Hey, I Just Bumped Into...

[caliber66]

I also met Steve Balboni in 1985 in a Kansas City-area shopping mall.

[embiggen]

as a child, my dad once took my brother backstage at the Grand Old Opry. I met Roy Acuff and Little Jimmy Dickens.

[Reni]

I bumped into Bob Forsch at the drinking fountain at my elementary school - I was in awe.

[Mr. Kinsley]

talked to Tori Amos on the phone once because she was talking to Rhett when he called me.

 

That's not a sighting, that's a name drop.

[Big Perm]

From when I worked at Tower Records:

Elliot Smith

Natalie Portman

Chris Whitley

Elijah Wood

Rob Zombie

Del the Funky Homosapien

Kool Keith (he was looking at porn, i still have the picture, he posed with a porn mag and freestyled for two minutes)

Guy Pearce

Prince (had the store closed while he shopped)

 

Forrest Whittaker (While he was doing ADR for Hope Floats)

 

Wilco (Last october, sans Jeff) no big deal here i know, but it was for me.

 

while working in the biz -

Scarlett Johanson

Billy Bob Thorton

zz top

Julia Roberts

Willem Dafoe

Emily Watson

Carrie Anne Moss

Ryan Reynolds

Pete berg

 

encounters around l.a.

 

Jamie Lee Curtis. stopped at a crosswalk together.

Chris Robinson (Black Crowes, both of us waiting outside sunset marquee)

Damon Wayans (Urth Cafe)

Jessica Alba (At a chevron getting gas next to me, she asked for my autpgraph, I said I'm married sugar)

Jessica Simpson (Neighbor to my Boss)

Djimon Hounsou (Neighbor to my Boss)

Harry Dean Stanton (At the Man who shot liberty valance screening)

Gina Gershon (Lobby of Hammer Theater)

Pharrell (Q & A at L.A. Film Fest - I got in line to ask him about making records with Clipse, but they quit before I got up there)

James Gandolfini (In Malibu)

Lindsay Lohan (before the last debacle)

Kevin Bacon (Visiting the Closer set)

Kyra Sedgwik (They shoot the Closer here)

America Ferrera (They also shoot Ugly Betty here)

Sara Gilbert (Neighbor to my Boss)

Jane Lynch (Urth Cafe)

In an elevator w/ William Friedkin (@ Endeavor)

[Reni]

once sat next to John Ashcroft at a dinner when I was 10 - long story.

[SarahC]

That's not a sighting, that's a name drop.

[Lammycat]

I had Thanksgiving dinner with Chris Thile (Nickel Creek) a few years ago. He was married to my friend's daughter. Was a Red Sox fan, iirc.

[Oil Can Boyd]

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...

The highlight of my athletic career involves Pat Ewing. We went to the same high school and at the year end sports banquet, I got a trophy for being on the tennis team and he got a trophy for being the best athlete in the school.

[jimmyjimmy]

Forgot about Kate Hudson. How the hell I could forget that...?

 

I talked and danced w/her once.

Bought her a heineken.

Held her levis jacket as we left the bar.

 

At the time I had no idea who she was, except for a stunningly beautiful woman.

[cryptique]

Oh, duh, I forgot an obvious one...

 

I was an extra in a film featuring Mayim Bialik (Blossom). She was pretty cool. There were some reasonably well-known names in the film, though I didn't meet any of them. The only other actor of note on the set that day was Josie Davis, who's been in a bunch of stuff. Also, the guy who's married to Carrie Ann Moss, whose name I don't recall.

[owl]

I met Brooks Robinson on an airplane from Florida.

 

A stranger said, "Hey kid, did you know that Brooks Robinson is sitting up there in first class?"

 

Oh yeah, I also ate dinner with Nels, Glenn, and Mike Jorgensen.

 

I also saw Jeff Tweedy during that time, but he was peering through a crack in his dressing room door. He just raised his eyebrows and then shut the door.

[j4lackey]

As a youngster, at the Radisson, I waited on John Hurt, Kirstie Alley, Peter Max, Daisy Duke, and, while tripping, Arnold Swartzeneggar (that was so weird I can't even say).

 

After-show chats with Exene Cervenka, various Wilcos, Jorma, Rickie Lee Jones, David Crosby.

 

Ran into Neil Young with my son in Chicago on the street the morning after the Greendale show, had a nice chat after he realzied I meant him no harm. It was kinda like touching a car battery, talking to him!

 

Got screamed at by Jay Bennett in a bar kinda during a Wilco gig about 10 years ago ("I may have deserved that").

 

Got drunk with Dave Wakeling on a case of St Pauli Girls before a General Public gig back in the mid 80's. We talked politics, and had a long soulful talk about Dr MLK Jr. Then they let me sit on the stage during the show.

 

 

Although, I think seeing JenniPitt being starstruck with Elvis C is the winner so far. That's pretty cool.

[Wilco Worshipper]

I also saw Jeff Tweedy during that time, but he was peering through a crack in his dressing room door. He just raised his eyebrows and then shut the door.

 

 

[OOO]

I'm glad my little Jason Alexander encounter got this started. I'll throw out a few more, although like some have said, you tend to see lots of random people in LA (especially at the Urth Cafe, like Big Perm said).

 

I bumped into Tony Shaloub on campus once. I think they had been filming an episode of monk. I said hello and ask him if he knew who killed his wife on the show. He didn't.

 

I was taking a photo outside of a building once with the school chess team (yes, i was a member), and Tom Arnold walked by. One of the team members ran up to him and asked him to be in our yearbook photo and he agreed, so in our yearbook photo its the chess team....and Tom Arnold.

 

I was shopping at the Apple Store once and Andy Dick was asking some pretty silly questions about iPods next to me.

 

During Jackass 2, Aaron Carter was sitting right behind me. I didnt know who he was but my roommates did, and during the previews that had an ad for "House of Carters", a reality show about his family. He had a hoodie on and pulled it over his face.

 

Last week (or 2 weeks ago, i cant remember) i went to check out Nels Cline at this little art thing and the Edge from U2 ended up standing next to me and listening for a bit.

[caliber66]

Got screamed at by Jay Bennett in a bar kinda during a Wilco gig about 10 years ago ("I may have deserved that").

If you haven't told this story (and even if you have, really), please do so now.

[fUZZ]

Around 2001 I was going to school at Southern Oregon U in Ashland, OR. There was a nice little jazz bar/drug ring front that had some decent shows. One night I'm out and stop by.. wow, the Nels Cline Singers are playing. The place had about 10 folks max for the entire awesome mindblowing show.

Afterward, Nels walked by my table (sitting alone) and I just thanked him for a sweet show and said I was a fan of his from the Mike Watt opera, "Contemplating the Engine Room" Nels sat down w/me for about an hour and chatted, then asked me to hang out w/the band due to the lack of crowd. Drank many free Heines w/Nels and the band. He was by far the most engaging "rock star" I'd ever talked to, asking questions about MY life and seeming genuinely interested. When I found out that he (and Pat) joined Wilco I flipped, seriously. Nels is the man.

[Reni]

bands that stayed with me or in some house I was living in - Jawbox, Rancid, Los Crudos, NOFX, Citizen Fish.....I know there are more, but that's all I can remember at the moment.

 

I was definitely most starstruck with Jawbox - they were my favorite band at the time - this was in 1992 when Novelty came out.

[Lammycat]

Jorma

I hung backstage with Jorma after an acoustic Hot Tuna show about 7 years ago (my friend's duet band opened) and I was a little too loose and told him he had a really big head. He smirked incredulously and resumed his conversation with someone else. Good times.

 

I also got to hang with Mike Watt during set break for a Banyan show this past year. Very nice guy to chat with.

[Lammycat]

Speaking of houses: Blues Traveler came by our house in college after a gig (their road manager at the time had gone to the small college for a year) and utterly wrecked the place. I guess we kind of helped, too. Jack Daniels bottles everywhere and two nitrous tanks. The cops came by about 3 a.m. to bodies strewn all over the lawn passed out.

[plasticeyeball]

Does having Toxic Reasons play in my friends living room in Dayton when we were in college count?

 

 

(I didn't think so.)

[Oil Can Boyd]

I bumped into Bob Forsch at the drinking fountain at my elementary school - I was in awe.

Now, if it was Ken Forsch I would be impressed ...

[Mr. Kinsley]

I also got to hand with Mike Watt during set break for a Banyan show this past year. Very nice guy to chat with.

 

 

 

I know I've told this one before, but... in HS I was working on a Rose Parade float and they were doing tours of the construction tent (25 or so floats inside one huge circus tent, pretty cool) and in walks Brian May from Queen. He's about 6'10" for starters, but then he's got the big-ass curly hair going on with 2-3" heeled clogs to boot. I had on my little painter's cap and got up the courage to go over and ask for an autograph.

Me: "Excuse me Mr. May, would it be alright if I got your autograph?"

Brian: "Sure. Got a pen?"

Me: "Uh, no."

[About 10 seconds of awkward silence.]

Me: "Well, thanks anyway."

 

 

 

 

I also signed up to be a member of a museum just to get into a special opening before a retrospective of one of my favorite artists, David Hockney. I got all dressed up in my double-breasted blazer and slacks and brought my camera, since this was going to be a moment I would always cherish. One of the masters of 20th century art in a picture with... ME! I'm going to blow this up to 8 X 10 and put it on the mantle forever. One problem... a couple of days before the show my girlfriend of 1.5 years breaks up with me and I have to go alone - alone and very depressed. Other college students (dressed far more casually than I, which didn't help my confidence) are having a lovely little chat with him. I stood next to them and petted his dog, Stanley, never getting the picture.

 

To this day that experience has taught me to always approach someone whom I admire, famous or not, and at least say hi. Not speaking up that day is one of the few true regrets I have in life.

[Lammycat]

Me: "Excuse me Mr. May, would it be alright if I got your autograph?"

Brian: "Sure. Got a pen?"

Me: "Uh, no."

[About 10 seconds of awkward silence.]

Me: "Well, thanks anyway."

That's funny. The time I met Prine in Telluride I had neither pen nor paper. He actually waited as I darted into a shop for a pen and then I still had no paper. Hence the $5 bill. After he shakily signed he looked at my bedraggled state and commented "like you're not gonna spend this."

[Mr. Kinsley]

That's funny. The time I met Prine in Telluride I had neither pen nor paper. He actually waited as I darted into a shop for a pen and then I still had no paper. Hence the $5 bill. After he shakily signed he looked at my bedraggled state and commented "like you're not gonna spend this."