Hi friends, it’s Angie Marianthi. On the day of Glen Hansard’s funeral, in this time of collective mourning, I’d like to share the story of how he changed the trajectory of my life, career, and relationship with music.
I first met Glen in downtown Boise in 2004. He was crouched on the ground next to the 8th Street escalators, restringing a local busker's guitar. Then, he played a song for our small group of knowing spectators with the same passion he'd just shown while performing with The Frames at the Knitting Factory.
At the time I was only 19, with no performance experience or aspirations for becoming a professional musician. After seeing Glen bring people together through music both on and off the stage, I was inspired to become a busker — in Nashville, New York, and by those very same Boise escalators.
Glen and I crossed paths again in 2007, in an encounter that would forever change my relationship with music and faith in my own abilities. From the stage of the Egyptian Theater, he plucked me out of the audience to join The Frames for a song; or so I thought…
Glen Hansard handed me his guitar and told me to play an original. The experience was so surreal that I didn't have time to panic. Instead, I stepped up to the mic and sang as The Frames fell in time with my song.
It would be impossible to sum up what I've learned from Glen and The Frames, or what their music means to me and others who love them. Amidst this shared grief, I'm grateful to have been guided by Glen's musical spirit. He taught me that music can be spontaneous, uniting, simple, joyous, and honest.
