“Sexuality” by Billy Bragg

Dad’s Song of the Day #27, Sept. 27, 2025

I don’t have many “famous people” stories.

Let’s see...One time after work, I was walking past the Sutton Place hotel and saw John Malkovich walking toward me...We caught eyes and I (very cleverly) said, “Hi, John”. His reply could not be more perfect: “Hi, Friend,” and we continued walking past each other. I suspect I remember that encounter much better than he does.

Also, when mom and I were in New York many years ago, I swear we were walking behind Richard Thomas, who once played a famous TV character called John Boy Walton...I think Anna was skeptical about whether it was him or not.

But my very best--a “classic”, as Uncle Glen would say--was when I met Billy Bragg. I was at his concert at a bar called “Lulu’s Roadhouse” in Kitchener, with my friend Marianne and her friend Nigel, who was very well-connected (and went on eventually to be the Manager of the group Barenaked Ladies).

Nigel found out that Billy and his band were playing soccer out in the back before the show...so, we went out and joined them, blasting the ball against the wall. At some point, there was a very low-flying airplane above us that made a huge blast of sound.

I commented to the group that it was the Canadian version of the Stealth Bomber...and it got a good general laugh from everyone...

...Anyway, fast-forward an hour, while Billy’s on stage and bantering with the crowd, and what does he say, in his almost comical stereotype of a cockney accent: “I was outside earlier tonight, when I heard your Canadian Stealth Bomber fly by...”

The bastard stole my line!

The next year, I would move to Japan, among a great group of ex-pats from many countries, and today’s song, “Sexuality”, became a staple of all of our dance parties for the next several years...which allowed me to drunkenly tell that story above about a hundred times!