For the past few months our beloved Second City alum Bill Murray has been all over, making news and finding himself trending on social media.
From Charleston, South Carolina to New York, to Monterey County, California, his heartwarming hijinks are entertaining fans.
Charleston, South Carolina
Although Bill Murray was born and raised in Wilmette, Illinois, he now calls Charleston, South Carolina his home. He has planted roots in the area, where he co-owns several restaurants, and Murray is the co-owner and “director of fun” of the Charleston Riverdogs Baseball Team.
Murray is known to be seen around Charleston at local restaurants, such as Queen Street Grocery, where there is a crepe named after him on the menu, which includes turkey, brie, green apple, spinach, basil pesto, and sriracha.
In December, Murray was caught on camera outside another local eatery taking a nap with a baby in a stroller. The photo was posted on Instagram by the restaurant Fast & French:
While SNL co-star Chevy Chase was in Charleston for a screening of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, the two met up and snapped a photo that Chase posted on Twitter:
The caption might have a questionable vibe, however, commenters confirmed that the woman in the photo is Chase’s current wife since 1982, Jayni Chase and the caption was clearly just a joke.
Athens, Greece
Filmed during a hot summer night in Athens, Greece, New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization, captures the final performance of Bill Murray and Jan Vogler‘s 2018 European New Worlds tour.
Before the entire world was tasked with navigating through a deadly global pandemic, Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends, made an album together and began taking their act around the globe in 2017. They played 55 cities, at venues including the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, Koerner Hall in Toronto, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Carnegie Hall in New York.
Murray was joined by cellist Jan Vogler, violinist Mira Wang, and pianist Vanessa Perez for a concert combining music and poetry.
The film New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization captures that performance at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus near the Acropolis, and was released in select theaters on February 2, 2022 after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021.
The film will continue to screen in select theaters until February 28, 2022
Cannes, France
We can’t mention the July 2021 premiere of Murray’s music documentary New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization at the Cannes Film Festival without noting his impromptu 25 minute concert in which he performed after the screening of the film at the festival. Deadline shared that Murray took to the stage at the Debussy theater with cellist Jan Vogler, pianist Vanessa Perez and violinist Mira Wang and delighted fans in a live concert with several numbers, culminating in a performance by Murray, in flawless French, of Aline, a legendary French number first recorded by Christophe in 1965.
New York, New York
Bill Murray is clearly proud of his work touring with world class musicians and has entertained fans with impromptu performances in NYC. The 71-year-old comedian and actor teamed up with his accompanists cellist Jan Vogler, violinist Mira Wang, and pianist Vanessa Perez for a performance in Washington Square Park in January where he sang I Feel Pretty, and America from West Side Story, as well as encouraging the audience to sing along with It Ain’t Necessarily So. Murray also recited Dog by beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who, he noted, “spent some time in this park,” which features in his poetry. Also attending was Elizabeth Callender, Jane McGrath and Karen Duffy, the producer of New Worlds.
A few days later Page Six reported that Murray got up to do a few numbers unannounced at Bemelmans, the legendary piano bar at the Carlyle hotel. The publication reported that sources told them that Murray and his crew cellist Jan Vogler, violinist Mira Wang, and pianist Vanessa Perez played It Ain’t Necessarily So from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and Van Morrison’s When Will I Ever Learn To Live In God?
Monterey County, California
It’s wasn’t Groundhog day, but this year Murray reenacted his 2020 Pebble Beach shenanigans where he took a spectators shot of tequila, downed it, and tossed the cup back into the crowd before taking his golf shot. The actor, comedian, and singer was competing in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament.
This year the fan provided Murray with a lime wedge for his tequila shot, which he gladly accepted and drank “like a boss”.
You’ve heard of a no-look pass in basketball, football and baseball, but this year during the 2022 PGA Tournament, Murray outdid himself by casually making a no-look, backwards putt into the hole, which triggered cheers and applause from the crowd.
The Caddyshack icon sinks an effortlessly epic no-look putt in this Twitter clip that has since gone viral:
In the clip Murray then flings away his putter, before moseying away with a well-earned smirk.
Murray also led the crowd in an impromptu rendition of Happy Birthday to honor (and distract) fellow 2022 golfer Chris Stroud.
Murray’s hijinks are so beloved by the PGA that they compiled a video combining some of his most noteworthy moments caught on camera.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe
While promoting The French Dispatch, Murray mentioned in an October 26 interview, published by German outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (or FAZ) that he was joining the MCU stating, “You know, recently I made a Marvel movie,” before immediately seeming to regret the disclosure: “I probably won’t tell you, but never mind,” Murray added.
More recently, he confirmed that he will be portraying a “bad guy” in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in an interview on The Eli Manning Show. “My power is, I’m a bad guy,” states Murray in signature dry fashion between bites of his burger.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania finished filming in November 2021 ahead of a July 2023 release date. The Marvel movie will see the likes of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer reprise their roles from the previous film in the franchise, Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Although he may be a globe-trotting national treasure, Chicago will always lay claim to Bill Murray and we can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us this year and many years to come!
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