Paul Edward MacGregor, otherwise known as Paul E. Mac, is the beloved Franklin Dining Commons co-manager at the University of Massachusetts.

Many students recognize Paul. E. Mac from his open mic nights at Frank, and he’s become famous for his performances of self-written songs. He started “Frank Open Mic Night” to give students the opportunity to express themselves and to discover and nurture hidden talents.

A few years ago, MacGregor realized he had a passion for writing, rapping and performing original songs. His biggest inspiration for performing is his late father, who MacGregor described as an entertainer and storyteller.

Other inspirations include Weird Al Yankovich and his college roommate’s band. One of the first songs he wrote was making fun of his friends while playing poker.

“No one expected it,” MacGregor said. “I just kind of stood up, and I went around the table and I just had a little, you know, a little song about everybody at the table. And everyone laughed and everyone loved it. And they said, ‘Oh, you got to do that again. You got to do that again.’” MacGregor was then inspired to perform for others in the future.

He first performed in front of people during a UMass food competition, where he had to advertise a new dish at Hampshire Dining Commons. His co-workers thought it was funny when he suggested writing a rap song about a dish, but it ended up being a big hit and inspired MacGregor to become Paul. E. Mac.

MacGregor has been at UMass since he was 18 years old. He chose to attend UMass because they had a great sports management program, and he wanted to pursue a career in that field. Starting in his freshman year of college, MacGregor worked at concessions stands in the Mullins Center, and by his senior year he worked his way up to managing Mullins concessions. When it was time for him to graduate, he remained in that position, one that he held for 15 years.

MacGregor even got married on the UMass campus in the old Newman Church, and had his wedding catered by UMass Dining. The campus means a lot to MacGregor, so it was the perfect place to hold his wedding.

“It’s kind of weird. I kind of felt like I was working my own wedding. I wanted to jump behind the bar a few times and help pour some drinks when the line backed up and that’s just my nature. But it was great,” he said.

Paul. E. Mac has three songs released on Spotify, and will be releasing new music soon. For the tenth anniversary of his father’s passing, he is releasing a meaningful song in his honor, called “The Biddy Biddy Blues.”

“In my family, we have a saying that means everything to me and everything to them. And it’s just ‘Biddy Biddy,’” MacGregor said.

“It means hello, it means goodbye. It means I love you. When I say goodnight to my kids. I don’t say goodnight son… I say ‘hey, Biddy Biddy,’ and he says ‘Biddy Biddy back’ to me. And it’s just two words that my father made up. It’s on his tombstone. It says ‘Biddy Biddy’ on his tombstone. And so ‘The Biddy Biddy Blues’ is just me singing, poking fun a little bit at every one of my family based on some of the stories that my dad would tell.”

MacGregor does not plan to pursue a career in rap, but he loves performing and singing at open mic nights, bars, clubs and parties. He enjoys writing new music about his family and UMass and hopes to continue inspiring others through his work. MacGregor also wants to continue to help UMass Dining win awards and be part of what he described as a great team.

The next “Frank Open Mic Night” will be held on March 27, the Wednesday after spring break. Paul. E. Mac hopes to see you all there!

Daniella Pikman can be reached at [email protected].