What's your brush with fame?

[Keim]

I had the ocassion to briefly speak with jazz bassist John Clayton. Very nice man.

Former pro football player Mike Tilleman is a close friend of the family. Really cool guy. I remember as a kid he would walk up to greet me, and very gently tap me with his shoulder. That "tap" was nearly enough to knock me off my feet. The guy is huge!

 

[easysurfer]

Oh..not a brush with fame but a close brush with fame.

I was at a B. Dalton Bookstore (this was a while ago), looking for a computer book when there was a long line of men with magazine in hand. It took me awhile to figure out what the occasion was but they were in line for Jenny McCarthy. This was when she was just starting out (I assume promoting a pictorial).

I didn't get an issue and wait in line with the rest of the guys as I was just looking for a book on my lunch break from w*rk.

 

[Major Tom]

It's fun reading all of these accounts.

In the 1990's I worked for a retail establishment in Hollywood (the one in Los Angeles). We had a "buy 10 get 1 free" card. I heard from one of the employees who was working at the register that Paul Allen (Microsoft co-founder), when asked if he'd like a buy 10 get 1 free card, said that he would. We thought it was pretty cool that one of the richest guys in the world was partial to a deal like that

 

[Eyerishgold]

DW and I had our picture taken on our honeymoon on Kauai by Gary Busey. We walked up to him, camera in hand, and he seemed quite surprised that we wanted him to take our picture instead of us taking his.

Other than that, I briefly met Dana White, the president of the UFC, just about every UFC Hall of Fame member and a number of fighters for the company. I even trained at the same gym as Clay Guida, a top 10 ranked featherweight. I never trained with him, merely in the same facility.

Lastly, I share a mutual friend with Tony Khan, son of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, and have have hung out with him on a number of occasions and met his father once.

 

[Sue J]

I was one of the security staff for a Blink 182 concert. I was stationed outside of Travis Barker's (drummer) dressing room, checking passes for people entering the area. He had a drum set in his dressing room and he warmed up on the drums for about 20 minutes before it was time for him to go on stage. It was quite a thrill for me because one of our sons is a drummer and I knew who Travis Barker was. When it was time for his band to go up to the stage area, he and his crew went right past me and I got a good look at his very famous tattoos.

Another band called "My Chemical Romance" was there, too, but I didn't recognize any of them, just knew the band name.

 

[ronin]

I was standing on the street in Apia, Samoa in 1976 when the Queen of England, of all people, came by. I was the only one around. We looked at each other and waved. End of story.

 

[Surewhitey]

I've gotten to know a couple stunt guys. One old-school fella who played the guy in Poseidon 1972 movie who fell into the glass when the boat flipped (did many things into 2010).
Another played stunt double for Nic Cage and many other things (Wipe-out TV show stunt director)
Both very nice guys.

Also met Michael Jackson's kids, mother and cousin. They seem pretty normal considering what they've gone through...

 

[Rusa]

I was hugged by Charlton Heston at a fundraiser once. Got to go to a private concert with Garth Brooks, Yogi Berra, and numerous famous baseball players in Las Vegas.

 

[Nemo2]

Just remembered...~ 1967 Bo Diddley and a couple of his band members in my car.....the company I worked for at the time wanted him to promote a guitar.....(and, to tie this into another thread, when I picked them up......they had adjoining rooms with the girls.....the girls were cooking fried chicken in the room)

 

[frayne]

Saw Joe Nameth in a bar once a long time ago and made eye contact with Tiger Woods when he was practicing sand bunker shots at the Memorial many years ago.

 

[Calgary_Girl]

Mmmm, no direct brushes with fame but DH and I met and sat next to Tony Mandarich's mom at a cousin's wedding a few years ago.

Also, DH has same famous people in his family: he's a direct descendant of Paul Revere and we've traced the family tree and Abraham Lincoln is a cousin.

 

[pb4uski]

Saw Joe Nameth in a bar once a long time ago and made eye contact with Tiger Woods when he was practicing sand bunker shots at the Memorial many years ago.

Tiger's second shot on a par 5 ended up a couple feet from me at the President's Cup in Montreal a number of years back. The marshall said that once he got there Tiger would decide how far back we needed to be. He was in a good mood, had us moved back about 8' and joked around a bit stomping on the shadow from the head fan that was near his ball and saying "stop that" (the fan stopped moving around). He hit his chip onto the green and went on his way.

 

[rodi]

"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" was based on my highschool, my graduating class. I know the people the "fictional" characters were based on. But I graduated a semester early - so I didn't meet Cameron Crowe, the author.

I know the guy who wrote all the windows for dummies books.

I shook hands with then Governor Ridge (later homeland security csar) once. He was visiting my employer because they'd been named one of the Inc magazines best small private companies. (In this case, best for the owners, not the employees... I quit not long after that.)

 

[MBAustin]

Mystery writer Martha Grimes is a longtime family friend - her brother was married to my aunt for a few years in the 1960s and my parents stayed in touch with her over the years. She didn't become a published author until quite late in life. Our family dog was a character in her first book.

 

[easysurfer]

I'm enjoying reading our brushes with fame.

I'm waiting for when someone has met Kevin Bacon

 

[F4mandolin]

Grete Waitz touched me.....and almost got an elbow for doing so. Right before the start of the Oslo marathon 1981....someone grabbed my shoulder from behind and thought it was someone trying to crowd further up in the starting grid. Turned around to give them hell......good thing I held up, at that time she was a god and I probably would have been beat on by angry Norwegians (if there is such a thing) if I looked cross eyed at her. She was just there as a high mucky muck and was moving through the crowd to get in front of everybody to say something to everybody. Also took part in the Holmenkollen cross country ski race (about 26 miles) that spring (slowly on rented ski's).

 

[Nemo2]

Was walking my dog along Sea Level Drive in Malibu in the mid-1990s and Michael Madsen came out to deposit his garbage on the curb.....we made eye contact and he glared at me.

 

[Ronstar]

Had breakfast with George H W Bush (with about 100 others)when he was vp, drank with Terry Bradshaw in a bar in Hawaii, exchanged a few words with Celine Dion waiting for a limo in Vegas, and dined next to Don Rickles and Bob Newhart a few weeks ago

 

[scrabbler1]

Back in 1995 I attended the U.S. Open Tennis in Flushing Meadow, Queens (NY). Durign the second week, the secondary tourneys get under way once the courts become freed up after the singles draws get whittled down. One match on those outer, cozier courts was one of the seniors doubles and Ilie Nastase was playing in it. The seating areas are right behind where the players sit during the breaks so we had a chance to talk to Nastase. He was a hoot. He was complaining about the heat and wanted to take his shirt off when play resumed. A bunch of us sitting near him suggested he do so but he replied that he would get fined if he tried it. We said to him, sarcastically, "Surrrrrre, we'll pay the fine!" We all had a good laugh and he resumed play, with shirt.

 

[F4mandolin]

Had breakfast with George H W Bush (with about 100 others)when he was vp, drank with Terry Bradshaw in a bar in Hawaii, exchanged a few words with Celine Dion waiting for a limo in Vegas, and dined next to Don Rickles and Bob Newhart a few weeks ago

OK....this might be the best one. NOT Bush....but Rickles and Newhart! Even if you didn't say boo to them.....these are classics.

 

[harley]

As a musician trumpet player, Maynard Ferguson was my idol since junior high. I was a total band nerd so naturally a musician was my idol. Anyway, a buddy of mine gets into Maynard's band in the 80s and tours with him for a few years. This buddy becomes the musical director for a college nearby and has Maynard and his band in for a concert. He calls me up and asked if I could be Maynard's driver for the evening. I was able to have a one on one talk with my idol for about an hour. Most of you have probably never heard of Maynard but he was and still is the "Bruce Lee" of trumpet players.

I was a big Maynard Ferguson fan too. He did a concert at a nearby high school back in the early 70s. I went and took my sax. At the end of the show he invited anybody that had their instrument to join him on stage. I got to stand in the sax section and play the Theme from Shaft. Pretty cool.

In 1972 I was dating a girl who's older sister was engaged to Jim O'Brien, who had just recently kicked the game winning field goal for the Colts in Super Bowl 5. Got to throw a football around with him a few times. Nice guy.

I met Joe Theismann a few times eating at his restaurant in Baileys Crossroads before he moved it down into Alexandria. I had a friend who worked there as a bartender so I could drink cheap/free. Joe was pretty much a jerk every time I saw him.

I also helped another friend mow Sonny Jurgenson's yard a few times. I only met him once, but he was pretty friendly.

My daughter's fiancée lives across the street from Sav Rocca, the Redskins punter. Not sure if you can consider a punter famous, but he's a good Aussie guy who comes to the neighborhood barbecues and likes to have a few beers.

 

[jollystomper]

DW reminded me of two famous people that we took pictures with.

Frank McCourt (writer of "Angela's Ashes") was one of her teachers before he became famous. He remembered a lot of his students and he invited us to a party for him just before the book was published, where we took pictures. She would not write him frequently but when she did she always got a letter quickly in return. I recall the letters saying how he was glad she wrote him letters instead of using email.

We met Gene Kranz, the Apollo 13 Flight Director whose actions ensured a safe return for the crew, at a conference. He gave a talk at the conference and stayed to sign autographs. DW didn't want an autograph but asked if she could take his picture. "No picture - unless the two of you are also in it!" he kidded us. He got up from the table and had one of the conference staff take our picture with him. A very nice and down to earth man.

 

[Ronstar]

OK....this might be the best one. NOT Bush....but Rickles and Newhart! Even if you didn't say boo to them.....these are classics.

It was fun. They were part of a table of six, and we were six at the next table at the Sinatra restaurant at Wynn Las Vegas. My buddy said " is that Don Rickles at the next table? I couldn't tell for sure, so I got up and went by them for a closer look on the way to the men's room. I spotted Newhart on the way back - and told our group that the guy with his back to us was Bob Newhart. My buddy asked our waiter if these 2 were who we thought they were, and he said yes, but we should respect their privacy. I didnt want to bother them, but my buddy went to their table, talked a minute or 2 and we took their picture.

 

[dm]

Was at my friends birthday party and Miranda Lambert sat at our table. Ive taken the guys in her band golfing before. Ive met many sports figures at the golf club. Albert Pujols locker was next to mine, bumped into him a couple of times but didn't really meet him. Played golf with Andy Van Slyke several times and talked to Ozzie Smith a few times. Also know a few pro football players and hockey players from the club. Ive also met former Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan at a work conference. And Warren Hearnes, another former Missouri gov was friends with my Dad, and Ive met him many times.

Ive also met a few pro golfers. I played in a pro am with Pat Perez, and have played or run into others that are or were on tour.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

As a youngster I met Archie Moore, Deacon Jones, and Leonard Nimoy.
As an adult I am working to improve my standing with certain select dead presidents.