Story of Nate & Erin

I met Erin a little over 10 years ago while working at a custom t-shirt printing company in Ann Arbor, MI.  I was failing miserably at yet another menial level job—story of my life—while Erin was doing rather well, comparatively, in a more managerial role at the company, having parlayed her graphic design chops to secure the position.  Erin likes to self-deprecatingly call herself a bitch, which I know what she means, but if she is, then she’s a bitch in the way that Ozzy Osbourne is a mean motherfucker, which is to say, not at all. But I always played along for the joke. Erin is actually an open-minded, kind-hearted human being with the ironically hardened exterior of a bitch, just for laughs. I’m not sure if this makes sense to anyone, but rest assured, she’s rad af, and super fun, with a heart of gold. She would make a joke here if she heard me uttering such words aloud, and it would be funny. 

There was a colorful cast of characters who worked at the t-shirt printing company—probably still is—and I became friends with Erin’s friend, Ashleigh, another cool gal in the graphic designer mold, and through a bit of social alchemy, I found myself in the mix, always swigging some fancy craft beer or another while hanging with this charming group. 

Enter Nate, stage left. Nate was Erin’s boyfriend, soon to be fiancé. & Nate & I hit it off swimmingly, immediately, probably mostly because of our musical connection; we shared a similar musical sensibility, and there was mutual respect regarding our respective creative abilities, chops, etc.  Nate had me in the technical musicianship department, though. Dude can shred like the dickens. How’s that for an archaic non sequitur idiom? In case anyone cares, the dickens has nothing to do with Charles Dickens, but rather is an archaic synonym for “the devil.” So really I am saying, “Nate can shred like the devil.” And this is not an understatement. (If you’re looking for an example of him channeling said energy, please refer to the myriad sequences of Nate & Erin’s Wedding Film where Nate shreds like the devil on air guitar, most notably, and awesomely, during his bride & groom reception “walk out.”  Nate is a funny motherfucker, no two ways about it, a perfect match for Erin.

There’s more that can be said, how Nate played an anthropomorphic “egg man” opposite my anthropomorphic “bunny man” in my ridiculous avant garde short film/music video for my band. But I’d prefer to wax sentimental for a moment, instead. I don’t actually KNOW the FULL story of Nate & Erin, I’m sad to say, though I’m hoping they will agree to come on our podcast Matrimony Mony to tell it for posterity sake, for the history books as it were. 

But here is what I do know. Nate & Erin have individually beautiful energies, that together, become an unstoppable force of nature. Sure, they are human; I’m sure they have their ups & downs. It’s possible I’ve even seen a down or two, but who’s counting? Overall, they DO have a magical connection that at the time I shot their wedding, defied my cynical ideas of what is possible with the power love. (Cue Huey Lewis & the News) But they were yet another seminal moment in my slowly turning back toward the light and embracing the possibility of true love once more. I’m sorry if this is cheeseball, but it’s true. And Nate & Erin’s marriage, which they so generously included me in, was an occasion for the ages, and will be a memory I’ll always hold & cherish. Thank you, Nate & Erin. 🙂