6 degrees of separation

[Good Old Neon]

Hey do you know Dave Aaronoff (ex-Shods)?

 

I worked with Dave Aaronoff at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where I once provided a bottle of water to museum guest Tony Bennett, at his request.

 

Sort of – he was around quite a bit, and we all hung out at the same dives in Lowell, The Worthen, The Safe and then Smithwick’s, but he and Kevin sort of fell out of favor with each other – I think Kevin referred to him as a “douche bag” in the liner notes of a post-Dave Shods release. From what I understand, they have reconciled. Jess, my wife, has known Dave since high school . Dave, Kevin, my brother in law, Adam, and Kevin’s brother, Eric – have all been in bands together at one time or another – Only Living Witness, Formicide, The Shods, The Invaders, Duck Duck, Two Sun System, Hank Crane, I’m probably forgetting a few.

 

As for Tony Bennett, he and I have never met.

[PopTodd]

My father is a Teamster, who does transportation on a lot of the movies that shoot in Chicago, so I am a single degree away from LOTS of people:

Joe Pesci, David Duchovney, Halle Berry, Steve Martin, Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughan, etc., etc.

 

Personally, I have met Daniel Stern, Larry the Cable Guy, and Andi MacDowell.

 

I am also a single degree of separation away from Jeff Tweedy: on several occasions I or my band played at the late, great Lounge Ax, which was owned by Julia Adams and Susan Miller Tweedy. (Thanks so much, Sue!)

Also, a good friend of my wife is from Belleville and stood up at Jay Farrar's wedding.

So, I got the UT degrees minimized (although, I'm not sure about Heidhorn).

[Sir Stewart]

As for Tony Bennett, he and I have never met.

 

Well then hell.

[caliber66]

I am also a Teamster (lapsed).

 

I have met the Smothers Brothers.

[PopTodd]

I am also a Teamster (lapsed).

 

I have met the Smothers Brothers.

 

Where you at?

What local?

I also worked with the Teamsters, as summer help through the late 80's and early-mid 90's.

[Sir Stewart]

I have met the Dalai Lama.

[gogo]

I worked in a comedy club when I was in college. Off the top of my head, most famous comics I met were Bob Goldthwait (famous at the time) and Denis Leary (not so much, he was only a middle act at the time).

[jff]

I met J.J. Cale once.

[PopTodd]

Pat Metheney gave me a beer once.

[Winston Legthigh]

I poured a beer for Mike Watt once, at some backyard BBQ, back when fIREHOSE was going.

[caliber66]

Where you at?

What local?

I also worked with the Teamsters, as summer help through the late 80's and early-mid 90's.

Oddly enough, the Teamsters organized the clerical staff at Rhode Island Hospital, so I had to join when I got a job there. We had a kickass medical plan.

[moxiebean]

I have a friend who sold a piece of cheesecake to Nico.

[gogo]

When Ted Kennedy was running for the Democratic nomination in 1980, I was one of the kids on stage with him during his appearance at the Irish Cultural Center. I believe there was a presentation of flowers or something.

[Sir Stewart]

I hung around backstage with the Beastie Boys in 1992, not that they seemed to notice.

[jff]

My snare drum stand used to be owned by Steve Gorman of the Black Crowes.

[moxiebean]

I once shook hands with Al Bumbry, former Baltimore Oriole and 1973 AL Rookie of the Year. Actually he shook hands with my fake hand (I was wearing a halloween costume at the time.)

[The High Heat]

At the Baseball Hall of Fame inductions in 2000 Joe Nuxhall stood right in front of me for a minute while he was passing by en route to where the important people go. I didn't recognize him until the folks around me starting pestering him for his autograph, which he gave.

[PopTodd]

Oh, former Chicago Cubs pitcher and current SF Giants color man Mike Krukow lived down the street from me when I was a kid and he was pitching for the Cubbies.

He was very cool and even played catch with the neighborhood kids (including me).

 

And, speaking of athlete neighbors:

Michael Jordan lived a couple of miles away from me. I ran into him at the local video store around 1986 or so. We exchanged a couple of friendly words, made our rental choices, and then went on our ways. (He rented "I'm Gonna Git You Sukka.")

[Atticus]

I've met Lammycat

[Guest Speed Racer]

 

And, speaking of athlete neighbors:

Michael Jordan lived a couple of miles away from me. I ran into him at the local video store around 1986 or so. We exchanged a couple of friendly words, made our rental choices, and then went on our ways. (He rented "I'm Gonna Git You Sukka.")

 

AHHH! My cousin used to work for Carol Mosely-Braun, in the early '90s (was once quoted in Newsweek as a "clueless staffer"!!). At the end of the legislative session, the senator said to my cousin, "You should come over for dinner sometime - you and I live close enough to each other." So they set a date, and when my cousin asked if she could bring anything, the senator said, "Well, hmm...Juanita's bringing wine, so maybe a salad?" My cousin thought, "Huh? Juanita? Juanita who?" but let it go.

 

Juanita Jordan. Turns out the senator lived next door to the Jordans for a spell, and frequently had barbeques with them. So my cousin had dinner with Michael Jordan at basically the peak of his fame. That still floors me.

[gogo]

Oh, former Chicago Cubs pitcher and current SF Giants color man Mike Krukow lived down the street from me when I was a kid and he was pitching for the Cubbies.

He was very cool and even played catch with the neighborhood kids (including me).

He's definitely got a reputation as a nice guy. My cousin's husband is a cameraman at most of the home games, so when the family is there, sometimes they'll get shown in a crowd shot. And during a slow spot in the game, Krukow has actually commented on-air "those are cameraman Marty's kids, she's a senior, he's a sophomore, and they both run track...", that kind of thing. Way above and beyond what I'd expect an announcer to remember about a cameraman's kids.

 

 

I once shook hands with Al Bumbry, former Baltimore Oriole and 1973 AL Rookie of the Year. Actually he shook hands with my fake hand (I was wearing a halloween costume at the time.)

Several years ago, we took my nieces to a Wilco show, and they got to meet all the band members out by the buses after. Ro was about 7 at the time, and she was wearing a sweater that her grandma had knitted for her, complete with those hangy sleeves that grandma-sweaters are known for. Rather than pushing them up, she let them hang way down past her hands, so when they met Jeff Tweedy and he very sweetly and very formally tried to shake their hands, she just flung her sleeve out at him, and he shook that. We refer to that as the time that Jeff Tweedy shook Ro's paw.

[u2roolz]

My best friend had 2 lecture hall classes at Purdue with Drew Brees.

 

Same best friend is 2nd cousins with Enrique Iglesias. I didn't realize that that dude was part Filipino?

 

Another close friend of mine held the door open for Tom Cruise (who was exiting) at a Woburn Starbucks last September when he was in town to shoot Knight & Day (in theaters June 25 )

 

Another close friend of mine is a manager at a suburb of Boston's AMC movie theater. He has had private screenings for several members of the Celtics after hours. He has sold Icees to Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Glenn Davis, & Ray Allen. It's not because they would cause obstructed view. It's actually due to Celtics big wigs calling to arrange for last minute special screenings.

 

My other best friend got him & myself to hang out in and around Ryan Adams' tour bus at the Hampton Beach Casino in NH. We were on his tour bus for about 2 minutes then he wanted to get off and have a smoke. At this time he took a few phone calls from Parker Posey. There was one young woman by herself that was with us. I'm not sure what plans he had for her.

 

This same best friend got to open up for Ryan Adams because Ryan asked him to. This was in the summer of 2005 around June. I think my best friend met him again at a show in upstate NY and Rachel Yamagata opened that night & the next night at the Starland Ballroom he had no opener and asked him. Sadly it wasn't his full band due to it being last minute. Look up on answeringbell.com for proof. Band name: All The Tired Horses.

[insideoutoflove]

When I was in high school my friends and I were randomly pulled onstage and danced to "Hangin Around" with the Counting Crows at Taste of Chicago. I'm still searching for photo evidence of that...considering there was an absurd number of people in attendance (I mean, it was 4th of July in Chicago...) I figured something had to surface, but no luck.

[RaspberryJam]

I once rode up the chair lift with one of the Nelsons. You know, of Nelson. I don't know which one it was. My husband asked him, "Have any new albums coming out?"

[The High Heat]

My other best friend got him & myself to hang out in and around Ryan Adams' tour bus at the Hampton Beach Casino in NH. We were on his tour bus for about 2 minutes then he wanted to get off and have a smoke. At this time he took a few phone calls from Parker Posey. There was one young woman by herself that was with us. I'm not sure what plans he had for her.

 

This same best friend got to open up for Ryan Adams because Ryan asked him to. This was in the summer of 2005 around June. I think my best friend met him again at a show in upstate NY and Rachel Yamagata opened that night & the next night at the Starland Ballroom he had no opener and asked him. Sadly it wasn't his full band due to it being last minute. Look up on answeringbell.com for proof. Band name: All The Tired Horses.

I bought Ryan Adams' 29 album the year it came out during the holiday season. I was in the very long line at Best Buy, and the woman in front of me noticed I had his album in my hand. She told me she knew him and, even more so, his mother (was their neighbor in Raleigh at one point) and that Ryan is fucked up because of her. "That boy is just wild!" I told her perhaps he'll chill as he approaches 40. She said he'll never make it to 40.

I hope she's wrong.