Hey, I Just Bumped Into...

[Lammycat]

Oblivious' sitting next to George from Seinfeld in a restaurant the other night got me thinking about well-known people I've bumped into/met over the years. This has probably been done before but I haven't seen it so here it is.

 

Who, of fame or infamy, have you bumped into, met, etc. over the years?

 

Did you hang with Pat Morita at the Days Inn bar on a Tuesday afternoon in Dayton? Maybe accidentally brushed up against Bea Arthur at the Country Buffet and exchange heated words? Perhaps sat next to Penelope Cruz on the 14 bus on your way to work one day and discussed the sordid yet spectacular life of Rimbaud.

 

I've got a bunch but will cede the floor to any participants for now.

[PigSooie]

For some reason, I've always been "lucky" when it comes to meeting famous people.

 

I've shot craps with Joe Theisman.

 

Willie Nelson drank a beer out of my shoe, wore my Razorbacks hat during the show, and I later got to go on his tour bus.

 

Met Ben Stein at a Razorback football game. He wouldn't say "Bueller." I also asked him why he sucked so bad at the sports questions.

 

I was stranded under a phone kiosk with Payne Stewart for about 30 minutes during a rain delay. He later called me on Christmas.

 

I met Annika Sorenstam at a golf torunament.

 

I had a delay at DFW, and the Asian guy from Designing Women set up shop next to me. He really sounds that country.

 

I was around Bill Clinton a lot in my teenage years.

 

I'll try to think of more.

[MattZ]

I was behind Q-tip in line at the Energy Kitchen in my neighborhood a few months ago.

 

Stretched on a mat at the gym next to Julianne Moore.

 

Stood behind Juwan Howard at the copy machine in the undergrad library at UMich back in 95 or so. No idea what he was doing there.

 

Bumped into Elvis Costello and Dianna Krall in the lobby of the New York City Center after a Dylan concert there a few months ago.

[Lammycat]

I was hung over a railing (two stories up) by the seat of my pants in 1985 at a party in a Georgetown campus apartment by Patrick Ewing because I was drunk and I guess wasn't wanted at the party. In fairness to Ewing, I wasn't invited and I had stumbled in, so...

[Analogman]

This has probably been done before but I haven't seen it so here it is.

 

 

It was - several years ago.

[PigSooie]

Erik Estrada had no idea how "John was doing" in 1999.

[plasticeyeball]

Well, compared to PigSooie, my "I pee'd next to George Wendt in some bar in Chicago in early July, 1992." story sounds pretty blas

[cryptique]

I've stood in line with Mike Tirico at the local Bruegger's Bagels on at least three occasions.

 

I met Mike Mills at a Posies show at the Double Door in Chicago a few years back.

 

I was just behind Will Perdue on the way out of Wrigley after a Cubs game.

 

I almost literally bumped into Henry Rollins at a bookstore in Chicago.

 

I saw Rick Nielsen at the Pita Inn in Skokie (just before this year's 3/3 Tweedy Living Room show).

 

 

I've had several other encounters like this, but they don't leap immediately to mind.

[Lammycat]

Met John Prine in the streets of Telluride in the late 90s during the Bluegrass fest. Only person I've ever asked for an autograph. He signed a $5 bill that I then used for the bus fare from Denver to Boulder after the shows.

[jimmyjimmy]

Stretched on a mat at the gym next to Julianne Moore.

 

OK. Right there, you win. In my book anyway.

 

If you leave out all the music personalities, they're few and far between for me.

 

Meeting Jesse Jackson was the most surreal experience and has left an indelible impression on me for years. Perhapse because it occured outside of the normal context in which one would expect to find him; (casually wasting time window shopping, dressed in the most garish track suit you've ever laid eyes, surrounded by giant men all packing firearms and dressed similarly as if they were about to throw down some serious dance moves/ start "popping and loc-ing".

 

It was weird, he's a charmer.

 

Other end of the spectrum, former President Carter is probably the man who's precence I've been most humbled by.

[Wilco Worshipper]

Shared a ferry boat ride with Carly Simon on our way over to the Island.

[jhh4321]

i peed next to patrick buchanan during intermission at a broadway showing of "1776"

[MattZ]

OK. Right there, you win. In my book anyway.

 

It was actually pretty funny. I am sitting there stretching out my old and aching hamstrings and I turn to my left and there she is. Sitting on her fanny doing the same. So now, I am sitting there thinking "ok, so I am stretching next to Julianne Moore - this is so bizarre."

 

She was actually much more petite than I would have expected. But she was beautiful. I mean, virtually perfect. With no make-up, at the gym on a Sunday am. Like an angel from above.

[plasticeyeball]

Lammy, you just reminded me about the only autograph I ever got. Bought Ice Cream at the same time as Dennis Miller at a little kiosk thing outside a new comedy club in the seaport place in Pittsburgh. I don't remember any of the names of anything, not even that seaport mallish place. I only lived there a few years, like 20 years ago. I think I still have the autograph though.

 

It said: "I'm outta here! Dennis Miller"

[embiggen]

I've met Wayne Coyne twice; once in Nashville when my husband was stage managing their show. the second was in Brooklyn at a show they did in Prospect Park. he just happened to be outside behind the state and we walked up to him and said hi. he actually remembered us. very nice guy.

 

I once saw Kevin Bacon walking down 8th Ave during my lunch hour. he was wearing a shirt that had a pink tv on it that said 'Idiot Box.'

 

I saw Jim Jarmusch coming out of Port Authority.

 

I passed Sissy Spacek just outside of Grand Central. she was walking around with her son.

 

I once saw the guy that played 'Big' on Sex In the City jogging in Central Park.

 

there are some others, but I have to think about it.

[Lammycat]

Shared a ferry boat ride with Carly Simon on our way over to the Island.

I met and chatted briefly with Shel Silverstein on Martha's Vineyard when I lived out there in the summer of '87. Very pleasant man, he was.

[caliber66]

Jesse Jackson was on our plane from San Fran to Chicago on our trip back east earlier this summer. He was wearing jammies.

 

I helped Brian Mitchell select some wines sometime in 2003. I asked him how the Eagles were going to do that year, and he said "I don't know, I don't play for the Eagles anymore." Patrick Ramsey (with his extremely hot wife) also came into the wine store, as did Willard Scott (whose car I loaded - he bought a bunch of Yuengling & Coors, IIRC).

[Sir Stewart]

I stood in line behind Joe Perry from Aerosmith as he bought a pound of coffee at a cafe in MA. Saw Joey Kramer at a mall once, too. Everyone from the South Shore of MA has at least one Aerosmith story.

I stood in front of Matt Dillon in the passport line at Shannon Airport in Ireland a couple of years ago. Someone else engaged him, so I didn't get to ask about Pony Boy.

My friends and I drove Ricky Powell and Money Mark Nishita around Boston the day of a Beastie Boys gig. Later that summer we snuck backstage in RI and loitered around with the Beasties and L7 and Luscious Jackson.

Outside a hotel in Boston, I walked right up Jackie Mason and shook his hand, telling him I was a big fan. He said "And why not?"

I met Doug Flutie after running a 5K autism race he sponsored.

I met David Ortiz (and took the pic I use as my avatar sometimes) and other Red Sox dudes at the "red carpet" premiere of Fever Pitch.

I shared a ferry to Martha's Vineyard with Dan Akroyd and Donna "crazy about the blonde" Dixon and their kid.

I accosted Tom Petty as he strolled along that famous street in Beverly Hills with his wife, calling him by his Wilbury name. He put his hand to his head.

The first time I visited NYC I saw former mayor Ed Koch buying a newspaper.

Man PigSooie's stories are awesome.

[embiggen]

I stood in line behind Joe Perry from Aerosmith as he bought a pound of coffee at a cafe in MA.

 

when I was 16 I worked in a record store. Joe Perry and Steven Tyler came in for an autograph signing. Joe Perry had a cane. I shook their hands. those dudes are short!

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

Oblivious' sitting next to George from Seinfeld in a restaurant the other night got me thinking about well-known people I've bumped into/met over the years.

If you don't know or can't remember their name...are they REALLY well-known?

 

 

I almost ran over Ed 'Too Tall"Jones outside the 7-11 in Valley Ranch.

 

I sat next to Rapahel Palmiero and his family at the (now closed)Country Kitchen in Arlington.

 

I have had a couple of brushed with Don Henley (He lives in Dallas and is NOT a hermit.)

 

He has been renovating/remodeling/building a house for about 15 years in a nice, established area of Dallas. I was telling some of my peers about some of the features of the house (will not divulge them here in order to protect the privacy of the owner) and several of them asked to accompany me on my next inspection/review of the property.

 

While we were onsite, I informed the foreman that we were on the grounds and proceeded to review with/show the property to my peers. The foreman looked a little skittish, but that isn't too unusual when we show up. After about 15 minues onsite, we started back to my car. One of my goofy friends thought it would be cute to shout out "HEY DON!!!" at a group of people near an outbuilding about 150' away.

 

As my friends headed toward the gate, I checked out the group he had shouted at: Four men and a woman. One man was older in a suit; one was obviously the contractor; one was middle aged and dressed in a denim shirt and jeans; and the remaining man was a 6'8" bruiser dressed in jeans and a leather jacket (in the early spring weather, this was odd).

 

As I turned toward the gate, I noticed the Hulk peel away from the group and proceed to intercept me in a somewhat rapid pace. I slowed, pulled my id badge from my pocket. I kept one eye on him and one eye on the rest of the party. The guy in the denim hung back but was really looking me over. When the Hulk reached me, I explained who I was and why I was there.

 

"Your friend called out to Mr. Henley, and he wanted to see if needed assistance."

(in other words...what the fuck are you doing here asswipe?)

 

"That's Don Henley? My friend was just being goofy and shouted out his name."

 

"Do you need any further assistance...?"

 

"We are done and are leaving."

 

Encounter 2

 

A business associate and I decided to head to Big Al's for lunch, a Dallas Bar B Que eatery that has in the past catered rock shows. Unitl he died, Al would man the food line or cash register himself at lunch time. After we had been there about 20 minutes, in walks Mr. Henley with somebody who looked a lot like Irving Azoff. Sat at the table next to us.

 

Never did ask for an autograph.

[EL the Famous]

Ran into Mr. T on the glass elevator at Water Tower place.

 

Met Tony Hawk at a Jurassic Five show in Aspen during the X-Games. Year after that, ran into Sean White and Billie Joe from Green Day at the bottom of the mountain during the same event and met Johnny Mosely when we at some club that night.

 

Bam Margera at hotel bar at the Riot House in LA.

 

Peyton Manning, Lance Bass and Busta Rhymes (not together) in the hotel lobby during Super Bowl XXXIV in Hotlanta. Hung out w/ Jake Plummer while he signed autographs at our booth at NFLX. Also met Ray Lewis at our booth the day before the whole stabbing incident.

 

Tony Dungey and Cordell Stewart at our booth at Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa.

 

Hung out w/ Dickey Barrett from the Bosstones at the Warped Tour stops in Milwaukee and Chicago.

 

MC Hammer walking around the NFLX at Super Bowl XXXVII.

 

Kevin Dubrow (Quiet Riot), Vince Neil and Matt Sorum (Cult, G'n'R) at Ghost Bar in Vegas.

 

Geoff Tate, lead singer of Queenryche, in a Starbucks over by Wrigleyville.

 

I'm forgetting a few.

[Sir Stewart]

when I was 16 I worked in a record store. Joe Perry and Steven Tyler came in for an autograph signing. Joe Perry had a cane. I shook their hands. those dudes are short!

Indeed. After I got my coffee that day, I somehow ended up back in my car before Joe, so I watched him leave, and as he passed the restaurant next to the coffee shop, he waved inside. I assumed someone recognized him, but later on that night, my mother told me she and my father were at that restaurant earlier "and guess who was there? Steve Tyler!"

[deepseacatfish]

I don't have very many truly famous celebrity stories, but a few that are a little funny.

 

When I was 4 or 5 my parents lived in Boston for a year because my dad was doing research on a sabbatical, I was playing in the fountain on the Boston Commons and Julia Child was walking through and talked to my dad and I for a little while.

 

Bill Clinton nearly shook my hand when he was campaigning in the mid-90's, he skipped it for the better photo moment with my sister, who was about 2 or 3 at the time

 

When they came to Grinnell I drove the William Parker Quartet around in my station wagon and helped them buy beer and milano cookies at Hy-Vee.

 

That Julianne Moore story is pretty awesome.

[EL the Famous]

oh man, almost forgot, Dennis Hoff (ower of the Bunny Ranch), Heidi Fleiss and Ron Jeremy sitting at the table next to me at the Lux Cafe in Vegas. i had never been more star struck.

[Mr. Kinsley]

My friends and I drove Ricky Powell and Money Mark Nishita around Boston the day of a Beastie Boys gig. Later that summer we snuck backstage in RI and loitered around with the Beasties and L7 and Luscious Jackson.

 

A guy worked with year's ago was friends with Mike Nishita and invited me to go with him over to his place to watch an NFL playoff game - Joe Montana's Chiefs vs. the Oilers to give you an idea of how long ago it was. Anyway, we get to this place in the south bay and it's the parent's house, and there's all these gold records all over the place for the Beasties. I was totally baffled, since I had no clue. Why are there all these keyboards piled up in the corner? I ended up tracking dog shit into the little converted back porch room that was Mike and Mark's room where we were watching the game and felt really lame. On the way home I asked my buddy about the Beastie's stuff and he clued me in. THEN I felt reeeeally lame.