I can never meet Mark Radcliffe again, not that the opportunity's likely to arise. He did a PA at the launch event for JW Lees' MPA (the beer for people who wish they'd had Boddies' when it was good); I was there as a journalist (well, a blogger). Three pints in, I thought this would be a great moment to inform Mark - who by this time had moved on to presenting the Radio 2 folk programme - about another project of mine, a home-recorded "folk song a week" thing on the Bandcamp.
But Mark Radcliffe is a sociable kind of guy and was chatting with about five other people, and the more I thought about it the more going up and saying "Hi Mark, my name's Phil, I've got this thing on the Bandcamp where I do a different folk song every week for a year, it's a bit different, here's the address, maybe give it a listen yeah?" seemed like a stupid and ridiculous and absurd and embarrassingly stupid idea. But then again, the guy was right there, it would be so easy to do, I could just say the line and that would be that...
So - worst of all possible worlds - I didn't speak to him, but I did lurk near his table. For quite a long time. Quite visibly: he actually noticed me in the end and asked if I wanted something. But by that time I was four pints down and it had all been going on far too long, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything. The worst part of it is that I saw the "well, I tried!" look that he gave the people he was with afterwards. I think I gave up the lurking after that; I hope I did, anyway.
I can never meet Mark Radcliffe again, not that the opportunity's likely to arise. He did a PA at the launch event for JW Lees' MPA (the beer for people who wish they'd had Boddies' when it was good); I was there as a journalist (well, a blogger). Three pints in, I thought this would be a great moment to inform Mark - who by this time had moved on to presenting the Radio 2 folk programme - about another project of mine, a home-recorded "folk song a week" thing on the Bandcamp.
But Mark Radcliffe is a sociable kind of guy and was chatting with about five other people, and the more I thought about it the more going up and saying "Hi Mark, my name's Phil, I've got this thing on the Bandcamp where I do a different folk song every week for a year, it's a bit different, here's the address, maybe give it a listen yeah?" seemed like a stupid and ridiculous and absurd and embarrassingly stupid idea. But then again, the guy was right there, it would be so easy to do, I could just say the line and that would be that...
So - worst of all possible worlds - I didn't speak to him, but I did lurk near his table. For quite a long time. Quite visibly: he actually noticed me in the end and asked if I wanted something. But by that time I was four pints down and it had all been going on far too long, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything. The worst part of it is that I saw the "well, I tried!" look that he gave the people he was with afterwards. I think I gave up the lurking after that; I hope I did, anyway.
It's a nice pint, though, MPA.