave up. It was funny. Then she played another song and had me dance with some girl in the audience who was celebrating her birthday. She's not my girlfriend or anything, in fact I didn't even know her, but I figured why not.

That's about all I can remember, but it was fun. Needless to say, I was feeling pretty weird up there, because I just wasn't used to being called up on stage in a concert.

EDIT: I now have an audio file of my part of the concert, courtesy of NPR. Download it at http://www.mediafire.com/?cztmxyrrgzz.

Nellie McKay, if you see this post, which is quite unlikely now considering this was more than 5 years ago, please email me at flarn2006@gmail.com.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, Flarn - I was one of the guys you gave your autograph to. You were hilarious up there - hope you had fun! Keep us posted if you hear from Nellie.
--chris

travis said...

hahahaa
i just heard you on the NPR nellie mckay concert and i was laughing my head off!! man, i wish i could have been there. you didnt sound like you were feeling weird at all..sounds like you were 'meant for the stage' (decemberists reference!) nellie should hire you as her manager ;)

Anonymous said...

Just part of the additional traffic to "not your server." Cheers!

Anonymous said...

I love how you are at that stage where dancing with a girl would obviously imply that she's your girlfriend...

You were hilarious, though. Very precocious.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Actually, I'm pretty sure she was madly in love with you and would have proposed marriage if you hadn't said anything to the contrary. It's quite a shame.

Anonymous said...

So did she email you yet? If so, what's her address?

Flarn2006 said...

Nellie hasn't emailed me yet.

Anonymous said...

hey flarn,

great show!

Anonymous said...

Hi,
You were really funny! We laughed a lot!

Anonymous said...

hey bud- it's katie! your cousin from wisconsin. your dad e-mailed my dad about your exciting night and then after hearing the audio, i found your blog! hope things are well with you :) you were hilarious on that clip!

Anonymous said...

that was awesome i heard you on the radio

Anonymous said...

More traffic from the NPR show. Funny stuff...

Shervin Lainez said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

you were annoying and loud at the nellie show.
you were disrespectful to her... and very very gay.

it was really rude how you took over her show.

shut your loud mouth

Anonymous said...

I think the person who told you to shut your loud mouth was just jealous because he/she didn't get any attention!

theoglobal said...

Hi Michael,

Happy Easter. I'm writing from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I did not find your blog because I found money with your name on it... someday if I do I'll let you know.

Of course I found your blog from the Nellie McKay concert. It sounds like a great evening. Here's the webpage with NPR's pre-concert promotion. You might want to add the link to your blog:
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9044009

It also includes links to listen to the entire concert, maybe fun and useful for people like me who read your blog but it was too far across the Atlantic to be there in person.

I tried to download your Washington Post article tiff scan but it doesn't work... you busted their server (and you were worried about Google!). So I found the article on Washington Post on-line, maybe you can post that on your blog as well.
Keep blogging, singing, enjoying life, and ignore people who tell you not to (they're just jealous).

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/28/AR2007032802217_pf.html

The Nellie McKay Show, With Audience Participation

WashingtonPost.com, Christopher Porter, Thursday, March 29, 2007; page C05

Nellie McKay's concerts always include hilarity, and the singer-provocateur's concert at the Birchmere on Tuesday was no exception. There were buckets of comedic moments to go along with 2 1/2 hours of McKay's ultra-witty, Broadway-punk-jazz piano ditties.

NPR was recording and streaming the concert on its Web site, so McKay treated the concert like an old-time radio show. She injected several interludes in which she adopted the nasal voice of a 1940s announcer, telling silly news stories and introducing upcoming entertainment events such as the "Liberace Showtime Hour."

She even held up signs for laughter and applause -- not that either was necessary. The crowd was in love with McKay, especially after she urged someone in the audience to go out and crack the window of his van so the dogs inside wouldn't fry. Several songs later a woman stood up to defend the dog owner, but when McKay wouldn't back down, she and the pooches' pops left the concert in a huff. McKay, not missing a beat, went right into "The Dog Song."

McKay also charmingly messed up several of her songs, which is a common occurrence at her concerts. But McKay's mistakes on "The Big One" led into one of the concert's most laugh-inducing segments. A preteen boy in the audience requested the tune, which McKay obliged until she couldn't remember any more of it. She told the boy he'd have to sing it -- so the precocious kid jumped onstage.

While he didn't know the lyrics to "The Big One" either, he proceeded to tell jokes, bust a guy in the audience with a camera and plug his blog. Then a teenager joined the boy onstage for an interpretive dance as McKay played "David," looking back at her young fans and smiling like mad at the wackiness surrounding her.

# # #

D said...

Just heard you on NPR.

I hope that guy didn't have his camera taken away because of you...

Anonymous said...

you were great, i downloaded your concert! that was hilarious!

Anonymous said...

Every time I hear the clip of you trying to take over the show, it irritates the hell out of me. Way to go...not.

Anonymous said...

Just was listening to the Nellie McKay concert, and you cracked me up! Definitely a highlight of that show, although she was great too! ;-)

Happy Holidays.

Anonymous said...

Michael - I downloaded that concert not long after it was posted at NPR and listen to it still. Everytime I get to the Big One and your night as a star, I love it. You're great, brave and have a cool sense of humor. Keep rocking!

Anonymous said...

Punididum. Fart smackers.

Anonymous said...

hello from japan. my husband is a big fan of Nellie McKay and so I downloaded the concert from the podcast for him. he really enjoyed you up on stage. he had me listen to it also. very funny. you are very brave to get up on stage like that. great job!

Anonymous said...

just listened to the concert. made me pretty happy :) *hi-five* i wish there was video of it. i would love to have seen you up there.

Greg said...

I just listened to the concert on iTunes while searching for Nellie. Dude, you seem a little too pleased with yourself, but hey, you got to perform with Nellie. What I wouldn't give for that chance! And you got me to visit your blog, so good for you.

(I *did* get to talk to Nellie on a radio call-in program a few weeks ago.)

Flarn2006 said...

@Greg: I know, right? I sound like an arrogant asshole. But keep in mind I was 13, and very excited.