Celebrity Encounters

[Eric Karonen]

I shared a leak with Bowser, and then we rode the elevator together some many, many moons ago!

[Skully]

I once stood less than 3' feet from a very naked star of the show Dallas... well, the star did have a turban on.... but that was it.

Was it Victoria Principal, back when she was, uh... a "professional"?

EDIT: I missed the turban part and forgot about your drunken history. It's Larry Hagman.

[HighTower]

Originally Posted by Eric Karonen

I shared a leak with Bowser, and then we rode the elevator together some many, many moons ago!

That's like the guy who met Roy Buchanan at a urinal in NY
Strange place to meet stars, though I guess they have to piss too
Just hope it wasn't what I call a Texas trough (they had 'em at Fenway Park too) the urinal is about 15 feet long and looks like an animal feed ceramic sink with no privacy whatsoever.

[castpolymer]

I met William F. Buckley in an airport in Denver in '89. I was only 18 at the time, but I had already read a few of his books ( my grandfather gave me the books when I started college ). I worked up the courage to sit by him and start up a conversation. He was totally gracious and even more intelligent than I thought he would be. We talked about creeping socialism for about 10 minutes ( he talked and I sat and listened ). His posture in the chair was the same as Firing Line. I got him to sign my backpack ( all I had with me ). He also wrote a pretty darn good spy novel.

[Eric Karonen]

Originally Posted by HighTower

That's like the guy who met Roy Buchanan at a urinal in NY
Strange place to meet stars, though I guess they have to piss too
Just hope it wasn't what I call a Texas trough (they had 'em at Fenway Park too) the urinal is about 15 feet long and looks like an animal feed ceramic sink with no privacy whatsoever.

Maple Leaf Gardens, here in Toronto, had the troughs too. It was best to be standing near the top of the trough, if you know what I mean ... lol

[rextasy]

Originally Posted by HighTower

That's like the guy who met Roy Buchanan at a urinal in NY
Strange place to meet stars, though I guess they have to piss too
Just hope it wasn't what I call a Texas trough (they had 'em at Fenway Park too) the urinal is about 15 feet long and looks like an animal feed ceramic sink with no privacy whatsoever.

I was at the urinal and he was fortunately in a stall, but when he came out I met Allen Ginsberg in the bathroom of the Smithsonian.

[Eric Karonen]

Originally Posted by rextasy

Stop me if you get tired of hearing this one.

Around 1980 or so, my family was having dinner at a popular seafood restaurant in Hendersonville, home of many people who made money in the entertainment business in the '60s and '70s. There was no one else in the dining room. My mom, who was facing the back of the room, said "There's Johnny Cash." I craned my neck nonchalantly, trying to look behind myself. The waitress explained that JC was having a birthday party in the back room. Apparently he didn't miss our gawking, because he came up to our table and introduced himself. A polite, respectful man with a powerful presence.

Now that's a celebrity encounter!

[fltpkr]

Originally Posted by HighTower

That's like the guy who met Roy Buchanan at a urinal in NY
Strange place to meet stars, though I guess they have to piss too
Just hope it wasn't what I call a Texas trough (they had 'em at Fenway Park too) the urinal is about 15 feet long and looks like an animal feed ceramic sink with no privacy whatsoever.

Same situation, Ken Kesey, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

I also had Thanksgiving dinner with Jesse Winchester, St Saveur, Quebec, 1970. He sang several songs after dinner, including 'Yankee Lady', and 'Me & Bobby McGee' for a local constable who stopped by.

[Eric Karonen]

Originally Posted by fltpkr

Same situation, Ken Kesey, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

I also had Thanksgiving dinner with Jesse Winchester, St Saveur, Quebec, 1970. He sang several songs after dinner, including 'Yankee Lady', and 'Me & Bobby McGee' for a local constable who stopped by.

Man, Oh man! the best concert in my books is back in 1970, when Jesse opened up for The Band in 1970 at Massey Hall!

[Paul in Colorado]

Ken Kesey was in the Co-op in Arcata one time. Maybe he was doing something for Nancy's Yogurt. Or maybe he was just passing through town and needed some groceries. I was too shy to talk to him.

[fltpkr]

Originally Posted by Eric Karonen

Man, Oh man! the best concert in my books is back in 1970, when Jesse opened up for The Band in 1970 at Massey Hall!

Although it has never come across as well on his recordings, the man has a golden voice. And he is one heck of a great songwriter.

[jc93230]

When I was A kid I lived in San Francisco. The TV SHow "Streets of San Francisco" was filming in front of the courthouse. After the scene Michael Douglas was making his way through the crowd and knocked me on my ass and didnt even stop to help me up. (Waiting on payback. I am 6'3" 270 lbs now. I think it would play out different.)

Went to school with Rob Schneider. He was 2 grades ahead of me. He still does some fundraiser for our school district.

Later in Life as an Emergency Medical Tech, I did a medical standby at Fresno, California's wilson theater for a Pantera show. The location we parked the ambulance was below the second story window where the band was, and they were dropping cups of beer down to us. We got to go up there and hang for a little while and watch them play video games before the show. Sadly I was not a Dime fan at the time, but my partner was and was speechless.

[Nighthawk]

I've encountered both John Kerry and Ted Kennedy once at different times and places. I passed Kerry on Washington street in downtown Boston. Frankly he looked afraid I might say something to him. I did. I said "Hi Senator". I saw Kennedy on mount Mansfield in Vermont. He was on his honeymoon with his second wife, Funny, he had the same look Kerry had. I said the same thing to him that I said to Kerry. Give Ted credit, at least he said Hi back.

[Mike Armstrong]

...but hasn't everybody???

1982...NYC's Lone Star Cafe...our band "Whitewater" doing a two-night stand as headliners...first set, we kick into "Whiskey River"...I'm playing with my eyes closed, due to bright lights in my face...second verse, our lead singer's voice suddenly sounds JUST LIKE Willie (which it didn't, usually!!!)...I open my eyes, look to my right, and Willie is 6 inches away from me, with a ****-eatin' grin on his face...I almost dropped my guitar & fainted on the spot.

He hung around all night, did a couple of sets of music, played the **** outta our other guitar-players' Strat, had a catered dinner sent up to the dressing room, which he & us proceeded to devour, and finally (big surprise) we all got smoked up out on the third-floor balcony alongside the 25-ft-tall iguana.

Lotsa fun, I'll tell ya!!!

Mike

[RiverDog]

I stood next to Molly Ringwald in the lobby of a swanky Philly hotel about 5 or 6 years ago. I wanted to say hi but she seemed really pissed off and was asking for the concierge.

I met Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden drummer) in Key West and Michael Romeo (Symphony X guitarist) in a club in New Jersey.

When I was about 10 I met Tug McGraw on the beach in Ocean City, NJ. It was right after the Phils had won the World Series the first time.

I met all the guys in Tesla which was one of my favorite bands back in the day.

[HighTower]

Originally Posted by Mike Armstrong

...but hasn't everybody???

1982...NYC's Lone Star Cafe...our band "Whitewater" doing a two-night stand as headliners...
Mike

Did you have a keyboard player in your band named Ric P (Italian) ? He is one of my dearest friends, and I think that was the name of the band he was in at the time. I know he told me he opened in NYC for Willie one time.

[TELEkinetic]

Too lazy to type this one again - but still a pretty good encounter.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by Mike Armstrong

...but hasn't everybody???

1982...NYC's Lone Star Cafe...our band "Whitewater" doing a two-night stand as headliners...first set, we kick into "Whiskey River"...I'm playing with my eyes closed, due to bright lights in my face...second verse, our lead singer's voice suddenly sounds JUST LIKE Willie (which it didn't, usually!!!)...I open my eyes, look to my right, and Willie is 6 inches away from me, with a ****-eatin' grin on his face...I almost dropped my guitar & fainted on the spot.

He hung around all night, did a couple of sets of music, played the **** outta our other guitar-players' Strat, had a catered dinner sent up to the dressing room, which he & us proceeded to devour, and finally (big surprise) we all got smoked up out on the third-floor balcony alongside the 25-ft-tall iguana.

Lotsa fun, I'll tell ya!!!

Mike

I think we got a winnah!!

mud

[Mike H.]

Originally Posted by TELEkinetic

Too lazy to type this one again - but still a pretty good encounter.

TELEkinetic - who is your wife? I may have known her. I grew up in the same neighborhood, and was around Elvis quite a bit when I was a kid. Our house backed up to the back fence of Graceland. Vernon Presley lived three doors down from us, and I was at their home frequently. I went to school with all of Elvis' stepbrothers from the third grade through high school.
Elvis was always out and about whenever he was at Graceland. He would always stop and talk to the neighborhood kids. I got to ride motorcycles with Elvis and his stepbrothers behind Graceland, and got to hang out at the gate when he would let fans in and sign autographs. We were on the grounds of Graceland all the time, but were never allowed inside the house.
It was all pretty surreal now that I think back about that time.

[taterhead]

My buddy and I were having a few glasses at a pub in Asheville, NC when Andie MacDowell came in with two other ladies and sat down at the table right behind us.

Man, she's even prettier in person!


When I was about 14 and a Boy Scout, we were at a National Jamboree somewhere outside D.C. George Bush came to speak to all the campers and our troop was one of a few selected to stand on the stage behind him. We stood along side a little walkway in the center of the stage that he used to approach the podium. We were 5 or 6 feet away as he passed. I remember being a little nervous of all the serious looking dudes in black suits and the visible snipers pointed at the stage from various positions in the distance.