I don't know about you (actually, since this is our first blog, I don't really know who you are, and you probably don't really know who I am, but I'll at least hope you're there, or we're all in trouble) but the news that John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston have broken up after but four months of canoodling got me thinking about Paul McCartney. And not just because Jennifer Aniston used to be on Friends with Courtney Cox Arquette, wife of David Arquette, who's the brother of Rosanna Arquette, who had a less than four month but nonetheless sufficiently gossip-page-filling fling with Sir Paul after his divorce from Heather Mills.
It's also because for a while there it seemed like Macca might be falling into the kind of serial-dater mentality that Mayer's made almost as much a career of as his guitar playing. But after hookups with Arquette--who not only starred with Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan, but may well be the only semi-famous actress ever to have a Top Ten hit written and named for her (Toto's "Rosanna," of course), and Renee Zellweger, who may well be the only semi or very famous actress who'll ever be married to Kenny Chesney-- McCartney does seem to have settled down in the old love-is-all-you-need department.
The ex-Beatle (interesting how he's never referred as an ex-Wing anymore; ah, the fickle finger of fame) is currently in the midst of a road trip across the U.S. with his new flame Nancy Shevell, driving what's being described as "an old Ford Bronco" (feel free to insert your favorite O.J. Simpson joke here). The 66-year-old Macca and his 47-year-old gal pal made their way from New York to Illinois and once there, picked up the much fabled Route 66, immortalized in the 1955 Bobby Troup-penned tune of the same name: "It winds from Chicago to L.A., more than 2000 miles along the way/Get your kicks on Route 66."
Those familiar with the tune know that the song mentions many of the towns that the highway crosses, from St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Amarillo to Flagstaff, Barstow and St. Bernadino. And presumably at least some folks are no doubt dotting the route hoping for at least a glimpse and maybe even a photo op with McCartney before the long and winding road ends in Santa Monica, California.
By the way, in case anyone's interested, there's a guy on eBay who's trying to sell a 1987 Bronco, with the following come-on: "AS DRIVEN BY PAUL MCCARTNEY UP ROUTE 66." And guess where he lives? No, nowhere along Route 66, but rather--ready for this?--LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND! Bidding right now is a little over 400 British pounds. You gotta love it.
Of course, speaking of McCartney and Liverpool, it's just been revealed that manager Brian Epstein's original 1962 contract with the Liverpool-born-and-bred Fab Four is going to get auctioned off in London in early September. The contract, signed by all four moptops, as well as then under-21ers Paul and George's fathers, stipulates that Epstein would receive 25 % of the band's earnings, provided they made more than $400 a week. Which meant that for every $400 they made, he'd get $100 and they'd get $75 apiece. Even Col. Parker would be impressed.
My guess is the contract will go for just a trifle more than the Bronco.