"Oh, every serious music fan has a favourite band whose obscurity seems to cause him - or, less frequently, her - actual physical pain. The fan will force CD's on you that you maybe don't want, and will drag you along to see the band play live, and if you don't like them, then you're an idiot, and if you do like them, then you don't like them enough, or in the wrong way. And if you do like them enough, in the right way, then the fan will become nervous, and maybe a little possessive. Because even though he will frequently say that he cannot understand why this band isn't playing in football stadiums, it's actually the last thing he wants. It fits better with the worldview and personality of the serious music fan if the band stays small. It will confirm his theory that everyone is stupid except him; and anyway, who wants to stand at the back of a football stadium trying to catch a glimpse of a band who used to play in your local pub, back in the days when they were still good, hungry and young. Last week, I saw Marah play in a London club, and the place was packed, sold out; I was pleased for them, because they've worked hard, and they're friends of mine, but, you know... at the same time, I was a little pissed off. I had this tall guy right in front of me, and I'd never seen him at Marah shows before, and I had to kind of bend my whole body just to get a glimpse of the stage, and even then I could only see the drummer. And this tall guy had a girlfriend who was jumping around, so you had to be careful how you held your beer... Who were these people? This used to be my band." - Nick HornbyCounting Crows Launches Greybird Foundation
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