That is I am in Kentucky and am fried after two days of interviewing for a university job here.
This was my first interview. I had a great time; I don’t feel like the ATB site is probably the place to get too in depth about the experience.
I have to relate a music story though while it is manure fresh.
"Some Guy Named Grant"
Amy, we will call her, was on the search committee and we talked several times over the course of the interview. Tonight at dinner she was talking about her book club. Some murder mystery thing. Had a partner named Grant. Sounded interesting enough to me. Somehow the topic got changed to music as one of the other profs mentioned I was in a band. Amy asked what kind of band.
Here is another issue. What kind of band are we?
I make something intelligent sounding out of "Red Dirt Alternative Anti-Nashville Anti Establishment No Depression God Only Knows Whatever We Like Leave Us Alone Sad Bastard Folk Americana Country Rock Music."
That, by the way, should probably go on the website. I will have Aaron talk to our people on that.
In that bloody description I mentioned that our band plays some stuff from the No Depression scene and that I was particulary fond of that movement in American music.
"Oh, so you probably know who Grant Aldean is then?" one of them asks.
"Uh, yeah. One of my heroes."
Amy says, "he lives here, let me call him to come down to dinner," and proceeds to pull out her cell phone to call Grant. She leaves and walks outside.
I have butterflies in my stomach as I think about what has just happened, and that I might be eating dinner with Grant in only a couple of minutes. Small town world.
Turns out that Grant is in this murder mystery book club with Amy and that everyone at the table knows him. Funny enough, nobody knows what he does for a living and only recently, after over two years in the book club, did Amy find out that he might be important.
She was watching CMT on Valentine’s Day and in one of the Best of…series, Grant was on TV commenting on music.
She called her husband, "honey come in here, Grant is on TV."
"Why would Grant be on TV?"
"I don’t know."
She calls him and finds out that he is sort of a big deal. Yeah.
Grant can’t be reached. Something about a bean dinner at the church that his wife was preparing. Probably baby-sitting.
I was that close to meeting this guy. That close. Like 500 yards or something. Damn. I must have looked like the kid at the candy store that didn’t have any money.
For me, I can’t think of anyone more important to American music for the past 15 years than Grant Aldean. He founded the No Depression movement for which his magazine is named and led a revolution against the establishment. He has interviewed everyone I consider important and is one helluva writer to boot. Do Grant a favor and subscribe to his magazine. You won’t be disappointed. Since I am on the topic, the CD everyone should own is No Depression: What it sounds like, Vol. 2. It has a fantastic collection of music ranging from a bluegrassy number by Paul Burch & the WPA Ballclub to the Drive by Truckers to Roseanne Cash and her Dad in one of the most haunting songs in recent memory.
Strung out like the cole slaw,
G
