Well, Ebbie, someone posted the question in an earlier "game" thread. I didn't see it as a terribly offensive invasion of privacy to seek the answer once my curiosity had been aroused ~ and still don't ~ but I'll bow to consensus if it's generally agreed that we should drop this.

I think that the only reason no one asked which of us once hung out with Joan or Emmylou or Alson or whoever is that none of us DID, but apparently someone among us indeed once socialized with Mary.

My second guess (above), by the way, was as incorrect as my first one. I received the answer via PM today, from a third party who asked that I not let the cat out of the bag but rather to leave it up to the person himself to decide whether or not to 'fess up publicly. It was apparently not a lengthy or serious relationship, just a couple of dates back when neither of the parties involved were public figures. Nothing "tawdry."

I don't expect Mr X to own up; I don't think I would. I myself once had a brief musical partnership of sorts with a young woman who would later go on to achieve a bit of notoriety and success (not worldwide superstardom, but a level of critical and "cult" recognition).

The relationship was more platonic than I would have wished, not that it matters much. In any event, I generally avoid talking about it with anyone who isn't such an old friend that they knew about it at the time. Basically, I hate to allow anyone to think I was "bragging"; and it would be bragging just to let on that I was able to sing and play with this particular artist as a more-or-less equal. The possibility that anyone would misunderstand and get the idea that I was claiming some kind of sexual conquest as well, that would be even worse. I suppose that if the relationship had actually been more personal and more serious, I'd probably feel even more reluctant to "name names."