Doc Watson encounters emergency room mishap

If I have learned nothing else in my four and a half years at Appalachian State University, I have learned the following:

Under no circumstances is it appropriate to throw up on or in the vicinity of Doc Watson.

Doc Watson is a seven-time Grammy winning bluegrass and folk musician from just down the mountain in Deep Gap.

Born Arthel Lane Watson in 1923, he got the nickname during a radio broadcast in reference to Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick Doctor Watson.

Renowned for his flatpicking skills, Watson founded MerleFest, held in Wilkesboro every year in honor of his son Merle who was killed in a farming accident.

Watson, who has been blind since shortly before his first birthday, was instrumental in the folk revival movement of the 60s and 70s.

He has played at Appalachian several times and recently played in Farthing Auditorium with long time friend David Holt.

He received the National Medal of the Arts from former President Clinton in 1997 and was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

This area is so lucky to have Watson as a pioneer, champion and messenger of the music that comes from Appalachia.

He is an absolutely, phenomenally, incredibly talented and amazing musician.

And I had the misfortune of vomiting dangerously close to him.

It was two years ago at about 6 a.m., in the emergency waiting room of Watauga Medical Center.

I was, unfortunately, unable to recognize him while I had a fever of 104 degrees because, honestly, everyone looked a little fuzzy.

As a tiny rock was rattling around in my kidney, causing severe infection, pain and gastrointestinal pyrotechnics, Doc Watson sat next to me in the waiting room tapping on the chair.

I consciously remember being excessively irritated by the sound.

If only I hadn’t been too dehydrated to see straight, I may have been able to recognize the talented rhythmic tapping as coming from a world-renowned musician.

Later, as a nurse pumped me full of fluids, I was informed no less than three people away that I had just very nearly vomited on Doc Watson.
Fabulous.

It’s a good thing I was delirious and heavily medicated, or I would have felt much, much worse about the contents of my stomach ending up near the feet of a musical genius.

So if our paths should ever cross again, or if he happens to come across this article, I would like to officially offer my apologies to a man for whom I have the utmost respect.

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