Barenaked Ladies

I discovered Barenaked Ladies through a photocopy of a promotional photograph in a drawer at a ticket sales agency for whom I worked in Philadelphia in the late 90’s. I didn’t know who the band was, but they intrigued me.

In October 1997 I stumbled upon videos for “Old Apartment” and “Brian Wilson” playing in the Warner Brothers Store in Liberty Place. I liked them, so I went across the street to buy a copy of the band’s first album, “Gordon.”

That night with a Sony Discman and headphones, laying in the dark on my back with my head at the foot of the bed, I started listening to the first track, “Hello City.” “It’s good,” I said to myself, “but I don’t see myself listening to them as much as I do to, say, Indigo Girls.” I had recently been enthralled with the dynamic lesbian folk duo.

“Enid we never really knew each other anyway…” started off the second song, and I began to feel myself further drawn into the music, wit, and whimsy of these guys from Toronto. I knew I was hooked when, during the “I can get a job” bridge of that song, there I was helplessly thrusting on the bed with my head thrashing to the bopping pop beat. I was overwhelmed with the frenzy of the following phrases. By the end of the song I was exhausted. But I played it again with equal amazement.

From that moment, to especially “Brian Wilson,” “Wrap Your Arms Around Me,” “What a Good Boy,” “I Love You,” “Blame It on Me,” “The Flag,” and ending with “Crazy,” I was brought to musical joy more than with any other pop band in over 12 years. I listened to “Gordon” about 20 times that weekend. I may never love an album the same way I love “Gordon.”

I’ve been a fan of the band ever since. I photographed the band for a top BNL fan site in 1998. I tracked BNL through an amazing 24 hours in New York City including: Madison Square Garden, a show standing at the base of Steve’s microphone stand with a genuine encore for a small group of hardcore fans, and screaming in the front-row with my best BNL buddy DaWezl for a performance of their newly-crowned number-one hit single, “One Week” on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” during which we are briefly (and poorly) shown in Jason Priestley’s “Barenaked in America.”

I went on a Barenaked bender in December, 2001, that culminated in a tattoo on my shoulder taken from keyboardist Kevin Hearn’s doodle. Most recently I attended Ships & Dip III, the band’s second rock-and-roll cruise, which also featured my other newest favorite band, Carbon Leaf.

My Web nickname “Bearnaked Joe” is inspired by the band’s name and my part in the gay Bear community.