Last night with Matthew Good

As of this post, it’s still what you would consider tonight. Past midnight, that makes our night of hanging out in, as of later today, the former home Matthew Good actually happening last night. It might just be his last night in Vancouver, ever.

I wanted to sit down and hammer out some thoughts about the whole experience before I head to bed for this night. When the sun rises in the morning, I have to come down off this high and try to focus on a discussion about web-blogging-podcasting-geeky stuff at BarCamp.

So much of that techie stuff has become apart of who I am in life, but music is that one thing I find myself constantly coming back to. It kinda meshed in that tiny, empty apartment in Coal Harbor. Rebecca had the honor, and duty, of live blogging the whole event, and I have to say that for her first time out at doing such a thing, it turned out pretty freaking stellar.

I know I said that I wanted to record things tonight for the podcast, and that did not happen. I’ll be completely honest. I’m not sorry or sad about that. In fact, I didn’t even ask. I had my minidisc and crappy Berhinger mic in my bag, all ready to go. When the dogs ran up to me as we entered the front door of the apartment, I was content with letting the night unfold with the plan that was already in store.

Audio would not have done this night justice. I know there was video taken a few times, but it won’t portray the signifigance of the night. Maybe this is just my gut reaction at being invited into Matt’s secluded world. He’s about to take a huge leap into another chapter, maybe even a whole new book, in his life. Somehow, I got to be there as he said so long to this one.

This was the second time that I’ve seen Matt perform. My first one was shortly after I arrived in Vancouver to start my new life here with Rebecca. It was even my first rock show that I ever saw here, and those are important events in my life. It’s just a simple reality that these things stick with you. I still remember the first, real rock show that I went to(Davenport, IA at the Col Ballroom – Starfish, The Reverend Horton Heat, The Toadies, and The Butthole Surfers) like it was yesterday. The various road trips for other shows and festivals. New York, Austin, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee. Those are some of the best memories.

This isn’t about a brush with a celebrity or bragging about hanging out with someone famous. I’ve had my run-ins with a fair share of rock stars in my life. Working in public radio, I shook the hands of a lot of people that are way more smarter and successful that I could possibly dream. It feels like more than that, but not so much that I’m better than you, if that makes any sense.

That’s how I felt leaving Matt’s tonight. It’s tough for me to not call him on a first name basis because he feels like more of a friend because of that. He’s just a good guy. Outspoken, a master of his craft, intelligent, and full of a lot of great stories. I’d like to hang out with him and a bottle of whiskey for a few hours. That would be a trip.

It’s tough to really convey this experience. I’m trying to let thoughts from the top of my head just flow out, but so many tangents are getting in the way.

I can’t forget to mention the people there, and this might be where the impact of this is hitting me a little more. One guy, originally from Newfoundland, flew in from Texas to be there. It gets better. Of course, there was one gal who came from Victoria, and a variety of other lower mainlanders got the invite as well.

Then there was the chick from Edmonton that flew over, and another girl coming all the way from Maryland. There was another dude there from the U.K., but he’s studying at a local university anyway so that doesn’t totally count. Matt’s looking to travel to his neck of the woods in the not too distant future, and they discussed plans for meeting up while he’s in the neighborhood.

Out of all of this, the only guy to bring beer with the dude from Texas. Low and behold, Stella isn’t that bad. I’ll still take a pale ale over it any day. Regardless, look at how far these people went to be here. We just took a bus to get our butts over there from BarCamp and felt bad for being a little late. And to top that, the chick from Maryland walked straight off the plane and out of YVR to get there as soon as she could; there stands a chance that her baggage might still be in the terminal by the time I publish this.

When we finally made our exit, we spoke to Matt one last time. And if you have been reading his blog, you know that he has been going through a rough spot in his life. Sadly enough, he just now discovered how close we lived to him and even mentioned how we could have hung out if he knew it sooner. He’s quite the Apple geek, much like myself. Somewhere within that, I’m sure we might have got along.

It will be very strange to know that he’s gone from this city, even if I haven’t been here that long. He’ll still be blogging, and I plan on keeping track of what he’s up to. He has a plan. As to when, where, and for how long, you’ll just have to wait and see.

Be sure to watch my Flickr for photos once I post them, and also be sure to check out Rebecca’s(Flickr). On top of that, keep an eye on the podcast. We’ll be sure to sit down and share some more thoughts about the whole thing.

Needless to say, thanks for inviting us, Matt. It was really great to finally meet you, play with the dogs, have Rod make us laugh, and hear you perform. Look us up if you’re ever back in town.