I�ve only seen Tim once (with CH) and didn�t get the chance to meet him, but I would REALLY like to � one of these days!

I have read many posts about Frenz meeting Neil, but wanted to hear some of your stories about meeting Tim. Please share!

cool one, joanna!!

i haven't actually met tim but i wanted to "regret over it" here hope that's ok, i won't be long.

saw him play live for the first time in 2000. drove 11 hours for it. the show was great and the time came to try and meet him. i stood behind a small group of tall guys crowding this very small area and i started to have doubts. what would i say to him??!! he's honestly more of a "legend" to me than neil is! and this process of trying to meet him was taking a while and i just felt bad he was getting kinda hounded so we split.

i was feeling like i had missed out on this "big opportunity", not waiting around, for a few hours into the drive, even looking back as i got on the interstate, really...but still, what would i have said??? nothing he hasn't heard before i'm sure. maybe what makes the difference is how fans present the praise...hmmmm.....

anyway, i guess i don't regret it now, i would have just been a bumbling fool. but i can't wait to read other stories of meeting tim, i haven't heard many myself, either. will be nice to hear the "hands on" word.

thanks for the vent~

I've met the Timster twice. The first time was afer the Enz With A Bang concert in '84. He signed my True Colours lp. I made a couple of nervous jokes that teenagers do and he was really affable, taking the time to talk to me as if he was interested in what I was saying, rather than waiting for the next autograph to endure.

The second time was on the Woodface tour before the concert at the t-shirt stand, where I was talking to Peter Green. He just wandered up and Peter introduced us. I spoke to him for a couple of minutes and he, again, was a really down to earth, friendly guy who seemed genuinely interested in talking with me.

I was always a bigger fan of Neil's and Neil always had that reputation of the nice guy whereas Tim was perceived to be a little moody and perhaps condescending or patronising but my experiences meeting Tim totally refuted that perception. It was a little surprising, -pleasantly so, of course.

I've spoken to a couple of Frenz who have met Tim and, for the most part, their experiences were the opposite of mine so who's to know. Probably depends on the day of the week.

I wonder if he's still talking about meeting me?

I've met them both on more than one occassion and have always had mixed results. Sometimes the brothers are totally up for fan adoration - other times they're in a zone that's best to walk away from. No Split Enz/Crowded pun intended there.

Let's just say that when they're gracious they are EXTREMELY gracious and when they're not - take the hint, back off and hope for gracious moment the next time.

Peter

I never remember when or where we've already posted ours, or who around here still wants and hasn't heard our accounts, but we have some pretty great ones of both brothers (though, admittedly, one of our neil meetings was where he was tired and cold and wanted to get the hell out of there).

Anyhow. Our first Tim meeting happened when we found out he was due to play in Pittsburgh on June 5, 2000 to promote Say It Is So. I looked up the record label and sent them an e-mail, offering to help them promote the show locally, for free. They were thrilled, immediately called us "field staff," and sent us a bunch of posters which we stuck up all over town the weekend before the show.

It occurred to me that while on tour, all cities must seem the same. 5/6/00 was the first time a Finn was here in almost a decade (last time being Woodface...) and I tried to think of a way to make our city stick out as special, so he'd remember to visit us again (instead of staying away another decade...). I called the mayor's office and asked them what you have to do to get a "day" proclaimed in the city. They said, send us a letter explaining who the day should be declared for and why, and they decide within a day whether to declare it. I was like, hmmm, is THAT all? So, I wrote a glowing letter about Tim, asked that the mayor declare 5/6/00 Tim Finn Day in the city of Pittsburgh, and explained that a special welcome was required to incent this remarkable artist to return in the future. The next day they called and said, you have to come and pick up your proclamation. So on my lunch hour I went down to the mayor's office and got the proclamation, not bothering to gripe that there were two typos on it.

Next, I scanned the document and sent it to someone for their site, e-mailed my contact at WhatAre! Records. I asked them: if I can find you a local celebrity to present him the proclamation on-stage, will you let her in for free? They were like....OF COURSE! So I called the only Finn-friendly radio station in town (WYEP) and explained that we had this special proclamation to present, and since they're the only station who plays his music, would they consider having their Program Director attending (for free) to present the proclamation to him onstage?

The day of the concert arrived. We both took half days at work. We'd given WhatAre! our various phone numbers and waited for our call, because all we knew was to "be available" from a certain time, on. When we got the call, we were asked to go to the club at 4pm. Who should I report to when I go, I asked. Tim and Marie Finn, she said. (GULP!!!!!!!) Oh, OK....

So...at 4pm we got to the club and started putting up posters everywhere. There were no t-shirts for the tour so I had designed some that merged a New Zealand waterline on the bottom with Pittsburgh's waterline on the top, so that it looked like Pittsburgh was right across the river from New Zealand. I superimposed a pensive Tim face between the two. The caption said "Te Awamutu meets the Three Rivers: Tim Finn Day in Pittsburgh" and the date. I made like 10 of these shirts...Jay and I each wore one, we saved two to give Tim and Marie, and we decided to sell the other 6 and give Tim the money.

So we sat around a little while because their flight was late. Soon, this pretty little Asian lady in a Rolling Stones shirt bounces in. She was obviously in charge. Soon after, in black chinos and a verrrrrrry tight black t-shirt and sunglasses, was our Tim. We recognized him immediately, but I have to confess he was handsomer in person...like I was blown away!!!! He has the most remarkable eyes...they literally dance as though he knows a joke that nobody else gets. We waited for them to get their bearings and introduced ourselves to the Asian lady, who we then found out was Marie. She is absolutely spunky, perky and friendly but also in command...one of the coolest combinations I've ever seen!

We figured, since their flight had been late that they probably hadn't eaten, so we offered to do a food run. We suggested sushi, which they emphatically agreed with. Tim ordered tofu skins, and a bottle of sake (which he was impressed the club had because there hadn't been any in Atlanta). He offered us money for the food and we were like, you've GOT to be kidding...on sheer principle, we couldn't take his money! We said you might not get a parade on Tim Finn Day, but there...you get sushi. They howled. We sat there, watching the soundcheck, but felt really bad for the guy because it was obvious he was exhausted.

Marie unpacked the CD's and stuff, and helped us set up the merch table, gave us instructions. I showed her the shirts, and she was really excited. "Hey TIMMY!" she yells...(my husband and I stifled a giggle at the thought of anyone getting away with calling him Timmy...) Tim really liked the shirts and said he would be giving theirs to his parents, because it would mean a lot to them. (So somewhere in Cambridge, good ole Dick Finn is walking around in a shirt I made...)

Jay and I took our merch duties very seriously, getting names for the mailing list, and determined to sell more CD's than Atlanta had. Not only did we outsell Atlanta by 2 CD's, but we doled over an extra $120 for the shirts I'd sold. All told, we made him about $400. After the show, we sought out Marie to give her the money, and she directed us back to the dressing room where Tim the Exhausted was crumpled in a chair. She asked us, OK, so what do we owe you? Again, we're like....WHAT????? Just an autograph and a PICTURE!!!! She told Tim how much money we'd just turned in and he immediately sprang to his feet and pumped our hands vigorously.

Marie took our picture with Tim, who told us to "crowd in." In our final small talk (which didn't last long because we knew he was beat and didn't want to bug him) he told us he read that our city was second in the world with the number of bridges, second to Venice, Italy. I've lived here most of my life and never heard that. We encouraged them to check out the Warhol Museum, because we think they spent the next day just kicking around here before they left. Upon hearing me say I was a de-railed career musician, Tim said something that has been haunting me for three years: "as long as you keep playing, and as long as somebody hears it, even the dog, you're doing good. Someone has to hear it."

I found Tim to be genuine, affable, appreciative, and of good humor in spite of travel delays, exhaustion and minor technical difficulties. I also came to the realization that while I know Neil is a handsome man, I can't remotely think of him in a sexual way because that's like having dirty thoughts about the Pope, or the Dalai Lama...but Tim...YOWZA. The guy just exudes something, and he's hot in the same way Elvis was hot. And I can't think of any other comparison...he's just got "a bright-eyed something."

So anyway, that's the BEST of our Tim stories, though we saw him 3 times during our honeymoon in NZ in 2001, including having him dedicate songs to us twice and bumping into him and Marie in an alleyway for a brief chat. They also greeted us on the webchat last December when we sent an e-mail over to Neil and included a "tell them Jason and Heidi in Pittsburgh say hi and congratulations on your baby." Who knows...maybe there will be more stories.

Oddly, now that I also have a significant Neil story, it'd be interesting to know if the brothers have ever connected the fact that the "Tim Finn Day" lady is the same lady who sang onstage with Neil in that "famous DC duet" (a year ago next Thursday, as it happens). hmmmmmm...

that is AWESOME Heidi! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for that story Heidi, I hadn't heard it before!

What an awesome story, Heidi! I'd known all about your exploits with Neil, but not with Tim....

You've got the luck of Finn, so many great stories!

That is definitely a great story Heidi.
These rare meetings are really uplifting. It is refreshing to know that sometimes we (the fans) can allow the artists we love to feel some of the magic they create through their music and presence.
I hope someone does something of this sort for Tim on his current tour. I think he is criminally underrated and should have thousands of fans waiting for him in every city he plays.
Cheers!

Since this has been brought up elsewhere, thought I'd weigh in briefly. I've met Tim several times and have had some great moments (including his acknowledging that I attended all his NZ shows in 2006) but I have to say that his reaction varies. Best not to expect too much and then you're pleasantly surprised when he is in the mood for meet and greets. If you get the opportunity, whatever happens try to respect his feelings and don't push him, and don't ask him to sign anything of Neil's. If I had a dollar for every time I've seen it happen to him ... it does not go down well.

Hello to everyone - my first post here. I'm glad to read this. My wife and I are seeing Tim on the 14th (Our Valentine's Present to each other)in a particularly intimate club setting, and I was wondering whether or not to approach him. Been a Split Enz fan since the first album, so it would mean a lot to me, but by the same token, I'm sure that adoring fans can be quite tiresome. Perhaps I'll test the waters and see how he reacts to other folks.

Thanks for sharing the great stories.

Cheers.

Steve

Hi relayer, welcome to the Forum.

I agree with this

mummakook wrote:
:

quote:

If you get the opportunity, whatever happens try to respect his feelings and don't push him,...

Sometimes you can gauge how he is. I always think, get the signature, then move out of the way. You won't become his lifelong best friend by hovering, and I bet that gives him a pain in the neck (I've seen people do it with Neil).

Have a great Valentine's Day - there could not possibly be any better present, and hope to hear how you went back here.

quote:

Originally posted by relayer:
Perhaps I'll test the waters and see how he reacts to other folks.

In my experience I've never seen Tim stay behind to chat to fans for very long. Even when he seems happy to do it, he'll only talk to a handful of people and then disappear.
All I'm saying is if you wait too long, it might not happen at all...
Have a great time and good luck .

What a great story, Heidi! Thanks for sharing.

We've met Neil and Tim just once after a brothers show at Cambridge three and a bit years ago. Neil came out and was very gracious and chatty despite being hassled by a very small minority of fans who didn't know when to back off. Despite this he hung around for a while chatting and seemed genuinely pleased to hear that we loved Everyone Is Here. "Tell you friends!" he told us as we left. Tim on the other hand came out quietly while the attention was on Neil and made straight for the tour bus. He looked tired and serious and signed the odd album cover, including our copy of EIH, as he walked, saying very little.

I think the thing with Tim, having seen him four times now, is that he gives so much of himself on stage and really connects with fans in that way, rather than individually at the stage door. He gave Nicola several huge smiles as she sang along to WWY during a Radio 2 gig we went to in London a few years back, for example, and seems to love it when the audience get off on the music.

But when any musician comes off stage they're naturally tired and you have to respect that. I think Tim's also slightly awkward about the whole fan worship thing on a one-to-one basis. So, as others have said be respectful and read the signs on the night. If he opens up then make the most of it!

Likewise, the first time I *met* Tim, was after the first Finn Bros show in sommer of 2004. He did mingle with the waiting people, and was in high good spirits and while he seemed a bit low key, he was extraordinarily charming and accomodating. I look back on it and I sort of think that perhaps his brother's presence there sort of encouraged him to take part in the fan dance after the show.

Caught them again later on in the tour--and I also had experiences where Neil would come out and Tim would quietly slip onto the bus (if he could--I called out to him and he...did come back down to sign an autograph...and then I felt bad because others lined up behind me and I'm sure that's exactly what he had been hoping to avoid)

I agree with Jez & Nic here.

The many times I've seen Tim at stage doors over his long career, he has been up or down depending on his mood. I believe too that he gives his all on stage and therefore doesn't need to give any more at the door "if he doesn't want to".

Sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't. That's his call and we should respect that.

I hate when people crowd and don't move away after they have got their pic or signature. I've seen that annoy Tim in the past.

quote:

Originally posted by Kazzie:
I hate when people crowd and don't move away after they have got their pic or signature. I've seen that annoy Tim in the past.

Couldn't agree more Kazzie, I've seen it happen so often, and see people miss out (or very almost miss out) because of a selfish few. I could go on, but the point has been made.

Jez & Nic had a good point about Tim putting a lot into his performances. He does enjoy seeing the audience enjoy the music too.

Generally if you go not expecting anything (and certainly not having the sense of entitlement some seem to have) and respect him and his mood then you just never know your luck!

Id love to meet Tim but have a feeling Ill be disappointed, plus I wouldnt know where to start anyway.

Heidi, that is the best story ever! What a memorable day that must have been! I was in Pittsburgh three years ago for the sole purpose of visiting the Andy Warhol museum (the Greyhound got there at 5:40 am, leaving us to wait in the diner for 4 hours, and we were on our way to Chicago by 6pm!) and hope he made it there, it's fantastic.

Anyway, getting back on topic, I met Tim after he played the Forum in 2006 and was very nervous indeed. I'd already seen him play once before, at the Imaginary Kingdom launch, and had liked his maori guitar strap, so I'd messaged him on myspace to ask where he got it. To my surprise he replied and told me, so I was able to order one from the Rockshop in Auckland. So of course when I met him I asked him to sign it I was terribly nervous as I think he's quite intimidating looking, but he of course was lovely, and amused to see the guitar strap.

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Finn Fan ChCh:
Id love to meet Tim but have a feeling Ill be disappointed, plus I wouldnt know where to start anyway.

I think the only way you'd be disappointed is if you placed unrealistic expectations on what you thought this meeting would be. He is after all just a normal person like we all are who will have good days and bad days, with the obvious exception being that he is an amazingly talented musician.

I "met" Tim a couple of times recently whilst over in NZ for the Enz shows. He was very nice both times I spoke with him and obliged with an autograph and pic on one of these occasions, and was just plain nice & quite chatty on the other when all I did was thank him for a great show the night before. It's all about picking the right time and place for sure and I guess I just got lucky

By the way, love all the stories on this thread, well done peeps!