Brushes with fame

In my time, I've met quite a few famous people. Most I've just said hello to and shook their hand. A few I've had more meaningful exchanges with. Some I just observed and maybe waved hello. It's always a little odd when you meet somebody that's famous, especially when it's unexpected. I'd hate being stared at like those folks. Being an exec at various times in my career, I had a small brush with occasionally being the center of attention. Like when I visited a site I was responsible for, you could feel some eyes on you when you toured the building. Or when I gave a speech at a trade show. But the attention was minor and fleeting. I can't fathom that constant attention.  Given a choice between rich or famous, I'll take the money and run for sure.

I've met a few celebrities that I honestly ignored when I met them just to give them some space.

Like I met Clint Howard (Ron's brother) in the airport once and decided to ignore him. Just to give him some space. He and I looked at each other a few times but I just acted like I didn't recognize him. Maybe he wanted some attention, I'm not sure

He looked just like this

 I sat beside Kenny G once on a plane to Mexico. We talked golf the whole time and I never let on I knew who he was. I also didn't mention I broke up with a girl once because she listened to Kenny G all the time. True story, I can't take his music.

I ran into Tommy Lee Jones in a bar once, he started straight ahead while he was eating and avoided all eye contact. That's a rough way to live.

Some celebrities are really nice when you meet them, some, not so much. I met Bill Cosby once and he was really rude. And this was before he had his show that made him rich and he could fly in a private plane.  I could tell you a few Donald Trump stories but I don't want to get sued.

I was in Norway once and the hotel room I was staying in had windows that opened into the lobby atrium. I was awakened at 3am by somebody playing the piano and singing. I looked out, kind of pissed off I guess, and saw a guy sitting at the piano with a hand full of people looking on. I bellowed out the window that it was 3am and he should STFU or something clever like that. To my surprise, Phil Collins turned around and apologized. I returned the apology, told him to carry on and closed my window. I later discovered that there was a huge concert in town and the hotel was crawling with musicians. I ran into Ricki Lee Jones in the elevator.

I once tried to pick up Chris Everett at Wimbledon. She was doing a press conference in the hallway and I kept interrupting her to ask if she was busy later. I know you won't believe this but I had been drinking. She did not agree to go out on a date, again hard to believe.

I met three US presidents and one Mexico president. All but one were by accident. Just random events.

I met President Carter on purpose, he was giving a speech and a friend was covering it. She asked me to go with her and I did. Not that I was a Carter supporter but I wanted to see the speech. He came over afterwards and I did say hello. He was a very nice guy, very genuine.

I ran into the President of Mexico( Fox) by accident. I was staying at a hotel in Mexico City and he came in with his entourage as I was waiting in the lobby. I thought he was a movie start or something. I shook his hand as he came through and wasn't quite sure who he was at first. We chatted for thirty seconds or so before I realized who he was. Somebody later told me he lived in the hotel.

It's worth seeing, even if your
date doesn't put out later

A date and I went to the Cirque de Soleil in Washington once. I got really good tickets as I was trying to impress her (it didn't) and we noticed the first three or four rows were empty in front us us and they were roped off. We were wondering why when a small group of people came in from the stage entrance towards the roped off area and it was President Clinton, Hillary, Chelsea and several others. They sat right in front of us. My date was a little more impressed but it still didn't get me anywhere with her.  I did get to say hello and make some small talk with the President and family.



I was waiting to get cash from an ATM in Georgetown once and turned around to see Eric Clapton waiting behind me. Don't famous people have assistants to do that stuff?

Maybe the most bizarre meeting was this one. Picture this, it's a warm summer day and I was living outside of Philadelphia. I wander into a Bennegin's for a sandwich and beer. As my eyes adjust to the dark interior, I notice a man and woman sitting in the booth across from me. Something seems odd, then I notice a couple pretty official looking guys guarding the scene. I looker a little closer and it's former President Nixon sitting in the booth.  Hard to believe. I later read his daughter Julie lived in the same town I did. It's hard to even write this story without laughing out loud.  I didn't try to approach them, who knows what might have happened to me! But I did wave and got a return hello. By the way, I wasn't a Nixon supporter either.

He wasn't this happy at Bennegin's

Some of the other famous people I've randomly run into:

VJ Singh, Muhammed Ali, Clint Eastwood, Chris Berman, Greg Gumbel. If you travel all the time like I do, it's funny how many famous people you run into.

My longest encounter was with a person in the news as of late, Steve Jobs.  I'll write that experience up in a later blog.