A few years ago, when I was in a rather active and locally popular band, we would headline once a month or so at a venue here in Austin called Stubb’s. My wife, Roberta, and I would always arrive early, that way there wasn’t too much of a crowd to deal with when moving stuff in, plus it gave us time to eat and drink beer.

On one particular occasion we took a seat at a table only to find that sitting at the next table was Billy Bob Thornton with a few friends. He was in town for the filming of The Alamo. Without being complete tools, we managed to introduce ourselves. He was extremely cordial and cool as hell. Unfortunately, he was unable to stay for our show because he had other engagements. We never thought to ask for an autograph, but he did pose for a photo with Roberta: