Glen Hansard Left the Stage Door Open

On artistic generosity, nights of improvised poetry and music, and friendship in random encounters

Glen Hansard wasn’t just one of the greatest troubadours of our time, but like the truest and best, he was a generous soul, and a great example of an open door for all of us.

I first met Glen at the Karlovy Vary film festival, where I was showing my air-drumming comedy, and he was slated to sing for the Czech president’s wife, or so we were told. I told him about my brother’s challenges bringing his music into the world, so Glen suggested I join him onstage to sing my brother’s song “Into the Blue.” That evening, I hung out with Markéta and her wonderful family, and got to hack our way through a performance, with no rehearsal, for a room full of elegant dignitaries. Glen didn’t mind that we didn’t know what we were doing.

15 years of random encounters later, we crossed paths again in the Netherlands, and I told him I’d finally made an improvised movie with my brother and father, inspired in part by “Once.” He suggested I come onstage to talk about the movie, and once again improvise poetry and music on the subjects of love, family, death, and life.

At midnight, Glen and his lovely band invited me onto the tour bus where we read poetry to each other. He filmed me reading a poem about my childhood here. (I’m of course sorry that I didn’t film him, but I was trying to be in the present, which in the end has its advantages.)

I recently invited him to join the release of Brother Verses Brother, but like so many stories that are unfinished, now I get to see him on down the road. I wish it were here tomorrow, and yet it will be soon enough anyway.

Glen treated the stage as a door left open, and kept waving people through it. The best way I know to honor him is to keep doing the same.

Well, I’m going deeper
My brother's keeper
I'm looking out for him
The best I can
He’s getting older
The year is colder
Got to lean a little closer now
And hear what he's saying
Hear what he's saying