Yep, I sat next to Paul McCartney on a couch and did a 15 minute interview with him.  And yep, it's my best rock star moment.

It was October of 2002 and I got an email asking me if I wanted to do a phoner with Sir Paul.  I said of course and then a couple of hours later they asked if I would rather do it in person...dumb question!  But then all kinds of crazy thoughts started going through my head like, would I blow the interview?  Will he be a jerk?  Although I doubted that one.

I showed up at Scottrade at 5:30 and was met outside by security.  They took me to a dressing room where two British ladies were ironing clothes and generally prepping others.  They were quite charming and I enjoyed sitting there chatting with them.  Someone popped in to say that Paul would be late as he wants to do sound check first.  I asked if I could watch and they said no.  Apparently, Paul didn’t even want the ushers seeing sound check so I sat there.

As I sat there patiently waiting, I’m guessing I had been in Scottrade for a total of about an hour or so.  It was clearly one of those situations where you, “hurry up and wait.”  But I didn’t care…it was Paul McCartney.

Even though I couldn’t watch sound check I could sure hear it from this dressing room.  It went on for quite a while and to this day I really can’t remember how long exactly.  Sound check stops and I continue to wait…and wait.  And then, Paul McCartney enters the room.

I stand up to greet him and we’re introduced by his tour manager.  Paul immediately says in that Paul accent, “Do you mind waiting for a few minutes?  I’ve got to do something.”  I said sure and he leaves.  Was I star struck?  You bet your ass I was and it was probably only the second time in my life that I ever had been.  I met Eric Clapton by chance on 8th and Pine in 1986 when he was in town for the filming of the Chuck Berry movie.  That’s a whole other story.

Paul returns about 10 minutes later and sits next to me on the couch.  He couldn’t have been friendlier or more accommodating.  I had my own questions I wanted to ask but I also asked listeners to give me their questions as I didn’t want to bombard Sir Paul with tons of questions that he gets every time.

Afterward, he signed an autograph for me and we took a photo which you see here.  I raced back to the studio and played it on the air and I don’t think it’s seen the light of day since.  It was quite a 24 hour period as I then boarded a flight for Cabo San Lucas at 5am for Sammy Hagar’s birthday party…it was my first time going down there.

Does it get any bigger than meeting a Beatle?  I don’t really think so.  Although I would love to meet Mick, Keith and actually interview Eric Clapton.  It was a good day.  Enjoy listening.

AMF!
Favazz