You ever meet someone famous (or important to you) and feel so overwhelmed that you just choke up?
I’ve met a lot of famous or semi-famous people in the course of my work – primarily politicians — Bush I, Bush II, Cheny, Clinton, Obama have been through our offices. They are all generally looking for money, and I couldn’t give a piss about any of them.
The entertainment lawyers always have people coming in and out, TV people, movie stars, rappers, etc.
Anyway, Bob Dylan was in the office recently and had some work related to a buisness transaction that required me to be involved. (Vague, I know. That’s on purpose.)
Probably means nothing to most of you, but I used to listen to Dylan on the beach, every day, growing up.
Listened to “Don’t think Twice” about 10,000 times after a break up with the love-of-my-life when I was 16. Listened to it after my first wife died about 20,000 times.
So there I was in a board room with 20 lawyers and agents and accounts and shmucks. The usual.
I go to do my bit, and I all but completely choked up, not sure why. Managed to do my bit, but was completely overwhelmed, remembering teenage emotions and angst, and that was many, many years ago for me.
It actually helped that Mr. Dylan was a shrewd guy and asked pointed business questions – that is what I do, and handled that with ease.
All went well.
At the end of the meeting, they called for the firm car to take him where he needed to go. He asked what the car would be, and I said “a Cadillac — it’s a good car to drive after a war.”*
He laughed, hit me on the shoulder and told me I was “probably the only one in the room who knew what that meant and that I was all right – for a lawyer,” and walked out.
Good day to have this time of year.
- from Talking WWII Blues.