Weezer
In the ladies’ lounge two girls about 16 years old breathlessly discussed their rock star crushes. “You know, we should go stand in that certain area right now,” said one, “so that we can see that one person.” Weezer’s set was still hours away.
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Claiming floor space is important to a girl like her. The closer she is to the front, the greater her chances of enticing her love object. This is what turns a fan into a groupie–abandoning reason, diving headfirst into rapture, making oneself vulnerable. Perhaps her hero will notice the twinkle in her eye or the way she shakes her hips and pull her onstage for a kiss. Perhaps he’ll invite her backstage to enjoy the band’s catered food and fine wine. Perhaps after the set he’ll retrieve her with a bouquet of flowers and an aching hard-on, handling her body the way he handles his guitar.
One morning a DJ on Q101 announced that the 50th caller would win a pair of tickets and VIP passes to an upcoming Weezer show at Metro. She dialed the station again and again. First she was caller number 15, then caller number 32, and then, after the line rang for what seemed like an hour, caller number 50.
She hadn’t prepared any questions. In her high school journalism class she’d learned to ask the basics–name, age, occupation, current city of residence–but Brian quickly answered those and waited for more. What kind of grades did he get in high school? Did he bite his nails? Did he ever have to mow his parents’ lawn? What was his favorite name for a girl? How did he hide a burp?
A few months later, when Weezer came through town again, she shoved her way to the front, her rib cage crushed against the metal barricade by the throng behind her. She crawled up over the crowd, surfing on their outstretched hands in order to get Brian’s attention. She caught his eye and waved. He gave a slight nod of recognition. Then she was passed to the edge of the crowd, and the same hands that had lifted her and carried her away, so that she seemed to be floating on air, dropped her flat on her ass.
