A
handsome young man came into the store today. Very quiet. Very
polite. It’s new book day here, our busiest day of the week, so he
kind of disappeared into the background noise. After browsing for
awhile he asked us where to find a comic he was looking for. Things
had calmed down a little so a conversation ensued.
He was
in town just for the day. He was traveling on a tour bus as the
opening act for another musician. The name didn’t register with me.
We’re a big enough city that many small name acts pass through here
playing clubs and bars and smaller venues. He didn’t say very much
about what he played, and seemed a little shy when we asked about the
tour, just telling us he had been in Toronto yesterday. He has his
bike on the bus with him, so he was tooling around Pittsburgh on a
cold rainy fall day, just checking out the sights while here. He said
he always tries to find local comic book stores when he’s in a new
city and the internet had pointed him to us. He was very
complimentary of the store (the ‟best one I’ve been to in my
travels”), and before he left he asked us where the closest movie
theater was. Thanked us, got on his bike and was on his way.
So of
course, after he left, we Googled his name to see what kind of music
he played. His name is Clark Beckham and he was the first runner up
on season fourteen of American Idol. We’re listening to one of his
albums in the store right now.
Artists
walk among us, unseen and unheard.
