Cast of Characters – James Bond! (Remington Steel)

Hi.

We’ve been out in the park about 5 days a week and we are beginning to see some of the same people regularly. In the following few posts I’m going to introduce you to these colorful types.

I got to the park early as usual to warm up and claim our bench. A cool guy name Jerrold and his super-friendly dog, Mr. Perkins strolled up to say hi. J. has been around every day for the last couple of weeks. Sometimes he’s just walking his dog and sometimes he listens. He’s a song writer and he was real happy with the way I updated “Comes Love” He was familiar with the original lyrics and was glad that someone took out references to the cure for blowing a tire as “getting another shoe.”

He is also critical, but in a good way. He seems to have a list of the songs that really work for my singing and the ones that don’t. That’s a good list and I want to get a hold of it.

So anyway, Tuesday morning we’re talking about “Putting on the Ritz” and updating those lyrics. We’re having a fairly cultured conversation about Irving Berlin and about how you just can’t sing the original lyrics to that tune which contain references to “High tone” girls and other racially charged words. In the middle of this, a guy who I immediately recognize as Pierce Brosnan sits down right next to me on my bench, right where Stefan usually sits. His one child was climbing on Alice and his wife and other son were sitting on the adjacent bench.

Being a good New Yorker, I completely ignore him and continue my conversation with Jerrold which has now turned to agents and what they can do for you – how its generally hard to find an agent because to be of any real use they need to have heard of you already. etc… The whole conversation is very down to earth on the level, industry shop talk kind of stuff. Eventually Jerrold goes on his way and I start to take out our CD’s and generally set up shop.

My 007 bench mate asks about the CD’s and says he’ll buy them without even hearing us play because he can tell that I’m very serious about it. At some point, a European with a camera asks to take his picture but he waives them off saying he is with his family. Clifton comes up just as Pierce is handing me a $50 bill. Which I can’t break. So I ask Clifton to help. And of course, being a gentlemen I want to introduce Clifton to my new acquaintance but I don’t officially know him yet. So I introduce myself, “Hey, I’m Jesse” and reach out my hand. He says, “Hi, I’m Pierce.” “Pierce, this is Clifton.” etc…

This is a trick I actually learned from Clifton who met Lou Reed at one point. Lou Reed was curious about Clifton’s vintage guitar and started asking about it. Clifton pretended to not know who Lou Reed was so as to to make him more comfortable. “Oh, do you play?” According to Clifton, we know the public image of the celebrity but the celebrity themselves still has every need to introduce themselves and present themselves in the moment. Otherwise its more like pretending you know them if you only know them from the media.

Anyway, this tactic (and I say that because it actually was all premeditated while talking to Jerrold! – I recognized Pierce’s face immediately – It’s James Bond already) worked great. We fell into a very easy rapport. He introduced me to his wife and kids. We spoke about his older boy learning the bass etc…

Stefan said he was going to be late and Rob and Clifton and I were ready so we started with “Just a Little While” Just as it was time for Stefan to take a solo he comes spinning up the steps with his rolly cart filled with his bass clarinet and bari-sax. His tenor and his clarinet were in his backpack. He shows up in a flurry determined to get to the bandstand and be playing by the time the chorus starts. Pierce Brosnan is sitting in his seat with his youngest on his lap. He just rushes right up to his spot and completely takes over. Pierce, jumps up and out of the way and Stefan begins blowing into his clarinet as it is coming out of his backpack, playing it out of his case! Of course, all of us are laughing out loud at the antics.

Twenty minutes alter, after the Brosnans had gone, we started joshing Stefan about how he had scared James Bond out of his seat by his mad rush. Stefan didn’t know what we were talking about! He just saw some annoying tourist sitting next to me on the bench and he just barnstormed the guy so he could get his spot!