McCartney Times

In January, 32 NFL franchise owners met in Houston to decide which of three teams would be moving to Los Angeles—a decision with the potential to massively change two of four metropolitan economies (the Rams won, St. Louis lost). During a break in the haggling, Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, huddled with Paul Allen, owner of the Seattle Seahawks. Their chat turned from football to another shared passion. “Paul,” Irsay confided, “I’m just glad you weren’t in on Ringo’s drum kit.” The two are both major players in the world of high-stakes rock ’n’ roll memorabilia collecting. Just the month before, Irsay had been high bidder on an auction item—Ringo Starr’s drum kit—and he was relieved that Allen hadn’t brought his deep pockets and unblinking determination to the proceedings.“Oh, I was in,” assured Allen, who had bid anonymously. This, after all, is the Microsoft co-founder who, in 2000, created Seattle’s Experience Music Project Museum—home to the world’s largest collection of Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain memorabilia. “Well, then,” said Irsay, “I thank you for dropping out when you did.”

Source: Magical Memorabilia Tour: Classic Rock Hits the Auction Block