Have you unexpectedly met someone famous?

On 2004-08-21 18:55, cynfulcynner wrote:

On 2004-08-21 03:12, TikiGardener wrote:
Warren Cucurulo ( Guitarist with Zappa, and Missing Persons ) Installing art at his home. He asked me if I knew how to use a video camera, offering me the job of filming his porno films. Hmmmm, I always wonder how surreal it would have been if I said yes.

Be glad you said no! (Ask Martiki about him sometime.) :wink:

NOT that I know first hand! But I have heard he enjoys a little...er..."No. 2" with his sex.

yuck.

I too, have heard those rumours. Isnt he with Duran Duran now? Or was? In any case, as soon as I saw his name on the page I thought, hmm, I wonder if it was something dirty? and indeed it was.

The only celebrity I've ever seen was Fank Zappa at a Denny's one night after one of The Mother's shows. He noticed me noticing him and made a face at me, then a little wave.

My "run in" was with ken shamrock formily of the wwe and ultimate fighting championships. I was late for a flight out of calgary and came running off a escalator, while looking left and during right. Then right into his chest. It knocked me down and I as a turned to get up and say watch where your going I realized who it was. I simply said Im sorry, its my fault. He was really cool about it. And yes I missed my plane so i got to hang around and chat with him.

On 2004-08-22 06:05, tikifish wrote:
Isnt he with Duran Duran now?

Warren was, until the original band members got back together a couple of years ago.

On 2004-08-22 06:22, foamy wrote:
Frank Zappa at a Denny's one night

For some reason, it makes perfect sense that Zappa would eat at Denny's (and not because it was the only thing open). 8)

I was a buyer for 14 years at a record store in San Luis Obispo, CA. Since S.L.O. is located on the coast halfway between L.A. & S.F., people on road trips used to stop in and "refuel" their music on their road trips as the radio stations in between were seriously lacking. We had many celebrities stopping in: Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Moe Tucker (of Velvet Underground fame), Josh Brolin & Diane Lane, Adam Arkin, Lux Interior & Poison Ivy, the members of Los Lobos, Rodney Crowell & Roseanne Cash, Johnny Marr, Eddie Van Halen & Sammy Hagar, Vernon Reid, Patrick Stewart, Michael Stipe & Peter Buck, Weird Al, Margo Kidder, Christina Applegate, George Strait, Big Sandy, Mike Ness, Dave Alvin, John Doe, Jackson Browne, Kenny Loggins, Everclear, Luscious Jackson, so many other people I know I'm forgetting.

Unexpected encouters are:

Turning around in a nightclub and whacking Chris Isaak in the chest with my purse...(unintentionally)

My sister literally bumping into James Brown in Las Vegas, he looking behind him while walking, she looking at me and they hit head on and knocked each other over. I stepped aside to help her up (as his many bodyguards scrambled to him) and tripped David Brenner. Apparently there was an awards show letting out at the MGM Grand and everyone was heading for the restrooms in which we were exiting. Comical night.
More than a decade ago, going to see the Stones at Dodger Stadium, only to find out our floor seats were replaced by a lighting rig. I made a fuss about not being shipped up into the bleachers, so the usher got on his walkie talkie, then escorted us up to the center, 10th row from the stage. Behind us were Dan Cortese, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Keidis and Gina from the Go-Gos. When the show was over and we crammed into the aisles like cattle, I was walking side by side with Jim Carrey. We were cracking jokes about the people who were "moo-ing". Side note--Keith Richards up close is not necessarily a good thing.

The final encounter was after a Dave Alvin show I was standing out in the parking lot waiting for my friend so we could leave. I was a smoker at the time and out of the darkness a guy rolled up and bummed a cigarette off of me. I turned around to see John Doe smiling at me. Now, I have seen X play oodles of times, they are easily my favorite band and I stood there, mouth agape as if God Almighty had touched my shoulder. I handed him a smoke and lit it for him, he said, "Thanks" and before he could walk away I blurted, "What the hell is Top Jimmy doing these days?" He looked at me strangely, like do I know you? and I explained that I was a huge Top Jimmy fan, I knew he was friends with him and that I had seen most every show he played at the Cathay DuGrande in Hollywood (John had sat in on a few shows). We talked about Jimmy for about a half hour and he took my name & address and one week later a 45 rpm record and a demo tape arrived in the mail. John and Jimmy were working on an album and he sent me an advance copy. Jimmy died a few months later, sadly.

Lastly, I am friends with one of the jackass clan, Chris Pontius. It is weird to see people fall all over someone you've known since he was a kid. Through him I have briefly met Wee Man, Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and Steve-O. Wee Man and Johnny were really cool. the others... 'nuf said.

On 2004-08-23 00:35, stuff-o-rama wrote:
Patrick Stewart

He's quite hip for a guy his age, isn't he? Do you remember what he bought?

--cindy (coming out of the closet as a ST:TNG fan)

He walked in wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, blue t-shirt, green shorts, black socks and white sneakers. He asked to see the classical section and I walked him over to the area. I recognized his voice right away but wasn't sure it was him as the outfit was odd and his hair was long in the back. After talking to him for awhile I confirmed it was indeed "Jean-Luc Picard" and told him I would send our "Classical Expert" over. My co-worker, Doug was a HUGE fan of his and I just walked up to him and said, "the man over there has some questions for you." He walked over and when it registered who he was Doug went completely white. Patrick Stewart was a complete gentleman, we all played it off as if he was just another British tourist. When he walked out Doug jumped up and down, holding my shoulders, saying "Thank you!" Then running around to everyone working there telling them what'd just happened.

Dennis the Menace.

When I was a little kid in Tampa I went to the County Fair. Was tremendously excited because a real Mercury Capsule was on display. Waited patiently in line with hundreds of other kids for a peek inside.

But Jay North -- the actor who played Dennis -- was in Tampa for some reason, and suddenly --

Jay North’s entourage burst into the pavilion. His goons (men with brush haircuts and gray suits) rudely pushed through, throwing the entire line into disarray, and the gooniest goon of them all had Jay North in his arms, like a groom carrying a tiny bride, and he grimly carried the actor to the capsule for his privileged peek.

Jay just smiled benevolently and enjoyed himself, entirely accustomed to this sort of treatment, while the rest of us “nobody” kids let out with a communal “hey, what the -- “

I cursed Jay North on that day. And as we all know, his career was ruined.

Moreover, when my kids were little I told them this story and their little hearts burst with righteous outrage. For days afterward my wife kept telling me how they’d come up to her with stern looks on their faces and tell her how much they hated Jay North.

And when my wife told me this, I smiled in grim satisfaction. For I had successfully passed the Torch of Hate from one generation to the next.

On 2004-08-23 13:00, stuff-o-rama wrote:
[Patrick Stewart] walked in wearing ... green shorts, black socks and white sneakers.

Aaaaagh! Send in the fashionistas! :lol:

Stuff-o-, is that the SLO record store with a room in the back for vinyl, with the walls covered up to the ceiling with LP covers?

-Randy

In the 80s, I met the following celebs:

I went to a club and danced with Madonna.

At Smalls KO (now "the Melrose" I think), I chatted with Dr. Frazer Crane over drinks. (I subsequently learned he has a bit of a alcohol problem.)

I also met Nina Hagen at a loft party.

I need to start taking myself out a bit more often.

On 2004-08-23 18:47, christiki295 wrote:
At Smalls KO (now "the Melrose" I think), I chatted with Dr. Frazer Crane over drinks.

You met Kelsey Grammer, the voice of Sideshow Bob? OOOoooooooOOO.

In Charlottesville, VA in about 1990 or so, I was eating dinner in a very small 6 tables or so, vegetarian restaurant when Lou Gossett Jr. plus a couple of other recognizable B movie bad guy types and a blonde hottie came in and sat down. They were in town filming Toy Soldiers. Later, a 2 seperate groups of overly enthusiastic fans burst in and got autographs. What was nice was how much of a gentleman he was to them as they interrupted his meal. Afterwards he went back to eating as if nothing had happened. He even joined the musician playing there for a couple of songs. He could tell easily that everyone in the place was staring at and talking about him. He was seated close to the door and as each party leaving filed past tried not to be seen looking at them, he smiled warmly and said good evening. Total class act.

On a totally different note, my wife once worked at a restaurant near where the US Secret Service has their training facility. The restaurant was frequented by cops and firefighters of all kinds due to their deep (50%) discount of meals for in-uniform or on-duty folks. Since this is about encounters with famous people, I will add that Secret Service guys are famous in their own way, yet anonymous. They were identifiable only due to their uniforms as instructors and cadets. They were polite, not cocky and tipped well. It was very cool to see half a dozen or more of them file out and fire up their motorcycles in unison and then motorcade escort the cars in formation out of the parking lot. I am grinning now just thinking about it.

Since this is about encounters with famous people, I will add that Secret Service guys are famous in their own way, yet anonymous. They were identifiable only due to their uniforms as instructors and cadets.

When I spotted Chelsea Clinton at Studio 54 a few years back, it was immediately obvious that one member of her party was Secret Service -- he had the little earpiece thing and was dressed really conservatively (unusual for the event.)

On 2004-08-23 18:20, aquarj wrote:
Stuff-o-, is that the SLO record store with a room in the back for vinyl, with the walls covered up to the ceiling with LP covers?

-Randy

Yeah, it's called Boo Boo Records. Loved working there every minute.

A few more people I forgot who stopped in:

Jonathan Richman (who used to hang for HOURS talking about French pop stars), Fred Balitnicov (sp?) and Dan Connors of the '70s Oakland Raiders, Robbie Ventura, Michele Steele of the Bangles and Steve Perry.

[ Edited by: stuff-o-rama on 2004-08-27 00:03 ]

A month ago I was on a flight with Peter Mansbridge. Kind of like the Peter Jennings of Canadian news. My boyfriend said I should go ask him to sign my chest, but I'm a big chicken.

Then a few days ago I had a totally surrealistic encounter with another Canadian anchorman. I was going to the library (of all places) but when I got there it was surrounded by a crowd of phony-looking extras & Jason Priestly was being filmed talking on a cel phone outside. I watched for a few minutes and then, as I was going into the library, CBC anchorman Ian Hanomansingh (Kind of like the Brian Williams of Canadian News) was coming out and held the door for me. I did a double take, but the earpiece dangling down behind his neck confimed it. So I saw two celebreties in two totally un-related situations within about 20 seconds of each other. And one of them held the door for me.

in the early 80's, i worked at a chinese restaurant in Del Mar, and served dinner to Robert Young (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby MD), Hall & Oates.

ate dinner at a SF italian restaurant as Jeff Smith and his sidekick Craig ~ before the child molestation accusations. watched him as he turned from mild mannered Frugal Gourmet into the the biggest loudmouthed jerk, screaming at the waitstaff and management. and yeah, it looked like a date to me!

Went to a 50's theme party, also attending was James Doohan (Scotty), Walter Koenig(Chekov), George Takei(Sulu). i have pictures around here somewhere ~ and ladies FYI, George is all hands when you pose for a picture..and you thought Tigger was bad??? There were also many cowboy character actors there~ familiar faces, but i didnt know any names. The host of the party was Steve Stevens, a celebrity in his own right ~ child actor turned hollywood agent

I met Billy Graham in the Washington DC Trader Vics.

He had 9 empty scorpion bowls in front of him.

Nah, just kidding - about the scorpoins.

waikiki kitty was being stalked by john waters on monday...

well, maybe he was just behind her at the grocery store and post office...

but somehow "being stalked by john waters" sounds more appropriate :wink:

BUMP

Rob Schneider buying wine in Needless Markup and later literally bumping into him and almost causing him to drop his 12 shopping bags. He was very polite and actually apologized to me, even though I bumped into him.

Matt Dillon at a club years ago. He walked in, breezed by us, looked and smiled, wandered through with entourage, and walked right back out.

Huell Howser, walking down the street in Palm Springs. He stopped to chat and was very very nice. Later saw him working the room at Ruby's.

Wow! Great thread to bring back. I just spent all morning reading. What fun a lot of you have had. Considering how much I have traveled, I haven't had many brushes with greatness.

My first and best accidental encounter was in 1978 when I was being tossed out of the MGM Grand in Reno. I was 19 and looked 16... Anyway as security was escorting me and my 21 year old boyfriend out, my boyfriend said "Look behind you." I did and there was Gabe Kaplan of "Welcome Back Kotter" fame. He was walking backwards and waving at me. He had passed us in the corridor, but as I was looking at my feet due to the embarrassment of having two security guards escorting me I hadn't seen him! He had three bodyguards with him. I think he was there for a blackjack tournament.

In 1980 I was working at a MacDonald's in Fresno. We had been closed 15 minutes when a limo pulled up to my drive-thru window. I opened the window and told the driver we were closed. He told me he had Pat and Debbie Boone in the back. I suggested he take them to Denney's. Then he pulled the limo up further and Pat sweet-talked the manager into opening. I took their order, burgers and fries. I didn't ask for autographs because I was in college full-time, working too many hours and I only wanted to go home on time. We ended up being open an extra hour to make their order, because all the machines had been turned off and we had to wait for everything to heat back up.

In the late 90's I was a real estate agent in Tampa. My boss had Nick Carter of the Backstreet boys as a customer. Nick would show up randomly and usually have to wait for my boss to come in. Nick was very sweet and would wander around our office asking us what we were doing. We were not allowed to talk to him unless he spoke to us first. Then Nick's mother and younger sister and brother (Angel and Aaron) moved into my neighborhood, a few houses away. Aaron told us he was going to be famous and we laughed at him. He brought over a CD and we actually laid on the floor laughing at the chipmunk like vocals on his version of "Surfin'USA". ( we did this when he wasn't there...who is laughing now?) He was part of the neighborhood group that liked to play football in our front yard. He brought me beanie babies that had been thrown on stage for his brother, because he didn't think I had enough. True, I only had three.... Anyway, he was also a sweetie, like his big brother.

Also while working there I met "Manny the Shark Guy" of Jackass fame. He went to high school with my other bosses husband. He dropped by for a few minutes. He seemed like an old hippie.

Flying out of Tampa once there was a commotion in the airport because of Randy Savage, WWF being there. Turned out he was on our flight. We were right behind first class. He settled in his two blond travelling companions and then couldn't fit all their stuff in the overheads. So he came back and rearranged ours! I was on the aisle and he leaned on me as he was moving stuff around. That man is solid muscle, and he smelled pretty good, too! My boys were mad I didn't get his autograph. But I was seriously fighting the giggles and the urge to tell him to be careful with my stuff!

I've seen Wayne Brady, of "Whose Line is it Anyway", a few times here in Kaneohe, but since his second home is 2 houses away from mine, that would be normal. He isn't here much, I heard he is building a new home closer to the beach. I've never gotten past saying "Hi" because people buy in our neighborhood for privacy.

Hmm, while I was waitressing at Coco's in Fashion Island (Newport Beach, Ca) I waited on many different sports figures, and they were always gentlemen. I also waited on Robert Schuller of Hour of Power fame...he needs to take a dose of his own medicine. He was demanding, rude, condescending and he stiffed me! The restaurant was dead at the time I served him, and I waited on him very nicely...he was just a jerk! The nicest man I ever waited on was James Hampton (Caretaker in the 1974 movie "The Longest Yard"). He came in with his family and was just sweet as could be.
I met Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn with their kids in Mendocino when when they were filming "Overboard". The same evening I sat to dinner at a table next to Katherine Helmond, who was also working in that film, but who I loved from her character on "Soap".
While I lived in Santa Barbara I would occasionally see celebrities out and about on the street - Jeff Bridges, Robert Preston (just a few months before he died), John Travolta (during his incredibly obnoxious phase). I also had the joy of spending time with Jimmy Messina, a very kind man (and a pretty good cook, too!).
My sensei and very dear friend Fumio Demura worked in all the Karate Kid movies (and many others as well), and introduced me to Ralph Macchio during the filming of the second episode.
While I lived in Denver I sang in the Cathedral Choir at St. John in the Wilderness (AKA St. John's Cathedral). Then-President Clinton joined us one Sunday morning for services, and I got to shake hands with him and speak briefly.
And, finally, a few years ago I got to meet one of my heroes - Don Johanson, who was way older than I thought he would be, and much taller, too.
Somehow, I doubt I'll meet any more celebrities out here...hehehe.

When backpacking thru Europe years ago, I once got lost in Luxemburg. As I was making my way thru the narrow streets of Luxemburg City, I stumbled across a Sherlock Holmes movie being filmed. I saw Christopher Lee dressed up as Holmes, and Patrick Macnee as Watson.

I also ran into James Brown one evening in the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton.

Still waiting to see Elvis at Burger King.

OK, this doesn't count since I didn't meet the celebrity.

I was with my sister driving to work on Alton Road on Miami Beach. Traffic slows to a crawl for no reason. As we pass, we see Hulk Hogan to our right, waiting patiently to let the cars pass so he could get into his large bright yellow pickup truck.

Hulk Hogan stopped traffic! :lol:

On 2006-08-15 19:04, tikipedia wrote:
When backpacking thru Europe years ago, I once got lost in Luxemburg.

What a coincidence, tikipedia. My next band is gonna be named "Lost in Luxemburg"

I listed my celebrity sightings somewhere in the middle of this thread. But I'm most envious of my Mom's brushes with fame.

Back when I was just a wee lad, my mother waitressed at the coffee shop in May Co's art-deco flagship of a department store on Wilshire Blvd. (Long closed and now part of the galleries for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art). One of her regular lunchtime parties was the entire cast of "Lost In Space" who would come in at least once a week during filming. She became fairly good friends with them and would get the latest scoop on whatever episode they were filming. I think she still owns a few silver dollars that Jonathan Harris gave her as tips.

Sabu

I LOVED Lost in Space!

When I worked at Miller beer in Dallas, I met a few of the players from the Dallas Cowboys. The one notably was Troy Aikman. He was a very quiet nice guy who talked to me for a good ten minutes about how we made the POS and graphics.

The only disappointing thing I could think of was when I shook his hand he had a "dead fish" grip. I have a stong handshake and I was worried that it would be reported on ESPN that he wouldn't be able to play a few games due to a hand injury due to some idiot with hands like a bear. Man I would have been hated all over Texas.

I met Shag once at an art show in Dallas, I don't recall how he acted b/c I was.. um... altered. I want to say my band drove him out of the gallery. (shruggs shoulders)

Hey, Lost in Space lovers, Billy Mumy has a comic shop in Santa Monica called Hi De Ho Comics. It's a great place, really well stocked and we always visit it when in town. He's usually carrying around stacks of comics. Just treat him like a normal guy, talk comics, and he loves it. He plays in a group that does gigs once in a while on the Santa Monica pier...

I met Ray Charles in '98 at the Atlanta airport. he and his band were on the same puddle jumper with me to Montgomery, AL. I broke my don't bother celebrities rule since he was a legend and not just a clebrity. He was very nice and shook my hand and told me about the benefit they were doing in Montgomery. When I told him that I was heading there for work he joked "sorry to hear that".

I played rugby on a team in Dallas in the early 90's and one season Dave Dixon (starting O lineman for the Vikings these days) played for us after the Cowboys won the Super Bowl and he was betweeen contracts. He was born in New Zealand and rugby was his main sport till he came to the US.

When I was a kid in the late 60's I met comedian Marty Allen in Pittsburgh at the KDKA studios where my cousin worked.

Living in Manhattan I run into celebraties on occasion:

-Bill Maher walking in midtown.
-Adam Sandler in a Restaurant.
-Georgia Engle (Georgette in Mary Tyler Moore show) and Tony Bennett live in my neighborhood (Central Park South) and I see them on the street pretty regularly.
-George Burns on a park bench.
-Bruce Springsteen sat next to me in a restaurant.
-Meg Ryan bumped into my girlfriend as she left a restaurant.
-Toby McGuire walking in the village.
-Mike Myers walking in the village.
-Colin Quinn in a cigar shop.
-Woody Allen filming a movie.
-Lindsay Lohan filming a movie across the street from my building.
-John Lithgow walking down the street
-David Bowie in Rockefeller Center
-Christian Slater crossing the street
-David Letterman several times (Ed Sullivan Theater, where his show is filmed is a few blocks from me)
-Mariah Carey outside the Ed Sullivan Theater
-Jon Bon Jovie in Times Square

I probably forgot a few.

On 2006-08-25 05:58, Cammo wrote:
Hey, Lost in Space lovers, Billy Mumy has a comic shop in Santa Monica called Hi De Ho Comics. It's a great place, really well stocked and we always visit it when in town. He's usually carrying around stacks of comics. Just treat him like a normal guy, talk comics, and he loves it. He plays in a group that does gigs once in a while on the Santa Monica pier...

I used to run into him at Golden Apple on Melrose when I lived in LA, a really nice guy & incredibly knowlegeable about comics, music, TV, Sci Fi, etc.

Is the name of the band the Jenerators? Does Miguel Ferrer still play drums with him?

Oh yeah, don't call him "Mummy," it's pronounced "MOO-mee."

You jarred my memory Urban Tiki. I too saw Bill Maher...eating at Johnny Rockets in Hollywood. Very animated conversation.

And last but not least, Geraldo Rivera. Walked next to him and behind him through the Chicago airport for about 5 minutes. He was with his very youthful soon to be wife #6. The most impeccably well groomed person I've ever seen. His clothes looked like Armani hand stiched and fitted them just for him and his posture was board straight. Seriously, he looked like a mannequin. The camera adds a bit of height and that's all I'll say.

I wish I knew something about comic books. I'd stop by and say hey to Mr. Mummy. Thanks for that info. :)

Yeah I'm bored at work sorry! Resurecting the dead thread.

My great uncle was David Wayne aka "The Mad Hatter" on the original Batman series and a bunch of other stuff. When I was 16 we went to LA to visit. I went outside to go swimming and I about died because Jim Bacchus was in the pool on a floatie. All I was thinking was OMG! Mr Howell!

I was on the same plane as Bob Costas..they wouldn't upgrade him to 1st class....(heeheee!)

I used to work at Safeway and Gus VanSant was always in there shopping
Saw Matt Dillon a few times at the Satyricon during Drug Store Cowboy.

and most recently..while visiting LA I saw the "Mac" kid across the street from Canters Deli. Man..I wish it would have been the "PC" guy instead.

This guy said he was famous. Kenny something. The Caddyshack song guy.

Oh yeah and this guy, this one gets framed.

[ Edited by: Bohemiann 2007-06-20 17:36 ]

Here's one for ya--

I met this cat in an elevator in a hotel in Myrtle Beach, SC around 1981-82. Lotsa you guys probably have never heard of him and his 'celebritiness' may have been a regional thing here in the southeast. He was from down 'roun Luweezyana and was a chef with a wacky cooking show, humorist and a self-styled "raconteur extraordinaire and goodwill ambassador of the Louisiana Cajun." He was going to meet a 'ladyfriend' in the same bar that my friends and I were going to. We didn't hang out with him though, we were probably underage or just barely legal and stoned as hell--just kinda gawked at him from the other side of the bar.

I also have a photo (somewhere) of Burt Reynolds holding me in his arms that was taken somewhere in NC on a family trip way back, I believe. OH, I should add, I was less than a year old in case you were wondering about the 'holding me in his arms' part.

I'm originally from Augusta, Ga. "Home of the Godfather of Soul" so running into Mr. Brown, as he preferred to be called was commom occurance. Augusta aint huge and Mr.B liked to be seen. I owned a nightclub for a few years next door to a jazz club (and a block up from where the Hale Tiki would eventually come into a short life) owned by one Mr. JB's former backup singers. When Mr. B and his band were in town they would usually hang at the jazz club next to my bar. More often than not, we would end up having 'lock the doors-after hours parties' until the wee hours (sans JB) and had some nice jam sessions with diff. members of JB's band--not technically celebrities, but in with 'in crowd' I suppose.
Laters,
Brad

Let's see! I saw Bobby Orr in a restaurant when I was 17 & wearing my high school hockey jacket. It didn't matter though, very posh restaurant. I've heard he's an awesome guy but I was warned not to bother him.
Waited for my luggage at Logan Airport with Steven Tyler at 1:00 AM after flying home from the SEMA show in Vegas 2 years ago. Way cool guy!
Met many cool Kustom Kulture/Hot Rod guys. George Barris, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Norm Grabowski, Alex Xydias, Joe Bailon, Von Franco & Gene Winfield who, by the way, is a bit of a weinie!
Best of all, got backstage at a Brian Setzer show & had my picture taken with him. They don't get any cooler or nicer than this guy. If I can find the picture, (misplaced in the big move), I'll post it. Like anyone cares!
Oh, and lest I forget! I met Johnman, Bargoyle, Pappythesailor, & Granite Tiki at a Waitiki show! It was an honor to be in their presence!

beside the aforementioned bunch of New England Tikiphiles in Big Kahuna's post....I have a somewhat Polynesian one ....This rather large fellow (about 6' 5" 260lbs.) was in my shop of pop culture clothing and stuff a couple of years ago and he said he was new to the area and pleased to find a lot of Hawaiian clothing and such in Vermont ...he mentioned he was raised in Hawaii ...during the course of banter I asked if he ever played football....he says "Oh a little for Oregon in college" ....we chat a bit more ,he buys some 2 XL Hawaiian shirts and as I'm ready to close for the night we decide to have some drinks and barbecue at a local restaurant...."Russ" and I meet up a few more times over the next couple of months ...I intro him to my gal, mention what might be cool to do in town , talk flying (he had his own plane), business, philosophy,and island life...... he becomes a regular customer and friend..so one evening he comes in the shop with a knockout girlfriend who's visiting from Ca. and he mentions jokingly how she might look good in some shear outfit on one of my racks ....she says "and what do you think that would get you, Mr. Francis ! ".... I say "What! Russ Francis! the All Pro NFL tight end for the NE Patriots and 49ers"! ( "ALL WORLD" according to Howard Cosell !) Here I was, an avid Patriots fan since their beginning , have two brothers and two best friends holding season tickets since forever , had expressed my fanship of the Pats many times to Russ and he never let on who he was (I even Knew Russ "Francis" was from Hawaii (as well as Mosi Taputu), became an All American at Oregon and I never put it together ! .....? Now how many times had I given him great deals and picked up the tab!?......If you never followed football from that era I understand how unexciting this story may seem .....anyway Russ is a great guy and he got a big kick out of my surprise .He also gave autographed stuff to my friends and family.....I also sold Anthony Perkins a stained glass lamp at the Wellfleet Ma. flea market ( possibly for the Bates Hotel !), was interviewed by Martha Stewart at an antique show, skinny dipped with John Hartford, and blabbed with Shag and his wife at Hukilau on the way to the Jetsetter with no clue as to who they were ! Oh ' the life of an innocent!

When I was a kid we were at a bakery in San Diego and Dustin Hoffman was sitting at the next table. I didn't know who he was. On Maui a buddy of mine was the head chef of a fancy schmancy restaurant and we decided to all fly in from our various locations and crash at his house and have a big fancy old punks reunion dinner. Mike Myers asks his waiter who we were and why do we get our own dining room. I never would have recognised him. We end up saying hi to him and his pal, who are bored stiff in the outer islands. They didn't seem very funny. I'd have to say we were hilarious by comparison, but we were pretty drunk on fancy wine.

Ran into Tom Waits at a local health food store, Neil Young at a hotel north of us (as we walked by a young guitar playing buddy of mine says "How's it going, Neil?" and Neil Young just walks by saying, "Doing fine, doing fine." Very cool.

Otherwise just the regular variety of old punk rockers that you ran into around 1980 at punk shows- HR from the Bad Brains, Henry rollins, Ian Mackay, Colin and Wilf from GBH, Monkey and Kid from the adicts- drank a bunch of beer one night with the Angelic upstarts, buncha L.A. bands.

Ran into Denroy Morgan (Rasta guy) in Jackson Hole and he picked up my 4 year old daughter and my daughter says "look daddy- Bob Marley." Classic moment- Denroy Morgan seemed pretty pleased also. Run into all kinds of famous surfers around here, both young and old. My favorites have been Buffalo Keaulana, Greg Noll, and Rabbit Kekai. Legendary larger than life people.

Funny- every time I encounter these famous people I'm always a little surprised that they aren't ten feet tall and glowing or something- just regular people, mostly. It's funny, that. I have a buddy who does omlettes at the four seasons here and he says Stephen Tyler is the absolute best, always stopping to talk and slipping him a hun dred bucks at the end of his stay- and he says Heather Locklear is super nice and they talk a lot about raising kids. I personally have never been treated badly by a celebrity, but I've heard some horror stories about working with Neil Young and a couple things about Sly Stallone- wierd kinky hotel room wierdness. No thanks!

How about have you ever made a stupid remark like I once did?

In 1986 my ex wife was the administrative assistant for Dr. Nancy Wexler who is now known as the "Gene Doctor". After Nancy was on Nova and 60 Minutes, everyone in LA wanted to throw her parties which we were often invited to as well. At the first party we attended to honor the Nova episode, the hostess dimmed the lights to show it. We were sitting on the huge floor and the resident cat was hanging out with us while we pet her. At one point I felt a hand brush mine and there was Daryl Hannah. Now this was just after Splash had come out and I'm not one to get star struck but I'm embarrassed to say I was then. We both talked with Jackson and Daryl and Blade Runner came up which my brother had worked on with her. I'm certain my ex was thrilled while on the way home I said, "She is so sweet, Jackson sure is a lucky guy!"

A few months later we were at Frederick Weisman's house at another a party for Nancy. He had a Picasso over his fireplace and a Kandinsky in the entry. The house is now a art museum. So we started to explore the house and at the top of the stairs were a pair of loveseats with a coffee table from Stanley Kubrick's "Clockwork Orange" The table was from the Milk Room scene. A blond woman is on her hands and knees in a teddy bare outfit and a glass table top is balanced. Sitting on the love seat, Daryl and Jackson. So we sit down and start chatting. I decide to be funny and I say" Hey Daryl, doesn't this look like something out of Blade Runner?" I would run into them until they broke up after that but she never forgave me for that remark.

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-06-30 20:25 ]

My brother introduced me to Michelle Pfiefer in '76 just after High School. Took her out to JAWS or was it JAWZ nightclub in Costa Mesa that allowed 18 year olds. I was 21, she was 18, she axed if she could sip my drink, bouncers saw it and kicked us out. Drove around trying to find another club in Santa Ana but couldn't find it. Took her home to her mom and dad's place and kissed her on the lips. That is all that happened. She was a sweet girl. Probably still is. I think she was making 7 million clams per movie when she did the one with Malcovich. Would be nice to build her a waterfall.

1. Got flipped the bird by Mory Amsterdam when we were riding around near Beverly Hills in a Fiat 124 convertable. We had very long hair, so I guess that was what pissed him off.
2. Ran into Alice Cooper many times here in Tucson during the '60s-'70s after shows in a small rock club. He was in his pre-Alice days (a group called the Spiders) He was very cool and even spent some time with us just chatting. Talked to him a few times after he hit it big and he was still nice.
3. Met Robert Conrad in Hollywood once. He was Ok.
4. My wife found herself standing next to Bill Murrey and his son at MarineLand, late '80s I think. She said he was very nice.
5. Talked to all the members of Deep Purple at a the state fair in Phoenix, 1969, I think. They were all very cool.
6. Had dinner at Lil Abners here in Tucson, early '70s and sat next to Lee Marvin. He was very drunk, kind of a dick, but I still liked him anyway.
   I think thats it.
   I forget, got introduced to Walt Disney when I was 7 (1957), in the Carnation Ice Cream Palace in Disneyland. It was better than meeting the President. He seemed very tall at the time.

[ Edited by: drgoat456 2009-07-14 13:05 ]

I was catching a flight at the Las Vegas airport where I ran smack dab into David Schwimmer (from Friends). He was wearing a baseball hat with his head down and I wasn't paying attention and we slammed into each other. And then stood there for a minute rubbing our foreheads. After a few seconds he said he had to go and took off.

Also when the Superbowl was in Tampa a few years ago I was working at Origins make-up counter in Dillards . At the entrance to the store was an oversized gumball machine. A woman and 2 girls came in and when they got their gum out the woman kicked the machine.

Right away I recognized Kirstie Alley (from Cheers) and said "Kirstie Alley don't be kicking the gumball machine, please". She looked surprised and pretty high..mumbled something then proceeded to get followed into the mall by a crowd of people.
Poor Kirstie Alley...she went downhill fast after that.

When I was a toddler, Clark Gable was in my hometown filming a movie at a little amusement park & was looking for an 'extra' for him to help off the merry-go-round and (apparently) selected me from the crowd, much to my mother's delight. Unfortunately, the producer went with another kid.

When I was in 8th grade, my best friends dad was chief of police in Rancho Palos Verdes and took us to the annual "Police-Celebrity" Golf Tournament that year. I got about 40 different celebrity autographs on a single sheet of binder paper, but the best came from Richard Anderson, famous at the time for his role as "Oscar Goldman" on The Six-Million-Dollar Man. As I handed him my program to sign, he automatically flipped open to his photo - which I had earlier defaced with a pen (I'd blacked out all but one of his teeth, gave him an eye patch and some Frankenstein stitches). He was not amused by my 'alterations' and proceeded to shout something to the crowd about "Who did this?!?" When I stepped forward, he started laughing and then attempted to draw on MY face with the pen. Kinda awkward. For both of us.

Later on at the same golf tourney, we all had dinner under a big tent, and I sat next to Don Knotts for the whole meal, at least an hour! This was when he'd just started as "Mr. Furley" on Three's Company, one of my favorite shows at the time. He told me all about what it was like being on TV & in movies, the rehearsals, the make-up, his co-stars. He also told me about making "The Incredible Mr. Limpet". It was incredible! Across the table from us was Paul Moyer (Los Angeles news anchor) and he seemed just as enamored with Mr. Knotts as I was! My friends dad was partnered with James Hampton (from the original The Longest Yard) Just as nice as AmioTiki said he was. Got to meet Scatman Cruthers, too. Signed my piece of paper & gave me a big hug.

Got to go onstage & meet Dr. Demento and Weird Al Yankovic at a show at Magic Mountain. Got to stay 'in the wings' for the rest of the show and talk with them in turn as they 'switched-off' performing. Sat at a table with Weird Al at the Comedy & Magic Club many years later. He claimed to remember me. I think they're both great.

In my late teens, I partied many, many times with Butch Patrick, the guy that played "Eddie Munster". He was a total lightweight and laughed a lot.

Later in life, I met Ronnie James Dio backstage at a Scorpions concert. He's really short. And polite.

Met both Alicia Silverstone and Billy Corgan backstage at a Counting Crows show. She's really pretty, he's really quiet. The Counting Crows were really, well, they were OK...

Sat behind Don Felder (of the Eagles) at a David Bowie concert, sat in front of Ron Jeremy (c'mon - you don't know who Ron Jeremy is?) at a Neil Young concert. Talked with them both briefly. Don was very nice, Ron was, well, very 'Hedgehog-y'...

I managed a bookstore for a few years, and one day Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Garrett from The Facts of Life) came in. It was a slow Sunday and she & I were the only folks in the store. She stayed most of the day and we talked about all kinds of stuff, mostly about the books she was interested in, nothing at all about her show. She spent about $500, mostly cookbooks and dictionaries (?). Very nice lady.

Oh, and when I was in 6th grade, I watched Van Halen (known as 'Mammoth' at the time) play a backyard party in Torrance, CA. Sat on the wall behind them until the party ended. Didn't actually meet them, but...

Let's see;
Babalu
Bowana
Little Lost Tiki
Squid
Tobunga
4WDTiki
Mieko
Buzzy
Eric the Red
Ravenne
:D

The craziest story I have: Back in 1989, Barbara Carerra, a really beautiful and charming woman, tripped on a brick and fell on me. Granted, I was working on a low-budget film at the time and she was in it. But this was unexpected. She was walking on a brick pathway and the bricks were not mortared, they were just set in place on the lawn of this house; and one of her high heels got caught on one of the bricks. She started to fall over. She was wearing a stunning gown and did not want to get it messed up with dirt, this would probably have set production back, so she chose a convenient thing to fall on: me. She apologized and of course I said, "Oh, it's no problem at all."

I passed Don Knotts at a Safeway store with a friend and it took a while to register who it was and my pal was going to give me $10 if I asked him if Knotts Berry's Farm was named after him but I declined.