Brush with Fame

scribe · Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:19 am Post subject: Brush with Fame

A few weekends ago I reported that I hit a deer on our way up the fixer-upper. Well, within a few miles of that event, on this most recent trip, I ran across something entirely different so-to-speak. I saw Paulie Sr. of American Chopper getting out of his very expensive red Hummer to inspect his boat trailer tires. I was doing about 60mph when we passed him. The first look was like...that dude looks like the American Chopper guy. The second quick look confirmed it for me even at that high rate of speed. No mistaken.

So the question I have for you folks, is who have you ran into celebrity-wise? No fair counting events where you knew that person was gonna be there. Gotta be random encounter.

-A couple of months back I ran across Robin Williams entering an elevator I was exiting. I believe he was going to fit in the floor they do costume fitting in, but I cannot be sure.

-I once saw Mike Tyson shortly after he got out of prison in the mid-90s. He was sitting on a stoop with some girl in the middle of nowhere Chelsea district.

-I saw Conan O'Brian with a hat pulled tight on his head, making tracks in the crowd during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I am sure he wasn't in the event by his location and demeanor.

-Saw Henry Wrinkler crossing the street at 60th St close to Bloomingdales.
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Mars · Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:21 pm Post subject:

I don't get to run into to many celebs where I've lived. I've seen Paul Schaeffer (from The David Letterman Show) but he is from my hometown and went to the same high school.

My girlfriend works at an upper class spa though and she seems to run into people frequently while they are up here for movie shoots, etc. Last week Danny Glover wearing a speedo said hi.

scribe · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 3:28 pm Post subject:

Just remembered a couple...

-Met John Leguizamo and his wife once. He was neighbors of a friend of mine and we ran into them in the East Village.

-Saw Val Kilmer at a restaurant in NYU vicinity. This was shortly after the Batman movie came out. It was weird as he was in the middle of the restaurant eating by himself and no one was bothering him at all. I love NYC.

-Mike Tyson is quite shorter than I imagined. Here I was standing next to arguably the most dangerous fighter in the world and he appeared small.
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Plaag · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 3:53 pm Post subject:

All my brushes with fame have been the result of going to GenCon.

And unfortunately I don't think any old classmates of mine are now famous.

ShaneG.
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simrion · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 9:54 pm Post subject:

Hillary Clinton, for what it's worth. She was doing a Radio Interview a few years back in Rochester, NY for the local NPR affiliate. We were passing by during our luch hour and saw her (and her heavily armed Secret Service Escort) exiting the studio...

scribe · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 10:33 pm Post subject:

Nice!

That reminds me of the time in college when I faked a press pass to get close to the first George Bush during his campaign visit to Savannah when he was running against Bill Clinton. I managed to shake his hand. hahaha

Can you imagine? It wasn't THAT long ago yet it seemed much more innocent in comparison to security these days.
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scribe · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 10:40 pm Post subject:

Saw Andres Serrano once at a speak easy pub in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This was back when Lounge music was pretty big and the whole Rat Pack mentality was popular. Andres Serrano is a pretty well known and controversial contemporary photographer in the art world and this was when his art was getting a lot of notice. Anyhow, months later a friend gave Andres my phone number because he needed advice on where to find a small toilet so I got a call from him out of the blue. haha
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Badmike · Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:09 am Post subject:

Used to work at a music store in the early 90s in the DFW area...all sorts of people came there to promote their CDs (albums were just going out of style), and the shopping center was near the Texas Rangers baseball stadium so we got sports figures in there also (looking for tunes to buy while they were in town).

Music: Garth Brooks and Will Smith (in his Fresh Prince days) both came in unexpectedly as part of promotional tours (we were the store with the highest volume music seller in those days, hard to believe). We had plenty of other music stars come in that were schedule, but those don't count for this thread I assume...both Brooks and Smith were just starting out, and relatively normal and humble, especially Brooks who acted like he was just happy someone was actually buying his (1st) cd.

Sports: Tons...Jose Canseco and his brother Ozzie (when they played for the A's), Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez, Kenny Rogers (the pitcher not the singer), tons more players you never heard of that never made a permanent mark on the game. Jose was an ass...asked to have us open and then listen to several cds before buying ONE, and then pulled out a wallet with at least 5 grand in hundreds inside (after trying to get us to GIVE him the CD free!!!). Plus he and his brother (both married at the time) were accompanied by local topless dancers that worked at the club a few blocks away....nice....

My youngest brother worked several yeas at a company called Lone Wolf Cigars, co-owned by Chuck Norris and Jim Belushi. He got to meet both of them several times (by his account nice guys)...and has dozens of hilarious stories dealing with their idiotic "entourages" of worthless hangers on that basically leeched off the fame and friendship of each, travelling with them yet doing practically nothing for salaries that topped six figures. These hollywood sychopants, when in town with their bosses, would drop by and try to boost dozens of free boxes of cigars, basically attempting to steal thousands of dollars worth of smokes...when any of them could have afforded to buy them no problem. My bro was in charge of basically "guarding" the more expensive brands (hiding them, actually) when the entourages would come into town. Yes, the rich are different.... shocked

Mike B.

scribe · Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:49 am Post subject:

That free CD story is pretty incredible. It is amazing to me the sense of entitlement fame has presented upon these people. I can say that I know people with money and they don't behave the same way regarding freebies as those who have found themselves in the public eye.
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The Collector's Trove · Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 4:01 am Post subject:

Howdy All,

My famous brushes:

Andre Agassi on a plane bound for Frankfurt. I was on my way to join a Smithsonian expedition excavating in southern India.

Ran into "Doc" Severinsen at a Texas airport loading gate on my way to an excavation of historic Fort Brown in Brownville Texas (previously under a McDonalds across the Rio Grande from Matamoros).

On my way back from the same trip, I ran into a beautiful tall, blonde texas gal. I flirted with her, said she liked my leather A2 flight jacket (worn from many archaeological expeditions). When the gate opened only one man walked through the door from a small personal jet. She jumped up, said, "Daddy!" ran over and hugged him. It was Chuck Yeager. (Should've asked him to sign my A2.)

As a highschool kid I was working for People Express Airlines as a reservationist. I booked a 1st class flight for Nipsey Russell. He complained bitterly to me about the changes in the airline's policies and prices but still flew 1st class.

Futures Bright,

Paul

tfm · Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:41 am Post subject:

Al Pacino. I was attending an NCTE conference in Chicago. While visiting a bookstore he was sneaking into a hall that had the same common entryway as the bookstore.
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bombadil · Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:06 am Post subject:

Shook the hand of Raquel Welch at a bookstore in Minneapolis (talk about surprisingly short)...

Met Viggo Mortensen at a bookstore in Copenhagen where he was signing copies of his latest book of poetry. Really nice guy...

Sold a movie ticket to Dennis Weaver in Santa Fe, NM. Also very friendly...

Took Peter Matthiessen on an outing in Greenland to view muskoxen. Afterward, we ate dinner together with the people from BBC who were filming his trip, and listened to fascinating stories of his time in Paris late into the evening...

Met Gerald Ford at a Badger Boys conference lunch in Wisconsin...

Stood in line for a movie ticket next to Rebecca Demornay (she was with that French guy who played Tarzan in Lord Greystoke)...

Had lunch in College Station, TX, one table away from Lyle Lovett.
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harami · Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 1:49 pm Post subject:

scribe · Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 11:07 pm Post subject:

That's my boy in the judges seat, talking to the Geico caveman. We used to go to college together and get very drunk at the local watering holes. I hadn't seen him for years and then bam! There he is on my television.

http://splendad.com/ads/show/2597-GEICO-Tennis-Match
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