Star Sighting: The Godfather of Grunge

So as I waited at the bus stop on the corner of Westwood and Weyburn I was looking through the Onion, which for a parody newspaper has an outstanding A&E section called the "A.V. Club," and it mandated that people go to the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood to attend the west coast premiere of "THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR: BOB DYLAN LIVE AT NEWPORT." Supposedly the director was going to be there, and I love when directors are present at screenings of their films, I think it shows a true appreciation for their work and for the people who love film. And apparently this film showcases Bob Dylan's complete set at the 1965 Newport folk festival where he unveiled his new found affinity for the electric guitar. I am now looking over the master calendar of the Egyptian Theater, and I apparently missed out on some incredible rockdocs!! Ughh, nothing is more frustrating! Anyways, back to the point of this particular post. I arrived at the Westside Pavillion via the # 8 bus around 7:32 the bus was running late. I later ascertained that fate intervened and made this particular bus late so I would be at the right place, at the right time! As I make my way through Barnes and Noble I am thinking about where I am going to sit because at the Landmark Theater at the Westside Pavillion the guest can choose his or her particular seat, so I was thinking about that all the way up until it became my turn to purchase the ticket. There were some good seats available, fortunately. I chose H4. Now that I had done that I needed to go to the bathroom because the coke I ordered at Taco Bell 30 minutes earlier was much too big, so out of necessity I ran down the stairs and literally ran into none other than NEIL YOUNG!!!!!! Yes, the Godfather of Grunge, the Heart of Gold himself; the Harvest Moon! And I had NO idea what to do, it was the exact same feeling I had when I took my AP Calculus test. I was shellshocked, starstruck. Remember that scene in "Saving Private Ryan" where Tom Hanks enters that surrealistic silent zone on the beach in Normandy on D-Day? That is how I felt, I think my jaw literally dropped. And he just laughed, not a condescending laugh, but an almost appreciative laugh. And he and his wife Pegi continued up the escalator. And I stood in the lobby for several minutes trying to figure out my plan of action. I didn't know if i should ask for a picture, or an autograph, or a handshake. It was a very serious situation. Obviously I didn't plan things too well, because I was just so nervous and jittery, I mean Neil Young is HUGE for those of you that don't understand, I mean he is the real deal! For some reason I thought it would look very nonchalant for me to just wait in the hallway by the concession stand while he got his popcorn. So I pretened to look at the DVDs and books on display and waited for him to come by, and it probably looked terrifying from his point of view. Even as I walked up to him I thought to myself, 'This is how people get assassinated.' It was just an awkward angle, it looked as if I was trying to cut him off, but I wasn't. And I said, "Mr. Young I am a huge fan, and you are brilliant." And he just kinda laughed kind of appreciativly and kind of nervously. And I already felt terrible about bothering him, but I couldn't see someone like Neil Young and not tell him how amazing he is. And I definitely got the impression his wife was annoyed, so naturally I felt terrible. But he was nice and I patted him on the back, I think, maybe I almost did, but thought better of it. I don't quite remember everything, it is kind of a blur. And then he strolled out of my life as he headed towards his theater. It was very sad for some reason. As I sat through my movie I couldn't focus, I felt bad for bothering him. I didn't see anyone else go up to him. Maybe I was the only inconsiderate person in the whole theater, or the only one that recognized him. He seemed so incredibly down to earth, judging by how he dressed and the way he carried himself. I was very impressed. And if I hadn't seen Heart of Gold about a million and a half times I might not have recognized him either. But I did, and I'm glad.

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Now playing: The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Open Heart Surgery