NEEDHAM, Mass. â A self-avowed super fan of the rock band Geese was surprised by her well-meaning parents with a pair of tickets to see the jam band Goose, sources confirm.
âMy parents tried their best and I appreciate that,â said Jane Salerno. âBut it was hard to hide my disappointment when I opened the envelope to find tickets to see GooseâI hate jam bands. I just smiled really big and said, âGee, thanks!â When my mom texted me last month asking for the name of the band Iâm really into, I thought she was going to get me a tee shirt or cassette tape like they did last year. Do they know me at all? A jam band? Why not just get me a pair of devil sticks, a hacky sack, and some nag champa while theyâre at it?â
Salernoâs parents are still under the impression their gift was a hit.
âJane was ecstatic on Christmas morning. Sheâs been talking about wanting to see The Goose for months. Apparently theyâre a really big dealâthe singer played piano at Carnegie Hall!â said Mrs. Salerno while flattening crumpled wrapping paper to reuse next year. âWe always do our best to figure out what our kids really want for Christmas. You shouldâve seen our son Brianâs face when he opened his gift. Heâs a big fan of those comic book movies, so this year we got him one called âMorbiusâ on DVD.â
Music critic Shep Quinn says that bands with similar names have been causing confusion for nearly as long as rock and roll has existed.
âEarly on, there were The Who and The Guess Whoâa lot of boomers canât wrap their heads around that one to this day,â said Quinn. âThen thereâs Bryan Adams and Ryan Adams, and people still get screwed up over Rocket from the Tombs and Rocket from the Crypt. Even a music writer like myself can get mixed up. I once brought a Velvet Underground LP to get signed at a John Cale show, only to discover J.J. Cale was performing that night. He said it happens all the time and gladly did a competent forgery of John Caleâs signature on my record.â
At press time, Ms. Salerno had reportedly taken a large dose of mushrooms and listened to several Goose live shows back to back, but was unsuccessful in her effort to force herself to like the band.
