I knew this would happen. My Duke boys story was online for about an hour before I got an email from Todd K. He says:

Just to set the record straight:

I tell a version of the story in which the counter guy strums the guitar once and in shock says, “You’ve got these strings tuned an octave too high!” as a handsome dark-haired stranger walks in the door. The guy hands the guitar right back to you and says, “Son, Tom Wopat’s here.”

I agree it’s a much better story. Except that it never happened. If I’m just going to invent celebrity encounters, then why Tom Wopat? Wouldn’t it be much funnier if it were David Hasselhoff?

I say the interesting thing about the story is that I encountered both Duke boys at guitar stores in Nashville.

Interesting to me alone, possibly. But still interesting.