James Taylor! I'm a bellhop at the hotel he was staying at. I had to go around collecting all the band members luggage before they left...so I hit up all of their rooms...then I had one room left...I was thinking to myself...this is my last chance....So I go to room #XXXX...knocked on the door...guess who answers the door...JAMES! He was on his cell phone, and really busy, so I didn't really want to bother him...I tried to keep my cool, but I was standing in front of greatness. He told me to "come back in 10 minutes"...so I did...when I went back up, he was still on the phone, all busy again...I wanted desperately to ask for his auto-graph, but I didn't see a pen on his desk, or anywhere else around...so I politely took his bags and left...gave his bags to his roadies...walked back into the hotel, as he was coming out...his last words to me "thanks, man!"...$20 tip...end of story.
PS...His little PR girl is a total Biatch.
:ph34r:
Bull! :GRN>
:ph34r:
Just messin with you rocknroll.
Quote from: stuco on August 14, 2006, 09:41:13 PM
:ph34r:
Bull! :GRN>
I bull you not! Half of the people working in the hotel didn't even know who he was. My girlfriend didn't know who he was when I told her either. You know what I don't get?? James was just staying in a common room on the same floor as all the other commoners, while his bandmates were all in suites! go figure.
:ph34r:
Quote
"my girlfriend"
Ok now we know he is lying!(still just playing around)!
IS he as tall as he looks in person?
Yeah, you're just jealous...it's cool though :GRN>
PS...He's a tall lanky dude...he was super tan as well, probably from all the summer touring.
:ph34r:
I hope he's been wearing sunscreen on that shiny dome of his :POL>
Cool story! He's a great player and singer. And I'm glad he's stayed around; he certainly had his demons in the early days.
:ph34r:
what deamons were those? I suppose there are not many big music acts from that time who weren't on drugs
That is a cool story! Thanks for sharing that one.
Did you frame the $20 bill--just kidding! :GRN>
Stuco, he had a serious heroin problem before he made it big and AFAIK continued to be a bit of a druggy for a while after. As well, he spent time in a couple of mental hospitals in his youth. Both experiences are chronicled in various songs, including "Fire and Rain".
I once knew someone who was convinced that "Suzanne" in "Fire and Rain" dies in a plane crash, because of the reference to "flying machines/in pieces on the ground". But that line refers to James's 1960s band, the Flying Machine, which didn't make it; his heroin problem developed shortly after that. I believe "Suzanne" was someone he knew in one of the hospitals, who committed suicide.
Such cheerful stuff! But it's a great song.
:ph34r:
Wow, I didn't realize. Johnny cash discovered him right?
As far as I know there was no Johnny Cash connection; you may be thinking of Kris Kristofferson.
JT was sort of discovered by Peter Asher, who was working for the Beatles. That's why his first album was recorded in the UK and came out on Apple. (In fact, there's a song on that album called "Something in the Way She Moves," which led to litigation when the Beatles later came out with "Something".)
But that album didn't do especially well, and it wasn't until he joined Warner and went to California to record his second album that he got very big.
Quote from: Tycho on August 15, 2006, 11:05:14 AM
As far as I know there was no Johnny Cash connection; you may be thinking of Kris Kristofferson.
JT was sort of discovered by Peter Asher, who was working for the Beatles. That's why his first album was recorded in the UK and came out on Apple. (In fact, there's a song on that album called "Something in the Way She Moves," which led to litigation when the Beatles later came out with "Something".)
But that album didn't do especially well, and it wasn't until he joined Warner and went to California to record his second album that he got very big.
Yep, JT had the big Beatle connection. You might remember that Paul McCartney gave JT's induction speech at the Rock N'Roll Hall of Fame. Paul, of course, claimed that he "discovered" JT. But it was actually Peter Asher... who worked for McCartney. Also, JT came out of the New York folkie scene that included Jim Croce, Phoebe Snow, Harry Chapin, etc... They were all friends who jammed together quite a bit. JT credits McCartney with helping to get him out of his Apple recording contract and putting him in touch with US record companies. Peter Asher had quite the eye for talent... produced Linda Ronstadt in her heyday amongst many others... There's my two cents!
Keep the history coming--this is great! :GRN>
:ph34r:
No I definately didn"t confuse him with kristopherson, I realize that Johnny cash discovered him. I also could have sworn that jt performed on the j cash show and that 's when he blew up.
You may well be right about the latter.
I saw JT on a live CBC show in 1970 or '71. I had just gotten into Sweet Baby James, so I was really excited to see him. He began a song (I can't remember which), fluffed the introduction and said loudly, "Aw, s**t!" Then he laughed and made a joke about the perils of live TV. I couldn't believe what I had heard!
Those were, needless to say, very different times.
Of course Peter Asher is Jane Asher's brother (Paul's ex-girlfriend) and Peter is one half of the group Peter and Gordon who had a hit with one of McCartney's songs "World Without Love". He became quite the successful producer (still is) and Jane became quite the stunning, classy middle-aged woman!
(http://www.pressphotos.net/photos/preview_big/18151.jpg)
Too bad she's happily married or Pauly might think of a trip down memory lane!
Here's a photo of Peter and Gordon back in action again in Chicago this summer (Peter is on the left):
(http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/641/06psj0.jpg)
QuoteOf course Peter Asher is Jane Asher (Paul's ex-girlfriend)
Er, I think you meant to say he's her brother.... ^_^
Jane looks too good in that pic to have started life as a man!
Thanks for the catch Tycho! I type too fast and my brain doesn't catch up.
just remember that any woman w/ millions of dollars can look good at that age. I'm not impressed.
wow - She's a good looking woman :WNK> Getting back to JT's debut Apple record, if you read the liner notes you'll notice Paul McCartney as the bassist on "Carolina in my Mind" - in other words the connection between the two is deeper than most realize. What I liked about the album was JT's raw yet melodic picking style - Some of the tunes like "Carolina" and "Something in the Way ...." would later find their way onto the Sweet Baby James Album .
Get a copy of the Apple album - It shows young JT in all of his youthful talent.
Allright since we're swapping JT stories I've got one to tell.
I was with a group of friends and we were in Montreal to see JT. We had a long 10 hour drive the day before so we were relaxing and enjoying the afternoon sun in a downtown park before the evening concert. As we sat around people watching my buddy tapped me on the shoulder and asked me "Doesn't that guy look familiar?" I looked a little closer and said "Yea, I think that's one of JT's backup singers." The guys name is David Lasely and he, along with three other singers, have been with JT for years so I recognized right away. Anyhow, he was obviously doing a little sightseeing, snapping some pictures and stuff so we decided it wouldn't hurt anyone if we "tagged along". He didn't actually know we were going to join him so I guess some people out there might call it stalking - it's a grey area..
So we "tagged along" for about 3 blocks until he ducked into a camera shop, we waited patiently outside and when he came out we got up the nerve to ambush.. I mean approach him.
He was a super nice guy and actually quite flattered that we even recognized him. We chatted for a while, got our pictures taken with him, he even showed us the photos he just had developed. Candid shots from JT's place on Martha's Vineyard where they were doing the rehearsals for the tour they were on. So, as the conversation was drawing to a close I was getting ready to ask the big question, I was hoping we could get in to the show early to see the sound check. Before I could get the words out however, David asks us for our names. He then says he'll leave 4 VIP passes at the front so we can come backstage before the show! I was floored, I was and still am a huge JT fan so this was massive. Anyhow, long story longer, we show up early go to the front no passes. The people at the boxoffice think we're crazy. I'm starting to wonder if he just said to get rid of us. We sat around for around 55 mins finally about 5 mins before the show is supposed to start this woman comes down, she's the tour manager or something like that, any how she starts on about how sorry she is and how she was supposed to get the passes down to the front and forgot. Blah, blah blah all I can think of is how this woman has cost me my chance to meet JT. So as she continues to apologize she hands us the passes and tells us to come backstage at intermission. Don't know why that option never occured to me before hand, but at the last moment the day was saved not to mention the ending to my only real celebrity story.
So we head into the show, and all I can think about is getting to the intermission. Finally it arrives we head down to the stage, flash the passes and back we go. Walk around for a while chatting with a few of the band members and finally get into the same room with JT. I was actually really nervous to go up and talk with him, anyhow, took a deep breathe and went up to him. Very nice guy we chatted for a while, not really sure what I said, got him to sign our passes, and got some photos. Only problem is JT photo is with me, JT and an ex -girlfriend. My wife doesn't think much of it -_- Overall very cool experience, I would highly recommend it.
Marc
Great story!
It's always a bit embarrassing to meet artists you really like. It's hard to know what to say other than "I really like your work", which I'm sure they hear all the time.
I got lucky and got backstage twice with JT and his band. My friend from Martha's Vineyard was tight with his tour manager. The first time, at a small theater in Providence, we got to hang with the band backstage at intermission, that was cool. Backup singers at that time were David Lasley, Valerie Carter and I believe Kate Markowitz. JT came out of his dressing room for a while and we met him, nice guy. Very clean atmosphere backstage, no booze, butts or otherwise.
The second time was at Great Woods, an outdoor arena here, that was more crazy, and we didn't get to meet JT again, but could hang in the VIP area where the band was and attack huge barrels full of ice cold beer. I brought an old GP magazine with JT on the cover, and hoped to get JT to sign it for me. My friend took it to him. She asked what I wanted him to write, I didn't know, and since it was a guitar mag, I said to ask him to write John...keep on picking!
She came back with the autographed magazine...he wrote: To John....Change!! James Taylor
I guess he has a strange sense of humor.
good stuff. we should start a thread about all the crazy celebrity stories we have. I was pretty confident about meeting JT until I actually saw him, then I didn't know what to say. It's true that you try to think of something original and witty to say, but he probably has heard it all before.
Quote from: roknroll on August 21, 2006, 10:31:16 PM
good stuff. we should start a thread about all the crazy celebrity stories we have. I was pretty confident about meeting JT until I actually saw him, then I didn't know what to say. It's true that you try to think of something original and witty to say, but he probably has heard it all before.
I met Elvis Costello backstage after one of his shows... I'm a huge fan... And I basically have no idea what I said as I was so stunned to actually be there. I'm sure he thought I was a blithering idiot, but then again, most people probably act a bit strange around someone they admire... at least I hope so. I felt like Chris Farley interviewing Paul McCartney!
I'm going to see JT on Monday at Casino Rama, which is about an hour north of Toronto. It's not likely thyat I can engineer a "chance meeting", but the seats look good and I'll post a review after the concert.
Having been a fan for over 35 years (yes, it all started with Sweet Baby James) it'll be a great walk down the memory lane of some of the nicest songs that have kept me company over the years.
jimmy
I'll be interested to hear what you think of the venue. We saw Sheryl Crow there last month. She put on a great show, but it's a cavernous room (it holds about 5,000 people), and a good part of the audience is made up of casino patrons with "comp" tickets, which means that they aren't as into the show as real fans would be. At Sheryl's show, the crowd was kind of listless and really only got enthusiastic toward the end.
If you can, though, stay overnight at the casino hotel. It's pretty deluxe!
Well, we went to the JT concert at Casino Rama on Monday, and it was stright 10's across the board. While I knew that this would be a good evening, and that JT would show up with a strong group of musicians and singers, I had no idea what was in store! This was one of the best and most enjoyable concerts I have seen in some time, including my last outings to CSNY, Rolling Stones, America, the Eagles etc...
Despite the fact that this is a somewhat cavernous venue, and the fact that we were almost at the top of the last mezzanine section, he still made it seem like an intimate evening with an old friend. Lots of audience interaction, signing autographs between songs, and sharing of stories about his songs (now I know the background to Sweet Baby James) and almost 2 hours flew by in no time, including the encore.
I almost thought that he seemed to be a bit nervous right at the start, but JT got his legs under him and had the audience eating out of his hand. Not only did he play most of my favourite tunes from the early years, but he really cut into a pretty funky version of Steamroller Blues and it showed that despite his many years of touring, he still has a great time himself. The band was tight and the back-up singers complimented the music.
By the way, the acoustic guitar sounded awsome! It looked like it had a few miles on it (although this was no Willie Nelson axe), and I'd love to know what he plays on stage.
When introducing one of his songs he said, "This is a song about going home...well, I guess their all about going home", and it hit me. So many of the songs that I enjoy playing myself, rhyming them off in my head, and hell yes, their all about going home. I'm thinking about Please Come to Boston, Come Monday, Taxi, Helpless, and too many others to mention. Thanks for the perspective, JT. That's why we love you.
After having been a fan since I was 16, it was like getting together with an old friend. Always time well spent. Hope you enjoyed the review...
jimmy
:ph34r:
He plays Olson guitars mostly.
http://www.olsonguitars.com/