Nicest / most personable musician you've met?

I once signed MC Hammer to promote a sneaker company I did PR for. This was right around the time "Can't Touch This" was blowing up. Flew out to meet him and spent the day with him. Even got a pair of his parachute pants, but my client wanted them - and the client gets what he wants.

Hammer was a very nice guy with a good sense of humor.

When we held the press conference to announce his signing, I got a glimpse into how he managed to go through so much money. He had one guy in his posse who was there to walk behind him with a wad of tissue paper and dab the sweat off Hammer's neck.

 

Probably Nils Lofgrin

 

I've been asked for more details, so:

Dave Davies of the Kinks.

For some reason I always thought he'd be a bit snobby and aloof but when I met him he was a warm, deep-thinking, friendly, courteous fellow. We ended an evening of good food and Beaujolais hugging and promising to keep in touch. A remarkable man.

Miranda Joyce of the Bodysnatchers and the Belle Stars.


Again, I'd imagined she was rather 'above it all' but her disdainful look turned out to be short-sightedness and she is the friendliest, most amenable person imaginable, always up for a laugh and a G&T. No longer in music, she's a top make-up artist.

 

Herb Alpert...sweetest guy ever (he stayed at my parents' motel after a concert; I still have his autograph in my little autograph book with a doll on the front)

 

Steve Vai, believe it or not.

And of course, Mike Keneally !

 

Gordon Macrae (pic from Oklahoma)- he held my hand and sang to me in a restaurant in Chicago when I was about 8 years old!

 

Kermit Ruffins. He's a pretty big deal in New Orleans. My wife and I go to NOLA quite a bit. Always catch one of his shows. Talk to him on the street after a show, he'll be happy to share his stash with ya, ask you where you're from, share stories about playing there. Buy him a Bud Light!! All around decent and happy human being.

 

Rick Nielsen - I brought his guitar collection book hoping to get him to sign it at the Gibson Custom Shop annual concert they used to have. Ran into him in the parking lot just before Cheap Trick were to go on, nice guy. He signed it "Thanks for the guitar lessons!, Rick Nielsen.

 

Joni Mitchell. She use to sit by herself in a booth at a restaurant I use to work at in Brentwood California. Sometimes before the lunch crowd would come in we were the only ones in the restaurant, so she'd invite me sit, talk about art and smoke cigarettes. Surreal!

 

Gwen Stefani, back in the mid-'90s.
She's a sweetheart and a half!

 

Great story...

 

Andy Partridge was really friendly and talkative at a Tower Records signing for the Nonsuch album. He told us of his idea to release a bubblegum album by the sons of Dukes Of Straosphear.

 

Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham.

A nice chat before a gig in Edinburgh many years ago at the side of the stage....and autographs.....

 

Ben Folds Met him in the airport. Was going to his show later. Had a brief chat. Asked him if it was in the set would he change the line in All U Can Eat from "the microphone down at WalMart" to the name of a local supermarket establishment which I scribbled on a PostIt for him. It was, and he did.

Randy Newman While signing a bunch of elpees for me I said something like, "Don't worry, they're not going on eBay," to which he replied, while gesturing at the price tag still on the front cover of Good Old Boys, "Aww, it'd still only be worth three dollars, ninety eight!"

Bruce Springsteen Five of us outside the venue's back gate when he arrived for a Devils And Dust solo show. Car arrives. Bruce waves out window. Car goes in. Gates close. Grinning venue staff shakes his head at us as we try to rubberneck more. Steel gates, ten foot high, no mesh, no grille. One of us presses his face to the gap between the two plates to see if he can get another look at Bruce, but turns then and says, "Ehhh ... I think he's coming over?!" And before anyone could even accuse him of winding us up, a bolt is drawn and the gate opens; "Hi, everybody!" chimes The Boss. Think Terry Magovern was with him but cannot swear to it. Maybe someone else. We formed a queue. He did scribbles and pictures, whatever we wanted. Just brilliant. Been listening to him since I was ten years old. First album I ever bought was The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle. Never thought I'd meet the guy. Ever. I know he's regarded as approachable but you still have to get yourself into a scenario where that can politely unfold!

Leonard Cohen Everything I thought he would be. Humble, generous with his time, softly spoken, immaculately dressed of course, and with that twinkle in his eye. Met him at his hotel after a show. Seemed genuinely touched people were waiting to say hello. Spoke to us all. Signed our books, records and posters. I gave him a semi-rare W.B. Yeats poetry volume as a gift. He shook my hand and addressed his thanks to me in 'that voice'. A truly wonderful artist. Sharon Robinson arrived in the next car from the venue. She was equally sweet and humble, she was really touched that we all wanted to say hi to her, get her to sign things too, that we all appreciated her work and were not just there for Leonard.

Brian Wilson Brian won't sign, the coach driver said. But Brian did. Brian won't shake hands, Jeffrey Foskett (gently) said. But Brian did. Short and sweet but will stay with me forever. (P.S. - Brian is a frickin' giant!)

Natalie Merchant I met her after a club show for Tigerlily. I had ran into a guy I knew from college and we got talking to Jennifer Turner her guitarist after the show and she said she couldn't, "like 'introduce you' to Natalie," but if we kinda lurked around, she'd gauge her mood. Natalie was in a corner of the venue having supper after, just standing around with a plate of food. Jennifer asked her could we say hi. Natalie said sure. My opening remark was something like, "Sorry to interrupt you eating," to which Natalie replied, "That's okay," and planting her fork into her rice, pointed the loaded cutlery towards my mouth, "You want some?" What a sweetheart.

 

Brian didn't look at me or respond in any way as I nervously gushed praise at a SMiLE signing at Amoeba. He was clearly disengaged and I felt sorry for him having to endure that. The interesting thing was, although I felt nervous talking to him, I wasn't really overawed. I have looked at so many pictures of him, seen him in concert a number of times, he felt familiar to me.

 

I think his mood legitimately changed very frequently even in a day back then. We (my brother and I) kept our distance and didn't approach him. If he spots us and comes over, fine. If not, we leave him be. We stood off to the side of a coach park each with a Pet Sounds album. He shuffled over to us of his own choosing. Was very surreal and pretty unusual according to other stories I have seen and read.

 

You and your brother were the chosen ones!

 

I believe it!

He was very nice to me as well when I met him after a Whitesnake gig, and did not exhibit a single shred (pun intended) of arrogance. We chatted for a couple of minutes and he made me feel as if he was just as interested in meeting me as I was him, then when we parted ways told me he always appreciated having "intelligent" people listening (a big deal to a 16 year-old meeting a guitar hero)! When I brought up the Alcatrazz album he seemed particularly pleased; I sensed that he really loved what he did in that band (as he should!) and he seemed tickled that people were still listening to it. I met David Coverdale too, who was also warm and personable, but didn't hang around to chat (he definitely earned the right to feel tired and exhausted that evening, so it wasn't a case of him being aloof).

 

I especially liked the Bruce story. Even though I'm not much of a fan, he really does seem like a really decent person.

 

John Bramwell
After a recent gig in Southport we were in the same pub and as he passed our table looking for the gents, I asked if he could drop by on his way back for my friend (a super fan away at the bar). Better than this, he invited us to join him at his table with a friend. We shared the next few hours, many tales and many beers together with this truly likeable character who writes from the heart he wears on his sleeve.

Rachael Yamagata
Following a vey intimate gig in Salford the back end of last year I went out to the beer garden for some air to find Rachael was sat alone with a drink. I really didn’t want to intrude but she was really sweet and approachable so we sat and talked for a while. I was so pleased she had visited this great little venue, which only holds around eighty people and was privileged to spend a little time alone talking with her.

 

With one exception, all the well-known jazz musicians I've met have been great to be around. Joe Henderson, Joe Lovano, Louie Bellson, and James Moody were especially cool, helpful, and seemed to love to talk about music, jazz, and life.

 

My high school budddy passed away so I’ll tell his story. He used to take a Summer job on Martha’s Vinyard every year. He was a broke student so he hitch hiked to work every day. He said one day a decommissioned checker cab stopped to pick him up and James Taylor was driving.

My buddy was from NC and so was James so they hit it off. He said James Taylor was a nice down to earth guy and gave him rides a few more times when he saw him hitch hiking.

He worked in an ice cream shoppe and he said James and Carly would come in with the kids sometimes and James would always acknowledge him, even though their connection was minimal.

 

The nicest guys I met were Vinny Appice and Joey Belladonna.
I met Susan Rogers (een though shes just a technician and engineer) she was a beautiful person who loved meeting her fans.
Im sure if I met with most other artists when there isnt a million people clawing for a picture or screaming names they would be just as nice. However, Scott Ian is a total *******. turned me off from wanting to see them ever again.

 

Ron Carter. He approached my wife and I after a gig, outside the venue. I think we were at an ATM machine. He thanked us for cheering on the band and being so into the music.

Bap Kennedy. He played my friends' wedding and the whole band stayed in my house at the time for a weekend. It was one of the best weekends of my life. I miss him.

 

Jeff Miranov - hated by Hendrix fans for his participation in the posthumous guitar overdubs in Crash Landing, he was standing behind me in line at the musicians union waiting to pick up checks and we struck up a conversation. I was having a difficult time coping with the competition and he chatted about how hard it was and how important it was to believe in myself. Very warm, encouraging guy whose kindness in that moment I will never forget.