Running into other BNL fans randomly

[kinch]

Anyone ever run into another BNL fan randomly? I just recently had an experience, and I thought I would share it.

I just started University, and was visiting the sociology department offices for a pizza lunch. I was wearing my "Ships and Dip III" shirt, and I ran into one of my TAs. He asked me, "Did you go on that cruise?" I was delighted that he recognized it, and I nodded my head. He went on to say that it was one of his favorite bands. I asked him what his favorite song was, to see if he could get past the If I had a Million Dollars/One Week test. He didn't give me a straight answer, instead he listed a bunch of songs all across their catalog.... "New Kid on the Block", "Fun and Games", "Box Set", "Wrong Man Was Convicted" I was so ecstatic! We also talked briefly about Brothers Creeggan and Vanity Project.

Anyways, after talking to him, I realized the other day in tutorial he used an example to help describe what it means "to operationalize" He said something along these lines: "To operationalize something is to take an abstract concept and measure it somehow. So for example, self-esteem could be measured in the amount of drinks you consume."

I can't help but be sure that was a BNL reference :P

I'm such a geek :D

[jadeybeans]

Well, living in Canada, I'm lucky enough not to have the band be lost in obscurity, I can think of one time I met an -actual- fan. I work at a CD store, and I was listening to Snacktime! when a woman came in and got really excited. She is a huge fan of the band, and even got Ed to record a message in her phone for her to use as a ringtone :) It was great.

[Melissa]

I have one friend in my town that also likes BNL. Other than that, the people that I run into vaguely know them as that "chickety China band", if they know them at all.

When I'm talking about Steve or Ed I have to describe them as the "Its been..." guy, and the "chickety China" guy.

[DaWezl]

I don't know if it's completely random to bump into someone in Denver when traveling to the Vail show. But it seemed out of the ordinary that they would be on the same exact flight as we were!

[MaybeKathi]

One of my sisters is a loan officer. She went to a banking seminar a couple of years ago. The woman speaking reminded my sister of me because she was really getting wound up taking about banking stuff -- the way I do about databases and programming. She kept giving examples using $1,000,000 as the theoretical amount.

Finally, at the end of the presentation she said "You probably wonder why I keep using $1,000,000 in the examples. That's because my favorite band, Barenaked Ladies, has a song about $1,000,000."

So, my sister couldn't wait to tell me about this banking geek who sounded just like me.

[Suebee42]

The closest I have come lately is having non-BNL friends on Facebook have status updates about listening to BNL. One college friend, and one rat friend (for those that don't know me, I keep rats as pets... it's my "other" thing besides BNL LOL).

[Liam]

The closest I have come lately is having non-BNL friends on Facebook have status updates about listening to BNL. One college friend, and one rat friend (for those that don't know me, I keep rats as pets... it's my "other" thing besides BNL LOL).
I know what you mean - I had some random guy from my school update his status with "chickity china the chinese chicken" the other day. I 'liked' it. :p

[kinch]

Oh, I forgot. My econ prof that brought up "If I had A Million Dollars" to explain inferior goods - Kraft Dinner! But I goggled it after, and it's a common example :P (In the song though it's a normal good, because as income rises they'd buy more. Fancy Ketchups would be a complimentary good :P)

-BNL helping me get through University.

[Marthie]

A thread came up on my off-roading/Jeeping board about our favorite holiday music albums, and one of them up with Barenaked for the Holidays :D Then surprisingly a couple of them agreed. :cool:

...but no, I haven't really run into any fans here in Vegas :(

[AnnaOnTheMoon]

One of my mom's coworkers is a few years younger than me, also named Rebecca, and also a big BNL fan.

I wound up giving her one of my posters I'm not mobving to the UK and she has it hanging in her office!

[IWakeUpStrange]

I often tend to find BNL fans at concerts I go to, even ones that don't necessarily seem like they fit the BNL crowd's usual taste (for example, a Matisyahu/Les Claypool show). But I'm usually wearing my ring with "BNL" on it, so I'm usually identifiable as a fan.

:rolleyes: elise

[AnotherHeartbreak]

I never have, however I have converted some of my friends from death metal to BNL.

[PilotMal]

My new massage therapist today?
Totally a BNL fan. :)

[Gib]

At my now girlfriends 21st birthday party (4 years ago) one of the friends of the family came round trying to get people to sing Kareoke, I said well if you said some BNL I'd sing something, turns out he was a fan aswell, spent about 2 hours talking all things BNL, and he came to Kev's gig in Sheffield with me, was a totally random moment.

They didn't have any BNL songs, so the audience was saved from my singing.

[Super Dave]

Since we never know where we are going to be, does seeing my wife count? :D

Dave

[Anaria]

I was in a class for my major (Sign Language Interpreting) years ago and we were talking about what we were doing for Spring Break. Mine was 'driving to LA to see my favorite band'. The teacher asked who and I, of course, say BNL. She gets all excited and says their her favorite band also and how great it is to see them live.

In that conversation (that we held up the class with), we also figured out that 3 years before that we had been at the same concert up in Phoenix where I was explaining to my best friend why I was picking ASL Interpreting as my major. The teacher was sitting in the row in front of us and after the concert was over she stopped me for a moment and chatted a bit about the programs available in Tucson. She gave me her number and I had written it down on a scrap of paper, which I promptly lost.

Turned out it was also the defining moment of when I decided on my life career because of her kindness and enthusiasm to talk to me like that. It was also my first BNL concert where I decided that I just had to go to see them live any chance I got. I wasn't a concert goer back then.

[PolyesterAngel]

I was at a party at my friend's house, putting my jacket in her room and admiring the hundreds of photos on her walls. Lo and behold, there was a concert ticket from the Feb/07 concert in Montreal. This took my completely by surprise (because up until now, she only talked about liking hardcore death metal), and I went to ask her about it. Almost everyone of her friends (that I didn't know) mentioned how much they like the band. It was a good party! One guy was trying to "impress me" with his BNL knowledge, though and he was getting a lot of his facts wrong. That was fun :)

[KingDaveRa]

Unfortunately I think most people I know fall into the 'that chickety china band' bracket. The rest are people who I introduced to the band.

I have occasionally encountered people who also knew about $1,000,000, but otherwise most folk stare blankly.

[purple_muffin]

I haven't met any my own age, unfortunately. Most barely remember "One Week". :rolleyes:

But once, when I was buying a Stunt piano book in a music store, the cashier said he once opened for BNL. Then, he proceeded to sing the verses to "One Week" (incorrectly :D) as he put the book in the bag. That was a fun day.

I loved meeting fans at the Summerfest concert too. Mostly because they doubted my fan-ness, I believe. They were wearing really old tour shirts (ones for Rock Spectacle, Maroon, Born on a Pirate Ship) while I was wearing my "Touch my Awesome Button" shirt. :rolleyes: I still wonder if they didn't get the reference...

[sandimas]

Sorry, around the teacher's lounge, it's usually all about American Idol, or whatever singing contest is on the tv. If I run randomly into a BNL fan here, its at the show itself.

[iambe]

I was in a class for my major (Sign Language Interpreting) years ago and we were talking about what we were doing for Spring Break. Mine was 'driving to LA to see my favorite band'. The teacher asked who and I, of course, say BNL. She gets all excited and says their her favorite band also and how great it is to see them live.

In that conversation (that we held up the class with), we also figured out that 3 years before that we had been at the same concert up in Phoenix where I was explaining to my best friend why I was picking ASL Interpreting as my major. The teacher was sitting in the row in front of us and after the concert was over she stopped me for a moment and chatted a bit about the programs available in Tucson. She gave me her number and I had written it down on a scrap of paper, which I promptly lost.

Turned out it was also the defining moment of when I decided on my life career because of her kindness and enthusiasm to talk to me like that. It was also my first BNL concert where I decided that I just had to go to see them live any chance I got. I wasn't a concert goer back then.

I love this story. How wonderful!

[DaWezl]

Yesterday a coworker from corporate was sitting in the cubicle across from mine, and we were just blabbing about life in general when I mentioned a BNL concert. He said "Oh, Barenaked Ladies? Pinch Me?" and told me that he had seen them once on the Maroon tour and enjoyed them. He then asked me what my favorite song was, and while I was turning the question over in my brain, he asked if it was "Tonight is the Night I Fell Asleep At the Wheel". Now, outside of the fact that that song happens to be one of my all-time favorites, I found it completely random that out of all of BNL's library, he'd pick that song to ask me about, rather than Brian Wilson, One Week, or even some of the more popular songs from Maroon, if that was the only album he knew.

Alas, I think on the Venn diagram of music, BNL is probably our only shared interest. I definitely am not into most of the other bands that he mentioned. But I promised to let him know when there's a show in the area, b/c he really wants to go see them again. :D

[garyrulez]

I went on a business trip with my boss one time, and when we were landing, he asked me what I did on my recent vacation (this was February of 07). I said I went on a cruise. Well, the more he asked, the more details I gave him, so finally, I told him about BNL and all the other bands. He didn't really react to that.

Before we got to baggage claim, we stopped in the head and he was standing in the urinal next to me. He looked at me and sang "It's been...one week since you..."

[jadeybeans]

I work at a CD Plus record store in New Brunswick, and the other day I put Barenaked For The Holidays on our speakers to get me in the holiday spirit. A customer comes in and looks up (at the music?) and asked me if this was the Barenaked Ladies. I tell him it is, and he picks up a copy of the album. I go on to tell him I saw them live over thee summer and got to meet them afterwards. He responds with a story of his own;

"Oh yeah? I only ever saw them once. Years ago, I was really hungover in downtown Fredericton. And it must have been only like, 8 in the morning, and it was a Sunday, so nobody was up. Anyway, I was up and hungove, and I see the Barenaked Ladies crossing the street! I mean, I didn't say anything to them, but it was one of the more surreal moments of my life".

Ha! I love that story, I would have freaked out it it were me.

[becky11]

I went on a business trip with my boss one time, and when we were landing, he asked me what I did on my recent vacation (this was February of 07). I said I went on a cruise. Well, the more he asked, the more details I gave him, so finally, I told him about BNL and all the other bands. He didn't really react to that.

Before we got to baggage claim, we stopped in the head and he was standing in the urinal next to me. He looked at me and sang "It's been...one week since you..."

Is this that same boss that you have told the stories about on the S&DA board? :)

[garyrulez]

Ha! No! Number 1, he's not my boss. 2, he would have no clue who BNL is. 3, I would never EVER urinate next to him!!!

[maia]

I have run into other fans a couple of times! And it always makes me day! Here are the ones I can think of offhand:

Six months ago I was hanging out at the bar my best friend and her husband own (they were bartending) and I put some songs on the jukebox. This girl had been there all day at the other end of the bar talking to my best friend in law. When bnl came on she turned to him and said "omg! I love this band!!!" He pointed at me and said "can you repeat what you said to the girl over there?" So she tapped me on the shoulder, showed me the picture of her and ed in her phone and we've been good friends ever since...

Shortly after the last cruise, I added my friend's sister on facebook. I had a profile picture with ed at the time. She took a look and said "weird. my neighbor has the same guy in HER profile picture!". So naturally I facebook friended her neighbor.

And yesterday - I walked into my local coffee shop wearing a bnl hat and the barista said "omg! I love barenaked ladies!" So we had a little chat about the new album and as I was leaving he went to change the cd they were playing :D

Man - you guys are EVERYWHERE!!!

[manzanitajane]

So in two of my theatre classes we started the semester by introducing ourselves with our names, where we were from and the line something interesting about ourselves. So I mentioned in both my classes that I was a huge Barenaked Ladies fan and had seen them nearly twenty times in concert. To my surprise, both professors then mentioned they were big fans as well.

My creative drama professor in particular would play Gordon during some of our group rehearsal time. As a final project for the class we had to come up with a visual representation of what we learned, so I used the Crazy ABC's page from the Snacktime book and changed the words to reflect the class - and firmly cemented myself on this professors good side. :D

[just blame craig]

My college roommate liked BNL long before I ever heard of them. I didn't find out until years later when I asked him "Why were you hiding this goodness from me?" His reply was something along the lines of us skipping even more classes to watch them on Much Music.

Ha! No! Number 1, he's not my boss. 2, he would have no clue who BNL is. 3, I would never EVER urinate next to him!!!

Good idea, he might tell everyone about that rash.
(kidding, I have no knowledge of Gary's rash, imagined or otherwise.)

[Philip]

Jason Priestley in 'The Day of The Triffids' on BBC 1.

[garyrulez]

My college roommate liked BNL long before I ever heard of them. I didn't find out until years later when I asked him "Why were you hiding this goodness from me?" His reply was something along the lines of us skipping even more classes to watch them on Much Music.



Good idea, he might tell everyone about that rash.
(kidding, I have no knowledge of Gary's rash, imagined or otherwise.)


YOU'RE my rash.