Well hello there Excitable friends! It’s about time for the next 311 fan spotlight. This edition we meet Courtney White!
It was during middle school when a friend of hers started listening to 311 that she first heard their magical sounds. “I got two 311 CDs for my birthday, Live & Soundsystem (new album release) and I was hooked!”
As for show count, Courtney believes she is somewhere in the triple digits but she lost count a long time ago. “I remember one summer I went to 5 311 shows in a span of like a week and half.” First show for her was in Kansas City at the Uptown Theatre in 2000. “We hung out behind the building afterwards and got to meet Nick, Tim and SA.”
Favorite show for Courtney, there are a few. She said the secret show at The Hive in Omaha was pretty bad ass. Other than that she said it’s pretty much a tie between the first cruise and the third. ” The sail away show on Cruise 1 had this amazing feeling I’d never experienced before and #3 I had met SO many new and wonderful friends. I am a 7timer!”
There are a few songs that mean the world to Courtney and they are “Eons,” “Use of Time,” and “Large in the Margin.” “Maybe it’s because they are part of my original favorites but I get emotional every time I hear them – especially live.” For favorite lyrics, she loves the ending of Offbeat Bare Ass: “The war on drugs may be well intended but it falls fucking flat when you stop to mention the overcrowded prisons where a rapist gets paroled to make room for a dude who has sold a pound of weed to me that’s a crime – here’s to all good people doin time ya’ll.” She also loves “Every time I turn the volume down, all I hear is the deafening sound of your hearts pound” and “You’re all up in my mix like fucking Betty Crocker.”
Courtney was born, raised, and still resides in Kansas City. She grew up on the Kansas side and now lives on the Missouri side. “GO CHIEFS!!” For work, she has been selling cars for the last 14 years and she says it certainly pays for all her 311 adventures. “It’s a job that I really love.”
Courtney has two 311 tattoos that she says people either comment on because they know the band…or they ask her what 311 means! Fun fact about her is that she had a very Midwest experience – she’s been in a tornado. “Ironically, coming home from 311 day in Memphis, we had to pull over on the highway and get under a bridge to be protected from it. Wasn’t a big one luckily but it was an experience!”
While Courtney claims she doesn’t have any special talents, she did say that she’s really good and successful at her job. “I am the product specialist car salesperson.” Guilty pleasure for her is watching reality TV shows like Are you the One?, The Challenge, Too Hot to Handle, and Below Deck. She also loves cooking competition shows.
When not listening to 311, Courtney loves the sounds of Zebrahead, Stick Figure, the Movement, and Rebelution. She also loves some old school bands like Tool, Korn, and Less Than Jake.
When asked what message she would like to send to 311, Courtney had these words: “This question always gets me bc I’m not creative in any sense and anytime I ever see one of them in person, I freeze up and never know what to say. I was in Omaha at a hotel and some of the guys were staying there too – this was after the secret show at the Hive – and SA and I were in the elevator together and I was stunned. He’s asked if I had fun and I simply said “I had a blast! Did you guys have fun?” facepalm. But I guess I’d keep it simple – Thank you and I fucking love you guys.”
As for what she would say to her fellow 311 fans, that was easy:
“311 fans are so awesome, we really are a special group – keep livin’ & rockin’ Excitable Ones!”
Thank you to Courtney for sharing her story! And of course my endless gratitude to all the readers each spotlight. Hope you are all well and surrounded by love & good fortune. Until next time.
Much Love – The Runt