Welcome again my Excitable friends! It’s time for another 311 Fan Spotlight. This week let’s meet Noel Morris!
It was the late 90’s/early 2000’s when Noel was finishing up high school and heading off to college that he first heard of 311. ” I listened to a wide variety of music. I liked 311, but I would not have said they were anywhere near my favorite. I did enjoy there music because it was some solid rock and was fun to listen to while partying.”
Noel has been to 19 shows in 8 states. He keeps track of them and the songs that he has seen live, as well as how many times for each song. First show was in Pensacola, Florida, in July of 2007. “I had been drinking pretty heavily all day, and my friend and I who had traveled down from Tennessee ended up getting thrown out some time during 311’s set after being searched and interrogated by some cops for partaking in some herb. I fell off when Uplifter came out. I didn’t see them again or lose g to anything new until October 2017 in Nashville. That was the first full set that I saw and the moment I was all in on 311!”
As for favorite show or event, Noel said the cruises are definitely what he loves the most. “I went on the 2019 cruise by myself and knew no one on the boat. By the time I left, I had made so many incredible friends from all over the country. This past cruise was just as amazing since I knew so many people and couldn’t walk 15 feet without having to stop and hug everyone. Vegas is also incredible because you get so many deep cuts, but the cruise is the only thing that beats 311 Day!”
As for a song that means the most to him, Noel said the last couple of years it’s been “Dodging Raindrops.” “That is definitely a hot take, but the meaning and feelings behind that one has really gotten me through some times. Being at the world premiere in Vegas was phenomenal!” Some lyrics that he loves include: “From chaos comes clarity,” and “I’m a perfect example of not giving a fuck, about the catty rude people that just suck.”
Noel grew up in White House, Tennessee, which is about 30 minutes north of Nashville. ” I spent my “college” years up in Bowling Green, KY. I was enrolled at WKU for a couple years, but I took a semester off to work to help pay for a new car and never went back. I was too proud to let me parents pay for it. I lived there about 5 years before heading back home.”
Noel started working in steel fabrication when he was 16, during the summer when he didn’t have band stuff going on. Then he worked in fast food, managing a Sonic when he was in Kentucky. Then he moved back home at 24 and got back working into steel. “
After the recession hit and was pretty much done, I went back to school to be a medical assistant. I worked in Pain Management a few years running a fluoroscope and assisting with epidurals, ablations, spinal cord stimulator implants, and other procedures. I kind of fell into the business side of medical by accident, but I’ve been doing it 8 years now. I travel to different hospitals around the nation to assist and manage different aspects of their business offices and AR services. I specialize more in the billing, claims/denial follow-up, and back end services, but in the last few years based on client needs, I’ve been managing a lot of the Patient Access (registration and scheduling) services. I really love what I do. It allows me to travel around and see different parts of the county. My favorite was a year I spent working in Juneau, Alaska for a Native Health organization. I spent a couple years on the Canadian border about 2 hours outside of Syracuse. Lately I’ve been working in El Dorado, Arkansas. My company specializes in working with small independent hospitals in the middle of nowhere to give them the knowledge and expertise that larger chain hospitals can attract easily. I’ve always considered myself a bit of a Renaissance man. No matter what I’ve done for work, I always try to go in and be the best at whatever it is I am doing.”
Fun fact about Noel is that he’s always down to try something new and is really adventurous. “I’m a certified scuba diver. I’ve been skydiving, but one of my favorite things to do is dance! I started when I was around 18. I’ve forgotten more ballroom stuff than I still remember but LOVE to dance! I’m still pretty decent at swing dancing. That seems to be one of the things that surprise people the most once they get to know me. I actually almost took a job as a dance instructor years ago.”
Something that makes Noel unique is that at a young age he really stopped caring what people thought about him. “I was extremely introverted when I was in high school. Dancing is where I first started gaining some confidence and becoming more extroverted. Most people find it hard to believe that I was ever introverted. It still comes out from time to time. I’ve always split any personality test straight down the middle of being the quiet homebody that likes to work alone and the life of the party that wants to be out and never meets a stranger. It’s definitely an odd combination, but I’m always 100% authentic me lol.”
As mentioned earlier, Noel really likes a wide variety of music. “I could go straight from attending a symphony performance to then heading across town to a metal show and feel just as comfortable and entertained at either. Since this last cruise, I’ve been on a big Ballyhoo! kick. It was the same with Tropidelic and RDGLDGRN after the 2019 cruise. Aside from that type of music, I really love country, especially 90s country and the classics. My favorite country acts would be Chris Young, Lady Antebellum, Bryan White, and Blackhawk. I love Led Zeppelin! In my younger days, they were by far my favorite band! Some other randoms would be Foo Fighters, RHCP, The Highwaymen, DMB, Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, OAR, Glenn Miller, Miles Davis, Metallica, All That Remains, and Earth, Wind, and Fire…. to name a few lol.” Guilty pleasure for him is music from Limp Bizkit and “Supernatural.”
To 311, Noel would like to say, “Thanks for all the positivity and love that you and your music has put into the world because it truly changed my outlook on life!”
Now here are his words to the other fans out there:
“Stay positive and love your life! To all my excitable friend I’ve meet and still have yet to meet, I truly love you all! Looking forward to all the love at 311 Day!
Also to all the Slinkies, if we are at a show, the silent disco on the cruise, or anywhere with some good tunes and you want to do some real dancing, don’t be afraid to let me know because I’ll definitely be down to give you a twirl!”
Thank you Noel for sharing your story with us all! My eternal gratitude also to the readers each post. I hope you all have an amazing week, sending you all good vibes.
Much Love – The Runt