Lucky Enough to Meet the Man Himself?

[MacwoodFleet]

Originally Posted by erwk05

Hi All

Just wondering who has been lucky enough to meet Lindsey. get a photo with him or maybe something more and what was your story behind it? did you randomly run into him? did you meet him after the show? at the hotel??

I met Lindsey in July 1993 at the San Jose Hilton and Towers. It was a few months after "Out of the Cradle" was released. I think it was right after he broke up with Anne Heche. He stayed for 5 days, visiting family and friends in between. I worked there as a room service waiter. When I saw a ticket for a breakfast order -- corn flakes, two eggs over easy, a large pot of coffee -- with the name L. Buckingham on it, I rationalized it couldn't be THAT L. Buckingham! When I knocked on the door with the order on a cart and he opened it, my knees actually started shaking, and they'd never done that before. "It IS you" I said as calmly (I was relieved because as I strolled the cart in I could lean on it!). I was never so nervous in my life meeting anyone. I'd met many celebrities when they were booked for local shows, or appearing at the convention center (I'd met Ken Caillat earlier that year). With Lindsey I attempted to be as cool and professional as I could -- but I didn't keep quiet! When I told him he was my favorite guitarist,he said, "Really?" and looked almost surprised by the compliment! I told him "Out of the Cradle" was a masterpiece. He genuinely appreciated hearing that. We probably chatted for a good 20 minutes afterward, about composing music, songwriting, recording and mixing (he told me Paul McCartney was his favorite songwriting peer). Since I'm a composer/songwriting keyboardist myself, we had a lot to talk about. While he seemed shy to the point where it's painful, he still had a regal confidence about him. I remember him folding his legs Indian style on the bed, and sitting upright like a guru -- he seemed to be connected to a higher plane -- I'm not kidding. In any case, on whatever plane, I do recall seeing Zig-Zag rolling papers scattered about (and cassette tapes and the same guitar you see on "Out of the Cradle)!

Lindsey ordered the same breakfast every day (I was told at night he'd go downstairs to the lounge bar and order "Chivas Regal"), and each morning I'd deliver his food and we'd talk long enough for his eggs and probably his coffee to get cold, which he'd just leave on the table (but he'd refuse to let me rush up a fresh replacement!). Though I'd introduced myself as David, he called me "Dave" (I returned a "Linds" once -- which I didn't know at the time is what his friends call him).

On that last day Lindsey actually asked if I had a tape of demos to send to give him (which I did but I wasn't comfortable with the quality to submit right then). I had a BAM magazine with him on the cover that he signed for me (The funny thing is, he was talking as he signed his name, so it says, "Lindsey Buckingingham").

I was impressed with Lindsey as a person. The funny irony is I'm an even bigger Stevie Nicks fan -- yet my only reference to her was when I asked if the songs "Welcome to the Room... Sara" and "When I See You Again" were sped-up after recording (he said "yes", because he felt the songs were a bit "draggy" and that Stevie's voice might sound "a little fresher" by doing so).

A Sri-Lankan coworker of mine at the time, Imtinan, worked in the hotel gift shop and had heard all about Lindsey Buckingham from me, but didn't know what Lindsey actually looked like. When he processed a credit card charge from a man buying batteries and saw "Lindsey Buckingham" on the card, he said in his broken English, "Oh, I have a friend here in room service who is a big fan of yours -- David Hodges". He told me that Lindsey replied, "Oh yes, I've met him. Very interesting person". When I heard that I thought, "God, I hope that was said in a good way"! Imtinan assured me it was.

About three years after this experience, I would meet Stevie Nicks in Scottsdale. But that experience was much more surreal...