This doesn't quite fit in the "Hey, Douchebag" category, but I think the people of the world need to be made aware that the phrase "I came all the way from..." shouldn't come out of a person's mouth unless it's taken you more than three hours to get to the show.
I bring this up because I saw Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith in New Brunswick tonight and as I was leaving I was surprised to see the 95-year-old Perkins outside signing autographs for people. I dashed back inside to buy a CD and came back to find the same guy still talking to Mr. Perkins and finishing off his moment by saying that he "came all the way from Philadelphia" for the show.
First of all, that's about a 90-minute drive, almost all of which is highway. That's not that big of a feat. Unless, of course, you travel exclusively on horseback. I did not see any hay or salt licks outside the State Theatre, though, so I'm assuming a car was involved. Theoretically, I assume the gentleman could've arrived by train, but I tend to think I'm the only person in America who crosses state lines on rails to go to shows. Even if he came by train, it's still not much more than 90 minutes. And if we're using 90 minutes as the basis for using the phrase "I came all the way from..." then I could've used that every time I went to a show in Manhattan when I lived in Staten Island.
Second, I can almost guarantee Pinetop Perkins doesn't care where you came from. Don't get me wrong--he seemed like a real nice guy and I'm sure is appreciative of the fact that people come out to see him. But he's 95. He came from Austin, Texas, to play the show. Aint that a man? So, just say, "Thank you, sir. It was an honor to see you play" and get back in the car.
I'm just saying.
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