Byrned: Jinx's Pit's Top gets 'Once in a Lifetime' visitor

Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne spent an hour at James "Jinx" Kern's tiny eatery on Market Street the afternoon before his show at Charlottesville Pavilion.
PHOTO BY ALTERNA2/FLICKR-FILE PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO

"My buttons are about to pop," declares James "Jinx" Kern, owner of Jinx’s Pit’s-Top Barbecue, the little barbecuery on East Market Street.

"We were wrapping up the lunch hour today, and suddenly someone walked in who looked remarkably like David Byrne."

Indeed, arriving on bicycles, Byrne and his band showed up to try Jinx's tasty barbecue, and even bought several orders of ribs and barbecue for later, perhaps to fuel up for their show at the Pavilion tonight.

"There's an irony here," says Jinx. "Back in 1985 I dated an ER doctor who was crazy about me because she thought I looked like David Byrne. That's how I became a Talking Heads fan."

As luck would have it, Jinx's brother from Chicago happened to call while Byrne was there, and Byrne was kind enough to take the phone and say hello. "My brother is a Talking Heads fanatic," says Jinx.

Jinx didn't have a camera on hand, but he says Byrne took a photo of them all together and promised he'd send it to him.

"We'll see if he ever sends it," says Jinx, "but it was my little brush with genius."