Regie Gibson

When you meet your heroes, be prepared for disappointment…usually. 

I can say that from experience that Richard Gere is an asshole, and so is Cindy Crawford, and I say that because they were assholes to me. The fact that they seem perfectly nice on t.v. or in movies means nothing to me because they were assholes to me and several hundred other fans one night in Dekalb, Illinois to our faces. Cindy had a shitty movie premier there because she was born and raised in Dekalb. There is nothing but corn in Dekalb, so this was a huge deal for all of us who lived there. She had “made it” and was therefore a hero to many in a small town famous only for being the birthplace of barbwire.

 During the “red carpet” portion of the evening, a fan approached the “famous couple” asking for an autograph. They both made the same noise you’d make if your best friend claimed he had married Beyonce in Vegas over the weekend with Jay-Z’s blessing. A kind of a “ppppffffttt” sound. Richard then turned to Cindy and said, “if I knew there were going to be so many of these assholes, I would’ve stayed home,” to which Cindy howled with laughter. The result is me using the same term to descibe them that they used to describe all of those people, no matter what, for the rest of my life.

That will never change.

None of that has anything at all to do with Regie Gibson.

When I first heard Regie perform he became a hero of mine. Instantly.
The first time I met Regie, he became an inspiration to me.
Instantly.

For someone who has done so much in his career, Regie is incredibly centered and level headed. We’ve worked together twice and I would work with him at every show ever if he’d only sink to my level, and by that I mean I would have rise to his. The things I have seen him accomplish on a stage are second to none. Anywhere.

I have several times witnessed him completely pause all thought in a room full of thinking adults by speaking, making the rush of creative thought crashing back thru your body after seem like a tidal wave. There are few on his level, and not a single person does it better.

None of this changes him as a human being. He is the same caring teacher, philosopher, and person on stage and off. Like a good hero should be.