As far as my memory goes, this is how I met Gail O’Hara. I first met her at Under Acme NYC in 1995. We were warming up for label mates Papas Fritas and then traveling to Boston with them that night. The show was very poorly attended, maybe a dozen people were there. For some reason, I knew that she might be at the show. Possibly our drummer had told me. He had his own fanzine.
After our set ended, I spotted someone in glasses heading for the door. Facing a long night at a dreary club (sorry UA!) I decided that this might be the Gail I had heard about. Seizing the moment, I intercepted her on the way to the door. “Are you Gail?” a reasonable enough question. Yes, it was. She said she enjoyed the set, or at least I like to remember that’s what she said. She asked me where we were staying, I told her we were leaving for Boston as soon as Papas Fritas ended their set. She said we could stay with her if we liked! I declined, not trusting myself to find my way to Boston the next day.
That turned out to be a fateful meeting for me. After finding myself inadvertently in the business of music, I naturally bought Donald Passman’s book, All You Need to Know About the Music Business. It turned out to be nothing I needed to be concerned with about the music business! Gail was the first person I trusted to clue me in on our place in the grand scheme of things, and what reasonable expectations I might have.
I trusted her because I could tell she was a person that just loved music, and she was honest. I think of all her qualities those are the ones that strike you first. A catalyst, a John Hammond type of person, that could spot good music if it came from Olympia or from Scotland or even from Minneapolis and she had the idealism of a young Paul Weller, and I dug that!
Rheezy – How many songs have been written about you?
Gail – I’ll never tell. I mean, there are a few that I know were and a few I suspect were. I’m not always portrayed as a hero.
Rheezy – Is there some quality that all the bands you invited to play CF12 share? What makes a CF band?
Gail – Style, foxiness, huge melodies. I’d be lying if I said I was setting up these chickfactor parties for any reason other than to fill up a room with all my favorite people in the world. And music that’s the tops, natch.
xg
