I saw The Auteurs in 1994 in D.C. at the old 9:30 Club, then again in January of 1996 at the "new" 9:30 Club. That gig was the one described in Haines' book Bad Vibes. Haines and his cellist showed up in the midst of a snowstorm to play for about 10 appreciative concert-goers. Remove my best friend and I from that number, and we're down to 8.
Still, this guy was never gonna be Jason Mraz, was he?
And, when I look back to a brief "Hello" to Mr. Haines in 1999, I'm happy that he wasn't too gregarious.
The same best friend and I had scheduled our first visit to England to coincide with a few concerts, notably a Black Box Recorder gig in London in April 1999. As I approached Mr. Haines after the gig, mumbling something about travelling all the way from America to see him, he was polite but not effusive or bubbly.
Has he ever been?
Now that dark charm, wit, and lyrical rage will be chronicled in a new film Art Will Save The World (2012). The film will premiere at the East End Film Festival in London in July. Here's a link to the event. Haines will perform afterwards.
And here's the trailer for Art Will Save The World: A Film About Luke Haines (2012) and a big tip of the hat to fine musician Adam Leonard for posting about this film.
Like most of Mr. Haines' recent work, it might have slipped through the cracks if not for a few devoted acolytes.