DIARY: Backstage at a MATTHEW SWEET show with Kids in the Hall, 1993

Matthew Sweet’s 1991 album Girlfriend is a classic. This is an unarguable, capital-F FACT.

And in the early ’90s when I was still preoccupied with goth, industrial, rock and synthpop, I fell in love with this lumpy Lincoln, Nebraskan who made beautiful guitar pop songs.

I was lucky. I had already seen and met Sweet before. I managed to get my way backstage in ‘92 and was giddy to talk to the, floppy-fringed troubadour.

We ended up chatting about our mutual love of Ren & Stimpy. Turns out Matthew Sweet had asked John Kricfalusi, the creator of R&S and the voice of Ren, to record his voicemail once. I still love this fact.

Sweet was  a big ol’ man-child, he giggled a lot…as he did the following year, when most of the cast of Kids in the Hall showed up at his gig supporting the rockier Altered Beast album.

Yeah, I was there too.

I still regret not going back to the hotel with them all – but would have been swatting away the advances of his bassist all night. Gah. Anyway, here’s the story of my night backstage with Matthew Sweet and Kids in the Hall, with pictures.

And what’s Sweet doing now? Oh you know, he records with Susannah Hoffs from the Bangles, and makes pottery. With cats on it. Yeah, pottery. With cats on it.

Anyway. Here:

The Diary of the BackstageRider, aged “considerably younger”, November, 21, 1993 at Toronto’s Opera House

At Matthew Sweet, I was at the front the whole time, shooting pics and smiling at the bass player (for some reason) and singing along to all the words. Afterwards I went to look for friends, found Vince (from Grapes of Wrath/Ginger) and asked where Chris (Grapes of Wrath) was, who told me that they’d all headed off to the Bovine Sex Club. So I stayed. Good.

After the show, I saw Matthew’s bassist come out, and he started walking right towards me. His name is Tony Marsico and he was pretty short but nice when he smiled. We talked a lot; I switched into SuperMe mode – a bit too flirty? I can’t tell – like a groupie who never actually says “yes” to bands.

Anyway, Tony complimented me on my hair and Toronto on its “beautiful girls” (groan). I told him I wanted to speak to Matthew, reintroduce myself and show him the article I did on him. At that point, Matthew came out and schmoozed on the floor. After a bit Tony asked me if I wanted to come upstairs and say hi to Matthew so of course I said yes.

Upstairs was a haze of bodies – and famous ones too. Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies with Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy (of Lilac Time and Duran Duran’s first-ever singer!). Johnny from The Pursuit of Happiness/Universal Honey was there, as was CFNY’s DJ Martin Streek. Downstairs was Michelle and Colin from Crash Vegas and the guys in Ginger. But upstairs was most of BMG’s office and – eeek! – 4/5ths of Kids in the Hall (I guess ‘cos they know how much Matthew loves them), just minus Scott Thompson.

In a tiny room upstairs (there were two, everyone else was in the bigger one) Tony and I were chatting and he kept on me. In walked Bruce McCulloch. He began to STARE at me. Which was weird and lasted all night – like reeeeeeally gawking. He asked Tony “Is this your girl?” pointing to me, and we kidded around. I said no, obviously.

A Kids in the Hall writer offered to take a photo of me and Tony but then couldn’t figure out the camera, so the girl Bruce was with took it. Tony went in and hugged me, surprising me. He put his arms around my waist, and I laughed – the photo’s actually quite cute. But looks a bit errr, closer than it was meant to be.

I took one of Bruce and Tony talking…Bruce was pawing at Tony. Later on, I asked Bruce if he was cold because he was wearing a scarf and this made him laugh. We ended up killing ourselves talking about failed fashion statements. He’s so short! But he kept staring at me, as did Tony. Okay!

At one point in the “big” room, someone leaned against the light switch, turning all the lights off. “HEH! OH!” someone yelled.

Adorable KITH Mark McKinney put his hands in the air and waved them back and forth, shouting “Hey! Ho! Hey! Ho!” Heh.

I wandered (or rather, pushed) my way through all the record reps to Matthew who had a joint in his hand. I waited for a pause in the conversation and showed him my article. He’s such a lovely soul – he was looking right at me the whole time, drawling and giggling like a five-year-old, trying to explain that he didn’t “blow off” the Vancouver show, but it was because he was having a nervous breakdown. “I, like seriously, thought I was gonna have to retire and go live on a farm or something.”

Someone passed me the joint.

Anyway, I found Tony and tried to fend off advances by ignoring them. Bugs me sometimes. I like to flirt so I guess it’s my fault, but I really just wanted to talk to the guy. He was cool.

When we all got ready to leave, some guy leans over to Martin Streek the DJ and says “I guess she’s the bass player’s girlfriend.” No, he said, really snobbily within earshot of me. “Look at what she’s wearing, a photo pass. That’s from here.” Then he kinda sneered at me.

Yes, I know I flirt. But why does everyone assume I’m trying to sleep with them? [Editor's' note: Uhhh, direct correlation?] Anyway, turns out I run into Martin Streek a few days later and he totally didn’t remember me, and I said “I’m the one you thought was Matthew Sweet bass player’s girlfriend but wasn’t.” Great, M. Really classy. Fucking idiot.

Anyway, waiting for everyone to get their shit together I hung out with Bruce and tony. He asked me where I was from and I told him I used to see him at the YMCA all the time. He then looks over at me, and in a fucked-up cross between a Twilight Zone/Kids in the Hall episode, he issues a small, hesitant wave, still staring at me. But he was, like, right across from me. So I waved back, stoned, smiling.

He then walks away backwards, and in a weird nanosecond of history, puckered up and mouthed a kiss at me.

I was floored. This was, perhaps, one of the most hilarious things that has ever happened to me.

Anyway, Tony tried to kiss me but I made hasty excuses of why I wasn’t going to go back to the hotel with him. I was waiting around when Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley mentioned they were gonna go back to the hotel with Matthew. One asked me “where’s Bruce?” so I said, “Uh, I think he left”. Mark McKinney (perpetually in character), goes “N’uh-uh!”. Hee. Always the Kid. The girl with braces.

Tony still tries to get me to back to the hotel but it’s at this point that I only wanted to hang with Matthew and the Kids in the Hall! Matthew comes bounding up to me and goes “Come back to the hotel! It’s the Kids in the Hall!!!!! I’m a really big fan!” he whines…

Argh. Anyway, I had to say goodbye. I HAD to. I’m still embarrassed that all the BMG reps saw me with Tony, thinking the worst of me. Mind you, I have to keep reminding myself that I’m gonna make it professionally. Then, none of the sneers will matter. \m/

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