SXSW Music News - The beard to end all beards….
This is the best thing that’s happened to me since I’ve been here (and very nearly the best thing that’s ever happened to me). I was having some Chinese food (when in Rome and all that) with a couple of friends, when one of them stops mid-wonton, and starts pointing, slack-jawed across the room.
“That,” he says, jabbing a chopstick towards the bar, “Is Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top....”
None of us believed him. Yes, the legendary rock band do hail from Texas. Yes, they’re rumoured to play at every SXSW festival. And yes, the gentleman in question did have a huge beard, just like ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gib….
“Bloody hell, that's Billy Gibbons.”
After ten minutes of us individually pretending to go to the toilet so we could walk past him and have a proper look, one member of our party summons up the courage to speak to the great man.
And lo and behold, he turns out to be utterly charming.
“I thought you were from England” he comments (What was it that gave us away? The weak bladders?) before chatting about his extensive collection of guitars and cars, and explaining that no, ZZ Top are not playing this year, but he’s around to “soak up the atmosphere and check out some bands”.
Then (and this is the best bit) he asks how many of us are in our group - we say five - as he reaches into his pocket and whips out five pictures of himself, signs all of them, and gives them to us.
What a dude (in a real Big Lebowski way).*
From now on I’m going to carry around pictures of myself, then sign and give them to everyone that speaks to me. Even if it’s just in the supermarket.
Just so you know.
Matt
*Sadly, I can’t confirm that he was driving the red 1933 Ford 3-window coupé ZZ Top Hot Rod car that featured in a the videos for Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin’ and Legs, cos we were to excited when we left to check the car park.
But I bet he was.
