There are few things more hilariously entertaining than witnessing a C-List 'celebrity' losing the plot and demanding "Do you known who I am?" to bemused security staff when being refused admission to a club, venue or restaurant that they feel entitled to enter. But sometimes, just sometimes, you can't help feeling a twinge of sympathy for the rich and famous as it slowly dawns upon them that their lofty social status means sweet fuck all when they're confronted by people who genuinely have no idea who these people are.
We should make clear, here, that this anecdote does not involve any rage-filled celebrities throwing their toys out of the pram, but it's a little reminder that, sometimes, even the most famous people in the world will find themselves in situations where their reputation and status will count for absolutely nothing.
Appearing on US TV chat show Jimmy Kimmel Live last week, indie rocker Beck recalled the night, in 2016, where he and Paul McCartney, joined by Taylor Hawkins (the late Foo Fighters drummer) and film star Woody Harrelson, were denied entry to a post-Grammy Awards party in Los Angeles.
“We were together, and he [McCartney] said, 'My wife wants to go dancing.' I said, I think Mark Ronson is DJ-ing, we could go there. So we go to Hollywood, and we had the wrong address. We go to the place and it was all gates closed, doors are closed, and he's rattling on the gate, like, 'Hello!' And then we circle around and go to another bar, and it's locked. And then we see some people, and some SUVs, and we're like, Okay, that's the party!
“And we go up, and Paul's like, 'Can we come in?' And the doorman's like, 'No. Not going in'.”
The moment was actually captured for posterity by a cameraman filming for gossip website TMZ. In the clip, McCartney is seen at the entrance to the party, hosted by rapper Tyga at the Argyle nightclub, joking with his friends, saying, “How VIP do we gotta get? We need another hit guys!”
After gracefully accepting their fate, the group apparently carried on partying at a venue called Hyde Sunset Kitchen + Cocktails instead.
Tyga later took to social media to explain that he had nothing to do with McCartney and his friends being turned away.
Posting on Twitter, he wrote, "Why would I deny Paul McCartney stop it. He's a legend. I don't control the door. I had no knowledge SIR PAUL was there. I just performed and left."
Watch Beck discuss the incident, plus footage from the night, below.
