A few minutes with ... a woman who goosed Paul McCartney

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A few minutes with ... a woman who goosed Paul McCartney
Jim Schaefer
Detroit Free Press
September 3, 2016

Terry Matlen of Birmingham is an author, an artist and now, well, she’s the woman who gave Paul McCartney a little tap on the tush.

Now, before you think that’s just stupid or childish or a stunt to put on YouTube, you should know a little more about this story.

The Beatles meant a lot to Terry growing up, and you can read why in my interview below. (And if you want to see the amusing onstage goose, which wound up on YouTube after all, just go to the website and search her name.)


Terry Matlen of Birmingham has been a huge Beatles fan since she was a young girl -- Paul McCartney in particular. She got up on stage during his concert in Grand Rapids last month and gave McCartney a goose. Or two. Here, Matlen poses with a bass guitar like the one McCartney plays. She plays multiple instruments in this room in the basement of her home.
(Photo: Jim Schaefer, Detroit Free Press)

QUESTION: Before we get to Paul’s heinie, tell me about this obsession you have with the Beatles. How did it start?

ANSWER: It’s kind of a sad story when I think back about it because people ask me, what’s this with Paul McCartney? What’s this with Paul McCartney? I’ve had an obsession since I saw them on — well, even before — when they came on “Ed Sullivan” in 1964. I was just a kid.

Very young.

Very. (Smiles.) ... This obsession, I believe, came about because “The Ed Sullivan Show” with the Beatles happened just four months after my father passed away suddenly. He was a young, young father, and it was a devastating thing for the family. So I kind of latched onto the optimism that the Beatles had. You know, the singing, and it was upbeat, and everybody was screaming. And the times had been changing. So I got fixated on the Beatles and then, of course, Paul McCartney, from that point on. So they got me through some pretty tough times

Did you have any favorite songs back then that really caught you?

Well, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” back in the early, early days, all those boy band songs. “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” there are very few Beatles songs I don’t like, especially back in the early days.

So, McCartney in particular?

Oh, yeah.

Why?

He’s the cute Beatle!

John Lennon wasn’t cute?

No. He was handsome.

George? Ringo?

Ringo? Not at all. (Smiles.) No, Paul had the charisma. Paul had the optimism. Paul was always on. John was more sarcastic. You know, serious.

Morose sometimes.

Yeah. And I think he had a bit of a temper and he was more irritable. George was just quiet George. You know, later on, when I got to understand music and learned how to play instruments, I really understood where George was coming from, and I thought he was the underrated Beatle. He was the quiet one. And Ringo was just, you know, just Ringo. (Laughs.)

Take me through last month’s concert in Grand Rapids. What happened?

Oh, my God. (Laughs.) Well, my ultimate dream, since I was a youngster, was to meet Paul McCartney. I came close a few times. And it’s not like I, you know, target him or anything like that. It’s just when he comes to town or a town nearby, I’ll go to his concerts.

What did your sign say?

It said, “Can I touch your bass?” But the word “bass,” I crossed out, so it looks like “a-s-s.”



Gotcha!

So at first I thought, no way, this is just a little too off-color because Paul McCartney runs a very clean, family-oriented show.

Sure, sure. So he calls you up on stage at some point?

His security guy. The way he works it is after the show when he’s on a little break before the encore, he tells his security guy which signs he’s seen in the audience and to bring 'em up on stage. ... I came on stage and he said to me, “What will it be? The bass or the ass?” (Smiles.) And I was in a state of shock. So I didn’t know what to say but I was looking, you know, and he turns and he wiggles his behind.

I was very ladylike, I just gave a little tap.

Just a little pat. A little love pat.

Love pat.

But, you went for it twice, didn’t you?

Yeah. You have to be really observant to watch the little video clips that people have sent me because you can miss it. After he introduced me, “What’s your name?” And all that sort of thing, as I’m about to leave the stage, I took another little quick tap and ran off. (Smiles.)

What was his reaction?

Oh, he said, “Leave it alone! Leave it alone.” And then he said — what did he say? — “Honestly!” (Smiles.)



What’s next for you?

Hmmm. James Taylor. (Smiles.)

Same thing?

No. Well, you know, if it worked for Paul, maybe it’ll work for James. It’s worth a try. (Laughs.)

OK. Anything I should ask you that we haven’t gotten into?

About Paul?

Anything.

Well, because of the Beatles, I became a musician. An amateur musician. ... The Beatles had such a huge influence in my life that when there’s been hard times, even now, I’ll go back and think about the Beatles as a kid and how they made me so happy. Their enthusiasm, their optimism, how they changed the world. And that you can come from a small town in Liverpool and change the world.

Isn’t it wonderful how things like music can do that for us?

Absolutely yeah.


Contact Jim Schaefer: 313-223-4542 or jschaefer@freepress.com. On Twitter: @DetroitReporter