Brush With Greatness...Special Edition

In honor of my husband's upcoming birthday, this special edition of Brush With Greatness features my hubby's favorite, personal BWG recollection. (Other great editions of BWG can be found here: #1 (Ron Howard), #2 (Noel Gallagher), #3(Gerard Depardieu), #4 (Mark Wahlberg) )

The time was somewhere in the early 90s. My husband was a student at University of Georgia in Athens (yes, he's a Southern Boy!) On one particular evening, my husband went to hear a local band play at a club in Athens. He can't recall what band was playing (and I can't recall which club he mentioned). Anyway, he was there listening to the band until the lights went on for closing time. There were only a few dozen people left in the place by that time, and my husband immediately spotted Michael Stipe sitting at the bar. That was no big deal (he often ran into members of REM living in Athens)...but River Phoenix just happened to be there hanging out with Mr. Stipe. To the best of my husband's recollection, this brush with greatness occurred probably a year--or possibly just a few months--prior to River's death from a drug overdose.

My husband said he was trying not to stare at River, but that he looked so odd that it was hard not to look in that direction. He was dressed very conservatively in "preppie-style" clothes, including a white polo shirt and brown loafers, although his hair was long (past his shoulders) and dyed very dark brown. Suddenly, a giddy River got up from the bar and did a cartwheel in the middle of the room. Then Michael and River together went into the Ladies Room for a few minutes (to do who knows what). When they left, they acted even more giddy than before, as though huge amounts of some sort of drug had recently been consumed. After that, my husband left the club. He said he was surprised, because until then, he hadn't realized that River was a drug-user. To the press he had appeared to be such a health-nut!