What can I do about Don McLean? He is very talented. “American Pie” and “Vincent” are just a fraction of his career.
But listen, he’s a bad guy. So as he readies a new album, a single, a tour the bad PR is coming whether he likes it or not. This afternoon, Page Six “revealed” his 24 year old girlfriend, “Paris Dylan” (come on, that cannot be her name). Her Instagram account is filled with stuff about newly divorced 72 year old McLean. She’s younger than his children. He doesn’t care. Paris likes celebrities, especially older ones. Two weeks she was hanging out with Quentin Tarantino.
I wrote about Don’s daughter Jackie a couple of years ago when she published an online memoir piece about growing up with Don. It wasn’t a pretty story.
Plus Don’s wife of 27 years, Patrisha, divorced him (and scored $10 mil for time served) accusing him of domestic violence.
It’s stunning that Don McLean could write such nice songs and be so awful. Even his new song, “Botanical Gardens,” is good. Of course, the lyrics about hitting on girls.
I always say, if we’d known Picasso, we wouldn’t have liked him. This is where you have to decide– does the artist’s life influence how you feel about him? Is that a consideration? Or are artists exempt from judgment and normal behavior?
No matter how wonderful McLean’s new album is, his recent history will haunt him. The Page Six item was obviously planted to thwart a public ceremony next Wednesday in New Rochelle designed to honor him. All of next week he’s doing publicity– will those who interview him not ask about all this? (I would, so I probably won’t get an interview.)
But what the heck? Enjoy the new song.
