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No one knows the truth about something unless they’re the one living it. I see the way you talk about him, and I saw the change in you. Just because it was two months doesn’t make it any less real or amazing than a 50 year marriage. No one has the right to judge or make those assumptions on your behalf.
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I bet ya'll her phone call was better'n this one.*
So this is about that one time Adriana got a surprise phone call from our dear Mr. Nichols….
Shortly after discovering Lucero, through means we either don’t remember or don’t want to disclose, I “met” Andy. We bonded instantly over your music and he introduced me to so much more. I’d have to say he is responsible for molding my current tastes and exposing me to one of the other loves of my life, Jon Snodgrass. We talked for months and bonded over music and life and he became a fast friend. The kind of friend you keep for life. And then he cemented his status as my favorite person of all time.
He had Ben Nichols call me.
I believe it was a September evening, still warm enough to have the patio door open. I was laying on the couch watching TV and my phone rang. I saw his name pop up, so I absentmindedly answered it. “Hello?” “Uh, hi. This is Ben. Ben Nichols.”
The introduction was unnecessary. I’d recognize that voice anywhere. My first thought was, “HOLD YOUR SHIT TOGETHER, ADRIANA” followed by “OMG OMG OMG OMG”. Ben joked about how Andy told him to call me and leave a voicemail because I was notorious for not answering my phone. This is true, and part of me kicks myself in the ass for not having a permanent message from him on my voicemail, but I digress. We chit chatted for a few minutes and I was so proud of myself for being “cool”. Inside I was about to explode. I hung up and jumped up and down screaming in the middle of my kitchen like a 14 year old girl. Andy texted me and I gushed incoherent thanks and declarations of undying love and gratitude. It remains one of the best phone calls I have ever received in my life.*Recording not available but I’m workin’ on it.
BE JEALS.
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I’m calling this week’s post from Adriana Adriana’s First Time, because I would equate the epicness of the first time one has sex to the epicness of meeting Ben Nichols for the first time, but maybe that’s just me….
Well this is probably the story I should have started with. The one y’all are dying to hear, right? Here it is. The story of my first time talking to Ben Nichols. See that pretty girl up there on Ben’s left? (Your right) That’s my baby sister. She is taller than me, but I’m still meaner. But I owe her one. Without her, I never would have talked to Ben.
Katy lives in Detroit. She and I were both dealing with our shitty break ups and I was driving up to see her just about every weekend. This particular weekend, the Revival Tour, before it was the Revival Tour, rolled into town. Chuck Ragan, Ben Nichols, Joshua English. Yes, please! It was at this amazing place called The Magic Stick. It’s a bowling alley downstairs, and upstairs it’s a pool hall/venue. Awesome, right? Anyway, at this point I was full on head over heels for Ben and just thinking about speaking to him broke me out in a cold sweat. Katy kept pushing me to “just go say hi, you asshole”, but I was petrified. Who the fuck was I? What the hell could I possibly have to say to Ben Nichols? I AM SO LAME AND AWKWARD. Sister to the rescue. That bitch. She walks up to him, sitting at the bar, and tells him that she knows Brad from Cincinnati (of my tattoo artist fame), and he did a pretty sweet tattoo on her sister and he should go say hey. She walks back to me with the smuggest look I have ever seen on another human being’s face. I hated her. But I knew what I had to do.
I walked up to the bar, and ordered a beer. I took a deep breath, and a deeper swig. I turned to Ben and said, “So…I heard you met my sister…” He breaks out in that big grin and says he did, and introduces himself to me. LIKE I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, BENJAMIN NICHOLS. He asks about Brad and what he tattooed on me. Umm, well…I lift up my shirt (on the side, you pervs) and show him my ribs. There, in all it’s 3.5 hours of excruciating painful glory, is my Nobody’s Darling tattoo. He starts nodding his head and says, “That deserves a high five.”
I melt.
We chat for a few and I tell him to have a good show. And he did. And for the record, Chuck Ragan was pretty damn amazing as well. Being there with my sister was just the fucking cherry on top, you know?
So there you have it. It was definitely not the last time Ben and I spoke, or even the funniest. But it was such a sweet, little thing. -
This week from Adriana for dearbennichols:
A few weeks ago, Patrick came home to find me laying in bed, cocooned in the down comforter, eyes closed, music blaring. I was greeted with an eye roll. You see, I had just downloaded “Shelter.” And I was taking it all in. On repeat. I made him lay down next to me and started it from the beginning, shushing him when he tried to ask a question. You see, I live with a man who loves me very much, but isn’t exactly riding the Lucero train. He is literally the only person I’ve ever met who thinks they’re just… okay. JUST OKAY?! I recite lyrics, I make him listen to the bridge on “Noon As Dark as Midnight,” I force him into watching bootleg videos. Still. Okay. But, it’s not his fault. He looooves Glossary, so the man has taste. I think he just associates Lucero with a time in my life that he wasn’t a part of, and a time in my life where I was a mess. Maybe he’s right, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop belting out “Hold Me Close” in the shower anytime soon.
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For those who might have missed last week’s announcement/piece, the lovely Ms. Adriana Sandberg (of fuckyeahaltcountryboys) is now writing a weekly post for this here li’l fan site, Dear Ben Nichols. You’ll love her, trust me. And if ya don’t… Well… I am sad for you, because she is great.
So this is Dear Ben Nichols, right? That means I’m going to talk about Ben Nichols. A lot. I doubt I’m going to get any complaint letters. This week’s topic? How Ben Nichols saved my love life.
When we left off, I was spinning my sad tale of heartbreak. And I mentioned how Lucero made me realize I wasn’t a special little snowflake and we all get our hearts stomped on from time to time. Of course, as I was putting the pieces back together I fell for Ben. That whiskey soaked growl sang me to sleep every night, and in my dreams he was the perfect boyfriend. During the waking hours, he was an even better boyfriend. For the next two years, I dated Ben Nichols, pretty exclusively…in my head. Sure I wandered from time to time, but I held those boys up to the Nichols’ standard, and when I realized none of them could live up to my imaginary boyfriend, I moved on. But then one day, there was this new boy. And while he had been in my life for a long time, I never really thought of him as much more than a really good friend. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years, but we started casually hanging out. Nights turned into mornings. We would talk and listen to music until the sun came up. Just one more song. Many of them were Lucero songs. He had never heard them. And more importantly, never seen them live. And wouldn’t you know, they came to town.
I broke up with Ben that night. It was time. He had helped me grow into a better person and made me realize that it was worth waiting for the right boy. A patient, stubborn boy who understood that I would always love Ben and he would always be an important part of my life. Now, can I make him a superfan? Come back next week to find out…Great Adriana is great.
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Adriana Sandberg runs fuckyeahaltcountryboys and is… Well, AWESOME. Not only has she seen me through some tough times recently with her stabby wit (yes, “stabby” - you’ll see) and tough-love advice, but she’s also a Lucero fan. And not just a casual fan either, but a super-fan, like me or you, which is why I asked her to start writing for DBN. Which she agreed to do. Every Tuesday. Naturally, I squeed, and I think y’all will too, once you get to know her.
Also, look how pretty she is.
Without further adieu, I give you the lovely Ms. Adriana:
Hi.
My name is Adriana and I have a Lucero addiction.
(Hello, Adriana)
In all seriousness, if you’re here, reading this…you probably have one too. So how did it start?
Well, waaaay back in 2007 when I was a wee lass of 25, I got my heart stomped on a bit. Ok, A LOT. I did the normal things you do in these situtations; I stopped eating, sleeping, and I cried. A lot. I got a tattoo, as you do, and it was that sitting that lead to my discovery of Lucero. You see, I have the best tattoo artist in the world. Yours is probably great, too…but Brad is my therapist. And he knew that in my state of misery and wallowing in self pity, I needed some Ben Nichols in my life.
It was a casual introduction. Remember, this was back in the days of MYSPACE. Remember that shit? Oh I do. Because I lived on the Lucero page. I started out with Lucero. And then…then I discovered Tennessee and my life was forever changed. I drove all over the back roads of Ohio, half bawling, half singing along until it dawned on me. SOMEONE ELSE HAS FELT THIS SHITTY, TOO. OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THEIR HEARTS BROKEN. STOP BEING AN ASSHOLE. So I sucked it up and got a giant, Lucero inspired tattoo on my rib cage. That was the best thing I ever did for myself. I got over the idiot who shit on my heart and I went to see Lucero. Alone.
I was terrified. I was so sure I was going to be a mess. Instead, I rediscovered myself. I lost myself in the music. I never would have been brave enough to do something like this pre-heart break. Instinct kicked in, and I knew I could do it, and it would be perfect. I saw Ben for the first time, in person, and that night gave him a head nod on the way to grab a beer. It was that moment when I knew everything was going to be ok.Oh, ya know, just re-blogging an awesome piece written by the awesome Adriana Sandberg of fuckyeahaltcountryboys for my awesome Ben Nichols/Lucero fan site. NBD.
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