Civillian Okkervil River Fans

[Faded Foreign Lord]

I have never encountered anyone in the general populace who is an OR fan. Before I found this site I'd never had a communication with anyone who knew anything about OR.
I would turn up at work and say 'I've found this great band called Okkervil River' and the response is always 'What? Never heard of them.'
There was one exception. A bit of a try hard I used to work with claimed to know and love OR when I mentioned them. Sensing a rat, I said 'Gee, I didn't know you liked heavy metal.' And he replied that he liked all kinds of music. Fool!

[behindthestars]

Haha! That's brilliant. I've never met anyone like that either. Although, I once sent an American friend the Black Sheep Boy/Appendix CDs, and now he loves them and even saw them live in concert the first week he heard the record! Slow but sure conversion!

[Faded Foreign Lord]

I've tried conversion tactics on many people but have failed. My wife has been slightly brainwashed but she is definitely not a convert.
What does it take for people to realise how totally awesome and superior OR are? It is probably best that they stay known only to a few enlightened individuals. I think it would annoy me if they became mainstream and in 'the top 40'. Imagine if they appeared on 'Top of the Pops'!
My only ever random encounter with OR was one morning watching Rage on ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation for those not in OZ) and I saw the filmclip for 'Lost Coastlines'. It struck me instantly and I've loved them ever since. Where would I be if I had not had that one chance, yet blissful liaison?

[Macuahuitl]

I haven't met anyone else who knew of them. I was managed to convert a friend of mine to OR and Shearwater

[glreed]

I know the feeling. I try to get my friends into them, but nobody can seem to get past a few of the singles without turning away. My girlfriend is the only one who has become a devout fan. I don't know how I fell in love with OR, really. I guess it started with listening to a few songs and blossomed into buying every album, listening religiously. I can't help but feel like everybody I know is missing out on the best music and poetry ever recorded, but I've almost given up on trying. Dedicated fans are so much better than the half-ass listener anyway. At least we're the ones paying for albums and merchandise!
And then comes the topic of being asked my favorite band. Without hesitation I reply, "Okkervil River." Though I know the one asking me will have no clue who I'm talking about, I've got to state it! And then I'll probably come across as pretentious, but I don't even care anymore.

[thuglifeforevs]

i fell in love with okkervil river many years ago while my drunk friend was having a breakdown on his couch. he was a bottle of st. genevieve "red" to the wind and he had don't fall in love with everyone you see playing on his record player. i was sitting on the floor and all i could focus on was the music was coming out of the speakers. i think it was either red or kansas city that i first heard. i went home and downloaded it and okkervil river and I have been living happily ever after since that night. and many of my friends know who OR are. but probably because i live in austin, texas. i have never met anyone who heard them and didnt like them.

[spiderfrommars]

A few years ago, my nephew gave me Black Sheep Boy for Christmas... I didn't trust his musical judgement, so I just laughed, but then I listened to the music... and I was hooked from the first moment. A few months later I had all their records - except of course Stars
I met a few other people who knew about them and loved Will's lyrics. I had the good fortune to see them live in Oslo (of all places, me being from southwest Europe...) and there was quite an enthusiastic crowd. Still waiting to see them live here in Portugal, though.
It's another example of that strange feeling: you like something so much you want everyone to know about it - but the truth is, if they were to please everybody, they would very likely not appeal to me. Can you imagine someone enjoying OR and at the same time Lady gaga or whatever?? Agh! We have all been there, seen changes in some people we liked, and the result of a group trying to make it "big" is, most of the times, losing what made them really important to those who liked them in the first place.