massreality wrote :

I feel like such a loser, other than the NWA Legends wrestling convention back in 2008 I don't think I've met anyone even remotely famous. 

I must check Walmart and Roberta Flack concerts more often. 

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Or you could try church. That's where I met Phillip Phillips. And Kirk Cameron came to another local church one time.

On vacation in LA with my family years back and we stumbled upon the Brother's Grimm premiere in Hollywood. Through a dense crowd I managed a glimpse of Gerrard Butler and another black actor who's name I can't recall.

I got a comic book signed by John Romita Jr when I was a kid once. That was a matter of standing in line for an hour or something and handing over my copy of Man Without Fear #1 for a quick Sharpie scribble. Besides that I've never met anyone famous. I'm friends with quite a few, what would you call them, second-tier musicians? here in Chicago. People who go on national and even international tour, but none of you lot here on RD would likely have heard of any of them. I have no "claim to fame". And while I've fantasized about being famous as I think most people have, when all is said and done, I probably don't want one.

I did run into Jim Thirlwell recently, at a concert in the Garfield Park Conservatory. Venture Bros. fans may know the name...a real musical hero of mine.

I was on my way to the bar, and there he was, out on the main floor.  Involved in conversation with someone who may or may not be famous; I didn't recognize them.

I felt I had to say something. So I stopped, leaned in slightly, and said "Thank you--for your music." I'm not much of a conversationalist. I'm kind of shy when approaching people I don't know, who have no reason to be interested in me. And I really don't like to interrupt, even among my close friends. But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to say something, quietly, to the stranger I probably respect more than any other in the world of art, possibly in the world, period. One of many whose music gives me great joy, catharsis, and wonder, but one of very, very few--scratch that, one utterly unique, in mastery of so many disparate styles of music, from filthy, screeching, bumping no-wave to refined chamber music, to say nothing of production and remixes for people who are actually extremely famous.

"Thank you--for your music," I said, just wanting to impart appreciation without taking up any of his time. "Eh--yeah--right," he said back to me. And so I went on to the bar, leaving him and the other person to whatever it was they were discussing before I intruded. Maybe I caught him off guard. Maybe he just wanted to brush me off. Maybe he's no big talker either; the one or two interviews I've seen would bear that out. It seemed, anyway, that he didn't know what to say in that moment any more than I did in the one preceding it. And it may well have meant nothing to him. But I can pretend a little spark of connection there.

Hoju Koolander wrote :

I'm not trying to brag here, but I actually do have another story that is not quite worthy of a whole article about the time I met Tom Hanks or as I like to say, the time he met ME!

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What!? Tom Hanks too? You are the man. I wish I could have met Tom Hanks. For a great 80s Tom Hanks movie The 'Burbs is an absolutely must see!

For anyone who loves the Goonies:

Chunk- "Listen, okay? You guys'll never believe me. There was two cop cars,
okay? And they were chasing this four-wheel deal, this real neat ORV,
and there were bullets flying all over the place. It was the most
amazing thing I ever saw!"

Mikey- "More amazing than the time Michael Jackson came over to your house to use the bathroom?"

Brand- "More amazing than the time you saved those old people from that nursing home fire, right?"

Mouth- "Yeah, and I bet it was even more amazing than the time you ate your weight in Godfather's pizza. Right?"

Chunk- "Okay, Brand, Michael Jackson didn't come over to my house, to use the bathroom. But his sister did!"






Well actually...

When I was a kid I didn't understand the whole autograph thing. I guess it was the proof prior to cell phone cameras and selfies that you met someone. As an adult I know now that there are serious collectors out there and some signatures are worth big bucks. I even have a few now. But as a kid it didn't matter I would rather have shaken their hand. If someone didn't believe me oh well. But there was one time of the year where signatures really mattered to me as a kid.

When I was a young lad my mom used to drag me to this weird convention type thing that was billed as a food festival. You had a sack and went booth to booth getting samples from various companies. Everything from snacks to detergent or shampoo. They had spin the wheel type prizes at every other booth or a golf putt your shot in to win something cool like cups, mugs, hats, shirts, etc. One year I even got several carded Star Wars Return of the Jedi figures although they only had Gammorean Gaurds, Klaatus, and Squid Heads. I hit the booth several times and got several of each. The highlights of the food festival was being selected to enter the money booth tornado thing and grab as much floating cash as possible (I was never selected) and the other was the Raiderettes football cheerleaders would perform a dance number in their silver and white bikini tops and black shorty shorts and sign autographs afterwards. I don't know why the Raider's cheerleaders came we were not even in California. For some reason the line for autographs was all older guys and teenage boys. They wrote stuff like love ya, XOXO, all my love, etc. and called you Handsome, Tiger, Sugar, Honey, and a bunch of other crap that made my face light up and feet float a couple of inches off the ground. While they signed pictures of themselves (that they provided for free) you stood there awkwardly staring at their um ... assets. I collected several years worth of signatures while eating my free hot dogs and getting sample size boxes of new cereals that hadn't come out yet. I didn't save any Raiderettes autographs unfortunately but you get the picture.

I met the president and he said i was his homeboy.

@NLogan: Actually those not yet released cereals still sealed in their box could fetch you some nice dough these days too. Anything is collectible these days. ANYTHING.

Maybe the Raiderettes were traveling with the team or something. Where was that event? I know they still make appearances because they advertise it on their website.

Let's see I mentioned meeting John Cena at a signing at a Blockbuster in the Blockbuster thread.

Like Vapor I was snubbed by a celebrity. Ryan Seacrest snubbed my friends and I at a game show taping. Here is a more detailed story in my old blog. The strangest thing is that I cannot find a copy of the episode that my class went to.

@Vapor I know.  I wonder what prototype cereals I ate that never made it to market.