I spotted Ben Harper, dynamite musician and devoted Dodgers’ fan, in the concourse behind the first base box seats at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night. I shook his hand and introduced myself. “Nice to put a face to the name,” Harper said. “You want a dog?”
How cool is that? Harper, a two-time Grammy Award winner, wanted to know if he could get me a hot dog. I wrote about Harper’s song “Get It Like You Like It” last year because it included lyrics about Johnny Damon and we’ve e-mailed since then.
When Harper told me he was coming to see Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants play his beloved Dodgers, we planned to meet. Harper, who is as cool as his music sounds, plays a blend of soul, rock, folk and reggae.
In the cooler-than-cool L.A. crowd, Harper, wearing a plaid coat and a plaid hat, stood out. Even the fans that were clueless about Harper’s identity stared at him, figuring he must be somebody important. As much as Harper bleeds Dodger blue, he predicted that Bonds would blast a homer off his team. Bonds did not, going 0 for 3, and remaining at 754 homers.
Still, listening to Harper discuss Bonds, one artist talking about another artist, was neat. Harper lifted his hands to mimic Bonds’s stance and said he is awed by the way Bonds swings the bat.
“Even if he doesn’t hit one tonight,” Harper said, “I’ll still be glad I was here.”
Me, too. (By Jack Curry)