Why Singer Tony Bennett Might Think That I'm An Idiot

Well, I'm probably being hard on myself. It's been almost 15 years and he probably is used to strange fans.

Anyway, the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois (probably the second biggest mall after "Mall of America") had a grand re-opening after a major remodel, and they hired Tony Bennett to perform in the mall for free.

My brother and I went there. It was crowded, but the concert was really nice. Then, we went to do some shopping. After a while, I noticed people lining up at an art gallery in the mall. It turned out that the gallery was selling some of Bennett's paintings, and he was signing autographs.

I was able to get into the line just before they cut it off. Eventually, I made it up to the front and you could see that he was tired, but pleasant. The guy in front of me must have come from work, so he had his employee badge out, and he let Bennett copy his name off that.

Then it was my turn. I told him my name, and he asked me to spell it. I went "P r a ..." and then blanked out. Maybe I was nervous.

All I could remember was the guy before me showing his badge. So, I pulled out my wallet and gave Tony my driver's license! He took it, but looked at me a little strangely.

Later, I was kicking myself for being a bonehead.

I'm just glad that his bodyguard didn't jump me when I was reaching in my back pocket. He didn't have some beefy bouncer, he had one of those smaller guys in a suit and earpiece. Those are probably ex-secret service guys - the kind who could drop you instantly with the Vulcan Death-grip ;-)