Exclusive: When Jay-Z Met Gwynnie
As those of you who read NME already know, Jay-Z, Chris Martin, and Gwyneth Paltrow teamed up last night for Jay’s show at the Royal Albert Hall in London. As it turned out, one of Idolator’s far-flung correspondents was backstage, and happened to witness the trio’s awkward encounter; our first-hand account follows after the click-through.
(Backstage at Royal Albert Hall, there’s a knock on Jay-Z’s dressing-room door. Seconds later, Chris Martin’s head appears, with Gwyneth Paltrow behind him.)
CM: Jay! Z: Yo? CM: How’s it going, mate? Z: (Peering at Martin) Shit, you’re here, like, three hours early. Where’d you park it? CM: Sorry? Z: The wheels, man, where’d you–wait. You my driver, right? Nigel? No–Liam? CM: Jay! It’s me, Chris. Chris from Coldplay! Remember? We met at Prince’s Grammy-party after-party party? Z: Awww, shit…I’m sorry. CM: No worries, mate! Z: Nah, it’s just that I’m really, really bad with names, you know? It can be kinda socially crippling at times. It’s why I roll so deep. CM: Right– Z: People always say, “Well, try to associate a name with some other word, something that rhymes”? But I tried that, and now it’s like, every time I see Nas, I think “Cos,” right? CM: Right. Z: Like Nas is on Picture Pages or some shit. Anyway. You here to watch the show? CM: No, we’re singing together, mate! Blimeny gee! Z: Oh, yeah! I forgot about that. You want Foxy’s verse on “Ain’t No”? CM: Actually, we have a song together! Z: We do? CM: Chippery hee, we certainly do! It’s a plaintive piano ballad about hunger in Germany. We called it “Stitch In Time (Saves Nein).” Z: Ah. Right. We stickin’ with that title? CM: Bet your buggers we are! And I think I know someone very special who’d like to sing it with us. Have you met my bird, Gwyneth? GP: Heee! (Jay-Z peers at Paltrow) Z: Bird? CM: It’s British slang, for “girl.” Z: Yeah, right, but… GP: Heee! (Pause) CM: But you didn’t think that, did you? Z: Nah… CM: You thought she was an actual walking, talking bird, right? Z: Yeah… CM: Well, don’t wanker your bangers over it, chap. It happens. A lot.
