Music is something that we can all relate to. We hear it everywhere. It is on TV, the Internet, and even in our heads while we are driving, taking a shower, or making dinner. There are bands around every corner and in every city. Some are good, some are terrible, and most think they have what it takes. We are obsessed, as a country, with American Idol, and we pay insane amounts of money to see these bands play live.
We do the same thing for movies, though. We drop ten bucks a movie, or more if you pay for your date, to see the biggest names in Hollywood (and Bollywood for those people that actually liked Slumdog Millionaire) run across the screen, fight in the latest special effects film, and drive cars through the desert at high speeds. The list of famous actors is a lot shorter than the list of famous bands, but there are a lot of actors that we know all their movies and what their biggest hit was as soon as we hear his or her name. And onf of those is Billy Bob Thorton.
We all know Billy Bob as Santa. We know him as a terrible and rude gym teacher. We know him as a mentally challenged savant. We even know who he has been married to and that he is not keen on smiling. But did you know that he sings? Did you know that he sings well. Did you know he has numerous albums, eight to be exact, and is currently on tour with his band, the Boxmasters?
Me, being the music fanatic that I am, already knew this. I have been listening to him for years actually. His sound is what you would expect and I do not assume that most of you would either one, enjoy it, or two, want to buy a CD. But I do and I did. His voice is the same as it is when he talks, but he adds a touch of honesty and hurt behind those old alcoholic eyes. He sings of love and heartache and adds a touch of folk guitar with a sense of country in the rest of the band.
A co-worker of mine is a big fan of him as well. He actually asked me if I had a copy of any of his albums, since he knew that I was a huge collector of music, and was shocked when I told him I had it. I still have yet to let him hear it as I am a bad friend (not really) and keep forgetting to bring it in. Just don’t tell him I am talking about it because I will probably forget to take it to work tomorrow too.
The reason why I brought up old Billy Bob is because of his recent bout in Canada. He was in a venue talking about some hockey team. You all should know how big of fans these Canadians are of hockey, and if you disagree they might get a little upset. And he compared one of their beloved teams to a pile of mashed potatoes with no gravy. So you can imagine the reaction that he was given. He was booed off the stage and was forced to cancel the rest of his Canadian tour stops due to this issue.
This story did a couple of things for me. The first was get me excited for the thought of his band coming near Indianapolis. I would do anything to see them live. Not just because he is an incredible actor but because I am a huge fan of his music. I actually did not know, until today, that he had an entire band. But that just excited me a little bit more.
So can someone tell me how a hockey team can be compared to a pile of potatoes? I guess I just don’t get the reference.
