BILLY BRAGG Treats Me Right

Billy is SERIOUS

By Cieranna C.

Several months after my sister applied for her first Student Discover Card Classic, she received an inconspicuous letter in the mail marked the with the Sony and Discover logos. My father was about to throw it away, but I knew what it was so I grabbed it from his hands. My dad thought that it was probably junk mail and unimportant...like he'd know what's important! I called my sister from my bedroom phone number. She asked me to open it right away. So it did. She was the first prize winner in the Billy Bragg Sony/Discover Card folk music tour contest. Two backstage passes and all expense paid round trip tickets on Delta to Las Vegas for the opening night of the Billy Bragg Sony/Discover Card folk music tour.

My sister said that since I was the one to buy her first Billy Bragg CD (Talking with the Taxman About Poetry) she wanted me to go. I was so excited that I said yes right away and called all of my friends. The next day I went to school proudly sharing all of my Billy Bragg pens and pencils and note pads that everyone began to know me as Great Bend Kansas' number one Billy Bragg fan. I even wore my favorite jean jacket with Bill Bragg's portrait and autograph on the back.

That night my sister called she said she could not give me the ticket because she could only get the tickets out of one city, and since the UCLA was too far from Kansas, I wouldn't be able to go. I must admit I was more humiliated than disappointed. How was I going to explain to everyone that I wasn't going when the whole town was excited about it? Why even Uncle Zeb went out a bought a new Sony Discman, like the one on the Billy Bragg modeled in the Sunday paper, and a new Bill Bragg CD. He told Mom that he got 10% off the CD because he applied for the Discover Card at Sears.

Well, I kept my mouth shut the entire month. Boy the truth really eats away at you if you don't let it out. So the day after the concert I was going to go the principal's office and let everyone know the secret I was keeping. That morning the principal called me to the office almost as if he knew I was hesitating to spill the beans. When I got there however, there were all sorts of people standing around the secretary's desk. I pushed my way through the crowd and then into the principal's office. And when I looked up it was Billy Bragg and my sister. He laughed and told me all about how he used his frequent flier miles to come see me when my dear sweet wonderful sister told him how she had to let me down.

He became my buddy that day and I showed him all around the school and we shared a Coke at lunch (with the SAME straw). I could not believe it. Then he gave me a copy of his Live at Los Vegas CD and my very own Sony Discman. But he said I could call it a Discwoman (he so liberal it's just wonderful). Then he took my family out to eat at Olive Garden. My uncle Zeb was sooo jealous!