Eddie Vedder once sang about getting “hit with a surprise left,” but we didn’t realize he was singing about Paul McCartney.
The Pearl Jam frontman went on SiriusXM’s new The Beatles Channel Monday to guest host a show and shared a story about how McCartney once accidentally punched him in the face. Vedder said he was lucky enough to be in a Seattle bar with McCartney as the former Beatle was telling a personal story.
“He kind of was illustrating how he hit this guy, and when he did that, he shot out his left arm as if he was hitting this guy, and I was standing there, and I got hit,” Vedder said. “He hit me! He didn’t quite pull back the punch, you see.”
Vedder said McCartney quickly apologized and continued telling his story, but instead of really listening, all he could think about was how he got hit in the face by a Beatle.
“I think I remember tasting a bit of blood. He got me right on the side of the [face],” Vedder said. “I remember it hurt for a few days, and I remember when it went away, and when the pain finally subsided and the swelling went down, I kind of missed it.”
McCartney turns 75 this coming Sunday, but even at that age, it looks like he still has some fight in him. Listen to the audio of Vedder sharing his story above.