Gheorgheness occurring is worth celebrating these days, what with some decidedly un-gheorghey people barking most loudly.
Dave Grohl did a cool thing, one which probably didn't require a large degree of skin off his back, but (a) plenty of folks in his position don't do that and (b) it was still very kind and very thoughtful.
Personal backstory: I don't boycott many things in my life, in part because I enjoy a lot of stuff and in part because I don't have the will power to see it through. But I boycotted Dave Grohl for a while.
I formally abstained from the Wendy's on Lee Highway in Arlington when I was living with Rob (when he boycotted Best Buy). They mangled every drive-thru order, just total and complete ineptitude. Never to my advantage. I let them off the hook in 1996, and on the very first run-through they forgot my order of chili. I don't eat much fast food these days, but since that night that particular Wendy's has had a lifetime ban.
I have consistently forbidden myself to frequent Paul's Deli in Williamsburg, Virginia since 1989. Our fraternity was banned from entering for a semester for throwing snowballs at the place during an inter-frat pelting one snowstorm in late '88, my freshman year. Banned in a really heavy-handed manner by the owner, George. Then he proclaimed in the spring that we were once again allowed to resume spending our limited funds at his establishment. Didn't go over well.
A huge group of our gang rolled into Paul's one afternoon. George was all smiles, very welcoming. Everyone lined up and ordered sandwiches one by one, and ordered some pitchers. The sandwiches were being made. The pitchers were all poured. And just as it was time to pay, one of our most smart-assed brethren said for all to hear, "Eh . . . let's go over to College [the adjacent, rival deli]." Mass exodus. Permanent ban of our fraternity!
The permanence of that ban was severely tested. George forgot about it after some years. Meanwhile, some of our less-imbued fratres caved very early. Others over time. I have never purchased food or drink there since, and although I don't really care at all, I'll go ahead and take advantage of the opportunity to mockingly question any of our vintage who do.
Worth noting that George bought the College Delly some years back. Point totally moot at this point. But still . . .
In 1997 or 1998, I was living in Arlington, fairly newly married. Sitting on the couch and watching Kilborn interview Dave Grohl on the "Daily Show" prequel. Kilborn asked Grohl what kind of music he listened to, other than that which he created.
Out of nowhere, utterly unprovoked, Dave Grohl responds:
"Why, what do you listen to, Craig? Bruce Springsteen? because if he's the Boss, then I quit!"
I remember shouting angrily and shaking my fist -- with no one around. Always a bad sign.
That was it. The boycott was on. I told Evan and he would have boycotted Grohl and the Foo Fighters as well, if he had been otherwise interested in that band at all.
That ban lasted for a few years. Signifying nothing, of course, but it was the principle. Those years were the apex of my chronic CD-buying time, and I steadfastly refused to buy their album.
Sometime after acknowledging that "My Hero" and "Everlong" were great tunes and I was only impacting myself with the ban, I later broke down and eventually bought
The Colour and the Shape.
Used. Ha ha!! Take that, Dave Grohl!
Over time, of course, Mr. Grohl cemented his reputation as a top-shelf music composer and performer, as well as an all-around great dude. No more boycotts.
Makes you think, though -- did my punishment help turn him into who he is today? One has to wonder.
Fast forward to now. Among a number of other cool things, Dave Grohl reached out to a mourning fan and did this:
Dave Grohl Sends Heartfelt Note to Husband of Fan who Died of Cancer
The band is expected to dedicate 'Everlong' to his late wife at Glastonbury.
Dave Grohl has a big heart, as he proved yet again by sending a touching note to the husband of UK Foo Fighters fan who recently died of cancer.
The woman, Laura Plane, suffered an eight-year battle with the disease before she died last year. She and her husband Jon were huge Foo fans. When they were married, they danced to the band’s song “Everlong” for their first dance and they had planned to attend a Foo Fighters gig to celebrate their 10th anniversary.
But Laura was too ill to make the show. So her husband posted a note to the band to ask them to play “Everlong” at Glastonbury festival in her honor.
After the post went viral Grohl wrote a response to Plane on a piece of scrap paper:
“Jon – Dave here,” he wrote. “Heard about Laura. Sending you much love and hope and light. Will be thinking of you at Glasto. Take care mate.”
Full article here.
Kudos to Dave Grohl and the gheorgheness he brings on a pretty routine basis.
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