WOODY ALLEN y/and AL PACINO

Sigo en 1977, en Nueva York. Cantero, Oriol y yo nos fuimos al Michael's Pub porque ese dia Woody tocaba el clarinete. Cenamos mientras le escuchábamos (a mi me pareció que tocaba bastante mal pero la orquesta Dixie que le acompañaba era fantástica). Despues de cenar, me acerqué a Woody para ver si nos concedía una entrevista. Como un robot me dijo: "Tienes que llamar a mi manager, fulanito de tal, 633-33333" insistí: "Pero si Vd. está de acuerdo será más facil que el me de la cita" siguió como un robot repitiéndome la primera frase. Sinceramente pensé que el no era el Woody Allen que yo imaginaba y que debía de existir algun cerebro gris detrás del personaje. Me defraudó. Llamé al manager al dia siguiente pero no pasé de la secretaria. Esa noche cenamos en el "Elaine's" donde iban muchos famosos, nuestro camarero era español (he constatado que todos los camareros trabajando en el extranjero en aquellos años eran españoles!!). Le pedimos que nos avisara si había algun famoso. En unos momentos vino y nos dijo que Woody Allen estaba en una de las mesas. Salté como un rayo y fuí a hablar con el. Estaba con otra pareja que no reconocí. Casi me arrodillé delante de él y le comenté lo del Michael's Pub de la noche anterior, que había llamado a su manager pero que no había pasado de la secretaria, que eramos periodistas españoles y que en España era muy popular y querido. Entonces sí que vi al Woody Allen que yo admiraba. Muy simpático y parlanchín me dijo que llamara a su manager al dia siguiente y que se pondría al telefóno pero que el no me podía asegurar nada porque estaba en medio del rodaje de "Manhattan". En frente de el sobre la mesa tenía una sopa. En un momento dado me invadió un sentimiento maternal y le dije: "Por favor tome su sopa que se está enfriando". En ese momento llegó el maître todo alborotado diciéndome que me levantara y dejara en paz al Sr. Allen!! Otro histérico. Bueno, resulta que Woody era el Dios de Nueva York en aquellos años porque acababa de ganar un Oscar por "Annie Hall"... Al dia siguiente, llamé al manager y hablé con el!!! Muy simpático, por cierto. Me dijo que vería lo que podría hacer y que me llamaría de vuelta. Me llamó. Me dijo que en Noviembre (era principios de Octubre) cuando acabara el famoso rodaje que sí nos daría una entrevista. Al final como he contado en el blog de IRENE no volvimos.
Ya que os he contado ésto, os voy a contar otra anécdota de aquella cena en "Elaine's". Nuestro maravilloso camarero nos dijo que Al Pacino estaba en otra mesa. Allá fuí a ver si le encontraba. Las luces eran muy tenues y no veía ni papa. Cuando de repente divisé a un guaperas y me dije: "Aha, Al Pacino". Me acerqué a su mesa (eran cuatro comensales) y, como seguía sin ver bien, le pregunté: "Es Vd. Al Pacino?", me contestó: "No, pero si quieres que lo sea, lo seré...". Al final no lo encontré...

I'm still in 1977, New York. One evening we dined at Michael's Pub where that day Woody Allen played his clarinet. We listened to him while we had dinner. Actually I thought he was pretty bad but his Dixieland Band was great! After dinner, I went up to Woody to see if he would give us an interview. He answered, like a robot: "You have to call my manager So-and-So 633-33333" I insisted: "But, Mr. Allen, if you're willing to give us an interview, it would be so much easier...". He replied the former phrase again (like a robot). I was so disappointed! Because he didn't seem to be the Woody Allen that I had imagined! I thought he was a fake and that he had an alter ego behind him. Following day I called his manager but I didn't get past the secretary. That evening we went to have dinner at "Elaine's", a celebrities' hangout. Our waiter was Spanish (actually ALL the waiters everywhere in those years seemed to be Spanish!). We asked him to let us know if and where there were any celebs. He came back and told us Woody Allen was sitting at a table. I dashed like lightning to find him. I saw him sitting there with another couple who I didn't recognize. I almost knelt beside him and said that I had spoken to him the previous evening at Michael's Pub, that I had called his manager but didn't get past his secretary, that we were Spanish journalists, and that in Spain he was very popular and greatly loved. Then, I saw the Woody Allen that I admired! He was very friendly and talkative. He told me to call his manager once again and that, this time, I would speak to him. He also said that he couldn't set a date for an interview as he was in the middle of filming "Manhattan". In front of him on the table he had a plate of soup. All of a sudden this maternal feeling overwhelmed me and I said to him: "Please Mr. Allen eat your soup before it gets cold", at that moment a very hysterical "maître-d" came rushing towards me and shooed me away, saying I shouldn't bother Mr. Allen! Well, at that time Woody was the king of New York as he had just won an Oscar for "Annie Hall"... Following day I called the manager. He got on the phone. He was quite friendly but said to me that he would call me back to let me know something. He called back and said that at the time (early October) it was impossible to give me a date for an interview as they were in the middle of the filming but that in November it could be arranged. Well, as I say in my blog "IRENE", we never made it back.

Another funny episode that happened that evening at "Elaine's". Our marvellous waiter told us that Al Pacino was also there. I shot up again from my chair and I went looking for him. The lights were very dim and I could hardly see anything. All of a sudden I saw this very handsome guy sitting with three other people, I said to myself: "Aha! Al Pacino". I went up to him, still not seeing very well, and I asked him: "Are you Al Pacino??", he looked at me and said: "No, but if you want me to be, I'll be"!! I never found him.