Paul signs for some of his devoted American fans

 September 26, 1983 - outside of AIR studio 

Paul invades the U.S. (New York) 1984

 Paul Invades the U.S. – New York

By Pat Deese

Believe it or not, walking down Park Avenue in NYC, I actually spotted someone I knew – Jennie, so I rushed across the street, caught up with her, and asked if she knew where Paul might be.  She said she had just seen Trevor go by in the limo and was trying to figure where he was going.  She then told us that she had heard that Paul was supposedly going to do an interview with “Entertainment Tonight” at the Carlisle Hotel on 76^th Street.  So Kathy and her friend LouAnn and I headed off to look.  We saw a group of fans there as we arrived.

A little while later we saw some “ET” people arrive, so we thought he must be coming.  The security got ready to some cops arrived.  At about 1:20, Paul arrived. As he got out of the car, he was besieged with the fans, handing him boxes of flowers and presents.  Some were really shoving and he said, “Please don’t crowd.”  I stood back and snapped a few photos.  He proceeded to go in as it was a bit wild.  He wore dark pants and a jacket.

As we waited to see him leave, we were across the street when someone yelled, “Julian!” and we looked to see him bouncing out of a car.  After that, we decided to wait across the street.  A while later, Linda arrived, and still later, Heather came (to see Julian perhaps).  They left later and I got a photo of Julian leaving, but he would not slow down for anyone and basically everyone let him be.

The security started joining forces and the cops arrived once more, so we knew that Paul would be leaving soon after.  It was about 4:15 when he left. This time Linda was with him, and he had changed and was wearing a red jacket.  This time he did not even attempt to stop, just walked towards the car.  The crowd waiting was quite large and passersby were also waiting across the street in hopes of catching a glimpse.

We were then told he was attending a party at a club on 60^th Street at 6pm, so we headed off in that direction.  IT was much more crowded with fans and photographs alike.  Kathy and I managed to get close to the entrance and proceeded to wait as various celebrities, including most of the MTV crew, arrived.  We were rewarded finally around 7:30 to the sight of Macca bouncing out of his car and proceeding to entertain the fans and photographers with a lot of bouncing and smiling and posing and jumping about!  I caught a fabulous glimpse of this as I was standing not 10 feet away and the photographer directly in front of me was bend down leading on a table they had earlier put up as a barricade.  I took a few photos at first but was unable to tell if I was in focus, plus I was being jostled by the crowd. I switched to my movie camera.  I was rewarded with a wild pose and a knees down arms outstretched pose right at my camera.  Needless to say, I nearly dropped the camera.  He looked gorgeous and wore a dark suit and tie.

 

Some of the people left there then and headed for the premiere, but we decided to wait at the exit as we would be much closer to him there.   I got up and kneeled on the table for close to an hour.  Kathy eventually stood on it along with Louann.  I was so sore, but I was not about to let that stop me from catching a glimpse.  He came out somewhere after 8:30 (which of course made him late for the premiere!) and after snapping a few photos and getting a good look, we headed for the theater, which was about 5 blocks away.  We sure had a feat ahead of us, and that was to get there ahead of Paul.  So, everyone was running.  Picture maybe 50 of more fans setting off running up the street, across streets, probably in front of stunned drivers, yelling, laughing, passing bewildered New Yorkers casually strolling down the street, turning, looking, staring, wondering why was everyone running, what was happening, who did you see?  I could barely breathe after the first two blocks, so I slowed to a fast walk.  Actually, the only thing that had kept me going was that he was going to be there.  It was like the chase scene in “Hard Day’s Night.”  We had not sat down or eaten in over 12 hours, and had walked and run all over New York.

We got to the premiere and there were tons of people.  Luckily, we did beat Paul there, although with all the people there, we did not see him.  I did however see his hand go in carrying roses and giving a victory sign to the screaming crowd! It was wild and I guess he really enjoyed it and did a whole number of the crowd and press.

After that we decided to watch him leave from across the street at McDonald’s, where we could actually see him in the distance.  Jennie and her friends stayed there and saw him arrive, so that’s how we knew he “milked” the crowd.  We saw the mounted police arrive on their horses and knew he would be soon departing.  He left ahead of everyone else and waved wildly to the enthusiastic crowd.  We walked across the street and managed to get copies of the programs and some girl gave us tickets that had been handed out for the premiere.

The whole thing was an exhausting experience, but I would do it all again for the man. 

Our last full day in England

 

This fan encounter was written by Pat D. adn was in the Jan/Feb issue of McCartney Ltd.   The photograph of Paul and Linda was taken on October 3, 1972 -- so two days after the story. 

About 20 to 3 on our last full day in England, Sunday, October 1, 1972, I had one of my urges and that was to go to EMI, so we managed to hop an underground for St. John's Wood.  We finally found ourselves walking over to EMI.  There were some girls we knew so we learned Paul had been due that morning but never showed.  I began looking down the street remembering what I had heard about his car and how you just couldn't miss it.  When I suddenly saw it coming, about a block away.  It knew it was it.  We had been there for just about 5 minutes and now so was he.   They drove in and I went inside the gate a bit.  Some guy went up to Paul as he got out of the car and began talking.  Linda got out and came around to the back of the car and smiled and said hollow then went over to Paul.  She was wearing a long skirt and a long-sleeved sweater, and what later turned out to be the top of Paul's suit.  Paul wore grey pants and a light-colored printed shirt.  I kept snapping pics and Linda would look over at us and smiled and waved.  Then they went in.  Boy was I shaking.  He looked so good just like on the Flip Wilson Show -- on better. 

Around dinner time a lot of people came out.  I guess they were recording in one of the other studios.  They were all staring at Paul's car and touching it.  Once a lady stopped and asked who was recording.  WEndy said "BCLT" (initials for bacon, cheese, lettuce, and tomato) and she asked if they were American or English and if they were any good because she had never heard of them. 

Somehow night and 10:30 came.  By then there were three groups of girls.  We were still inside the gate by our tree and on the left, as they came out, Paul was just bouncing away.  As they passed, Linda said, "goodnight girls."   Paul bounced on.  Then he turned and said, "good evening girls."  When they got to the car, Paul looked back at us as if to see if we were still looking (we were) and Linda stopped behind the car and bent to pick up some leaves and said she liked to "smell the leaves."   AS they were pulling out, Paul kept looking over and making sexy faces.  I am glad British cars are on the side they are, or else we would not be able to see him.  As they were driving off Paul tooted the horn and waved.  Lurvery way to end a trip to England.  Oh by the way, he was wearing the suit coat. 

#9 Dream

Tonight is another John story from a fan.   It was written by Anne Tishelman and was published in the October 1979 issue of 'With a Little Help From My Friends."   

Photo taken on October 8, 1979, by Laura Choby 

It all started when Pat S., Laura C., and Pat D. decided to come to New York to hopefully see John.  They came on Saturday, October 6 (1979), and stayed with me, as I live just outside of NYC, 12 miles from John.  On Saturday night we stopped by John's, but it was about 8:30pm, and we really didn't expect to see him.  We just wanted to make sure that he was here and not upstate at the farm or anything.  Well, he was here.   We were all excited as long as we knew he was at least in the City, we had a chance.  We talked to the doorman for a bit and then came back to my house for the night, feeling very hopeful.

On Sunday, the 7th, we got to John's early in the afternoon, figuring John probably likes to sleep as late as the rest of us.   We got there about 1:30 pm or so, and just as we got out of the car, out comes Sean and the nanny!   It was quick and took us by surprise.  Sean waved and said "Hi!" a couple times.  He is SO adorable!  He's got very long hair - as long as John's (if not longer) very small eyes (but then so does John), and he's got the Lennon nose!  Off they went down the street, leaving us marveling at our luck and hoping to see Daddy!

We waited around for a while, getting colder and colder.  A couple more people came around Laura decided she needed cigarettes (after we'd seen Sean and a friend, the nanny and an older man go off into the park we figured we'd be safe going then because they'd probably be there for a while so we wouldn't miss anything), so we went for a little walk.  Coming back, we decided to walk a bit in the park.  We went in, and Laura was taking a few photos of the many roller skaters we saw.  I glanced over to the left, and in the distance, we saw the nanny.  We looked ahead of her a bit and saw Sean running around with two other little kids. The man was there, and there were two women with them as well.   They walked down one path, and Sean was throwing a Frisbee. They started back a little, so we went around and past them.   The kids started playing a huge rock -- more like some sort of boulder stuck in the ground, and we headed towards there as well.  Sean climbed up to the top and then would slide down the other side, and the other kids followed him.  We hung around there looking very touristy but with our cameras hidden.  Sean started playing soccer and then again with the Frisbee.  The other kids came around, and they all started generally running around.  We kept hearing them calling "Sean, Sean!" and it was just so cute.

The three kids were playing with the older man.  He was a monster for a while for them.  They were playing around in the grass.  At one point, the man was on the ground, and Sean started pulling grass up out of the ground and throwing it at the man singing, "It's raining it's pouring, the old man is snoring."   Another Lennon voice!  Maybe we'll get an LP yet from a Lennon!  After Sean, then the other kids started signing as well.  Then while the man was still on the ground, he pulled on the cuff of Sean's jeans, and he said, "What's the matter, Sean?  Doesn't anyone ever sew your pants?"  Laura and I just laughed.  They kept running around, laughing and having a good time, and we were just nonchalantly watching.  It was so adorable.  Sean is a doll with much energy, but at the same time, it kinda pulls on your heartstrings seeing Sean so happy romping around with this other man, whoever he was, and not John.   I'm sure he does play around with John, but seeing that just made us think a bit.  A lot more people would've been watching if it had been John Lennon and his son in Central Park.  I doubt if anyone else around there that day knew who he was.  Anyway, they started calling the kids together to go.  They started walking towards 72nd Street, and we did too, far enough behind them, so they didn't see us.  They stopped as the kids started eating oranges, but we were too close to stop.  We slowed down a bit, pretending to be generally looking around, but caught up with them.  We were right next to Sean.  He was wearing Sassoon jeans, no less! (A 4-year-old!).  There was a sort of fork in the path.  They went towards the left, so we went to the right.  We waited until they were ahead again.  Then we stayed on the opposite side of the street from them.  When we got to 72nd Street, Pat and everyone were still in front of the Dakota, and we motioned to them that Sean was coming.  They saw him but didn't see us.  They didn't go in the Dakota; they walked past.  We waited a while, but as it got later, colder and rainier, we figured John wasn't going to come out.  We were waiting after the others had left.  It would've been polite of John to come down and say hello to the four of us.  We talked to the doorman for a while, Tom and his friend Craig came, and we all went to warm up somewhere.  Didn't see John but it was a good day.

On Monday we decided to go a bit earlier.  Monday, October 8, 1979 - a day we'll not soon forget!  We left my house at about 9am.  We had breakfast and the Dakota Restaurant and then went over to John's.  Sharon and Julie were there again and a couple of other people.  At about 11:15 am a limo pulled in.  Was it for John?  The doorman confirmed it.  He was coming out in a little while!  Knowing he was coming, we just did not feel the old at all anymore.  We were getting more and more excited with every sign of movement from the office/lobby.  Every time the doorman walked in we were waiting for John to come out with him.  The state these Beatles reduces us to!

As we were waiting, a delivery truck pulled up and the man took out these two HUGE  boxes that were wrapped in white with big bows on top.  We all noticed them I think, guessing they were for John and Sean.  We joked that the boxes were so big that Ringo had probably sent them and Paul was in one and George in the other!  We found out the next day that they were the gifts that John and Sean gave each other -- each gave the other a life-size doll of himself!  Imagine getting a life-size John doll for your birthday!   At 11:45am, out they came.   The limo was in the driveway, so when we saw them come, we all moved toward the car.  John came out first, got in the back seat, then Sean right behind him, and Yoko behind Sean.  The nanny got in the front seat.  What a shock seeing John!  He looked so good!  Tall, thin, dressed in black, with a ciggie.  His hair is long again and he has a beard.  He looks like he just stepped across Abbey Road - 1969 all over, except the beard is a bit thinner.  As he came out and saw everyone, a big smile came across his face and he waved before he got in the car.  I don't care what anyone says, he loves it as much as Paul!  Sean was wearing a cowboy hat, and all I remember of Yoko is that she was wearing the big dark glasses she used to always wear.  We stayed on the driver's side of the car as that's where John was sitting (behind the driver).  As the car backed out of the driveway slowly, we just watched John.  It stopped right next to us before pulling out into the street.  John never stopped smiling and he was talking to Yoko.  As the car pulled out into the street we moved out a bit, and as it started to drive off, John turned around to us and waved int he rear window.  Laura and I were dying.  This was the first time either of us had actually "met a Beatle" and seeing John in such a good mood and so obviously happy, well, it just made it that much better!

Okay, so they were gone.  We figured they had to come back, so we'd wait.  We sat around talking about John and how great he's looking.  a few more people had come around.  We began to feel the cold again.  After a while, Pat went to get her car and double park in front of the building so we could still be on the lookout for John without freezing to death.  Pat and Laura were in the front, Pat D and I in back.  We were definitely warmer in the car, but we all were getting pretty drowsy.  "Limo watching" is tiring.  We were expecting John to come from the same direction which they had left; the direction we were facing.  Thank God Pat had looked in the rearview mirror when she did.  She glanced back  and said, "Silver Limo!" and I turned around, saw the license plate number and said, "It's him!"  We piled out of the car so fast.  Laura got out with me right behind her.  Pat swung her door open in the street, nearly hitting the limo.   Pat D.couldn't get the lever that moves the seat forward to get out of the back, so she crawled through the tiny space between the seat and the car -- now we're becoming contortionists!   Laura and I went up to the driveway as they pulled in, so that when he got out, we were right there.   I dont' remember Sean or the nanny at this point, and all I remember of Yoko was that as she got out right in front of me, I saw she's the same height as me and had a lot of gray hair in the back.  She went right in, but John stopped for a minute.  As he got out Laura shook his hand.  He got out and started taking out balloons and presents and things (we found out later that they'd gone to Sean's birthday party) and someone said they had a present for him, to which he replied, laughing, "I haven't enough hands!" and held up the balloons.   People were calling him and he said we had to "keep it down or they'll kick me out!"  to which we all laughed.  Hearing his voice, that voice it's enough to melt me away!  He had us pretty near tears I think.   Then Laura said, "John, can I take a picture John, please John?"He said, "Okay luv, but make it a quick one."  Laura took two and as I heard him say it was ok, I figured this was my chance.  I picked up my camera, focused it, and then realized my shutter-release-button lock was on.  By the time I got it unlocked, he was well under the archway.   I snapped one anyway, but of course, you can only make out the outline of his head, which is completely blacked out.   Just as he was about to go in, we called out "Happy Birthday John!" and he turned, gave us a big smile, waved and called "Thank you."  Then he went in and as soon as he was out of sight, Laura and I grabbed each other and started babbling and laughing and jumping up and down. 

Sure, we all miss hearing from John, but if he's that happy now just being with Sean and Yoko, then I think he deserves that happiness.  Sure, we'd all love to hear from him again, but if he never records again, I think I'd understand.


We went by for a little while on the 9th, but there were a lot of people around and we really didn't expect him to come out.   On Wednesday we were there for quite a while, and it snowed that day!  Luckily we had found a parking space right in front.  We knew he was in, and that alone is enough to keep us sickies waiting there.   We talked to various doormen there a lot and found out little things.   John's only got three apartments in the building (we had heard rumors that he had up to seven).  According to one of the doormen, there's the one they live in, one for the nanny, and one is a studio.  He's got three now and he's out to "buy the building," said one doorman.   On Thursday, Sean was seen coming home for lunch, going back to school, and coming home from school again that afternoon.  We didn't see John anymore.  We saw his secretary, who said that as far as he knew, John had no plans to go out that day.  We left some cards and gifts for John and Sean which the secretary took upstairs with him, and had to leave early as we were heading back to Cleveland that night to make it in time to see HELP on TV on Friday afternoon, and the Cleveland convention Saturday and Sunday.

One thing one of the doormen said that I forgot to mention.  He said Paul had been there last spring.  Also one time we checked out the Eastman's apartment and talked to the doorman there who said that Paul was due in the next day to sign a multimillion-dollar deal - the tour!  We nearly had a stroke and proceeded to act like our usual mature selves while driving down Park Avenue.  The next day though, Paul didn't show -- apparently he'd changed his mind and decided to come to NY at a later time.


We met John and Sean, we had a good time together.  We met John!  I still can't believe it.  I wonder if I ever will.

Miracle meeting with McCartney

I love this!   I love that 1973 was a time when fan could just literally ring the buzzer at Cavendish and ask if Paul could come out and he would!    This story also answers my question about when did Paul have his house painted yellow.  It looks like 1973 is the answer!  

Photos by Pat Dees

By Pat Dees

McCartney Ltd. 

Nov-Dec 1973

Friday, September 21 (1973)

It was my last day in England and the next day Paul was returning from Africa.  So it was with a heavy heart I stood in line at the Air Terminal that Friday, my mind hoping and praying for a miracle to happen.  But when it did, it was a shock.  After we checked our luggage through we were turned away because my mother didn’t have a certain card on her that allowed her re-entry to the United States (she was born in Ireland).  So we had to stay in England for a few more days.  We (my mother, my sister and I) were at Paul’s just before noon, Sunday as Rosie had told us the day before that Paul would be in late Saturday.  Two girls from Maine that we had met before came along.  Some character who looked a sounded exactly like Peter Lorre came down the street telling us to knock as they certainly would have us in to eat.  Around five he was walking down the street and saw us and came down to the house again.  He told us lots of girls used to be there before Paul got married and they used to never leave. 

Heather occasionally opened the gate looking up and down the street but never across at us.  One time she was wearing huge orange earrings.  We thought perhaps she got them in Africa and was showing them off.  Once Mary and Stella were with her.  One of Paul’s dogs, Poppy, had run off and two kids found her, bringing her home.  They were looking for his house so we pointed it out, telling them to ring the bell which they did.  The gate opened a minute later and the dog went in.  We yelled at them to keep the gate open, as we ran across the street.  We looked in and saw Martha sitting on the steps and Linda looking out the door, telling the children to shut the gate.

That gave us the idea to ring the bell and ask if Paul would come out.  So my mother was the brave one.  She rang and a women’s voice answered.  She asked if Paul would come out because she had been there all day with the girls and was famished.  The voice said they were still in bed because they hadn’t gotten in until 5am.  Well, we knew Linda was up because we had just seen her.  So we waited a bet and decided we would try again.  My sister said that she would ring and ask, but she kept chickening out so finally one of the girls from Maine decided to do it.  We were told they had just gotten up to which the girl said, we had to go back to New York the next day.  She asked if Paul and Linda would come out and they said yes.

So they came out a few minutes later, Paul wearing dark pants, a blue and white striped shirt, Wings button.  Linda wore a blue shirt with 50’s lace on it and a knee length orangish-skirt.  Paul was unshaved and hair a little tossed; he looked super good and sexy.  My mother said something about us waiting all day to see him; he answered with “And now you can’t think of a word to say can you?”  So I asked him how the recording went in Africa and Paul said good.  “Will you have another album out soon?”  “Yes.”  We aksed how Africa was and they said quite hot but they were beginning to like it.  Paul was shivering as he only had a sleeveless top on.  Then he commented on how he had just gotten out of bed.  Then I asked if we could take some pictures to which they answered yes and posed.  I love looking through a camera then that face is on the other side.  They were asking where we were from and when she heard the others were from Maine Linda said she used to be a counselor in Washington, Maine but we had probably never heard of that place.

Two girls who had been hanging around in a car nearby came over.  Paul looked at Linda saying one of the girls had on a shirt like hers.  It seemed to me that he said it to cover up the fact that he’d been giving the girl “the eye” or so it looked to me.   The girl asked for an autograph, so while he did that I asked Linda for hers.  The other girl asked Paul for one for her husband who as sitting in the car.  Paul looked surprised that she was married and asked her how old she was.  She replied 16.  Very surprised and still staring he asked how old her friend was and she answered 20.  He replied, “Twenty? My you are getting up there in age.  You better watch it. “Linda, upon hearing this remarked, “Yes, you are almost getting as old as I am.”  I got my autograph, and my mother told my sister to get one saying her name was Janet.  Paul, hearing the name Janet, said “Janet, Janet, oh Janet.”  He noticed my sister POW bracelet reading the name and asking who it was.  I told him it was for a guy in Vietnam to which he replied, “Oh is that when you pick a serviceman and root for him?”  While saying “root” he swung his fist through the air.  The girl said they thought the war was over, and Paul added, “Oh it’s on in Cambodia.”

Ni the meantime, one of the girl from Maine was going slightly insane and Paul noticed her.  “I think the English weather is getting to her, yes, the English weather is getting to her and she’s cracking up.”  He gave her a whack across the shoulder and she looked as if she were going to pass out.  She wanted an autograph yet she didn’t quite know how to ask since she didn’t have any paper.  “Don’t go daft just because you have no paper.  Come on…” Taking my pad and pen once again.  I continued to take pictures and ask questions.  Anything to keep him there.   Someone asked if he were wearing a wedding band, as he had a band on that ring finger.  “Yes,” he replied where upon he showed it to us, turning his hand over showing the other side that had little green hearts on it.  He said Linda had one also like it.  Then with a grin he put his other hand out, up to my face saying “I have a have, see?”  He’d drawn a horse on it.  The guy’s crazy.

He asked how we liked his house, since they’ve had it painted quite wildly in yellow, red, pink and blue.  We all said it looked quite nice.  He turned to my mother with that mischievous look in his eye and asked her if she were going to paint her house like it when she got home.  She replied, “Sure!”  He laughed.  During this time my mother had also mentioned that she was from Ireland, to see his reaction.  He only rolled his eyes back just like at the end of “Help” and I just happened to have my camera taking a picture.

He glanced down the street seeing a gang of people coming, and then said it was time to go in.  One girl made it in time to ask for an autograph so he stayed out, signing for the newcomers.   Then after a few minutes and comments, said it was time to go in as it was chilly.  The poor boy looked like he needed some warming up as he was shivering.   The gates opened and they went in, stopped to say goodbye.  He started to close the gates then pulled them open saying, “Now, you’re not going to hang around the house all night, are you?”  Looking at my mom as if to get us going.  We had already begun to walk away, so she said 

‘We’re leaving” he gave us one of those sexy smiles and closed the gates.  So we left quite content on our time with him.

I'm Happy to do it for you

Keeping with the theme of Paul McCartney in London in 1986, I am continuing with the fan stories from issue # 55 of "With a Little Help from my Friends."   This one is from September of that year and is Pat Dees' adventures in meeting Paul.   Paul was very kind to her!  Paul is a great guy, isn't he?

I’m Happy to do it for you

By Pat Deese

Sitting at work.  It’s Sept 2^nd (1986)  I ‘m trying to be calm knowing that tonight I am England-bound, and tomorrow I might see Paul.  London’s cold after an all-night rain.  On the plane I am unable to sleep, hurting, aching.  The next day I am sitting outside MPL asking myself, “what am I doing here?”  I should be sleeping, warm, dry.  Is it worth it all?  Need I answer that?  I’m waiting with my fellow partners in pursuit, Kathy Jones and Laurie Ross.  After four hours of waiting and no food in nine hours, we agree to go off to Wendy’s for food and a warm-up.  Coming out of Wendy’s we go into shock and panic at seeing a 12x12 foot billboard of “Press to Play” on a truck driving by us, heading down Soho Street to MPL.  We chase this thing down the street, in time to see a license plate drive up (no car mind you, just a license plate floating in midair with neon letters spelling out 900 MPL), and I screech to all, “Here’s here!”, running out in front of a cab.

Paul looks as gorgeous as ever, in a lovely suit, standing with Linda accepting a rose and a teddy bear from a fan.  I go into the usual state of oblivion when he’s around, no hearing and seeing a thing but those eyes.  What follows as usual is a pieced-together effort from all involved.  Kathy asks if she can tell him how much her daughter Heather (2 ½ years old) loves “Press,” which Heather calls “Bo-press”.  He says yes, and he takes her hand as she proceeds to tell him.  I want to get across how great I think the album is and yell out, “I love the album!” to which he nods his head and gives a look, his eyes rolling, like the end of “help!”  I look on, unable to even snap a photo.  He heads for the door and it’s nearly curtains as he trips over a bag someone left in front of the door and does a flying leap up in the air as we all prepare to catch him if he lands!  He’d have all of us to carry him in!  He turns to see what he trips on, grins, and goes in.  We all rush across the street and see him look out the second floor window at the billboard, still parked nearby.  Then he gives us all a wave.

The wait is on.  There are about 10 of us although at one point it was closer to 25, but most had given up waiting while we had gone off to eat, some only missing him by 10 minutes.

He comes out about an hour later, stops at the doorway, and says, “Let’s pose, Lin.”  While he had been inside, I had come up with the idea to say something to him to try  to get across how much the past 22 years have meant, but it’s a hard thing to say, to get out the right words.  So I walk up to him and say, “I want to thank you for the past 22 years.”  He grins, Linda makes some nice comment that I can’t recall, and he puts his hand high in the air and says, “I’m just going to have to slap this girl five!”  And raises his hang really high in the air, and does a slow-motion slap me five into my outstretched hand!

Then it’s autograph time.  Someone gives him a picture of himself to sign, and he says, “Who’s that ugly guy?”  He Begins discussing the album in general, saying how it has a little bit of everything on it, and I make a comment about that and tell him how fabulous I think “Angry” is.  He nods and smiles.  Someone manages to get next to him for a posed picture and he says, “no shaking allowed!”  By now people are beginning to come out of the woodwork, although I never noticed this at the time even though I wonder who he keeps signing for!  It is not until I get my pictures back that I notice the amount of people who stopped when they recognized him.  Even a London delivery man coming out of MPL takes his turn for an autograph and grins as he receives it. 

As everyone continues snapping pictures, he suddenly puts his hand behind his head in a very feminine fashion, and says, “You’d think I was Samantha Smith (a very hot disco singer)!”  Someone asks if he is having any Buddy holly celebration and he replies with, “Yes, a star-studded celebrity luncheon, and I’m not telling you guys as you’ll all be there!”  He turns to Linda and says, “and don’t’ you tell them either Lin as they’ll all be there!”  Then he heads for the car, and as I stand there looking, I receive a smile and a wave.

Are we greedy or what?  The following Wednesday finds us at MPL again hoping for a repeat performance and what a performance we got!  Little did we know the TREAT in store.  Upon arriving at MPL, we discover that Paul is having his Buddy Holly luncheon that day, really close by.  We know John has driven off to the train station to pick him up, and we’re trying to decide what to do.  Should we go look for this club?  Well, as it happens, John’s car arrives at MPL minus Paul, so we know we’ve missed him arrive at the party,  but as a result, I would have a super encounter with him later.  We find the club which turns out to be practically around the corner.  We see various other celebs arriving including George Martin, who dutifully signs autographs, and when asked whether he’d record again with Paul, he says, “I don’t know but it’s goo t know I have a good friend.”  At this moment an event occurs that is destined to give Paul some bad press.  One of the photographers got too close to the club entrance, which we could not really see because it was under a covering.  As a result, he was punched by Paul’s “minder” (bodyguard).  Now we remembered this photographer from similar circumstances, seeing Paul at the Buddy Holly celebration in 1984, and he probably deserved it.  But needless to say, it was all blown out of proportion the next day in the papers describing the minder as burly (something he certainly wasn’t), and it took away from the luncheon, in fact only one paper wrote it up properly. 

About the time Paul was about to leave, people again came out of nowhere.  Although the club was located down a small alleyway off a main street, it was amazing how many people stopped by.   Several  older ladies were on their break from across the street and were explaining how they couldn’t wait to se that “cutie” Paul.  Paul posed inside the foyer for the photographers, holding up a statue he received as they made him an honorary citizen of Lubbock, Texas.  As he headed for the car through the crowd, he said several times, “Girls, mind you don’t hurt the photographers, now girls, please be careful, don’t hurt the photographers.”

A mad dash finds us at MPL in minutes, hoping Paul is headed for the same place.  We beat him as they look a longer route.  His first words upon getting out of the car were, “That was quick!”  And he laughed.  Someone gave him a wrapped package and someone else asked, “What’s in it?”  Paul yells out, “It’s mine, she gave it to ME!  You’re not seeing!”  Kathy gave him a plaque and he glanced at it saying, “That’s very deep!”  Kathy manages to get a quick autograph and then as someone else asks, he says, “I’m not doing autographs now, just pictures, and I have to see a man about a dog.”   I felt bad at this as I had planned on asking for an autograph for a friend (Hi Robb).  I didn’t mean to sound pushy but I said sort of pleadingly, “Please Paul, it’s for a friend.  Please?”  I sort of called it out over the crowd to him.  He gave me an “I’m sorry” look and called back, “Leave it with Sally” (MPL worker). I felt really bad then and quite mad at myself for being so pushy.  I hadn’t intended that.

The crowds as usual grew, and by the time Paul was ready to leave, the 20 or so that saw him arrive was not closer to 40.  The bodyguards also arrived taking positions on either side.  They made me nervous.  (We read in the paper the next day that they had been hired because of death threats against Linda!)  Before Paul left, two girls came out.  We had seen them there another day, and now we realized they were Heather and Mary, dressed very normally, and certainly looking like any young girls.

Paul’s driver John had gone off with the car, so we were not prepared for Paul to come down the stairs so quickly, and after a stop at the desk he headed for the door.  He soon discovered he had no car available!  The show began.  He started with a goofy grin, sort of like a manikin like pose, his hand on his hip, which I managed to catch with my camera.  He then threw himself up against the door, pressing his nose against the glass and crossing his eyes!  At this point I shipped out my movie camera.  I filmed a bit of him pretending to be bored, yawning, and I didn’t even see this until I got the film back, and he’s sticking his tongue out!  Someone approached the door wanting Paul to autograph something.  WE all kept telling him not to, but Paul opened the door and obliged.  Then he went back to “performing” again.  You had to be there.  Every time he did something loony, we all screeched, laughed and snapped pictures.  It was a riot and he seemed to enjoy it as much as we did.  Linda would occasionally glance out.  He’d walk away, we’d grin, and he’d come back looking for John.  We’d all shake and heads to tell him, “No, he’s not here.”  Much to our disappointment, John finally arrived after five minutes of antics.  

Paul came out then and a few people grabbed him for autographs.  I had decided against it.  The crowds were too much and he obviously was in a hurry.  I was still mad at myself for earlier.  So I contented myself with taking a few photos.  He started to head for the car and he turned down a few more autograph requests, saying “I’m in a hurry.  I’m really in a hurry.”  He came near me, by the car.  I had something from my friend to hand him.  As I handed it to him, he said, “What’s this?”  I told him what it was and then to my utter amazement he said, “OK, what was it you wanted me to sign?  Do you have it?”  I was stunned.  I could not believe that he remembered and that he took the time to oblige when he was I such a rush.  I didn’t have a pen and he waited patiently while I borrowed one.  He kept saying “I’m in a hurry” and I kept thanking him over and over saying,  “I didn’t want to bother you, it’s for a friend or I wouldn’t have asked.”  And he just grinned and said, “It’s okay.”  He said, “I hope half an autograph will do, I must go.”  I said thanks and I was all choked up because the way he came through and had taken the time to stop and to remember by request with all those people around.  Not that he remembered me as an individual but that he remembered a fan’s request and that he realized I hadn’t meant to be pushy.  It’s amazing the memory he has for faces as there were quite a lot of people around, yet the second he saw me he stopped.  He drove away, and me, I was so pleased and happy at what had just occurred.  I’m sure that I drove Laurie and Kathy crazy repeating what he had done, but I ‘m also sure they understood why.  They know how he is.  He always goes out of his way to accommodate his fans.  I have seen it happen on occasions myself and have read it or heard stories from others.  I’m sure that at times he’s sick of it, but he goes on.  He did say in a recent interview that his real fans have stood by him and supported him, so perhaps this is his way of thanking them.  Anyway…there’s no one like him!