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| Riffhard |
Well my friends this past weekend was the best times I have ever had as a Stones' fan while the band was not on tour.
As many of you know by now I was lucky enough to get passes to one of the press screenings of Shine A Light this past Thursday. I won't go into the details as I have already given my review in a previous thread. However, that was just the begining of a great Stoned Weekend.
The movie was the precursor to even more Stonsian madness, and any fan's wildest dream weekend. Please understand, this is by no means meant to rub my good fortune into anyone else's face here. No, rather it is just one Stones fan's account of a weekend to remember.
So after watching a brilliant film I had one more event which I was anxiously awaiting. That being the press conference with all four members of the band plus the added bonus of Martin Scorsese live at The New York Palace Hotel. My producer Gotts and I arrived at this very ornate, and downright ostentatious hotel around 1:45pm. Press credentials were obtained, and we had a quick bite to eat from the great spread that was made available to the press corps. Nice sandwich wraps, fresh motzerella and tomato, various salads, and a great desert table. No bar service though. Not to worry. The cash bar was downstairs, and as we had about an hour to kill before we were let upstairs to the fourth floor conference room we asked ourselves, "What would Keith do?". So we made our way downstairs to the bar.
It was about ten minutes after we sat down that I wished that just this once the Stones had thrown their big shindig at a Motel 6 or some other low rent establishment. Two Budweisers set us back twenty bucks! Ten dollars per! Needless to say we drank them very slowly and convinced ourselves that we were sipping some of the finest beer ever brewed. For our twenty two dollars (had to tip afterall) we also enjoyed the company of a fine Irish bartender named Tom. Great guy and he lessened our anxiety about the cost of the beers with some great conversation.
After the beers it was time to head back upstairs and gather ourselves for the PC. We made our way up to the fourth floor where we were shown our seats in the suite which served as Shine A Light Central. After a few moments of waiting around the Big Kahunna from Paramount informed us that there would be a short photo op and then a Q and A session. Here I must say that after attending three Stones' press conferences now I am still amazed at the sheer amount of press that our band receives. It's really pretty insane that these sixty something year olds still garner as much press as they do. Argentina, Finland, Japan, Germany, and other countries were well represented. So out comes the band with Marty in tow. All of them, as evidenced by the photos, looked great. Tanned and rested and all that. Frankly, I was a little annoyed at the inane and pointless questions that were asked. I, unfortunatly did not get a question this time around, but still a great time was had, and the fun had just begun. It was at this time that I managed to snag Keith's water glass. Gotts and I were taking photos on the riser after the band had split. He suggested that I take Keith's glass. At first I thought that that was a stupid idea. The more I thought about it though it seemed to make sense. I mean ya talk about a great conversation piece, right?
At this point we had thought that the day was wrapping up, but not before we met up with Sweet Virginia and her husband at Connolly's Irish Pub. I can't come up with enough positive superlatives to describe this wonderful couple. Just great great folks. SV and her husband were kind enough to include us on their tab for a couple of Guinnesses and I thank them again for that here. Great times indeed. Mr. and Mrs. SV had to make their way towards the Zeigfeld for their big premiere night with the Rolling Stones, Marty Scorsese and other assorted celebs. We decided to join them for the walk. We met up with Bitch, and saw a few Shidoobees hanging about. SV and husband kept telling us that we should go into the tent and cover the Red Carpet with the gathered press. Mind you we had absolutly no credentials to cover this thing. We did, however, still have the laminates that we had obtained at the PC. So we started to bs with the security guy at the entrance door. After some small talk with him we decided that we could probably get in without any real hassle. The security guy told us that if we wanted in we had better get on in now. So we did.
We walk in and immediatly a young woman with a clip board tells us that we have to check in at the table for our credentials. We informed her that we had already checked in and that we were just returning after a quick trip to the van to get some forgotten equipment. She bought it! We made our way down the rope line and ducked into a spot with the crew from Entertainment Tonight, Fox News, and CNN. No problem. A short time later Mr. and Mrs. SV walk in behind us and we say hello with some knowing winks. We were doing our very best to look as if we belonged. Then SV came back a short time later and told us that IORR.org had a location further down the rope line that was empty. I guess some missed flights from Europe or some other reason prevented them from attending. This information turned out to be very serendipitous later.
Only mere minutes later our cover was blown. It seems that the woman heading up the press corps was walking down the line telling assorted press types what to expect from the band etc. When she got to our spot she asked the CNN folks who we were. They played it cool, but had to admit that they had no idea who we were. The woman in charge then asked us just why we were there. I played dumb, and said that the guy up front told us that this was where we belonged. "What guy?!", "I dunno the cat's name. He was tall.", "Well exactly who are you two with?!", "Oh, sorry. We're with IORR.org. It's Only Rat Radio", "Oh honeys. You guys belong down there." Problem evaded! Thank you IORR.org! Thank you kindly! Sorry you guys missed it but you saved our asses just by trying to be there.
The band made their way onto the red carpet. Black carpet to be honest, but I digress. First person of interest to pass us was Albert Maysels. I called him over for a quick interview. Told him that I had met him at the Licks PC, and chatted him up a bit. Nice guy. Then came beautiful Lisa. Lisa is stunning up close and very stauesque. I asked her the chances of another tour. She told me that the band was doing nothing but premiers and promotional stops for Shine A Light. London, Paris, etc. I pressed her. "Yeah Lisa, but what about after the promotional tour is done?", "I'll be waiting by my phone Steve. That I promise!" Cool. Next came Marty. He was gracious and stoped for a quick handshake, and thanked me for praising the film. Then a very dapper Charlie Watts. Man does guy know how to turn out a wardrobe or what?! He looked incredible and was very nice. I thanked him for years of just being him. He looked amused and thanked me, and shook my hand. Then Mick Jagger. Very brief stop, handshake, thank yous all around and then his handlers rushed him into the theater. Ronnie was talking to everyone and seemed thrilled that he still had a gig. Very cool look he was sporting, and a great rapport with everyone. Another quick handshake and he was gone, and then the man! Keef Fucking Riffhard! Keith actually stoped for a moment looked me in the eye and gave that cool as hell cheshire grin of his. ""Keith any chance of a tour?" ".....well you know baby. It's what we do,....It's what we do baby.....stayed tuned." And then he was off. Short, but oh so sweet.
Thus ended my weekend with The Rolling Stones, and oh yeah, Martin Scorsese. I'm wiped out. But the fun. Oh the fun that was had!
Riffy
PS-I interviewed two of the biggest celebs attending the premiere too. Mr. and Mrs. SV. That interview should be posted on my station's website within the week. I will provide a link to that and to all the other craziness when it's up.
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| Daethgod |
farken great read !
love hearing about everyones Stonsey experiences
did Keith have that childlike look of joy in his eye ?
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| robpop |
Nice you lucky Son of a.... |
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| pdog |
You can rub a story like that in my face anytime... |
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| fireontheplatter |
didn't your old girlfriend teach you how to sneak in those little things for free...
10 yankee dollars for a long neck bud...give me a break....at least the cheese was free.
way to go pepperoni breath...your 2nd 15 minutes of fame.
where's the pictures?
[laughs] |
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| parmeda |
Incredible story, Riffy...I'm in awe of you!
What a sneaky bastard, lmao!
You make me proud!
And your producer, Gotts? Is he Italian by any chance?
(omg, I'm rolling on the floor!) |
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| mojoman |
awesome!!! thanks fer postin!!! |
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| Sioux |
Great read, Riffy! And another wonderful experience for you... I was just picturing everything happening as I read---just like I was there. |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
> ""Keith any chance of a tour?" ".....well you know baby. It's what we do,....It's what we do baby.....stayed tuned." <
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| FotiniD |
What an adventure that was! 
Thanks for the great description of it all |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
FotiniD wrote:
What an adventure that was!
Thanks for the great description of it all
Hi FotiniD.
Do they have April Fools Day in Greece?
Hell....maybe it started there as far as I know. |
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| lotsajizz |
you go the bar at the Palace and order BUDWEISER?!?!? |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
lotsajizz wrote:
BUDWEISER?!?!?
The Nectar of the Gods.
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
Ten Thousand Motels wrote:
The Nectar of the Gods.
Or is that the Nectar of the Slobs?
I keep forgetting. |
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| SweetVirginia |
What a day!
To illustrate Riffy's story, Here are a couple of the pics I posted in the premiere thread:
Riffy & Lisa:
The glass:
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| PartyDoll MEG |
Gotta hand it to you Riffy..
You played it like the PRO you are!!
Great story and damn what a great experience for you!!
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| LadyJane |
"It's Only Rat Radio". LMFAO.
Great story Riffy.
What a bunch of bullshitters we are.
But it does pay off.
As a great band once sang:
"If you try, sometimes, you get what you need!!!"
Thanks for calling me during the madness! 
You done us proud, my friend.
LJ. |
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| SweetVirginia |
Oh, by the way, the folks at IORR told me that their photographer Jim Pietryga was there, just not in the IORR spot, which left that area open for Riffy & Gotts. I was just meant to be! |
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| Some Guy |
Truly living larger than southside steve.
[Edited by Some Guy] |
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| GotToRollMe |
Nicely played, Riffy...but then, I wouldn't expect any less from the Riffmeister. Great fun to read. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. |
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| Riffhard |
quote:
lotsajizz wrote:
you go the bar at the Palace and order BUDWEISER?!?!?
I suppose I could have been a complete idiot and ordered a Heineken for $12.00 or perhaps a cocktail for $15.00. That would have been a better move. Shit the way I saw it I got off easy. If they had Schaffer for $8.00 per I'd of ordered those. Well, maybe not.
Riffy |
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| Nasty Habits |
Great story. "It's Only Rat Radio" - that's a classic - like something out of School of Rock. Well done.
Events of this sort are all the sweeter when you con your way into them.
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