OK, confession time…
I used to be a HUGE John Mayer fan. And when I say huge, I mean super obsessed with every song, album, b-side, interview, photo, sound bite…you get the picture. I hate to sound like one of “those people,” but my love for JM started when he was very under-the-radar, way before he was a household name and way before he had Jessica Simpson or Jennifer Aniston on his arm.
You could imagine how much it pains me to hear all of these horrible stories about him today, especially because of the story I’m about to tell. I can confidently say that I used to think that John Mayer was a humble, sweet, down-to-earth dude who truly cared about his fans. Who knows, maybe he really is a good guy deep down who just got caught up in the limelight and became the one the media loves to hate. I will say that I still think he’s incredibly talented and his music will always hold a special place in my heart.
Rewind to 2002, I’m a Junior in High School smack in the middle of finals. I find out that John Mayer is playing an acoustic set at the Star Lounge (98.7) which was pretty much his first big radio appearance in LA as far as I can remember. OMG I HAVE TO BE THERE. Luckily, this is feasible because my mom knows someone at the station and can get me in to the performance. Tears ensue when I find out that I have a test scheduled for the exact time of John’s set. After days of frustration, I decide to finally drop the whole thing and realize that it just isn’t in the cards. The time for my final comes, I take it, and call my mom afterward to let her know that it went well. She acts a little strange on the phone and asks me if I’ve checked my messages at home (note: I thought I was was super cool at the time because I had my own answering machine). “Nope, not yet, why?” I ask. “Just do it and call me back,” she says.
I dial my number, input the code and hear this message on the other end. This was inevitably followed by screams, jumps up and down and endless phone calls to my friends. Eight years later, I remember this pretty vividly, and that’s why I want to share it with you all today. I don’t think John Mayer is a bad person today by any means, but maybe it’s time for him to zip it up (his mouth and his & pants), focus on his music and start acting a little more like that guy who left me a message in 2002.
Awwwww – Fantastic story, very lovely!!
So sad you missed out on the show though….
John Mayer is one of the most under rated blues guitarists out there today. I love his style, you can really see him in action in a video on youtube of him and Buddy Guy.