BUY, BUY, MRS. AMERICAN PIE

The wife of Don McLean just got TEN MILLION BUCKS.

She signed a pre-nup, but Don, being a nice fellow, decided to give her a nice, big fat settlement anyway.

Umm...is it possible that if he DIDN'T, she would've had him arrested for assault?

How about her charge of adultery? I'd think NO pre-nup would stand up in court to such a situation. You cheat on the bitch, she gets MONEY. What the fuck did that pre-nup say? "I will not ask Don for any money no matter whether he beats me, fucks somebody else, or makes me listen to "Beautiful Baby" every goddam night."

It wouldn't come as any surprise to discover that Mr. Sensitive (we all love "Vincent") is actually a bit of a prick. So was Lennon. So is Dylan. Chalk it up to being a genius of some kind. Creative people aren't easy to live with.

In his prime, Don could definitely do things to piss people off. One example: he's about to get on a plane to start a tour. He tells his manager, "Nope. Not gonna do it. Cancel."

Jesus. Forget the disappointed fans. How does the manager STILL manage this guy after THAT?

Don may have had a reason beyond prickishness for that one. Maybe some sudden burst of stage fright or just a great nausea at having to perform "American Pie" every night. Still...

You hate to see a sad situation like this. 30 years is a long time. Even if Don was playing around (and who is to say if that charge is real, or if it involves one miss-demeanor or periodic twat-dipping all through the marriage).

Some out there absolutely HATE "American Pie" and some think it's brilliant. He's certainly written some other good songs. He wrote a pretty good Phil Ochs-type song in "Prime Time." So give a bye (in the sense of a pass) to Don on the basis of his undeniable creativity. Lots of people probably have only good memories of dealing with him. And, Jeez, if you can toss TEN MILLION down in a settlement, you don't need THAT much sympathy. Neither of 'em do. Christ, even in this era of bad royalties, and even with a very dubious market for him to tour in, he's going THAT well??

I had thought he'd moved from New York to Maine to save money, and that he'd sold at auction his manuscript copy of "American Pie" to secure himself in his old age (he's already 70). I guess these weren't cost-cutting measures after all.

Oh. "Andrew McCrew." Great story song, Don. Good luck to you and the ex.