Carly Simon's brother gets in scuffle with Bill Murray...

[Gil Bang 25,983]

Busts out with "do you know who I am"?

By Danny McDonald GLOBE STAFF  AUGUST 10, 2018

Actor and comedian Bill Murray was involved in a dispute with a photographer at a Martha’s Vineyard restaurant Wednesday night, according to a police report.

Peter Simon, 71, said he was on assignment taking pictures for The Martha’s Vineyard Times at Lola’s in Oak Bluffs when Murray accosted him, according to the report.

Simon, who is singer Carly Simon’s brother, said he was photographing a couple taking in a band at the restaurant for his weekly feature, Vineyard Scene, when he stepped into an alcove away from the dance floor to check to see if he got any good shots.

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There, he felt someone grab him from behind, turn him, and slam him up against a door, he said during a phone interview Thursday night. He thought it was a bouncer at first, he said. According to Simon, the man, using an expletive, said he should throw Simon out of the restaurant and cause him bodily harm.

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“He looked like he was ready to strangle me,” said Simon.

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Simon said he asked the man “Do you know who I am?” a phrase which Simon said was intended to convey that he was a well-respected photographer.

RELATED: Barack Obama wasn’t the only celebrity visiting Martha’s Vineyard

According to Simon, the man responded in kind with his own, “Do you know who I am?”

Simon said he honestly didn’t recognize him at first. It wasn’t until they separated and he saw the man dancing that he recognized him as Murray, whose acting career has included roles in “Ghostbusters,” “Groundhog Day,” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.”

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“He doesn’t look anything like he used to look,” said Simon.

Simon said after that interaction with Murray he continued to shoot pictures in the restaurant. Later, while he was seated at a table, he said Murray poured a glass of water on him and his camera.

“He treated me like the scum of the earth,” said Simon Thursday night.

Attempts to reach Murray by phone Thursday night were unsuccessful. A message left with Lola’s was not immediately returned Thursday night.

According to the police report, Murray told police at the scene that Simon was “taking pictures of him and harassing him while he was quietly minding his business.” Murray, according to the report, was “visibly upset.”

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Simon said Murray did not feature in any of his photographs from the night, adding that he wasn’t interested in exploiting anyone.

RELATED: ‘Obama! Obama!’: Barack Obama is back on Martha’s Vineyard

The police report, which was obtained by the Globe Thursday night, said a sergeant responding to the scene advised Simon that “he could take out a criminal complaint for assault and battery at the Edgartown District Court.”

Simon, according to the report, told police he thought a disorderly conduct charge was more appropriate.

According to the report, Simon said he was uninjured from the incident. As of Thursday night, Simon had not pressed charges, but he had not ruled it out, either.

Meanwhile, the owner of the restaurant, Katherine Domitrovich, told police Simon had “no business photographing anyone in the restaurant and was generally annoying,” according to the report. Simon rejects that statement, saying The Marotta Brothers Band invited him to cover their gig.

“That’s a complete lie,” he said of Domitrovich’s statement.

Domitrovich told police she thought Simon found out that Murray was at Lola’s and he came to specifically take his picture, according to the report. Simon strongly denies that assertion, and Jamie Kageleiry, the associate publisher for The Martha’s Vineyard Times, confirmed Thursday night that his assignment was to photograph the band and people enjoying the music. The paper didn’t know Murray would be there, she said.

“We pride ourselves on giving celebrities their space,” said Kageleiry, who described Simon as professional and mild-mannered.

RELATED: Alan Dershowitz laments being ‘shunned’ on Martha’s Vineyard

Now, Simon wants an apology from Murray and Domitrovich.

“I’m not a paparazzi-type photographer, I’m just not,” said Simon, whose extensive career has included photographing celebrities like Bob Marley and members of The Beatles, The Police, and Led Zeppelin. His photos have also appeared in the Globe.

After speaking with Domitrovich Wednesday night, police told Simon he was no longer welcome at Lola’s and he would be subject to trespassing charges if he came back to the property, according to the police report.

Wednesday night wouldn’t be the first time Murray had an outburst over photographs. Last year, The Chicago Tribune reported he admonished a man for taking a photo of him at a meet-and-greet following a concert and yelled at a woman who wanted a photo of Murray, herself, and her husband.

[Goo Punch 4,275]

eh, i kinda believe the photographer, burnt also sounds like he's making it out to be more than it was because it was Bill Murray. 

[mdmost 43,011]

Bill's so vain. I bet he thought those pictures were about him. 

[RPM 26,327]

Nobody does it better than Bill. It was the right thing to do.

[Mojo Hand 4,580]

"Simon said he asked the man “Do you know who I am?” 

Ima stop you right there, Carly Simon's brother.   Nobody knows who you are.

[woohorn 1,131]

Peter is a great photog-nobody does it better.

Sounds like Bill Murray went meatballs.

[Mileslong 4,728]

Murray is an asshole. You seriously can’t handle the situation better than that? Wow, someone may or may not have taken your picture so you go accost him...

[Irwin F Fletcher 3,550]

Bill is probably reliving that same meal over and over and over...........but you just can't dine angry Bill.

[South Austin 52,523]

On Peter Simon's deathbed, when he dies, he will receive total consciousness.

[futureman 22,510]

8 hours ago, Mileslong said:

Murray is an asshole. You seriously can’t handle the situation better than that? Wow, someone may or may not have taken your picture so you go accost him...

if you ever come near me with a camera I’ll put your head through the fuckin wall. 

[phdhorn 6,224]

All I know is that JFK Junior thinks that Martha's Vineyard needs a bigger airport.

[Pato del Muerto 52,534]

I’m trying to understand. 

The local newspaper supposedly hired him to take pictures around town, so he went into a private business and was taking pictures of the patrons without getting the restaurant’s permission ?  And thought he had every right to be there doing that?

do I have that right?

no, wait, the band playing at the place invited him. I guess that makes it more reasonable. Whole thing is very strange. 

Edited August 11, 2018 by Pato del Muerto

[Pato del Muerto 52,534]

No wait, paper says the band was his assignment. So was he there as assigned by the paper, or invited by the band?

no quotes from the band. 

And he isn’t paparazzi, and is a famous musician photographer, but he’s taking pictures of a band playing a restaurant gig where the band is unknown but the patrons may be famous. 

[Guest]

is pouring a glass of water on someone the new shoulder check?

[Mileslong 4,728]

2 hours ago, futureman said:

if you ever come near me with a camera I’ll put your head through the fuckin wall. 

if you ever come near me period ill put your fucking head through a wall...

[South Austin 52,523]

16 minutes ago, Mileslong said:

if you ever come near me period ill put your fucking head through a wall...

I'll put your fucking head through a wall no matter where you are.

[Neonmoon 38,129]

Some famous photographer was hired by the Martha’s Vineyard Times to take photos of some band no ones ever heard of?

[futureman 22,510]

1 hour ago, Mileslong said:

if you ever come near me period ill put your fucking head through a wall...

good one.  very original. 

[Underdog 28,753]

You yell "cheese", people say huh, what?  You yell "paparazzi" and we have a scuffle on the 8th of August.

[Art Vandelay 1,712]

4 hours ago, South Austin said:

On Peter Simon's deathbed, when he dies, he will receive total consciousness.

So he's got that going for him...which is nice.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, slorch said:

is pouring a glass of water on someone the new shoulder check?

How bout a nice cool drink, varmint?

[Deej 76,858]

"I'd like to take a big swing at you, Simon."

[PittsburghTiger 6,192]

I thought it was funny that he recognized Murray as the guy in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

[chikin23 384]

Expect more Chive stickers.

[jimmyjazz 46,000]

Murray has a long history of popping up and mingling at Austin bars with zero problems whatsoever.  Not saying he's incapable of having a bad day and going overboard, but in general he's known to be one of the more chill celebrities out there.

[numbereleven 9]

He came, he saw, he kicked that photographer's ass!

[hayden_horn 11,364]

On 8/11/2018 at 11:02 AM, Neonmoon said:

Some famous photographer was hired by the Martha’s Vineyard Times to take photos of some band no ones ever heard of?

what are the odds we find out this guy moonlights selling some pictures he took on assignment to gossip rags? murray probably thought the guy was surreptitiously taking pictures of him. maybe he had a bad day? who knows. weird story.

[DougO 5,253]

I can definitely see both sides. Bill is likely often bothered by douchebag Paparazzi photographers, and quite frankly, a lot of photographers, Paparazzi or just regular, are douchebags, much like a lot of celebrities.

You might thing a journalist should ask permission before he takes a photo of someone, but then they start posing and it's not what a journalist is looking for, and it's impossible to get a proper candid photo. The venue should have definitely been made aware before he started. And if they knew of Murray's presence the photographer, and perhaps Murray, should have been alerted. If the dude just showed up and started snapping pics in someone's business establishment he certainly bears some responsibility.

Edited August 13, 2018 by DougO

[Deej 76,858]

2 hours ago, hayden_horn said:

what are the odds we find out this guy moonlights selling some pictures he took on assignment to gossip rags? murray probably thought the guy was surreptitiously taking pictures of him. maybe he had a bad day? who knows. weird story.

The article said he was there to photograph a couple watching the band, not the band.