We often admire the outstanding works of art that famous people create, and on the wave of this admiration, we are sometimes ready to forgive them almost anything. Even being completely rude or misbehaving towards us, mere mortals.
We recently presented to your attention a selection of celebrities who, according to netizens, turned out to be incredibly nice and kind in everyday life. But every medal has two sides – and there are actually plenty of spoiled, entitled ‘icons’ in our world as well. So please feel welcome to read this post of ours, proving this.
Keith McNally, the NYC-based restaurateur, recently teased his book of memoirs recalling different types of customers, nice and rude
Among the rude attendees, the author recalls Patti Smith, the punk rock legend of the ’70s
Keith McNally is a famous NYC-based restaurateur of British origin who has been in the restaurant business for over half a century, and he definitely has a lot to tell. His book of memoirs called “I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir” is expected to hit shelves this May, and for now, publishers are teasing us with various fragments of it.
For example, in an excerpt obtained by New York Magazine’s Grub Street, McNally says that punk rock legend Patti Smith, who in the seventies with her friend and then-boyfriend, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, was a regular at his establishments, turned out to be an incredibly cantankerous and sometimes just rude customer.
The restaurateur recalls Smith once driving a waitress to tears over not bringing bread to her plate
At that time, McNally worked as a manager of an Italian eatery that was often visited by Smith, Mapplethorpe and his ex Sam Wagstaff, who lived literally above this establishment. And so, according to the restaurateur, if the famous photographer never tried to belittle the staff, then the four-time Grammy nominee sometimes brought the waitresses to tears – for example, if they simply forgot to put some bread on her plate.
Smith, now 78, hit fame in the ’70s, when her first albums were enthusiastically received by both critics and the general public. In 1978, she recorded her opus magnum, the song ‘Because the Night,’ with Bruce Springsteen, which reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Today, she continues her musical and poetic activities – although she’s not as outlandish as she was half a century ago.
McNally is famous for sticking up for his staff after conflicts, even with star customers
McNally, in turn, is well known not only for his restaurants but also for his constant support of his employees if they are offended by rude customers, no matter how famous they actually are. For example, the story of 2022 became widely known when actor and comedian James Corden, while in one of McNally’s eateries, behaved in an overly boorish manner towards a server over an improperly prepared order.
The conflict ended with Corden being banned from all establishments owned by McNally – so the comedian had to offer his sincere apologies to both the restaurant owner and his staff. And only after that was the ban lifted. The story became widespread in late 2022, and McNally received a massive shoutout for sticking up for his employees.
However, all this could be just a publicity stunt in order to promote the book
Can the restaurateur’s story about the legendary singer’s inappropriate behavior during her wild youth be considered simply a publicity stunt to warm up the audience? Who knows – after all, the book will be presented in a couple of weeks, and it will be possible to sort everything out in detail. However, many people who personally encountered Smith in other places and at other times are more inclined to believe McNally.
For example, one of the commenters recalled being present at a banquet where the singer was too – and her behavior then wasn’t much different from what McNally described. Someone sincerely laments that many idols of music of the past, alas, in everyday life, are completely different from their own glowing stage image. “All of these ‘hippie’ rockers seem like terrible, privileged, elitist people,” one of the responders reasonably concluded.
However, many people who keep enjoying Patti Smith’s music still don’t believe that the legendary singer could do such a thing. “Patti Smith did that? I am shocked!” another person wrote in the comments. By the way, have you, our dear readers, ever encountered an example of inappropriate behavior from any celebrities? If yes, please feel free to share your own tales in the comments below this post.
Some people in the comments recalled similar stories about Smith, and some just couldn’t believe such a great singer could behave this way
