Ok, so let's here the stories of the best backhanded compliment you ever received. The best one I ever got was at a show. I got done playing and one of the members of the other band that was going to go on next said, "A bunch of us were sitting in the back trying to figure out why your bass sounded so good." Uh, ok. I asked what they came up with. One person said that I was tuned down the whole time and that made my bass sound good. I said, "No, I d-tune on two songs, but I'm in normal tuning." Another person said that I sounded good because of my, "$2000 basses." I said, "Nope. These cost about $800 a piece." Then, my favorite part, the person said, "Yeah, we just couldn't figure out what it was." Clearly, they didn't think that my playing had ANYTHING to do with it, but whatever. What's your favorite?
"I LOVE women with curves" is one I've heard given. I got one from a dude I worked with: "Not afraid to share his opinions"
And so it goes, Jeff.... Can't say that I have had a multitude of similar experiences, but having played many of the same places you do now back in the early 80's the only two I can come up with are ; Bert Woodall (of Public News) congratulating us that he could hear us all the way down the street. Not exactly backhanded, but my buddy in a more popular local band asking how I got such a huge sound. He pretty much dismissed my advice, and damned if in the end I didn't end up playing thru Vox AC 30's just like him.
Funny, I've been playing some of these places since the early 90's. They don't seem to change much. Bert Woodall? There's a name from the past. I just recall the lyrics from The Missles song, "I Get No Respect (from the Public News)" I wouldn't wipe my ass with that rag
Someone once told me that the movie "About Schmidt" was even worse than my play, and thought it was a sincere compliment.
This topic made me think of Chris Rock's comedy show where he was talking about Colin Powell and white people's compliments to him. "He speaks so well!"
Chick in LA Club after I was done playing...... "You look just like Billy Joel. Has anyone ever told you that?" RMT's inebriated response..... "Ohhhh, only about a billion-quadrillion freaking times, honey. By the way, your lips look just like Tracy Lord's lips. I'll bet they could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch. What are you doing later?"
Someone told me my art was eclectic. Since I am not even sure what that means, I think I got backhanded, but To this day I don't know. I am very suspicious tho'.
My father-in-law always tells my mother-in-law, "You don't sweat much for a fat girl." She probably weighs about 120, so it's a joke.
This isn't backhanded, but it is still one of the funniest things I ever heard in person. I was at my father's for Thanksgiving (or some holiday) a number of years ago - aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. My cousin's husband is a bit of a condescending jerkwad. Not sure why but he really irks me when I'm around him, and it isn't just me. Anyway, we're sitting there after dinner just chatting. This is about a year after he married my cousin. My grandfather says, "[Insert Name Here], you look like you've gotten fatter since the wedding." OMFG, I nearly spit my Coke across the room! He said it in ALL seriousness and really didn't mean it as a shot. My grandfather was just blunt like that. My grandfather and I had my differences, but that was one of those days that I remembered why I'm happy to have his genetic code in my DNA.
"That's okay, every guy does that." That was six years ago and I still don't know if that was her trying to make me feel better or if she was serious. I haven't done "that" since so I guess it doesn't matter, but it could have been a backhanded slap. Then there was my favorite.......I was at club, met a girl and we had a great time hanging out that night. Well, at the end of the night she writes her number on a piece of paper and while her girlfriend laughs she says, "no that's my real number.".....................
