How Terribly Strange to be Seventy...You're Still Crazy After All These Years
I’d like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation of this man and his music. It’s really hard to distinguish between a famous person’s work and the person themselves. In a case like Paul Simon, he lives a very dull life in Connecticut and is rather private. I met him once and that was enough for me. I’m glad the way it happened, because if he was mean to me, I don’t think I would have recovered from the shock. I’ve heard horror stories about people who have met him and I know how difficult he can be sometimes. He seems to have gotten more difficult with age. He doesn’t flaunt his celebrity around like other superstars and still drives his kids to school every day and coaches Little League.
Now, on to meeting the living legend. Austin (my best friend-for new readers), his then girlfriend Rosa (now finace) and I had gotten tickets to see Harper Simon (Paul’s grown son from his first marriage) at the Mercury Lounge. The place was standing room only and wasn’t quite filled, maybe 150 people. There was an opening act, as I remember it was a ska band with a horn section. All the while, Austin and Rosa kept teasing me that Paul would show up. I wasn’t expecting it since the night before he had played the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary Concert at MSG. We were in the back just waiting for Harper, trying to pass time as the opener wasn’t really good. All of the sudden, it was like a near death experience, I don’t think anyone else noticed it, but I saw a short man with a scarf wearing a fedora with grey hair sticking out walk in with a tall lanky young boy. I knew it was Paul Simon and his oldest son with his current wife, Adrian. I have run into Adrian at the Beacon for several shows and even the previous night at the show at MSG. They had one bench on the left side and there was a small group milling around. Paul sat down and was listening to the band.
I pointed him out to Austin who was really excited because we usually run into Paul’s double, his brother Eddie (read the other posts), but this time it was Paul in the flesh. I really contemplated going over to say hello, but I’m glad I didn’t because some other young girls had the idea too and he was having nothing to do with it. He was waving people away and wouldn’t sign anything or even talk to you.
After a few minutes, Harper came out and did his set. We rushed the stage and I ended up being dead center for the set. About halfway through the show, Austin leaned in and asked me, who the woman in white next to me was, because she was really getting into the music and was dancing. I looked to my left, and turned back with “oh, it’s Yoko.” Yoko Ono was next to me busting a move and I didn’t even know it! She was on fire. After Harper finished his set, I leaned over to Yoko and said “you’re awesome” gave her a thumbs up (I don’t know why, just happened) and she said “so are you.” I really gained a lot of respect for the lady after seeing her in the flesh and knowing how much tragedy she has seen in her life. So now when I see dead head hippies at the Paul McCartney concerts wearing their, “I still blame Yoko” t-shirts, I want to punch them in the face.
Yoko was whisked away by her man servant. I know her son Sean and Harper are best friends, they grew up next to each other at the Dakota. Harper walked off stage and began to sign CDs for the few people who stayed. I was waiting my turn, when Paul came from the corner and basically cut me and two other people to come talk to Harper about the show. I do remember there was a young kid who kept trying to get him to sign a Graceland CD. Paul again, would have nothing to do with that. So after Paul left, Harper signed one more CD then I pulled out the CD and asked him to sign it. Harper obliged. I told him how much I enjoyed the show and how great the CD is (I mean, that, you should check it out) and how I really liked the song Tennessee. He apologized for not playing it. He inscribed the CD to me handed my pen back to me and was making the rounds with his friends. What I noticed was that there were more of his friends and family there than actual people to see him. Paul was also milling around talking to people that he obviously knew. We were just milling around too soaking up the atmosphere and realizing that something like this will never happen again, Harper, Paul and Yoko in a small venue??
I had to run to the bathroom and was going to meet Austin and Rosa outside. A few seconds after I got out I met them, it seemed that fate had intervened as Paul was leaving too. I turned to him, and said “hot set last night, and I really enjoyed the Capeman.” He said, “I’m glad you enjoyed it” I even got a handshake. He and his son crossed the street to an unmarked black SUV and were out of there faster than it happened.
The next night was Halloween, so there were a lot of people dressed up walking around. We passed many on our way to the Bleecker St subway. I was humming the S&G song Bleecker Street in my head as we walked past the freaks.
October 30, 2009, a day that I will never forget. Thanks Paul for being cordial, and if Paul McCartney didn’t own the rights to Happy Birthday and I didn’t have to pay royalties, I’d sing it for you sometime.
