Why hello there my excitable friends! New month…another Monday is upon us…and that means it’s time for the next edition of the 311 fan spotlight. This week let’s learn the story of Christina Long!
Intro to 311 came through a childhood friend for Christina. She was just a casual fan until her friend bought her a ticket to see them live as her college graduation present. This show was in Jones Beach, New York, on July 9, 2010. “The energy of the show was breath taking, and I easily lost myself in the music. From that day on I was hooked, and haven’t regretted a minute of the journey since.” It was about a month after this show that the first cruise was announced. “When I saw the email I called up my bff and told him that we had to go. My second 311 show was the sail away show on the 2011 cruise.”
Show count for Christina is now at 74, which she hit this past summer. Show 75 will be night one of 311 Day 2020. As for her favorite show, she chose the sail away show on the first cruise. “The feeling of being on a ship for the first time, watching 311 perform as we leave the port, not knowing what the next few days will be like. It’s an experience you can never really have again. Now when we go on the cruise, we know what an amazing time we’re going to have, but during that first one, the sense of the unknown made everything far more intense.”
Song that means a lot to Christina was hard to choose as many songs have meant different things to her over the years. She says “Dodging Raindrops” is toward the top of the list currently. “Speak Easy” is also up there because of “the feeling of freedom that song inspires.. Especially when played on the cruise. I actually have lyrics from Speak Easy tattooed on me. :)”
There are a few lyrics that stand out to Christina as favorites including: “If there’s a shadow in your life, Then there’s sunshine, Things turning inside out, All the time, Just rewind, It’s all in your mind”; “Hey you, what would the world be like, Ahh, without you around, Music you’re my constant companion, ahh”; “Let the cards fall where they may, All I can do, all I can say, Gotta move to trust my instinct, And surrender, let my song sing itself”; and “But if you’re feeling locked up and you wanna get free, Cuz you’re always on the hunt looking for serenity, Some of the times are gonna be rough but no matter what it brings Just lean into it, yeah lean into it.”
Christina grew up in New York City, in the urban borough of Queens. She spent a short time in upstate New York for college, but other than that she’s been in Queens her whole life. “ I don’t plan on staying here forever though, and I use my 311 travels as opportunities to check out other states/cities I’d want to live in. So far the PNW has really captured my heart, and I’m seriously debating heading out there.” For the past 10 years she’s worked for the NYC government. First it was for an elected official and now she works for a local agency that addresses quality of life issues within a small part of Queens. “Not the most glamorous work by any means, but I’m trying to do my part to help improve the neighborhood that I call home.”
Fun facts about Christina are that she has 8 tattoos, 6 of which are 311 or music related. “I’m hoping to add a few more soon.” Also, when she was in her 20’s, she was offered a modeling contract but turned it down. Something that makes her unique she wasn’t quite sure how to answer, so she had her bestie answer it- “Your infinite compassion and empathy, even for those whom you don’t actually like.”
Guilty pleasure? Christina said she doesn’t really have one. “ I fully embrace all of my weird likes and hobbies, and put them on display for the world to see. I mean if I’m not afraid to publicly post about meeting the actors from the original Power Rangers show in the early 90s, then what could I possibly want to hide?”
Other artists Christina enjoys include Passafire, Ballyhoo, Coheed and Cambria, Backstreet Boys (yeah I know, but I was a teen in the 90s lol), Dirty Heads, Rebelution, Iration, and Mike Shinoda.
To 311, Christina would like to say: “Thank you, I know you’ve probably heard this a thousand times, but your music has without a doubt changed my life.”
Christina has this message for all her fellow fans:
“Thank you for all of the amazing times these last 10 years, and I’m looking forward to the next 10!”
————
Thank you Christina for sharing your 311 story! Much gratitude to all the readers out there as usual! I can’t thank you all enough for the continued support. Until next time, have an amazing week!
Much love – The Runt