I think the obvious answer is reach out, but it’s intimidating and we’re not quite sure how to go about it.
My husband (we’ll call him H) is an underground musical performer and works part time at a nice restaurant. Last weekend, a legendary musician (we’ll call him M) sat in his section for Sunday brunch with his wife. This guy has been in the music scene for many decades, has invented popular techniques with his instrument that span genres and nations, and has a family that’s extremely successful and critically acclaimed/A-list celebrity status today. H didn’t recognize his face but they struck up a conversation that turned to music. Later, M told H his name and his bands’ name and H instantly realized he was in the presence of a modern god. Even more incredible, M’s instrument and technique is something that H has no experience with but has always wanted to learn.
M and his wife were extremely polite and M was, in particular, very modest. His wife tried to talk him up and M shushed her a few times. Then, while talking to H, M wrote down his full name, his latest project, his email address, and his home phone number on the pamphlet they brought to brunch from church and passed it to H. Based on the area code, and the fact they were passing through after church, we can assume that M is local. H shared his social media, and when he saw that M included his personal contact info, he also wrote down his email and number. So they swapped info equally.
I think it makes sense for H to reach out to M first. I can’t imagine M would give his contact info out if he wasn’t willing to chat. But we’re just not sure what to say or how best to move forward, and we’re both introverts so we’re prone to social awkwardness. H would be giddy to simply sit and watch M jam in a basement. As his wife and business manager, I also think there could be an opportunity for H to share his music and get it out there, but I’m not sure what the etiquette would be for something like this.
Ultimately, M is a person and we want to make sure we strike the right balance of leveraging this opportunity while also remaining extremely respectful and appreciative. What should we do?
ETA: A couple of people have mentioned that it sounds like I wanna use M to get ahead. And to be honest, that’s my bad. I was in sales for a very long time and had to look at life in that way, taking everything as an opportunity, in order to get to a point where I could afford to live. I went from living out of a car to owning a home but I did what I could to make sure I also brought up the people around me. It seems like people are taking that word, leverage, as a “let me use and abuse this celebrity for personal gains” and that’s not where I’m coming from but that language is absolutely giving that impression. Sorry about that!! What I am saying is, H makes music because it’s what he loves. I support his music because I believe he is incredibly talented, and his music and writing has the power to truly help people (think like Chester Bennington). But he also has a lot to learn. He’s underground, he’s talented but not connected, we live paycheck to paycheck, and neither of us know how to take him to the next level. I don’t want to “use” M to get ahead, but I’d love to be able to pick his brain and get advice. That’s what I meant by leverage. Thanks!