Guest blogger slot #1: Darin

The comment section of blogger isn't large enough for all I have to say about of me having an unexpected twin, so Carrie agreed to give me some space on her blog to share my thoughts. I promise not to take the limelight away from my nephew, since this is predominantly his blog, and people come here to see pictures of him, not his 35-year-old uncle or the various other people in the world that appear to be his clones. But the title of the blog is "Too Many Cooks." I am a Cook. And there appears to be too many of me. This Keith MacPherson incident is not the first time I have been blatantly mistaken for someone else. Oddly enough, every case of mistaken identity has been a musician or rock star. I must be the prototype for dozens of human beings with musical talents.

Incident #1: A drummer named Dave from a band in Windsor is apparently the spitting image of me. Hanging out at the Loop every weekend, I was approached often by strangers mistaking me for this guy. I don't have pictorial evidence and I never met Dave, but one incident at the Loop topped it off and convinced me that I was his twin. A girl started talking to me, asking how I was and commenting on my long hair. The rest of the conversation went like this:

Girl: When was the last time you got your hair cut?
Me: At least a year.
Girl: Wow. You always wanted longer hair.

(This is true, but I was beginning to wonder how this girl knew that.)

Me: Do I know you?
Girl: What? (very annoyed)
Me: I'm not sure we ever me.
Girl: We went out for a long enough time.
Me: What? No, we didn't.
Girl: Stop joking around.
Me: Are you joking around?
Girl: Stop it!!
Me: I'm sorry, I don't know you.

(She was beginning to thoroughly confuse me and I was uncertain if I was even right.)

Me: My name's Darin.
Girl: Oh. You really look like my ex-boyfriend, Dave.

This girl talked to me face-to-face for five minutes absolutley positive that she was talking to her ex-boyfriend, this Dave guy from the band, someone she has gone out with, been intimate with, and obviously shouldn't mistake for someone else. But she did.

Incident #2: Jenn and I follow around the Peacemakers whenever we can get to concerts close by. Here's a bit of Peacemakers history - Roger Clyne used to sing in a band called The Refreshments with the guitar player Brian Blush. That band is no longer. Roger now plays with Steve Larson in the Peacemakers. I met Brian Blush in Detroit at one of his solo concerts and he said to me, "I can't get over how much you look like this guitar player from Arizona."
"You don't mean Steve?" I said.
"Yah, you look exactly like him." Of course, I had seen Steve a couple times on stage at this point, but I didn't see the resemblance.

Incident #3: Over the next few years, Jenn and I saw the Peacemakers several times and I have been approached by fans at these concerts, talking to me as if I was Steve Larson. They want to buy me a beer and shake my hand. I've always had to turn them away, even though looking back I should have milked it and got a bunch of free drinks. Steve himself even agrees that we look alike. I asked to borrow his signature hat once to see if the resemblance would be stronger, but I still don't see it.

Incident #4: And now the icing-on-the-cake incident. After one concert, Jenn and I were standing almost directly beside Roger, waiting to talk to him. A female fan came right up to me, handed me an American $20 bill and the convesation went like this.

Girl: Can you sign this?
Me: What name would you like me to sign?
Girl: Your own name.
Me: Are you sure?
Girl: Are you going to be difficult?
Me: Why do you want my signature?
Girl: I really respect your guitar playing.
Me: But I'm not who you think I am.
Girl: You are being difficult. Is it because you don't have a pen?

She went to Roger and asked to borrow his Sharpie. I looked at the money. Roger's name was already scrawled across it. She wanted me to sign Steve Larson's name next to Roger's. I wanted to put my own name but I couldn't disrespect Roger's signature already on the bill. I could have forged Steve's name, but I couldn't bring myself to do that either. Since I wasn't doing a good job convincing this girl I wasn't who she thought I was, Jenn stepped in to persuade the girl she was wrong.

These aren't just short talks where the person is embarassed once they realize their mistake. These people have to be forced to realize their mistake. It was my long hair that caused the above incidents, but I sense that my short hair will now cause the same predicament with Keith. I'll have my pen ready this time.

(ETA: Darin, the pictures still don't work!!)