Here I go with a few more famous encounters:
Name: Steven Tyler, lead singer, Aerosmith. 2006 Logan International Airport, Boston, 1AM
Me: “Steve? Sorry to bother you. I’m a fan and thank you for all of the music.”
Tyler: “Right on brother!” (Hugs me) “What is everyone doing here in the middle of the night?”
Me: “Because of all of the bad thunderstorms, we were diverted here from all over the place. I’m here trying to see where my luggage went and my car is up in Manchester. But who cares about that, what’s going on with the band? Care to share something that I haven’t read online or in a book?”
Tyler: “Well, I had some throat surgery and this fall we are going on the road with Motley Crue which should be a fun tour now that those guys are also sober. Something I want everyone to know is that when I got clean, I don’t take anything for granted ever my brother. I’ve been blessed to do what I do for so long.”
Of all the famous people I have met, Steven Tyler is arguably the most famous, and the most down to earth. Very cool guy.
Name: Tom Brady, Football player, QB, New England Patriots. Ok, I haven’t met him….yet, but when you read that, your brain just went….what? NO WAY! You are correct.
Name: Elvin Jones, musician, jazz drummer for John Coltrane and countless others. Boston, MA at a show 2004ish.
Me: “It’s an honor to meet you sir. You are in the history books. Would you share a story of your time playing with (John) Coltrane?”
Elvin: “I’ll share two that I remember right now. First off, ya gotta know that some of the places we played in were dry, dry. Very dry. (Patrick’s brain….I stupidly thought he meant lack of rainfall but what he meant was NO BOOZE). So this one gig, we were in the Kansas side of Kansas City and it was so dry and Trane has this brand new Cadillac, but he don’t want to drive it because he’s using (drugs….likely heroin) and he tells me, Elvin, go over the state line, find some booze and don’t come back for the gig until you do. He tosses me the keys and I am flipping ‘cuz I don’t wanna wreck the man’s new car, and I’m a black man driving this expensive caddy across the line and filling the trunk with booze. But you don’t say ‘no’ to Trane, so off I go. Took no one with me, drove around looking for a (watering) hole for a good hour on the other side of the line. I find a store and go in and buy a bunch of shit for the whole band. I load up the trunk, man this car had a huge trunk, and I’m so excited, I back out of the parking space and hit another car. Dented the shit out of the back fender and I didn’t want no shit, so I drove off. John (Coltrane) could be the sweetest man you ever met, but if he was in a mood, he was a foul bitch and now I’m rolling in 2 hours later, almost time to hit (start the gig) and I have a trunkful of booze and a dented brand new Cadillac. I thought he would fire my ass and kick it. He saw the damage when I gave him the keys, but because this happened AFTER I bought all the booze, he told me not to worry.”
His second one is great also: sitting with me, Elvin Jones tells me that he used to play with a guy (on piano) who was so short, that the guy carried around 2 phonebooks. He would stack them on the piano bench and cover it all with a blanket so no one in the audience knew that he needed to be boosted up. They nicknamed the guy YELLOW PAGES. Hilarious…..If you are not a jazz fan, search up Elvin Jones anyway….the man was a GIANT in the genre, and a warm, wonderful person.
As I reminisce, I realize that I’ve yet to meet any Hollywood folk. Hmmm….road trip anyone? I’m also looking into doing some online Rock history classes online….Maybe a Beatles forum, or taking a deep dive into some classic tunes. I miss doing this with my students. More information to come as I gauge interest…..and no, this won’t be some Youtube stuff that’s already out there….haha.
Stay safe, stay awesome, stay in tune, and when you meet someone famous, remember to ask them to tell you something that you won’t read in a book somewhere.
Moeschen! 