What's your "Claim to fame"

[Aggie87]

Bobby Hutcherson and I discussed fishing for speckled trout and redfish about a month ago.

I met Mark Hamill in 1977 while he was on a promotional tour of Japan for Star Wars, with Gary Kurtz, the producer of the movie. Hamill also kissed my sister.

Edited April 27, 2007 by Aggie87

[7/4]

Jesse Jackson physically pushed me aside two times. Once in the '60s and once in the '80s.

Paul Schaefer did that to me a couple of times at a club a few years ago.

That short little...

[Aggie87]

Jesse Jackson physically pushed me aside two times. Once in the '60s and once in the '80s.

Paul Schaefer did that to me a couple of times at a club a few years ago.

That short little...

Your beard may have been blocking his view.

[Dan Gould]

While working for a party supply rental company, I delivered to Paul Newman's house (very nice guy), Neil Sedaka (creepy "hall of fame" wall covered in cheap polaroid pictures of himself with other famous people - does he need that kind of affirmation in his life?) and Martha Stewart when she was just a Westport caterer (f-ing bitch to the help).

[bertrand]

From 82-87, I was studying Applied Math at Universite Paris Dauphine (#9 of 13 such schools). Our building was formerly some International Government Building (NATO or Unesco or something). The Math Department was small, the school is mostly known for Econ and Business.

One morning in '85 or so, I get on the elevator and there's this REALLY good-looking blonde woman. I figured she was an Econ prof or something, and I was thinking 'Man, I should switch majors - they have some really hot teachers - this one looks like Farrah Fawcett, but better.' She smiled at me and pushed the button for me.

Later, I see someone on the elevator who I immediately recognize as French actor Feodor Atkine. There's also an American guy on the elevator, so I ask him what's going on. Turns out they are making a TV movie about Nazi Hunter Beatte Klarsfeld (sp?) starring...Farrah Fawcett! It was her. They were using out builiding as a stand-in for NATO.

Later, I saw it on TV. There's a scene where she is denouncing some Nazi in a big meeting. It was filmed in the amphitheatre where I used to take all my exams!

Moral of the story: Farrah Fawcett was much better looking in public than on TV in her heyday.

Bertrand.

Edited April 27, 2007 by bertrand

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

I was taking a leak next to Jack Kemp at the Ritz Carlton and he was telling me that Reagan was correct when he'd say that most folks had it wrong......and that after shaking so many hands, it was much more important to wash your hands before you grasped your unit at the urinal rather than just doing so after you'd finished your business!

[Brownian Motion]

I was taking a leak next to Jack Kemp at the Ritz Carlton and he was telling me that Reagan was correct when he'd say that most folks had it wrong......and that after shaking so many hands, it was much more important to wash your hands before you grasped your unit at the urinal rather than just doing so after you'd finished your business!

I'll bet Kemp tells that to all the guys...

[Shawn]

I've met Lemmy from Motorhead on a couple different occasions (he's a really good flamenco guitarist by the way).

I ran into Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam in Tower Records in Seattle (they were browsing the jazz section).

I helped Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age pick out Coltrane CDs at a record store I worked at.

I met Weird Al Yankovic at a CD release party.

You can spot me in a couple crowd shots in Ratt's You're In Love video

[J Larsen]

My dissertation adviser was (and I would assume still is) a close friend of Henry Kissinger (no, I was not proud).

[J Larsen]

Another of my physics colleagues used to be the science guy on Letterman.

[ghost of miles]

Sat next to Mick Jagger at the Chatterbox jazz bar in Indianapolis in 1989. It's a tiny bar... Stones were in town for the Steel Wheels tour & decided to go out to hear some jazz. There were about 20 people in the whole place, and half of them were the RS entourage. He was drinking Perrier water and looked very well-preserved. Ron Wood was sitting next to him, downing a 7 & 7 and smoking away. Sadly, Keith Richards was nowhere to be seen (nor Charlie Watts... at one point Jagger called him up to try to get him to come down to the bar, but it was past CW's bedtime).

[brownie]

In 1949 my parents took me one Saturday afternoon to the Kermesse des Etoiles (Stars Fair) in the Tuileries gardens in central Paris. This was then a very popular event where movie stars would sit in open cabins and sign autographs to the crowd. The Fair helped gather money for French WWII veterans.

Marlene Dietrich was there that year and there was no way to get near her.

I managed however to sneak past the guards blocking the access and handed my autograph book to Marlene. She signed it very nicely. And the next day a photo of Marlene Dietrich signing my book was a half page spread in the Journal du Dimanche!

I lost that autograph book (and the newspaper copy) years ago...

[andybleaden]

Moral of the story: Farrah Fawcett was much better looking in public than on TV in her heyday.

Bertrand.

Actually all of us show business celebrities are much better looking than you think we are on TV

-_-

Edited April 27, 2007 by andybleaden

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Used an ATM right after Duke Robillard.

Used another ATM right after John Updike.

Went out a revolving door as Magic Johnson was going in.

When I was a kid I asked Howard Cosell for his autograph and he said NO.

YOU DA MANNNNN!

MG

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I almost forgot that I rode in an elevator with Sherry Lewis. Lambchop pushed the bottons.

They were both short.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I almost forgot that I rode in an elevator with Sherry Lewis. Lambchop pushed the bottons.

They were both short.

More

MG

[Jim R]

while I was urinating in a public restroom, Roger Ebert came to the urinal next to mine and began to urinate.

Now THAT is a brush with greatness. Now, if Gene Siskel had walked up to the urinal on your opposite side, and they had started arguing about... oh, never mind.

My wife's best friend's aunt is Elsie McLean, the 102-year-old woman who made news recently by becoming the oldest person ever to make a hole-in-one. http://www.wcsh6.com/news/watercooler/arti...x?storyid=57059

Okay, that was weak, so here are a couple of experiences I had with famous guitar players...

In the mid-80's, I answered a newspaper ad for a guitar for sale in San Jose. I got into a discussion with the seller, and told him I was interested in finding a vintage Gibson Super 400. He says "Oh, do you know Robben Ford? He's thinking about selling his". After I'd finished wetting myself (I had been a fan of the Ford brothers for years, and had seen them in blues clubs many times), I got Robben's phone number from the guy. I called him and went to his place on Balboa street in SF, and he was extremely gracious. Too bad I was so nervous and intimidated, or I might have enjoyed the whole experience more. Anyway, I remember him mentioning the call he had just gotten from Miles to join his group, to which I probably said something like... "wow". Anyway, I bought his Super 400 (traded it away a few years later).

In 1995, I was corresponding with the english author/guitarist/educator Adrian Ingram. I told Adrian that I was a big fan of Louis Stewart, and he provided me with Louis' mailing address. I wrote Louis a nice letter, not really expecting to hear back from him (Adrian had told me that Louis wasn't that good with correspondence). A few months later, I was staying at my Mom's house here in town while our our newly-purchased home was being prepared. One evening the phone rings... my Mom answers, and then hands the phone to me saying "It's Louis Stewart!" (she's not into jazz, but I had told her about him). He was in SF with the Shearing quintet (Steve Nelson, Neil Swainson, Terry Clarke), and was calling to invite me to be his guest at their show the next night. Not only was it a fantastic experience to hear that group, but I got to meet Louis afterward. While I was waiting for Louis to come out of the dressing room, Shearing walked by with a couple of bodyguards. Mean-lookin' bodyguards. I wasn't even tempted.

Oh, btw, I had never given Louis my phone number, let alone my mother's. He had to have made quite an effort to find me.

[7/4]

Jesse Jackson physically pushed me aside two times. Once in the '60s and once in the '80s.

Paul Schaefer did that to me a couple of times at a club a few years ago.

That short little...

Your beard may have been blocking his view.

Ha!

I started shaving that thing off a few years ago, makes me look old. Time for some new photos on the web site, but I want to get my weight back down to what you see in the photos!

[Spontooneous]

When I was a young newspaper clerk, I picked up a phone call for an entertainment writer. It was Warren Zevon.

[Jim R]

We were selling at the Art Deco show in San Francisco some years ago, and Anson Funderburgh sat down at a table across from our booth and had a sandwich. A memorable event in my life.

[GA Russell]

Speaking of pushing aside, I did it once myself, and I've felt bad about it ever since.

This was about 1979. I was in a record store in Pittsburgh. The import section was upstairs. I don't recall why, but I was in a really bad mood. As I was leaving, a punk rock and roll band in black leather jackets were lined up side by side at the foot of the stairs. Perhaps to have their photo taken. Really posturing like they were bad. I stepped between this short skinny petite guy and a guy that looked like a girl and pushed them aside so I could leave.

The band went on to have some hits. They were called The Talking Heads. The skinny guy was the lead singer, I think his name was David but you rock fans would know. He looked startled and hurt, and the bravado disappeared in a flash. The blond guy really was a girl. Her name I'm pretty sure was Tina.

[Spontooneous]

Once my dad sat next to Orville Redenbacher on a plane.

Edited April 28, 2007 by Spontooneous

[Uncle Skid]

Oh yeah? Well my dad sat next to Lou Rawls on a plane!

[Aggie87]

Once my dad sat next to Orville Redenbacher on a plane.

Did he pop after three minutes of high altitude/pressure?

[7/4]

I live under the flight pattern for Newark airport.