More Steven Tyler Sightings (but not by me)

This was in the Desert Sun today (byline by Maggie Downs): I love that he sang over the loudspeaker at Home Depot!!

Where is Steven?
Around 12:42 p.m. today, I gleefully sent my boyfriend the following text: "Just got hugged by Steven Tyler."


Let me explain.


Steven Tyler is in the desert. We know that because my colleague Bruce Fessier wrote about it, then Rolling Stone picked up on it and TMZ ran with it. It's practically a full-fledged Aerosmith tour, with all the impromptu performances he's been making all over town.





Since then, I kept hearing about other Steven Tyler sightings from my sources. (And by "sources," I mean "friends on Facebook.")


Here's where he's been so far:


* Karaoke night at Tilted Kilt in Palm Desert.


* Singing on the loudspeaker at Home Depot.


* Signing autographs in the Albertson's parking lot in Rancho Mirage.


* Bikram Yoga in Palm Desert.


* Wandering around El Paseo in Palm Desert.


* Native Foods in Palm Desert.




Armed with that knowledge, I spent my lunch hour today at Native Foods to possibly spot/stalk Steven Tyler. (Come on, wouldn't you? I vividly remember my sister playing Aerosmith on her 8-track player. The guy is a legend. Besides, Native Foods is my favorite restaurant.)


Anyway, so I'm there at Native Foods, carefully positioned by the beverage cooler where I can see the entire dining room. And then, just as my Soul Bowl order arrived, Steven Tyler swaggered in the door like he owned the place. Nearly every table was full, but he grabbed the one empty seat in the middle of the crowded place.


I summoned enough courage to walk over and squat next to his table, even though I could feel every eye in the place burning a hole in my back. I rationalized that interrupting him while he's reading the menu is far less of a crime than interrupting him while he's actually eating.


"Excuse me," I said, and Steven Tyler held one glittery, manicured fingernail against the menu to hold his place.


"I know you're here to eat, and I'm sorry to bug you, but it's not every day that Steven Tyler walks into a restaurant while I'm eating lunch," I said. (I left out the part where I was purposely there to stalk him.)


Then I flipped out. I started shaking, and Steven Tyler grabbed my hand and said, "Oh, sweetie. It's cool."


I asked if I could take his photo, as I was conveniently armed with a camera. He declined and said, "I'm not really here for pictures. But I'll give you a hug." And he did, embracing me for what seemed like a very long time.


He walked me back to my table and we engaged in some superficial, friendly banter. He asked about the dish I ordered, and he said he hasn't tried that yet. I asked how he likes the desert, and he said he prefers it to be hot. And overcome by awkwardness, I became an ambassador for this area and said something dumb like, "We are pleased to have you in our desert."


Then he went back to his table, ate a sandwich, drank an Izze soda and had some hot tea.


Meanwhile, I furiously texted people about my brush with a rock star and pretended to read a book.


I'll admit, I wasn't even a huge Aerosmith fan when today began. But Steven Tyler really won me over -- he couldn't have been nicer, even to a stalker who rudely interrupted his lunch.