Star Struck

Ever since moving to Nashville, I've heard stories. Stories about celebrities. More accurate than that- celebrity sightings. Apparently, Nashville is the kind of place where celebrities do surprisingly normal things like have breakfast, shop, and drive around. It seems like everyone has a story about a celebrity sighting. So, in my first few weeks, I had the impression that I'd find celebrities shopping in my local Kroger and hanging out at the Mellow Mushroom on campus....not a chance.

I have had a couple of run-ins...my experience with Michelle Branch. And just a couple of weeks ago, Bobby Bare Jr. was having breakfast/lunch at the same diner. But after hearing my neighbors stories about Robert Plant gardening three streets over from where I currently live while he was recording the album with Krauss- I keep waiting for the "big" sighting. I'm just sure that Jack White washes his clothes at the same laundromat.

And then it happened. Last week, I decided to catch a matinee of MILK. Waiting in line, I noticed about 4 people in front of me was none other than Tim McGraw. At first I thought- there is no way this is him- he looks too much like him. But after a few moments, a woman behind me spoke in my ear..."You know who that is, don't you?" I shake my head to affirm that I've got a hunch. She replies, "It is. Isn't it so great to see that he likes to see movies by himself on rainy days?" Awww, Tim McGraw is just like me.

For me, McGraw is one of the biggest Nashville celebrity sightings (excluding Plant "planting") that I could experience. See, I'm not a fan of country music, particularly contemporary pop country music. There was a time though, that I was secretly purchasing country tapes from mail-order music clubs. I say secretly because the whole reason I was even purchasing from the music club is out of pure shame. There was absolutely no way I was walking into the record store and asking the person working there for the latest Martina McBride album.

Why was I listening to country music? I went native. I was surrounded by folks where I worked and lived by people who listened to nothing but country music. At work, the television was constantly on CMT. And I'll be honest, after a while, it doesn't sound that bad. Hell, I've said the same about The Dead after forced repeat listenings.

My first (and I do believe last) country crush was on Tim McGraw.

After all those tapes have long been thrown out or donated to some unsuspecting Goodwill, there is one that I keep. I couldn't throw it out despite the 5 moves I've made since then. As I scale down for each move, it survives. It is the Tim McGraw tape that I bought all those years ago. And yes, I was more than excited to see him standing in line to see a movie (for those of you that are curious, it was The Reader).