The Kooks singer Luke Pritchard revealed he once ran into Sir Paul McCartney at his local pub – but the milestone meeting didn’t quite go as expected.
It turns out the legendary Beatles star was convinced they’d already met before, but Luke insisted he hadn’t ever crossed paths with the iconic rock star.
You’d think you’d remember meeting one of the most famous rock stars in history, and Luke said: “Believe me, if I’d met Paul McCartney I would know about it!”
The Kooks star spoke exclusively to Daily Star about the hilarious moment he bumped into Sir Paul at the pub, as well as meditation, pre-show tequila rituals, and his band’s “euphoric” new album.
It comes as The Kooks prepare to release their “euphoric” sixth studio record, 10 Tracks To Echo In The Dark, which drops July 22.
(Image: PA)
Pritchard’s epic pub tale came to pass when he was eating next to fashion mogul Stella McCartney, who offered to introduce Luke to her famous dad – and it’s since become his “all time favourite” celeb anecdote.
He said: “My favourite [celebrity interaction] which really cracked me up was when I met Paul McCartney. Randomly, it was really nice, in my old local pub… I was eating with my friend and Stella McCartney was next to us.
“And I’d met her once before or something and we just end up having a meal together and she was like ‘Oh do you want to come to a gig?’ and it was her brother’s gig. Anyway, Paul McCartney was there and I’m like obviously you’ve got to meet a Beatle. I mean, oh my god.”
Luke went on: “She’s like ‘I’m gonna introduce you to my dad’, and they’re really sweet and it’s such a family vibe. And he [Paul] thought he’d met me. He was convinced he’d met me and so we’re having this conversation like he knows me and then I said to him, I was like ‘I’m really sorry we haven’t met’, and he was like ‘We have.’”
“I’m like ‘believe me, if I’d met Paul McCartney I would know about it!”. It was really funny. He was so nice. Really sweet and he was asking about the band and stuff but yeah. That’s got to be my all time favourite.”
(Image: Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Discussing The Kooks’ new album, Luke said he wanted to write a record about “losing the ego”.
The hitmaker credits meditation and a settled family life for having a ‘huge impact’ on his songwriting this time around.
He said: “Quite a few things have had an impact on my writing and one of which is the meditation. Being a bit more centred, a bit more grounded, and being a bit more settled in my personal life. Married, got a kid and those things have been hugely impactful and I think the album is very euphoric. It’s got a lot of hope.
“I was trying to be imaginative because I did have a really bad time at the beginning of the pandemic and I was really struggling because playing live is part of my identity, who I am. I love performing and so I did have a tough time but I found getting back to working.
“I did a lot of it in this room. Some of it we’d already had written but it was a bit more insular and I think the meditation had an impact because it made me want to write an album about losing the ego and the kind of fight of a human being of trying to lose the ego and it being about the next generation.”
Later on, the singer said he didn’t want to “overthink” on this album, which has become a “free” and “instinctual” effort.
(Image: Getty Images)
Luke added: “There’s songs on the album that I really think have that but just in a kind of vibe I think a lot of the music is quite free, it’s quite effortless.
“I didn’t want to overthink on this album and it’s quite an instinctual record. Quite minimal as well. I think again the meditation made me want to do something like that. It’s just a bit less hectic in the musical arrangements. It’s keeping things very simple. A couple of musical elements and a message and hopefully a bit of vibe.”
When we spoke about touring, Luke admitted he got nerves for the first time in years when he walked on stage, but it ultimately felt like coming home.
It also turns out he’s got a pre-show ritual which involves a quick meditation session and a shot of tequila “with the boys”.
(Image: Unknown)
He said:” “It’s really cool, man. The first couple shows were really intense in a great way but I don’t think I’d been nervous for a show since I was like 18 but it’s like the first one.
“It was like amazing because you just get onto autopilot. It’s like what you do. You’re so used to like ‘I’m gonna get on stage’.
“The first one back, in Sheffield I think, the minute I got on stage it was like ‘I’m home’, you know? It was like amazing. It was like this serenity comes in.
“But it was really just a bizarre experience to have two years away. And yeah, just seeing the fans, man. Seeing the people singing the songs back after all that time was really good, man. I’m just feeling grateful, really.”
On pre-show rituals, the singer said: “People have asked me this recently and I’m starting to think I need to be more superstitious! But I don’t really have any.
(Image: Get Reading)
“I do like a little meditation vibe. I do quite like that about half an hour before to take a minute. And a shot of tequila with the boys. That’s it. Meditation then tequilla. In that order.”
The Kooks will appear at a number of UK festivals including Truck and Kendall Calling, and it seems the band’s better than ever.
Teasing a fireworks show, Luke said: “The band’s on fire, I know that. We’ve just had such a good tour. It’ll be like The Kooks before but better.
“We’re gonna play our entire first album which is something we did on the tour but we’ve never really done it so that’s exciting.
“Listen, the thing with The Kooks is it’s about the people, you know? Our shows are great because the people. It’s like that atmosphere and it’s like a proper togetherness thing.
“Hopefully I’ll run into Jane Birkin backstage and we’ll be singing a song together, you never know!”
The Kooks’ new album 10 Tracks To Echo In The Dark is set to be released on July 22.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
