Have you ever met anybody famous?

[97prizm]

A couple of Denver Broncos players. My most famous while working at a hotel was Ziggy Marley. I helped acouple of band members with their wifi issues. As I was leaving the drummer asked if I'd like to hang out on the bus. Unfortunately Ziggy showed up and told him the bus was full mon maybe next time. I'm still kicking myself for not getting an autograph. The second was I was able to convince the sales manager to book the Crystal Method. Scott kirkland and Ken Jordan signed my cd that I brought to work. Oh Steve Dinan of the BMW tuning company booked a hotel room for an employee. My boss and others standing around had no Idea who he was.

 

[drtyler]

Two that I can remember, both at Road Atlanta.

Paul Newman, close to the end of his life he did a few final races with SCCA, he was an ass.

Brian Johnson at the Mitty, forget the year. He's a fantastic and kind dude. He's just there to have fun and go fast, and you can tell.

Interesting about Paul Newman. I had heard from others that met him at similar events (Road Atlanta) and that he was just a regular guy, no big attitude or anything. Just enjoyed racing and cars. Could be the difference in when, the younger Newman may have had less of an attitude (or more restraint).

 

[loneryder]

Before I retired I was on a plane flying somewhere every week.....Once in first class on AWA airlines I sat next to Alex Chilton of the Boxtops....who sang give me a ticket for an airplane in 68 I think....he was flying to the bay area to sing in some event....I just read he passed away some years ago....I still have his auto on an AWA napkin.
Then flying home to Phoenix in Southwest cattle car I sat next to Susan Cowsill who was flying to AZ to see her mother who had lung cancer or something like that and needed the dry climate. I asked her why are flying on the cattle car ....i would think with the money they made she could go first class ....she said her father was a idiot and lost all their money and hopes he was dead and in hell....I did not say much the rest of the flight.
Im surprised somebody would know who she was and asked to an autograph .....sure she around 50ish. I would have sat next to her not having a clue who she was the was the whole flight from San Jose.

I met the Beach Boys in 1965 and Glen Campbell who was an unknown filling in for Brian Wilson. He was a studio musician in LA back then. Had a drink with OJ Simpson when he was with the 49ers. Nicest guy in the world...treated you like you were somebody. Had my picture taken with Joe Gibbs with his Superbowl rings. I was wearing 2 of them. Spoke with Jay Leno at the Candy store outside LA. He was driving what looked like an old indy car that was made street legal. He was very shy. It's a biker hangout on the weekends.

 

[BrianF]

As a kid I met some players and got some WHL cards signed by guys like Corey Hirsch, Darcy Tucker, Scott Niedermayer and Darryl Sydor. Soon after they were in the NHL.

 

[Aredeeem]

Met James Rebhorn at the PABT when I was driving busses in and out of Manhattan. We chatted for a bit, he was pleasantly surprised that I recognized him. He was a busy character actor in the late nineties and was in a bunch of well known movies.Appeared alongside Al Pacino in “Scent of a woman “ and Michael Douglas and Sean Penn in “ The Game” to name just a few. Great thread by the way.

 

[LDB]

Before I retired I was on a plane flying somewhere every week.....Once in first class on AWA airlines I sat next to Alex Chilton of the Boxtops....who sang give me a ticket for an airplane in 68 I think....he was flying to the bay area to sing in some event....I just read he passed away some years ago....I still have his auto on an AWA napkin.
Then flying home to Phoenix in Southwest cattle car I sat next to Susan Cowsill who was flying to AZ to see her mother who had lung cancer or something like that and needed the dry climate. I asked her why are flying on the cattle car ....i would think with the money they made she could go first class ....she said her father was a idiot and lost all their money and hopes he was dead and in hell....I did not say much the rest of the flight.
Im surprised somebody would know who she was and asked to an autograph .....sure she around 50ish. I would have sat next to her not having a clue who she was the was the whole flight from San Jose.

Frank Beard, Dusty Hill, James Earl Jones, James Lovell, Clive Cussler, Rhys Bowen, C J Box.

 

[RedSpider]

I've already posted in this thread earlier but in the time since I made that post, I got to meet THE FONZ himself, Henry Winkler. He's really short, and super nice.

 

[IndyIan]

Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, and Mike McGill, did a demo at our local indoor skate park when I was 11-12, I don't even know if there was 60 of us there. Super nice guys to talk too, and they did lines and transfers around the ramps that I had no idea were even possible!

I met Lee Bentham https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Bentham, in the late 90s's at a local semi abandoned go kart track, I think his buddy just bought the track and they were karting.(we used to sneak around the end of the fence on our dirt bikes and do a dozen laps and leave). Anyways my buddy and I were riding our dirt bikes and actually going to go do some laps and saw them and decided to stop in and talk to them anyways. I noticed his name on his racing overalls, and so I asked him if he was "the" Lee Bentham from indy lights racing? He kind of laughed and said that was him as I don't think he got recognized very often. Nice guy and even let me do a few laps in his kart. Just a 4 stroke one but it was pretty fun.

 

[wlk]

My mom worked at a hotel in the 80's in Sebring and met several actors that would come in to race at Sebring:
Tom Cruise - kinda rude
Bruce Jenner - super nice
Paul Newman - was very nice
Mario Andretti- nice guy- I met him as well super nice.
At another hotel in the late 80's in Vero Beach she met John Elway and he was very nice guy, have an autographed card from him.
I pooped on Dusty Rhodes lap when I was a baby on a private flight.- this count? He was very gracious my folks said, he and Hulk Hogan were on the flight. My parents best friends' son was on his bodyguard detail.

 

[slo town]

Neil Young, late '90s. We stopped and pulled up beside each other in our cars in a parking lot, trying to figure out how to get to another part of downtown. He seemed like a regular guy.

And, drum roll, O.J. Simpson at SFO in the early '80s. This was before he got into trouble. He could not have been nicer. Unreal how friendly he was.

Scott

 

[John105]

I met a famous hockey player. Bill Clement of the Philadelphia Flyers Stanley Cup Championship team from '74 and '75. A beast of a defenseman and helluva nice guy. Don't think I can ever top that one, seeing how he's a local hero.

I have a pic with Bernie Parent and Dave Shultz. It’s so hard to believe the person I met is the hammer and pummeled others. I said, “Thanks Dave!” He said, thank you, sir! Nice man. It’s fun to have your arms around childhood heroes.

 

[John105]

My wife and I have a pic where Chef Ming Tsai has his arms around each of us. I always liked his cooking shows. My wife asked him what his bracelet was for, and he said his buddy Matt Damon’s foundation

 

[John105]

I have a pic with my dad and Alexander Haig. I was a kid. He was famous for being misquoted when President Reagan was shot. Everyone said he had said he was in charge, but it was taken out of context. I have an album where he’s speaking and my dad is sitting 3 people down seemingly interested

 

[MSCH]

casual meeting of myself and Arlen Ness some years ago in a RaceTrac gas station in Melbourne Fl. Pic was taken by Melbourne PD Sergeant escorting Arlen Ness... .

back in the day when I went to Sturgis for the bike thing, stayed in the Alex Johnson hotel in Rapid City ... back then there was no Hiltons so the high and mighty tended to stay in the Alex Johnson... I bumped into Motley Crue, Flip Wilson, Michael Doobie brothers but best was Kick Brooks from Brooks and Dunn... seems I rode down early in the morning on the elevator with the guy and I mentioned that beautiful bus out front,, and guy says that belongs to Brooks and Dunn... to which i said I never heard of them.

later in the day my wife and I are going thru the lobby and she says "look, that Kick Brooks from Brooks and Dunn"

 

[dadto2]

I met Renee Flemming when I was dropping something off at her mother's house. She's step-cousin to my wife, but of course she's rarely in town... I met Warren Haynes once after a show. When I was running a Domino's pizza place, I made a pizza for Marie Osmond. The delivery driver was able to deliver it right to her dressing room, she gave him a signed 5x8 glossy black and white photo, he was over the moon. My high school band teacher was friends with Tony Levin, he came to speak to our band while he was touring with Peter Gabriel promoting the So album, that was really cool.

 

[Aredeeem]

Back in 72 I was fortunate enough to attend the American Airlines pro am tournament in Puerto Rico. Had a great time and met a bunch of nice celebrities. Very generous with their time and autographs. Was stationed there in the USN.

 

[PWMDMD]

I have been in close proximity to quite a few famous people in my life but I assume, because I would feel this way if I were famous, that they just want to be left alone. I know that's often not true and some like to be recognized but short of me being introduced my someone else, I will probably never approach a famous person.

 

[Dave Hess]

I have been in close proximity to quite a few famous people in my life but I assume, because I would feel this way if I were famous, that they just want to be left alone. I know that's often not true and some like to be recognized but short of me being introduced my someone else, I will probably never approach a famous person.

I agree about leaving the person alone.

I saw Vanilla Ice at a RaceTrac gas station but didn’t want to bother him for a photo.

 

[fisher83]

Never met anyone very famous but in my line of work I have been tasked with investigating money laundering activity involving a few famous people including athletes, actors, musicians, and a very well-known mafia hitman.

 

[Aredeeem]

i agree. But life in 1972 was different than it is now. Celebrities could indulge in a Pro Am event of their own free will, sign a few autographs, cash in a few comps and slip back into relative obscurity. Think about it, no cell phones, no twitter. No cameras. Their privacy was relatively secure. I enjoyed my time at that Pro-am. How many of those old timers would think of doing the same thing now. Probably none.