What Is Wrong with People?

Wednesday night, I was fortunate enough to be able to see Steve Earle perform at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, NC. That was perhaps the 12th time I've seen him over the last 20 years, and not only did he put on one of the best shows I've seen from him (and that is high praise, believe) but the crowd was also one of the best. They were respectful and quiet, which was essential as this was a solo acoustic show; in my not so humble opinion, that is the best way to see Steve, especially if you've never had the opportunity previously.

Sure, there were a handful of talkers, but even they were doing their best to whisper. The couple near me perhaps deserve a special mention for the hot & heavy action they were engaging in through much of the show: you want to kiss, that's fine, but don't make the sucking noises that can be heard for 25 feet in all directions. The guy in front of me looked bored from the moment he sat down and by all indications felt that the mere act of clapping after songs was spiritually draining, so I'm not certain why he was there. Still, a well-behaved audience, especially considering that it was a sell-out show of I'd say 400 people.

But there's always one in every crowd.

One thing to know about Steve -- by no means the most important thing, but relevant to this story -- is that he started using heroin as a teen, and that addiction eventually took everything from him. I saw him perform in the summer of 1993 and he was in such bad shape that I expected to read his obituary shortly thereafter. But by some grace, goodness, or just plain good luck, he was able to turn a short prison sentence into a a first step toward recovery, and he's been clean for about 15 years since.

One other thing to know is that Steve considered Townes Van Zandt a hero and mentor, and the two were good friends for 25 years or so. Townes suffered with his own demons, mostly alcohol addiction and mental problems. Townes never beat the addiction and died back in 1997. Steve's latest release is an album of Townes covers.

(A quick aside: It's interesting to note that while Townes and Steve are both considered two of the best songwriters around and both suffered addictions, Steve is quick to dismiss the whole tortured artist myth with its idea that the problems nurture the creative process. In fact, in a couple of interviews I've read where that idea has been raised, he seems offended by the idea or perhaps more by the romanticism behind it.)

Anyway, back to talking about Steve and the crowd... About halfway through the evening, Steve tells one of his old standby stories about that period when he is slipping deeper and deeper into the addiction. His "vacation in the ghetto," as he calls it. He begins by commenting that a person knew he was in a bad way when Townes of all people commented that their drug or alcohol habit had gotten out of control. As expected, this got some laughter from the crowd.

Steve starts to describe how he came home one day -- but he interrupts himself to explain that this happened just before he lost the home and ended up homeless for a period.

At which point a handful of people laughed.

He says that he got home to find Townes sitting in his living room. Again, he stops himself to explain that he never bothered locking his house during this period because he'd pawned almost everything of value, including all but one of his guitars.

Only one person is left to laugh now.

SE: "So I walk in and find Townes sitting on my couch playing my guitar."
Idiot: "Hahahahahahaha!"
SE: "He looks at me and says, 'You look like hell.'"
Idiot: "Hahahahahahaha!"
SE: "And I said, 'I know it.'"
Idiot: "Hahahahahahaha!"
SE: "He says, 'Your arms look like hell.'"
Idiot: "Hahahahahahaha!"
SE: "He asks, 'Do you have clean needles?'"
Idiot: "Hahahahahahaha!"
SE: "I told him that I did."
Idiot: "Hahahahahahaha!"
SE: "He asks, "Do you use a clean needle every... single... time??"
Idiot: "Hahahahahahaha!"
SE: "I told him that I did."
Idiot: "Hahahahahahaha!"
SE: "And he said, 'Good. Then I want to play a song for you that I just wrote."

It was at that point that Steve launched into his cover of Townes' "Marie." I would love to say that he first waded into the crown to give holy hell to the moronic woman who found that story so hilarious, but Steve has certainly mellowed over the last 10-15 years, which is a good thing.