The girls I hung out with in Wexford didn't read, didn't listen to music, never watched films and didn't dream of watching football unless there were cute boys involved. Their primary preoccupation was looking old for their age, which is kind of ironic because I'm sure nowadays they are the type of women forking out fortunes on botox, lifts and tucks trying to look younger.
Whenever we'd find ourselves in the hallowed presence of the older kids the crucial question was always posed, "How old do you think I look?" And they'd all squeal with delight as the older kids told them they would, like, totally pass for 18. Not I though. Year after year the older kids confirmed that I- horror of horrors- looked my age. At 13 I looked 13. The year after, 14. You get the picture.
That is why, with this awareness of my inability to pass for an older kid in mind, I was having a panic attack in my bedroom on the 14th of May 1993. The Junior Cert was less than a month away. My classmates were busy studying, but I had larger problems to process.
Radiohead.
The Rock Garden.
Over-18s.
My best real (read 'cool') friend, who could totally pass for 18, was doing her best to make me over as an 18 year old. But failing miserably. In the end we decided I should just keep my head down and let her do the talking. And we ran and caught our bus into town.
In the end we needn't have worried. There were so few people in the line outside the Rock Garden for the gig that they'd probably have admitted anyone to make up the numbers. But we were still standing nervously outside- crossing every available limb that we'd be let in- when Thom Yorke ran upstairs from the gig part into the bar part. My best friend and I took one quick look at each other and ran up the stairs after him.
He was sitting at a table with around six other people who I guess were the other members of Radiohead but this was May 1993. Radiohead were still more than 5 months away from the dizzying heights of "Creep" on Top of the Pops on the night of the Junior Cert results. 'Pablo Honey' had just been released to a murmur of interest in the music press, and I'd caught the video to "Anyone Can Play Guitar" a couple of times on MTV's 120 Minutes but had been so transfixed by the beauty of Jonny Greenwood that I hadn't noticed the others. So I knew that Jonny wasn't at the table and that Thom was but that was it.
We then proceeded to do what any 15 year old would when faced with their first live superstar- we asked for an autograph, which Thom happily (seriously- happily) provided. He even drew a very elaborate picture of a spaceship type thing. My best friend's name being an uncomplicated affair she went first, then me.
"It's kind of complicated," I said.
"My name isn't spelt like you'd expect. So I'll spell it for you. It's 'R'..."
Thom Yorke looked at me as if I was speaking a language he'd never heard before.
"Or?"
"Yes 'R'"
"Or?"
"Look, that's not the complicated bit." And then I bit my tongue, I was getting testy with Thom Yorke- that is not how one behaves when faced with a real, live superstar.
"Do you mean 'Are'?"
"Are you saying the letter that comes before 'S'?"
"Yes, 'Are,'"
"R"
"Or if you insist 'Or'"
And that ladies and gentlemen is how Thom Yorke from Radiohead pointed out to me that Irish people say the letter 'R' in a kind of funny way. If you're English. And can't pronounce your 'R's.
So this morning on my way to work (and for the rest of the day) I had my shuffle packed with Radiohead albums and set to 'shuffle.' And with each subsequent song I was getting more and more excited. It may be 15 years since my first Radiohead concert, but when my tall brother called and told me that as a belated birthday present he'd gotten me a ticket for one of the shows in Malahide Castle this weekend, I got as excited as I was in 1993. Well, almost.
13 comments:
I had a similar experience with some Austrian girls in college. They aren't famous, so I doubt my anecdote is as amusing and entertaining :)
cant wait for the gig on sat! my first time to see them! :)
Excellent story. Your brother is brilliant, by the way.
Enjoy the gig! Sadly I don't have a lovely brother (no brothers at all, in fact) and so no ticket for me.
This also means you are potentially available for drinks, yes? :)
Great post, top quality story! I can just picture the the faces on the coolies when they saw your so uncool summer pals. I had the same thing with friends from Irish college in the summer months.
Ah Red you've just earned 10,000 bonus cool-points with that one. props!
Im going to their concert on Tuesday in Paris:)
At least you can pronounce your Ors. Unlike for example Jonathan Woss. Being plummy London myself, I still have trouble deciphering really pronounced Norn Iron accents.
That is a super story.
Red, you've nailed the trap so many women fall into when we first want anything to look older and then not long after we want to look as young as possible.
All the cool kids from Dublin liked Green Day when I was in the Gaeltacht.
Hope you enjoyed the gig, red, and your weekend in Dublin. Was there last night myself and thought it was awesome.
The gig was great, the visit far too short- I only had time to hang out with my tall brother who is indeed fantastic and to drop in my sister for lunch.
As for being cool, my friends and I weren't really at the time. We were considered nerds by most people. I say 'friends' but then again there were really just the two of us. I think coolness as a teenager is related to confidence which I was totally lacking. But I should've been cool- heading to radiohead gigs and all- way cooler than liking Green Day I say.
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