I went to see three local rock bands on Saturday night at a small venue, and talked to at least 20 strangers including most of the band members because I make the effort to approach people. Musicians love to hear how much you enjoyed their show. I don’t notice any difference in the level of friendliness in others from back in the day until now, with the caveat that now that I’m older much younger people may be a little more reticent to talk to me for that reason, and I don’t blame them. A few weeks ago I went to see the Japanese power pop group Shonen Knife at a basement club, and chatted with a wide variety of folks inside the club and out about the band and rock in general. If I had spent the five bucks on the cover for the Goth Night which was happening after the concert, I would have met even more because no one goes to an event like that unless they want to meet others that share their interests, but I forgot my eyeliner.
I don’t know about you, but I live in a city so I do in fact ignore most of the million or so other people that live in the metropolitan area. If I am approached by a stranger in a public place that isn’t some cultural event that we both paid money to attend, they generally want something from me in the form of cash, and that is when I get reticent.
