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Have you ever met a famous person?


sputnik

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I thought it might be interesting to hear a few stories about members encounters with famous people. I'm no Larry King, but here are the ones I've encountered.

Henry Fonda -

Snuck backstage after a play (Clarence Darrow) when I was a teenager. One of the most gracious and elegant gentleman I've ever encountered.

Arlo Guthrie -

Literally bumped into him just before a concert. He said "sorry man, excuse me."

Brent Mussberger -

Sat next to him on a flight to New York (just after Jimmy the Greek was fired from CBS). He seemed to be a very decent man. He traded me his granola bar for my pretzels - I think I got the best of him on that deal.

Buddy Hackett -

One of my first jobs was loading ski lifts at Aspen. Buddy Hacket shows up in red ski outfit that him look like a big tomato. I'd crack up every time he came through the line - his face and voice would incite laughter no matter what he said.

Buzz Aldrin -

I was just a kid. I remember shaking his hand and not knowing what I wanted to do when I grew up.

Tom Harkin -

Very nice man, he reminded me of my favorite uncle.

Newt Gingrich -

A surprisingly nice guy in person. Very, very sharp and quick witted. We got into a banter about dinosaurs - he thinks T-rex was predator, most reseach indicates that T-rex was a scavenger. I don't think I straightened him out on that point, we just agreed to disagree.

Robert Redford -

He was here filming a movie (A River Runs Through It). Chatted briefly at a gathering. He's short.

Evil Knievel -

We played 18 holes of golf and could hear golf cart tires screaching all over the course. After the round, I was chatting with a pushy obnoxious guy in the clubhouse and I only found out later that it was Evil Knievel.

Donald Trump -

Brushed past me.

Billy Kidd -

My older brother knew him in college. I met him once and he seemed like a wild man.

I wanted to meet Judy Collins, I waited for an hour outside a stage door (like a groupie). Never saw her.

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My friend and I were locked in a room with Bill Clinton in the Prague Castle once. He's tall.

That same day I met Ariel Sharon, Vacvlav Havel, Elie Wiesel, Francis Fukuyama, and Prince El Hassan Bil Talal of Jordan (he gave me a cd).

Recently I had lunch with Jeb Bush, he has a really good haircut.

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While i was using the urinal at Buddy Guy's Legends bar. Johnnie Johnson (Chuck Berry's piano player)came in and used the one next to me. I think i pissed on my shoe.

James Cotton - I asked him what it was like to play with Muddy Waters. He said "Man that cat could sing".

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Oh... Just a little guy named Steve Martin. He came to our ship back in the 90's for one of those hollywood military trips.

Colin Powell

Entire band of Dream Theater. Got backstage

Frank Hannon, one of the Guitarists of Tesla

Seems as though there was someone else...

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Shot a Doobie Brothers concert last December and met them all. also George Lynch of Dokken, George Bush Senior, Steve Perry at a local mexican restuarant when Iwas 14, the real world cast from San Fransisco (Puck is my cousin) though I usually do not claim him, Joe Montana, and Pete Rose.

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Not to many myself but:

The band Rush a couple times. Geddy Lee is a great guy

(Then Vice President) Bush Sr.

Got to see Jack Nicholas play the 18th why at the Memorial Open at Muirfield when my parents where living there. Would've been nice to actually say something to him, though.

Briefly met Fabio (and was standing at the exit of the Apollo's Chariot roller coaster at Busch Gardens on that fateful day when he got "goosed" on the ride).

A couple of the members of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

And most recently, the band Sonata Arctica when they played at Jaxx nightclub just this past April. Really nice guys that certainly displayed a genuine love of the music.

Not much else (I was never really starstruck to begin with, but gotta admit it is "cool" to get to meet somebody famous)

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Hmm.

I met two Nobel winners. One was the guy who discovered one of the Quarks. He's on the faculty at IIT and this was a show off seminar. It hardly counts because it was a calculated set up.

The other is the father in law of a friend. The guy ("Bruce") won a Nobel for polypeptide research. My buddy met his daughter at Jazz Fest in a Chicago park.

Gil

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Damn!! There went MY Thunder! ( Referring to the meeting with PWK )

I worked a couple of summers at a TV station and met numerous interesting people.

Malcolm Boyd ( Are You Running With Me Jesus ? )

Linda Ronstad ....I pissed her off momentarily! At that time she was travelling with The Stone Pony as her backup group and I was working camera.At the break she came over and said to me in an slightly angry voice," I noticed you kept your camera on me even when it was not on air! I do not appreciate being ogled!"

Busted!! I blushed and resorted to the plain truth saying "Please forgive me Ms. Ronstad but I was dazzled by your voice and your face. I am so sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable and will certainly make every attempt to show more respect if you appear here again"!

A that point she smiled softly and said "Thank you for a lovely compliment and please accept my apology for thinking you were being crude."

Ed Ames

Ed taped a promo for reruns of The Last of The Mohicans. We had a malfuncion at the junction and while the techs were getting things patched up Ed sat around chatting with the crew. Finally one of the guys said,"Ed" (we were all on a first name basis within 5 minutes of his arrival...No Star Syndrome with him ):

"Ed was that tomahawk thing on Carson for real or was it a put up job"?

Before anyone could glare in horror at this Faux Pas Ed threw his head back and howled with laughter and said that was the best screwup in my career!When I told Johnny that they wouldn't let me handle sharp objects on the set I was telling the truth! It was a pure accident but if I live to be a hundred I will never live that one down!On the other hand if I live to a hundred I will be remembered for that throw!"

Bill Kennedy

Bill was a one-time Motion Picture Actor who appeared in over 60 films but was never able to crack the big time.He is probably best remembered to the greater public as the voice on the original Superman TV series " It's a bird! It's a plane! NO!! It's Superman!!

Probably Bill's greatest role ever was that of The Hollywood Ham which he played to the full on his TV show at CKLW TV in Windsor Ontario Canada. (Lest anyone get misty eyed about the mighty having so fallen - He earned enough to own a Rolls that had once been owned by Zsa Zsa and a 56 T-Bird Port hole coupe at the same time and lived in St. Clair Shores Michigan).

He was damned good to his crew and had lunch brought in for us every Friday. Off Air Bill was truly friendy and enjoyed the give and take of workaday relationships. He was not only willing to endure the day to day give and take but actually encouraged it. In other words On Camera he was "The Star" but OFF Camera he was the guy who had the great fortune to be "The Star" when the lights went up. I loved the man! ( When he got Zsa's Zsa's Rolls he took the entire crew out for a ride down University Avenue in Windsor.. How the hello about 12 of us got into that thing still is a bit of a mystery to me 9.gif )!

Occasionally Bill would lapse into his Hollywood Ham routine Off Camera when having a little fun with the guys during breaks.One day when I was walking by his studio ( not being on camera for his show that day ) I heard him say in an exaggerated theatrical tone....Just remember that old Bill Kennedy told you that! The devil having got to me I called out....I will remember what Olllllllllllld Bill Kennedy told me! Bill immediately responded that Olllllllld Bill Kennedy says you can go F**k Your Hat!!

I felt real sadness to learn of his passing a few years ago. He was a real gentleman 15.gif

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Buddy Ebsen..on 2 occasions

Frank Sutton..Sgt Carter on Gomer Pyle

Bob Denver..when he was on Doby Gillis as Manard G. Krebs

Fred Mac Murray..lived next door to my 1st girl friend

Eddie Albert Jr and Sr...went to H.S. w/Jr. who introduced me to Sr. once

Irene Ryan...no she wasn't with Buddy Ebsen

Steve McQueen...just in passing

Robert Wagner..in Catalina, I was drunk... he was rude, and I think he was with Nancy Sinatra??

Mel Blanc..he was visiting a sick friend where I worked

James Garner..friend of a friends mother

Yes I grew up in W.L.A.

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Mother Theresa

When I was a student working a summer job in a home for the mentally disabled, she showed up with her entourage, un-scheduled, during my shift. Being a weekend, we were only two employees to greet her... friendly and surprisingly small... 1.gif

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Bill Gates: went to my high school. I knew his sister Libby better 2.gif

Paul Allen: went to my high school.

Adam West: same story.

Alex Trebeck (sp?): gave him my french fries in the Chicago airport. I got the last batch and he was late for a flight.

John Miner: CFO Intel. I remodelled his house and am on a first name basis with him and his wife.

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----------------

On 6/7/2005 10:50:06 PM formica wrote:

Mother Theresa

When I was a student working a summer job in a home for the mentally disabled, she showed up with her entourage, un-scheduled, during my shift. Being a weekend, we were only two employees to greet her... friendly and surprisingly small...
1.gif

----------------

WOW! What was that experience like?

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Alright,time for some BIG names lol.String Bean,Grandpa Jones(when I was very young),TortElvis,Leon Russle,Blue Oyster Cult(the whole band),John Popper,and a few more artist that I only shook hands with while they were onstage in smaller clubs.

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