The Greatest (Real) Bill Murray Stories Ever Told (2024)

The Story:

Over Memorial Day weekend 2014, a handful of guys from Boston College are in Charleston, SC, for a bachelor party when Bill Murray offers some words of wisdom to the groom.A friend of the groom says:

At one point during dinner at a steakhouse, one guy goes to the bathroom downstairs and sees Bill Murray sitting with some people with a fishing vest on. We talked to the waiter to see if we could send him some drinks, to which Bill declined. One of my buddies then went down and asked if he'd come up and say a few words for EJ and got a 'No thanks.' My buddy comes back up dejected and tells us it's not going to happen. Two minutes later, Bill f*cking Murray walks into the room and gives this speech.

Murray says to the group: "You know how they say funerals are for the dead, not for the living? Bachelor parties are not for the groom, they're for the unmarried."

He then goes on to give sound advice to the rest of the group who hasn't gotten engaged yet:

If you have someone that you think is The One, take that person and travel around the world. Buy a plane ticket for the two of you to travel all around the world, and go to places that are hard to go to and hard to get out of. And when you land at JFK, and you're still in love with that person... get married.

Then, Bill Murray hoists the groom up on his shoulders.

Believable?

You decide. The video is right there.

The Story:

During construction of the Poet's House, a library in Manhattan, Bill Murray stops by to read poems to the construction workers who are working on the building. In the middle of reading, Murray imparts: "It gets worse. If you want to take a sick day, do it now." Workers laugh and take photos with their cell phones.

Believable?

Indisputably true.

... kind of like in Lost in Translation.

The Story:

One evening after a golf tournament in St. Andrews, Bill Murray decides to go out and explore the city.He's out for drinks with fellow golfers when he meets young a beautiful blonde Nordic woman named Lykke Stavnef, who is there with her friend Marie Bergene - and who, naturally, invites him to a party.

Bill Murray says yes.

When they show up, no one can believe that 22-year-old Stavnef has brought him to a house party. She's concerned that there are not enough clean dishes there, so Bill Murray actually decides to start washing dishes. Everyone is amused when he cleans some dishes so that people can drink, but even more charmed when he happily accepts drinking vodka out of a coffee mug.

Before he leaves, he finishes cleaning the feet-high dishes pile left by the college students, then heads back to his hotel.

Believable?

Well, it was reported by The Telegraph, and there were also over a dozen eyewitnesses. The 2018 documentary The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man explores this story further. New Rule: if you meet Bill Murray somewhere and he seems relaxed and in a good mood, and it's late enough, invite him to a party.

The Story:

The story begins when Bill Murray attends Austin's SXSW festival and hangs out with Wu-Tang Clan.He shows up with them at the bar Shangri-La and insists on bartending, only serving patrons shots of tequila. No matter what they ordered, he pours them a lot of tequila.

Everyone there is Tweeting, posting to Facebook, and blogging about it. Someone even took a video.

Throughout the rest of the week, Murray is spotted at various parties, including one Redditor's friend's house party:

Believable?

This story is widespread, and there's video to prove its accuracy. It also highlights the extent of Murray's awesomeness. Who knows how many of the details and secondhand accounts are true, but the video is pretty indisputable.

The Story:

Marvin Larry Reynolds, of Jedburg, South Carolina, invited Murray to his 64th birthday party in September 2014. Of course, Murray showed up. But he didn't just sit quietly in the corner. Chef Brett McKee, a friend of Murray's, was catering the party and blessed the internet with some fantastic pictures from the party, and even video of Murray and other attendees dancing to classic tracks like "Turn Down For What."

Believable?

This video mayincite jealousy in the hearts of all those forlorn on their birthdays.

The Story:

In May2014, wedding photographer Raheel Gauba was out on a photo shoot with Erik Rogers and Ashley Donald, when suddenly the expressions on their faces went from candid to pure shock. Gauba told The Post and Courier:"I thought who the heck is bothering them?I turn around and it's Bill Murray with his shirt up, belly out, tapping his belly and trying to make them laugh."

Gauba invited Murray over to pose with the young couple for a few pics, to which he obliged, and then took off.

Believable?

There's the pre-newlywed pics to prove it.