There's always a first time...

Last weekend, I had a new experience: I was ignored by Sasha Frere-Jones! He's the pop music critic for the New Yorker, and I've been reading his criticism for years. So it was fun to go to a New Yorker festival event that featured a conversation between him and indie singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten:

Actually, his comments weren't too insightful; he often rambled on about whatever, cutting off what Sharon Van Etten was trying to say. Go figure. How did I know that he was ignoring me? Because I stood up in the balcony at the microphone to ask a question during the Q and A session, and when he saw that there was no line at the microphone downstairs, he decided that the session was over. Alas. But here's something he doesn't know: until 2010, I thought he was a woman.

It was a delight to hear about the ideas and experiences of the musician. I hadn't listened to her music before some friends suggested we go to the show, and it's pretty good! Her lyrics are dark and sad, but sometimes it can be cathartic to listen to that sort of thing. And in person, she is humble, unassuming, and funny. All in all, a lovely experience.