“You guys were really entertaining,” says fan.
“Thank you very much – glad you enjoyed the show,” says me.
“....”
“....”
“....”
Fan shuffles off to the side.

The above is an example of common conversation that happens after a gig.  I’m not entirely too sure if the other band members have this problem, but I keep on having rather awkward encounters with fans after shows.

I think the problem has to do with shyness.

You’d be excused for thinking that someone who regularly pretends to be an evil pirate captain is actually quite introvert.  I might have jumped off the stage at our last full band gig and ran into the audience, but in reality, I’m far more at home drinking tea on my couch.  Which I guess makes sense, because my couch is at my home.  (I think I’ve picked a confusing metaphor.)

Anyways, I’m not very extrovert when I’m around people I don’t know – and  so when people come up to me after a show, I try be as friendly as I possibly can, but I never quite know what to say.

I think the people at the other end of these conversations are in a similar boat.  They’ve acted on impulse – they’ve felt like they should say something, but they haven’t quite thought past their opening move.  So they launch into conversation, but once they’ve said what they want to say, they’re not completely too sure what to do next.  It’s a bit like knowing you want to buy Mc Donalds, but without thinking, you pitch up at a KFC, greet the cashier, realise your mistake, then retreat.  (Is it really like that?  On second thought, I think I’ve picked the wrong metaphor again.)

Maybe it’s a bit like knowing you want to buy a Mc Donalds ice-cream, and you only have enough money for a Mc Donalds ice-cream, so you pitch up at Mc Donalds, ask for ice-cream, but they’re all out of ice-cream.  (Maybe it’s like that.  It could be.  I’ve actually forgotten the point I was trying to make.)

The combination of two people not entirely too sure what to say to each other, creates an awkward situation where a conversation is incredibly short, but because you feel it needs to be longer to warrant the existence of the initiation of the conversation, those two people just stand in silence before the one who initiated it essentially just gives up.  Sometimes they’ll give some form of excuse for their sudden departure and say, “Sorry, got to go quickly try pull out a turnip now”, or they’ll simply shuffle off to the side, as if they landed on your property in Monopoly but you haven’t seen.

Despite my social inadequacies, I really do love getting feedback from fans, so I will try getting better at it.  After I’ve said “Thank you very much – glad you enjoyed the show”, I won’t wait for the other person to make the next move.  I will step up to the plate and say something like “Hey, have you seen Gremlins 2?” or “Don’t you think Dr Quinn: The Medicine Musical would be a great theatrical experience?”  I’m sure that would open up some great conversation.  And if not, then I will make sure I’m the first to shuffle off to the side and leave them hanging around awkwardly by themselves for a change.