You Can Get Anything You Want…

April 10th 2006 by E..

So, you know how every once in a while something will happen to you, or you go somewhere that’s so cool, you fear that writing about it won’t do it justice because it was so much fun that you just couldn’t put it into words?…This Saturday was one of those…

The story actually starts a few weeks ago, when Sra. Baskin asks me if I would be able to be an usher at an Arlo Guthrie concert at the Gershman Y downtown…I told her that, since it was on a Saturday, it might be tough because I would have to get out of work…I asked Mom about it, and she gave a resounding “Hell yeah!”, so I went back to tell Sra. Baskin that I had changed my mind…then, my grandmother had to go to the hospital, so we wouldn’t have her up at the store on Saturday…So I had to go back to Sra. Baskin and change my mind again…she gave me the number of the woman who is in charge of the event, and said to call her and let her know the final decision…After much deliberation, we decided that I would be going, which is what everybody really wanted in the first place…

So Saturday comes, and Zayde drives me down to the Y, where I meet up with Sra. Baskin and Mrs. McMichael (Akiba’s Latin teacher)…Sra. Baskin introduces me to Gene Shay, who is the host of the Folk Show on WXPN and emcee of the Folk Festival (oh, and by the way…the reason Sra. Baskin asked people is because her husband is high-positioned member of the Philadelphia Folksong Society)…I was also introduced to Arlo Guthrie’s son, Abe, who asked Hallie (the woman in charge, who I had to call) is there was a TV around that he could use for his XBox…she said that she would get him a TV if he could get me an autograph from his dad and a picture with him…he said no problem, so we went backstage to Arlo’s room…I told he that my mom is a big fan of Thanksgiving stuff, and that we look forward to hearing ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ every year…he laughed, and signed my 8×10 of him and posed for a picture with me (no, no Fez this time…I asked Sra. Baskin if I could bring it with, and she said no)…

By this point, several other Akiba people has shown up to be ushers, including Max Kaplan, Matt Klayman, Aaron Fraint (of the Paisley Haze Quintet), Sarah Eidelson, and Mr. Winter (the Chem teacher)…we were assigned to different locations of the theatre to help people find their seats…Kaplan, Matt, Mr. Winter and I were relegated to the balcony, which was pretty cool…people started arriving, and we showed them to their seats…not without having to field many complaints…

It was absolutely ridiculous how many people were complaining to us about various things: “I can’t see” “My kid can’t see” “These seats were too expensive” “Why is the only bathroom downstairs?” “This building is in need of repair” “I am never coming here again”…you know what?… we had two jobs: to show people to their seats, and to make sure no one tried to leave via the fire escape (I stopped two guys from doing that!)…so I pretty much ignored any complaints that were sent my way…

The show got underway, and he told some stories that sounded like he had told them so many times that they are no longer as impromptu as he would like for you to think they are…he did many songs and covers I knew, like ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, ‘St. James Infirmary’, ‘Mr. Customs Man’, ‘City Of New Orleans’, ‘This Land Is Your Land’, and, of course, ‘Alice’s Restaurant’…

During the intermission, I spot someone from across the balcony who looks really familiar…then it hit: it was Pierre Robert, from WMMR…Pierre used to be friends with my dad when my dad went to school around MMR’s building…So I go over to him and introduce myself as Neil Schuman’s son, and he says that of course he remembers my dad, even though he hasn’t talked to him in a while…As soon as he walked away, I remembered that I had my camera with me, so I hoped that he would be at the reception afterwards…

“Wait, you didn’t say anything about a reception!”…Oh, that’s right…after the show, there was a really swank reception with a very nice spread…since we (the ushers) got in for free, we had more than our fair share of food…and it was all really really good…Pierre was there, and so I got my picture taken with him…that night was so much fun, and best of all, when Gene Shay left, he said to me, “Alright, I’ll see you around the studio.” (I had told him that I am going to be working at XPN starting at the end of the month.)

For all of you who are still reading, here are the pictures from that night, located conspicuously behind an LJ-Cut…

Well, my hands are so tired, I’ll fill you in about Sunday some other time…
E.

Lyric of the Time:
Good morning America how are you?
Don’t you know me I’m your native son,
I’m the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I’ll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done

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