Page 79 - FOYER_Cannes 2001

DIARY BERLIN • LOSANGELES • MILAN • FOYER • CANNES • TOKYO • LONDON PAGE77
EVENWHENITWASBAD... ITWASGOOD
ful garden, which had been allowed to revert to a wild state. The whole garden was swarming with children and dogs and people carrying instruments and chairs. It was as if the circus had come to town and all moved in together. We pulled up in front of the house where Mick Taylor, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts were all sitting on the front steps. I recognized them immediate- ly from Jo’s descriptions.
“Bill, Mick, Charlie,” Jo said to them as we headed for the door, “meet June. She’s going to be your new assistant.” They murmured some hellos.
Inside, everything about the old house was larger than life. We went through a long, tiled corridor, pass- ing doors to other rooms on both sides, and emerged onto a terrace at the back of the house looking out over the Baie de Villefrance. The lit- tle village was about a half-mile across the water, and a small beach curved around to our right. Below us were some rocks and a small wooden dock with a boat tied up to it. Large speakers had been erected in the corners of the terrace and there I came face to face with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It does- n’t matter how many times you have seen Mick Jagger’s picture in the press or on the screen--it is still a startlingly impressive face when you come upon it in the flesh.
Jo introduced me to them and gave a bit of my background. It was obvious that Mick was the leader and was conducting the interview and asking the questions.
“Did I know the region well or at all? Was I available all hours of the day and night? What had I been doing recently?”
I told Mick what I had been up to for the past several years. After a few minutes he stopped the ques- tions. “Jo is right,” he said, “you are perfect for the job. Are you avail- able to us anywhere else but here?”
“Not really,” I said, “I am recent- ly married and I am living down here now with my new husband who’s a writer. He’s working on a book.”
“Okay, fair enough, “ said Mick, “But if we need you temporarily somewhere else?”
“No problem, up to a month is fine”.
“Can you start work tomorrow? We could really use your help.” They mentioned the salary, which was quite low, and I told
them it wasn’t enough.
“I was making more than that in
Paris.” They look startled because that was what they had been told by the French was the going rate. Jo’s look suggested she felt some- what betrayed that I had waited to bring this up until I was in front of the Stones. I asked
for about 30 percent
more. Mick quickly
agreed on
the amount. It was still not a great deal, but I really wanted the job. With all the business finished, I got up to finally go.
As I walked across the ter-
race, it occurred to me that I should say more.
With Ramblin’ Jack in old London Town; happy as a lark with Jack in Denmark (courtesy Woody Guthrie)
continued ✒
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