I met Natalie Merchant at a R.E.M. concert in the fall of 1986. We were standing next to each other at the end of the show, and she struck up a conversation with me (commenting that she liked the buttons on my coat). We chatted for a bit, and when the topic of "What do you do?" came up, she said (rather matter-of-factly) that she was in a band called "10,000 Maniacs." I hadn't heard of them (they were relatively unknown at this time). We talked some more, then exchanged addresses. Over the next few months, we wrote to each other several times. But shortly thereafter, she became very busy with the success of 10,000 Maniacs. We were merely acquaintances to begin with, and thus we lost touch after she became very popular.

The first letter I received from her is the one I scanned in for your perusal. Here's some background info before you read the letter:

1. The letter was typed on a piece of old wallpaper - hence the tattered look and printed design.

2. The "Michael" she speaks of is Michael Stipe.

3. The first line of the letter is hard to read. Part of it says that "my a's look like 2's..." (referring to my handwriting).

4. At the time I met her, I was making these candlestick holders out of the mineral mica. As the candle burned down, cool shadows were cast on the table it was sitting on. I gave one to Michael, and mailed one to her, which is what she is speaking of when she mentions the "box." (And that's why she thought of the title "MICASMITH" for me.)

 

If you think reading Natalie's letter to me is an invasion of her privacy, you can simply exit this section, and click on the home button. But if you're curious and have no morals (only kidding), click on the postmark icon (made from the actual postmark), and through cyberspace, you'll be transported to the letter.