Talking With Famous People

[Free]

I often wonder if any one you have ever had a conversation with someone famous? If so, who were they?

Here's my list:

Michael Cohen. (We talked about cooking steaks.)
Stephen Hawking. (He actually replied to an email about Black Holes.)
Bart Ehrman (Lots of times.)

But my all-time favorite was Anne Murray. I was a teen, and Elvis had just died. I was in Halifax at my sisters place. I came in from outside and there was Anne Murray drinking tea with my sister. My sister and brother-in-law ran a entertainment booking agency in Halifax from the early 70s to about 10 years ago. They just knew everybody.

Edit: Almost forgot. Talked with this guy a few times. He inspires the fuck out of me.

[c172]

Nothing extended. At my first match of the U.S. Soccer women's national team (at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH), I stayed around for autographs and exchanged a few words with player Julie Foudy, who is a sportscaster now, as well as Kate Markgraf (nee Sobrero) who has done some of the same. I've also met a few San Diego Padres.

And Jaclyn Smith, a Charlie's Angel.

[Free]

Nothing extended. At my first match of the U.S. Soccer women's national team (at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH), I stayed around for autographs and exchanged a few words with player Julie Foudy, who is a sportscaster now, as well as Kate Markgraf (nee Sobrero)  who has done some of the same. I've also met a few San Diego Padres.

And Jaclyn Smith, a Charlie's Angel.

I'll trade you Michael Cohen for Jaclyn Smith any day of the week. 

lol

[Dānu]

I once exchanged emails with Graham Priest, author of several books on dialetheism.

Okay. I have a boring life.

[Free]

I once exchanged emails with Graham Priest, author of several books on dialetheism.

Okay.  I have a boring life.

I just read up on him as you mentioned him. He's very interesting. A disagreement to Z doesn't have to result in ¬Z, and both Z and ¬Z can be correct. Nothing is absolute.

Fascinating.

Personally I have always accepted that the truth can never be known absolutely, and the best we can ever do is approximate it.

[Dom]

I ran into Barbara Walters some 30 years ago in a mall in Montreal. I introduced myself and we ended up chatting about airports. Then some guy showed up and whisked her away. 

And I once sat across the isle from Jesse Jackson on a plane.  The conversation was just hello, how are you, fine, or some such thing. Then he pulled out some printed pages and studied them. It was a short flight and I assume he had a speech to give or some such thing.

That's it for famous people. Both were pleasant, but not much interaction with Jesse. Barbara Walters though was really interesting and captivating.

[Free]

I ran into Barbara Walters some 30 years ago in a mall in Montreal. I introduced myself and we ended up chatting about airports. Then some guy showed up and whisked her away. 

And I once sat across the isle from Jesse Jackson on a plane.  The conversation was just hello, how are you, fine, or some such thing. Then he pulled out some printed pages and studied them. It was a short flight and I assume he had a speech to give or some such thing.

That's it for famous people. Both were pleasant, but not much interaction with Jesse. Barbara Walters though was really interesting and captivating.

She's the Queen!

She stands alone with journalism. I just recently watched an interview she did a few years ago with a young trans Jazz Jennings.

[Bucky Ball]

"Famous" is all relative, depending on what you're talking about.
I've met a lot of well-known academics, here on the Left Coast, and in the East at school, archaeologist types and scholars.
Here they are physicists and physicians, at CalTech and Cedars. Also religious people, as my aunt was a nun, and college president.
I met the "nuns on the bus" Sr. Simone Campbell. She was very nice, and was nice to my dog, and my little brother.
Horse trainers, .. I've met many. You saw two of them them, if you watched the Derby last weekend. Very nice guys.
A friend of my parents is a billionaire Hollywood producer, (who has a house in San Diego), and have run into some actors you would have heard of at his house, where I have been (only a couple times). Nice people. I'm the least star-struck person on the planet, so it's all "meh" to me.
The one I will talk about is is Buddy Hacket. Yeah I met him. He smashed into our car as he went through a stop sign as we drove into Beverly Hills once, by Santa Monica Boulevard near the Riviera Country Club. He was apologetic, and at I time, I had no clue who this wierd little man was. Just before that, like a couple minutes before, we saw (they said ... I did not know who she was either ... Dyan Cannon running across (jay walking) Santa Monica Boulevard. I had a run-in with the "daughter" of Judy Garland one summer I worked for a trust company, in high school, and had to deliver a very large check to an address where she answered the door, and bitch said "Who do you know" ... I laughed in her face. You live in San Diego, you run in to celebrities. None of our friends are celebrities, unless you count classical musicians, ... local classical musicians. Come to think of it, I suppose I have played (the organ), back in the day I did that, with some of the SD Symphony people. They were always very cool. I've been through O'Hare in Chicago a few times. Each time I've *seen* someone famous. Two "news" people and one actor. Edit: I forgot one. A well-known baseball *star* married into our best friend's family. He has a reputation for being a nice guy. He really is ... it's almost too good to be true. He's a big teddy bear.

[Free]

"Famous" is all relative, depending on what you're talking about.
I've met a lot of well-known academics, here on the Left Coast, and in the East at school, archaeologist types and scholars.
Here they are physicists and physicians, at CalTech and Cedars. Also religious people, as my aunt was a nun, and college president.
I met the "nuns on the bus" Sr. Simone Campbell. She was very nice, and was nice to my dog, and my little brother.
Horse trainers, .. I've met many. You saw two of them them, if you watched the Derby last weekend. Very nice guys.  
A friend of my parents is a billionaire Hollywood producer, (who has a house in San Diego), and have run into some actors you would have heard of at his house, where I have been (only a couple times). Nice people. I'm the least star-struck person on the planet, so it's all "meh" to me.
The one I will talk about is is Buddy Hacket. Yeah I met him. He smashed into our car as he went through a stop sign as we drove into Beverly Hills once, by Santa Monica Boulevard near the Riviera Country Club. He was apologetic, and at I time, I had no clue who this wierd little man was. Just before that, like a couple minutes before, we saw (they said ... I did not know who she was either ... Dyan Cannon running across (jay walking) Santa Monica Boulevard. I had a run-in with the "daughter" of Judy Garland one summer I worked for a trust company, in high school, and had to deliver a very large check to an address where she answered the door, and bitch said "Who do you know" ... I laughed in her face. You live in San Diego, you  run in to celebrities. None of our friends are celebrities, unless you count classical musicians, ... local classical musicians. Come to think of it, I suppose I have played (the organ), back in the day I did that, with some of the SD Symphony people. They were always very cool. I've been through O'Hare in Chicago a few times. Each time I've *seen* someone famous. Two "news" people and one actor.

All I seen here was Buddy Hacket. Love that guy. lol

[jerry mcmasters]

I remember being stopped in traffic while about fifteen black sedans were waved through by motorcycle cops with lights flashing. As I sat there in the Houston traffic I remembered that the president of the US was to be in town that day, and I thought to myself, I wonder if he too is somewhere stuck in traffic while the cops allow a bunch of black sedans to just drive around like they own the place. That is my story, such as it is, about how close I came to talking to someone famous.

[jerry mcmasters]

"Famous" is all relative, depending on what you're talking about.
I've met a lot of well-known academics, here on the Left Coast, and in the East at school, archaeologist types and scholars.
Here they are physicists and physicians, at CalTech and Cedars. Also religious people, as my aunt was a nun, and college president.
I met the "nuns on the bus" Sr. Simone Campbell. She was very nice, and was nice to my dog, and my little brother.
Horse trainers, .. I've met many. You saw two of them them, if you watched the Derby last weekend. Very nice guys.  
A friend of my parents is a billionaire Hollywood producer, (who has a house in San Diego), and have run into some actors you would have heard of at his house, where I have been (only a couple times). Nice people. I'm the least star-struck person on the planet, so it's all "meh" to me.
The one I will talk about is is Buddy Hacket. Yeah I met him. He smashed into our car as he went through a stop sign as we drove into Beverly Hills once, by Santa Monica Boulevard near the Riviera Country Club. He was apologetic, and at I time, I had no clue who this wierd little man was. Just before that, like a couple minutes before, we saw (they said ... I did not know who she was either ... Dyan Cannon running across (jay walking) Santa Monica Boulevard. I had a run-in with the "daughter" of Judy Garland one summer I worked for a trust company, in high school, and had to deliver a very large check to an address where she answered the door, and bitch said "Who do you know" ... I laughed in her face. You live in San Diego, you  run in to celebrities. None of our friends are celebrities, unless you count classical musicians, ... local classical musicians. Come to think of it, I suppose I have played (the organ), back in the day I did that, with some of the SD Symphony people. They were always very cool. I've been through O'Hare in Chicago a few times. Each time I've *seen* someone famous. Two "news" people and one actor.

All I seen here was Buddy Hacket. Love that guy. lol

Buddy Hacket seemed like the kind of guy that would run stop signs and smash into people two or three times a day.

[Bucky Ball]

I remember being stopped in traffic while about fifteen black sedans were waved through by motorcycle cops with lights flashing.  As I sat there in the Houston traffic I remembered that the president of the US was to be in town that day, and I thought to myself, I wonder if he too is somewhere stuck in traffic while the cops allow a bunch of black sedans to just drive around like they own the place.  That is my story, such as it is, about how close I came to talking to someone famous.

That reminds me ... me too. Once on Santa Monica (also) traffic stopped, and the cops waved an entourage, .. a number of black limmos (maybe 5) drove past in the opposite direction, with the windows open, and the security guys in each, in each window which were all open, had automatic weapons pointed out. Took a couple minutes. I think we heard either before or after, that a royal (maybe the king) from Saudi Arabia was in town. Didn't actually see him. Just the weapons were "interesting".

[jerry mcmasters]

Mine didn't have guns pointed out the windows...but to be fair it was just the president lolz.

[Minimalist]

Gilles Villemure, who won the Vezina Trophy in 1971, when he came to give some tips to the goalies at our hockey club.

Ron Greschner who played for the Rangers in the 70's and 80's at a charity event that my wife attended for her company.

I did get to shake hands with Bill Clinton in a receiving line when he came to speak in NY after Dubya was elected.

[julep]

Depends on the definition of fame.  From grad school I know some writers whose books are on best seller lists and have been made into movies and such, and I know people in the Boston Symphony and some other clarinetists who are world famous among clarinetists.  I have a friend who’s a big enough deal in the art world to have exhibits in museums and articles written about her.  

No politicians or actors or talking heads though.

[adey67]

Ringo Star & Eric Clapton.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Elliot Easton, former guitarist of the Cars. I met him in the mid-90s after a gig of his. He was gracious and we spent about 15 minutes talking about all things guitarin' before he had to split.

[Dancefortwo]

When I lived in Los Angeles I used to work for a market research company that did marketing for the movie industry.  I used to do a lot of filing papers and meaningless office shit but once in a while I'd fill in for the receptionist.  This was in the early 90's and they had a really stupid phone system.   The office phone had the usual buttons to transfer a call to different departments but I guess there wasn't enough buttons or something because in order to transfer a call to my immediate supervisor I had to depress the phone cradle for just a second or so and the caller would get transfered to my supervisor.  Somehow I couldn't get this right.  I'd depress the cradle  (remember those, the little thingys that stuck up?) too long and accidentally hang up on them.  They'd call back and I'd try it again.  I'd lose them again.  Usually by the third try I'd transfer the call but I'd sweat bullets in the process. 

One time Robert Redford called.  He had a movie out and was checking up on the maketing and wanted to talk to my supervisor.  Oh, my fucking god!  At that moment I had no idea what my name was.  All I knew was that I was talking to Robert Redford.  And, per usual, I hung up on him.   He called back. I was terrified I'd lose him again and in the meantime a fellow worker who also filled in for the recptionist happened to wallk by and I frantically waved him over to help me transfer Robert Redford's call.  He did but to this day I think about that call.  

When one lives in Los Angeles one runs into celebraties often.  Hubby is an actor and worked for several years in the LA theatre scene and did some TV work so we knew a few working actors.  Most of them you wouldn't know.  Michael worked for the Will Geer Theatre out in Topanga Canyon for several years.  They do mostly Shakespeare but throw in other plays.  Will Geer played the grandfather on The Waltons. He had been dead for several years but word was that he was a sick, disgusting man who liked little boys.  

I was a makeup assistant for Loretta Lynn and Lynn Anderson for a TV Christmas show with a bunch of country singers.  They were both very sweet ladies. The Oakridge Boys were there too but they had beards and didn't require much makeup.  Bobby Gentry was part of it but she brought her own private makeup person.  She had very bad skin.  She looked lost and sad, like she wanted to jump off of a bridge.  Maybe because she was on her period.  I had to run to the store and get some tampons for her. 

Minnie Pearl was there with her stupid price tag hanging off of her hat and she was having a long conversation with Dale Evens, the wife of Roy Rogers.  Dale had a flask of booze she kept nursing and was half drunk most of the time.    It was a four day shoot, all of it outside in the country. 

I also did costumes for a play in LA with the porn star, Gorgina Spelvin of The Devil in Miss Jones fame.  I've never seen this movie but apparently she did a thing with a snake that is quite famous in the porn industry.     




She was a fantastic actress and was best thing in the play. A lovely lady, bright and very intelligent, well read.  If I recall right she started off as a dancer and actress but got into porn for the money.   She was in her 40's when I worked with her and she had a rockin body even then.

[OakTree500]

I've only ever met one famous person, in the wild at least [like not like at a convention or anything], which was UK comedian Jonny Vegas. He's a stand up comedian, actor and general funny man on UK TV here.

I saw him at a train station yes ago - a friend was dropping me off and I beleive he was waiting for his then wife to arrive on the train. The entire experience unfolded like this:

*we're in the car saying goodbye*
Friend: "oh my god - is that Jonny Vegas?"
Me: "holy shit....it is"
F: "what do we say to him?"
M: "I don't know"
F: "...say something"
Me - *Winds down the car window* "Jonny!"
Jonny Vegas - "...alright lads, hows it going?"
m "...good thanks...." *long silence
JV - "alright well have a good one!"

That was it. We were too star struck to say anything to him, and he left soon after haha.

[Dom]

Oh, and Joni Mitchell! How could I forget about that. We were in Matalla, Crete, Greece, living in sand stone caves. She and her boyfriend at the time lived in the cave below me. She would sit on the beach and write, and play in the huge theatre cave (round with steps carved out all around the center, felt like a small stadium) for us. We had coffee together in the morning. Her voice was just beautiful in that cave, the acoustics were great. She was there for, I think, some 3 weeks and we ran into each other every day, it was a small community of some 50 people tops. She played frequently, playing older songs and trying out new ones. 

This was in the late 60s, long time ago.

And Woody Harrelson at a charity event in Miami. We just shook hands, he was going around meeting people. At the same event there was a dude who was apparently a big sports star, I have no idea who he was. I was trying some of the sushi and he asked me to try one that looked like it may have been shrimp and tell him whether it was, he was allergic to shrimp. It was salmon. We stood and chatted a while and I was his taste tester, lol. People came up to me later and asked how I knew him. Well, I didn't, and I even forget his name now. Not much of a sports fan.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Took PZed to a creationist museum near Springfield, Illinois, a few years back. Got kudos for explaining one way coprolites can be preserved intact and mostly unchanged.

Next year I took Joe Nickell (investigator for Skeptic Magazine) around St. Louis and to a chupacabra corpse, again near Springfield.

[TheGentlemanBastard]

Kim Harrison:
I Met Kim Harrison at a book signing hosted by the indie bookstore The Tattered Cover. Her husband also attended, and chatted with people who were queued up for autographs. He was probably more fun to chat with as she was. She was tired and a bit aloof by the time I got to sit down with her, but she did make sure to sit and chat with every fan.

Carrie Vaughn:
I met Carrie Vaughn at several book signings around Denver. She's a Colorado native and, maybe because she visits smaller venues, is a warmer, more relatable person. I have about half of her published works signed and am always on the lookout for more 1st edition copies of books I don't yet have. Her signings are a mixed bag. Some times a reading, other times open discussion of her books, Q&A sessions at others. But, she always takes time to set nervous fans at ease and chats with every person seeking an autograph.

Multiple Denver Broncos players:
I've got a friend that bought a New Jersey transit bus, gutted it and rebuilt it ti be the ultimate tailgating vehicle. When players here about the bus, some of them want to come out after the games and check it out. I've met probably a dozen Broncos that way, but the most memorable was meeting Bucky Dilts, Denver Broncos punter from their 1977 Superbowl season. The same friend bought a 1977 AFC championship ring on ebay. After researching the seller and his reasons for selling, he decided to gift the ring back to Bucky. Bucky had sold it to pay for cancer meds for his ex-wife. He brought the bus, Bucky, and a handful of Broncos Cheerleaders to a local Red Robin that was doing a cancer charity drive, and gave Bucky his ring back at that event.

John Denver:
in 1990 or '91 I was in Aspen Colorado on one of my jaunts to view the countryside, Maroon Bells being the goal for the day. I stopped in Aspen for lunch and was told about a book store just a few blocks away. Between the restaurant and the book store were a couple bars. I happened to pass as John Denver was leaving one, headed to the other, already well on his way to blotto drunk. He was nice enough, and very apologetic for having run into me, but he probably never even remembered the event.

Tim Allen:
Ran into Tim Allen, sort of, in Vail. He was abusing the counter staff over his bill and I decided I just didn't need to say anything to the jerk ahead of me. It wasn't until he turned to leave, scowling a fuming the whole way, that I realized it was Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. I asked the guy at the counter if that was normal for him, and he said "That was actually a pretty good day with Mr. Allen."

Billy Joel, Jake E. Lee (guitarist for Ozzy), Ian Anderson:
Met these guys after shows. Jake E, Lee. just wanted to sign a few albums then fuck off back to the bus. We get it Jake. Long day, tough road trip. The fans understand, especially in light of... Billy Joel comes off the bus, walks quietly up behind the group of fans waiting at the back exit and says "So, I suppose you all want autographs." Big smile on his face. Personable, charming, everything you hope these guys will be if you ever meet them. Ian Anderson after the show set up a desk and chair, open invite to all, personalizing autographs, chatting with fans. On second thought, fuck you, Jake

I also missed my (so far) only opportunity to meet Brandon Sanderson when he was doing the book signing tour for his third Stormlight Archives book. Pre-purchased the book, got authorization for a half-day at work and the bastages wouldn't let me go as planned.

Michael Cartellone:
Drummer for Damn Yankees in the late 80s/early '90s. He came into the pizza joint I was working on a half-priced pitcher night. I think the most surprising and memorable thing about him was that he was a young guy who had just broke it big with a band whose first album went double platinum and he was very soft spoken and easy going. Unlike so many of his peers in the 80s hair band scene, he didn't trash the joint or make a big scene. It kind blew my mind. Here's a guy used to riding around town in a limo, who just drove himself and a couple friends, in a ford pick-up, to a local cheap-ass pizza joint.

[Dancefortwo]

Tim Allen:
Ran into Tim Allen, sort of, in Vail. He was abusing the counter staff over his bill and I decided I just didn't need to say anything to the jerk ahead of me. It wasn't until he turned to leave, scowling a fuming the whole way, that I realized it was Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. I asked the guy at the counter if that was normal for him, and he said "That was actually a pretty good day with Mr. Allen."

(I hate to bring this subject up in this thread but Tim Allen is a trump supporter.)  

Many years ago my husband was picking up a little extra cash and was hired by the crew of the Whitney Houston band to help unload all the equipment.  He was watched closely so as to not run up against the stagehand union rules so all he was doing was unloading boxes.  Grunt work.  Anyway, Whitney Houston came in to do a sound check and rehearse a little and she was accompanied by a retinue of what looked like pimps, drug dealers and street thugs.   This was before she married Bobbi Brown, the guy who everyone said turned her into a drug addict. HA!  It's possible that SHE'S the one who turned HIM into an crack addict.  Hubby said she was very pretty but with drugs floating all around her it really did a number on her life.  It certainly  effected her voice.  The last video I saw of her singing was so pathetic.  It was unbelievable how a once glorious and powerful voice could fall into such ruin.

[julep]

Ringo Star & Eric Clapton.

Deets!?!

[julep]

When I lived in Los Angeles I used to work for a market research company that did marketing for the movie industry.  I used to do a lot of filing papers and meaningless office shit but once in a while I'd fill in for the receptionist.  This was in the early 90's and they had a really stupid phone system.   The office phone had the usual buttons to transfer a call to different departments but I guess there wasn't enough buttons or something because in order to transfer a call to my immediate supervisor I had to depress the phone cradle for just a second or so and the caller would get transfered to my supervisor.  Somehow I couldn't get this right.  I'd depress the cradle  (remember those, the little thingys that stuck up?) too long and accidentally hang up on them.  They'd call back and I'd try it again.  I'd lose them again.  Usually by the third try I'd transfer the call but I'd sweat bullets in the process. 

One time Robert Redford called.  He had a movie out and was checking up on the maketing and wanted to talk to my supervisor.  Oh, my fucking god!  At that moment I had no idea what my name was.  All I knew was that I was talking to Robert Redford.  And, per usual, I hung up on him.   He called back. I was terrified I'd lose him again and in the meantime a fellow worker who also filled in for the recptionist happened to wallk by and I frantically waved him over to help me transfer Robert Redford's call.  He did but to this day I think about that call.  

When one lives in Los Angeles one runs into celebraties often.  Hubby is an actor and worked for several years in the LA theatre scene and did some TV work so we knew a few working actors.  Most of them you wouldn't know.  Michael worked for the Will Geer Theatre out in Topanga Canyon for several years.  They do mostly Shakespeare but throw in other plays.  Will Geer played the grandfather on The Waltons. He had been dead for several years but word was that he was a sick, disgusting man who liked little boys.  

I was a makeup assistant for Loretta Lynn and Lynn Anderson for a TV Christmas show with a bunch of country singers.  They were both very sweet ladies. The Oakridge Boys were there too but they had beards and didn't require much makeup.  Bobby Gentry was part of it but she brought her own private makeup person.  She had very bad skin.  She looked lost and sad, like she wanted to jump off of a bridge.  Maybe because she was on her period.  I had to run to the store and get some tampons for her. 

Minnie Pearl was there with her stupid price tag hanging off of her hat and she was having a long conversation with Dale Evens, the wife of Roy Rogers.  Dale had a flask of booze she kept nursing and was half drunk most of the time.    It was a four day shoot, all of it outside in the country. 

I also did costumes for a play in LA with the porn star, Gorgina Spelvin of The Devil in Miss Jones fame.  I've never seen this movie but apparently she did a thing with a snake that is quite famous in the porn industry.     




She was a fantastic actress and was best thing in the play. A lovely lady, bright and very intelligent, well read.  If I recall right she started off as a dancer and actress but got into porn for the money.   She was in her 40's when I worked with her and she had a rockin body even then.

You just reminded me of another celebrity encounter!  I worked as a legal secretary for a bit and my boss represented the then-host of the PBS show "This Old House," Steve Thomas.   So I talked to him on the phone a fair amount, mostly "Hi,  [my boss] is out to lunch, when's a good time for him to call you back?"  He was a nice guy.

Ooh--also at a Doctor Who convention I kissed Tom Baker.