Sans Couture

Here's a little story to demonstrate how uncultured I am. This is a conversation between me and the guy next to me on the flight home from Lexington KY... Actually I guess Lexington will be home soon, but anyway. Actually it's probably important to note that the conversation started when he noticed I was reading a Kentucky real estate guide.

Him: You lookin' to move out this way?

Me: It looks like it.

Him: This is a great place to live.

Me: I'm excited about it, but really it's all new to me.

Him: What's your name? What business are you in?

Me: They call me Sans, of the infamous blog, Sansauto (I didn't really say that, I just told him my name). I'd be working with the YMCA helping get people going with exercise programs. What was your name, and what do you do?

Him: I'm Eddie and I'm in the entertainment industry

[At this point I was uncertain about 'the entertainment industry' I could be sitting next to a rock star or a male stripper, why was he being so vague?]

Me: Nice. (I think I say that too often)

[Long moment of silence when we didn't know what to say. He listened to his iphone]

Me (as I was looking through my real estate guide): Do you know anything about Versailles?

Him: Brother, I used to play in every Honky-Tonk in Lexington, but I just don't know the area anymore.

Me: That's fine, so you're in the music industry (he wasn't a male stripper, so I dug a little deeper)?

Him: Ya

Me: So what band are you with? Is it someone I would have heard of?

Him: Are you into country music?

Me: Uhhh. Sort of. I listen to it on occasion, but mostly I listen to NPR and they don't play music. WHo are you with?

Him: Montgomery Gentry

Me: I think I've heard of him, but I couldn't name a song he plays. Do you play guitar for them or something?

Him: It's a Duo

Me: Right, so do you play the guitar with them or something?

Him: No, I'm a lead singer.

Me: So that would make you either Montgomery or Gentry?

Him: Something like that.

I proceeded to have a very nice conversation with Eddie Montgomery. On my trip out to Kentucky I was on four flights and this guy was probably the easiest to talk to. He wasn't into himself and was far from what I expected from a Music star. We didn't talk the whole flight, but he was really a good conversationalist. (Just in case you were wondering, he was listening to Boston on his iphone). He really seemed interested in why I was there. He seemed sincerely excited about me getting a new job and bringing my family out to Kentucky.

The flight ended and as he got up, he turned and said, "Congratulations on the new job, I think your family will really like it here. It sounds like you're really doing what you love; that's important."

Since he was officially standing, the others on the flight who had been eavesdropping took their opportunity to ask questions like, "When are you going to play in Lexington again?" (Maybe next new year, if not before) and "Did your song reach number one this week?" (yes).

So I yelled up to him, "-and congratulations to you on having the number one country music song in the nation this week". OK, I didn't say that. Should I have?

Anyway, I don't get starstruck. Music stars do nothing for me. They're just normal people, except I perceive them as being more arrogant than the average person. This guy surprised me. He made me feel like a million bucks and congratulated me on my career as he flew off to New York to play on the CBS Morning Show. He was far from arrogant. He taught me a thing or two about humility.

The last I saw of him was entering the Cincinnati airport where he held the door for a line of people who were on the plane with us. Now we're preparing to move to his town.