On spotting Thom Yorke and PJ Harvey buying smoothies
Yesterday, I went to Borough Market in London, and, feeling thirsty, casually ambled over to a smoothie stall. I was looking up at the menu trying to decide whether to shop here or at their rivals a few metres away when I thought that I vaguely recognised the face of the person in front of me. And their ponytail. Surely it couldn't be...
I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but no - THOM YORKE WAS LESS THAN A METRE AWAY FROM ME.
[SCREAMS INTERNALLY]
My mum asked me what I wanted to order, but I hadn't even seen the menu I was so starstruck. I looked to the vendor - did he not realize who he was serving? Or was he such a regular that he'd become indifferent?
I looked around me - nobody else seemed to notice that this legend of a man was right in front of me! I felt like screaming the lyrics of 'Black Swan' in his face (THIS IS FUCKED UP/FUUUUCKED UP) then I paused for a second.
Sure, I could have gone up to him, but, as anybody who knows me well will reinforce. I am really awkward. I could have interrupted the casual conversation he was having with the woman he was with (who I'm 99% sure was PJ Harvey), but it felt like an invasion of privacy - if I'd seen him when Radiohead was at the height of success or if I was a bit older, then I would have been fine with going up to him, but he's a forty year old man with kids that are closer to my age than he is, so with a tear in my eye, I decided to be content with the fact I'd seen him in the flesh, spared myself the inevitable embarrassment of trying to think of what to say, and let him go on with the normal life of an extremely talented man.
And it's still one hell of a tale to tell anyone who'll listen.
E x
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