The Spadina Surprise (enroute to Harbourfront)

I want to tell you about the day I was on my way to Harbourfront for a shift and I was thinking maybe I needed to swing by Maple Music and deliver another kooky package to Andy Maize; another in a series of unique and freewheelin' invitation deliveries -- a repeated contact strategy that was to stay in active execution until I had the nerve and timing to reach him by phone, or in person and get an "official" interview. There was a lot that I really wanted to ask him. Except at that moment, I had left the Spill and had been unable to get my own magazine going with the brunch boys and I still wasn't getting calls back from James at Exclaim and so I'm southbound on Spadina and I'm thinking about all that.

And I'm thinking up guitar playing discussion topics for Aaron if he's on shift and I'm thinking how he practices his guitar in bathroom while his girlfriend tries to sleep meanwhile I have a huge house empty except for all the guitars I want to learn to play and I even think his girlfriend's MOM is cute so why won't he just come back after work with me and la la la I'm making notes in my book about whatever and for whatever stroke of luck I do not have a walkman on and who comes down the street car aisle but Mr. Fancy Andy himself!

I probably wiggled in my seat and maybe I smiled and I know for sure we made direct eye contact right before he sat across the aisle, two rows up. Meanwhile, there's an empty seat right beside me. So I go:
I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T SIT BESIDE ME!

And you know what? He got up and came and sat beside me.

So, I said thanks so much, you know. Because um, my name is Kim and um I've been trying to get your time so I can ask you some questions you know because I'm a writer you know and um I even have my book here and everything you know but um now you're here and um I can't think of anything to ask you, you know?

And HE wiggled in his seat. More like squirmed I guess, like his winter coat was too hot on the croweded china town public transit... and then, after this possibly suffocating pause, I was so grateful when he just calmly and generously said "Well, okay, so, who do you write for?"

* *

He said some of the greatest Canadian musicians I know work in shipping and receiving, when they aren't away on a tour. And I said, "But why are they allowed to just come and go?" And he said "Well I guess they just find employment in a business environment that is conducive or supportive of that type of external activity." That shut me up for a second and then I said,
"I'm working at a place like that right now. In fact, I'm hoping I'm on shift with the guy I call my virtual guitar teacher. Because, so far I have not been able to get him in the same room with me and two guitars, but we talk about stuff. And, you can learn that way."
And Andy looked surprised "You can?"
And I sighed "Well, I bet it would go a f*@! of a lot faster if we got together but, I'm learning."

***
the name of sook yin lee's first band was fancypants?

but that's what people call ME!!!have i told you about getting busted in the post office in jerome trying to pretend my p.j.s were clothes? zif. i guess i wasn't the first person in town to be so fashionable but at least I wasn't working that day...fancypants?i have to say, its a great band name.

my own best fancypants are my aimee mann fan pants, which i was wearning at the maple lounge when i won a trivia question prize from cmv with andy maize in the room and when i 'met' barbara gowdy. i sure do wanna be broadcastable like sook yin lee... fancypants INDEED.