Tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe and rock legend Chrissie Hynde might seem an odd doubles team.
But actually they’ve been friends for many years. That proved true again as they shared in tennis and music memories during a recent radio show.
Hynde, best known as the lead singer for The Pretenders, just released her first solo record called “Stockholm”. McEnroe actually played guitar on one of the tracks. To promote it, they each took part in a two hour long radio program on BBC Radio 6. Along with sharing some of their all-time favorite songs from the Sex Pistols, Black Keys, Don Henley, Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Lucinda Williams and plenty of classic rock and R&B, each provided plenty of noteworthy anecdotes.
“I’ve even had had Bob Dylan ask me – ‘Is John McEnroe out there? You want to go get him'”, Hynde said about how many rock icons wanted to meet McEnroe at gigs.
McEnroe took up music as a way to deal with playing a solitary sport. He revealed that practicing a David Bowie song before a match at Wimbledon resulted in Bowie, who was in the same hotel at the time, inviting McEnroe up to his room for a drink.
“I think his reason why he wanted me to have a drink was so that I would stop playing and butcher his song,” McEnroe admits.
Definitely an interview for those who like both classic tunes and classic tennis. The interview is available for listening for a week on the BBC Radio website.
Adjusting the Net 