- February 1978: Rode up three floors in an elevator with Rock Hudson. I was in Durango, Colorado, with my high school ski club over Presidents Day holiday. Rock was in Colorado filming the movie Avalanche, also starring Mia Farrow. We were at the plush (for those days) Tamarron Resort. I got onto the elevator, saw Rock, turned my back and acted like I didn’t notice him. Three floors later the doors opened and Rock got out. He brought light to the then little known AIDS epidemic after dying from the disease a few years later.
- 1982: My college friend “Suzy Paduzer,” whose uncle was a well-known Hollywood film director, insisted I meet someone named Demi Moore and her husband Freddy for a drink at a hotel lobby bar in Albuquerque. Demi and Freddy were in town to see Demi’s mother, who Suzy had in Spanish class at the University of New Mexico. Suzy said that Demi and Freddy were the coolest people ever, that Demi was a promising actor who’d just been cast in a soap opera, and her husband was lead singer for a band called Boy. I joined Suzy, Demi’s mom, Demi, and Freddy for a drink. They seemed distracted and bored, although my friend Suzy, who I eventually lost track of, continued her friendship with Demi for some time.
- About four years ago: Sold a pair of vintage Ecuadoran silver earrings, dangle-y, to Ali McGraw during the annual Santa Fe Ethnographic Art Show. Ali, who has a home in Santa Fe, was working with a flamboyant and famous (among folk art folk) businessman friend of hers, while I was working the booth across from them for a not-so-famous but respected vendor of Latin American jewelry and art. I acted (guess how?) cool as a cucumber as I wrote out the sales slip and handed Ali her new earrings. She must have been in her 60s and still cute as a bug, albeit a wee bit snooty. But then again, so was I.
- October before last: During the Abiquiu art studio tour, stopped in at Marsha Mason’s lavender farm. Marsha wasn’t there, and as I recall the place was for sale, but still, I bet I stepped on Talavera tiles that she stepped on a thousand times, barefoot.
- Tonight: Ate at Temple Club in Ho Chi Minh City—gorgeous, quaint, and serving yummy food, plus is the spot where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2006 had dinner and scootered to their hotel. I’m told they reserved the intimate top floor, where we sat tonight. For all I know, one of them (or both) sat on the same velvety chair that I sat on.
What about you? What are your brushes with fame?
I know I’ve had more brushes, near-brushes, and brushes-by-association than what I’ve listed here, but my jet-lagged brain refuses to cooperate. Let’s see, my cousin Arthur passed what’s her name…the one with the big smile…Julia Roberts on Kit Carson Road in Taos. Two degrees of separation.
Miss New Mexico rode on the same Southwest Airlines flight as me to Phoenix, or some town. We all clapped for her on the plane. For all I know, she’s a star now.
My sister got to sit in the same stadium box as, I think it was Kevin Costner. He was in town for some reason, playing in his band, I think. Two degrees.
More as I think of ’em.
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On a trip to Dallas TX I saw Richard Simmons rush by me going up the escalator while I was going down. We were in the Charlotte Airport and I was making my connecting flight.
What struck me was that he was dressed the same that day as he did in the videos I see on TV.
Another direct contact was with Thomas Starzl and Governor Bob Casey at a book signing. Thomas Starzl is one of the leaders in liver transplantation who founded the liver program at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the doctor who trained my first liver transplant surgeon.
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Wow, R3, those are pretty notable. Funny about Simmons but I can sure picture it. (Or maybe I don’t want to.) 8) BTW, I like your new avatar.
Fun post, ybonesy. Funny about the Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie maybe sitting on the same plush chair in your restaurant in Vietnam. I watched Ocean’s Thirteen with Pitt last weekend and also saw Jolie in Changeling. It’s hard to imagine how strange it must be to be *that* famous.
The most recent brush for me was earlier this year when I was on the same plane with writer Louise Erdrich. I was heading back to Minneapolis from Milwaukee.
[See: The Company of Strangers (On Louise Erdrich & Flying) (LINK)]
I’m glad you listed the 2 and 3 degrees of separation. I probably have more of those than I do actual brushes myself. Two of my friends here in Minneapolis ended up at writer Julia Cameron’s house in Taos for Christmas one year. It was many moons ago. They were visiting friends in Taos that year.
I had another friend from Chicago who sat on a First Class flight next to Debbie Harry (from Blondie) when she was at the top of her game. I guess they even had a conversation. Fun to think about. I’m going to ponder if there are others!
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While working in hotels, I “met” Jerry Seinfeld, Weird Al Yankovic, Wendie Jo Sperber, Cap’n & Tennille, Harry Anderson, Makenzie Phillips, the tall bald guy from Midnight Oil (something Garret, I think), and a slew of stand up comics, because one of the hotels had a comedy club.
Once I was sitting in the lobby of my hotel, and David Bowie walked across the lobby, straight up to me, and asked me to marry him. Unfortunately, that one turned out to be a dream.
I had a friend who went to dinner in a fancy Manhattan restaurant, and Arthur Ashe was at the next table. I was impressed that she knew him by sight.
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J, that’s quite a list of celebs. Love the part about the Bowie dream. Now that I think about it, I’ve had a few of those kinds of dreams myself. And I always try to figure out what the heck they are doing there, how did those people end up in my dreams. 8)
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I was upgraded to First Class once and when boarding the plane, noticed Ari Fleischer in front of me. A week earlier, he had resigned his position as George W. Bush’s first press secretary. As he was putting his things in the overhead, I said, “So this is why you quit your job — to become an air marshal.”
Stood next to Harvey Keitel in a New York City restaurant. Wanted to tell him how my piano playing kicked up a notch after watching him clean the top of a piano in “The Piano.” Dear Adrienne pitched me and told me to shut up. Instead, I asked him how to get a lot blood out of the back seat of a car. He actually laughed. Adrienne still pinched me.
Most recently, I walked up to a group of airport car service drivers holding signs with the names of their pick-ups. I stopped in front of the driver holding the sign for “Sam Donaldson” and said, “I’m Sam Donaldson.” He said, “No you’re not.”
My brushes with fame.
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While rounding a corner in a Toronto bar I ran into and was knocked on my butt by the late great bluesman Willie Dixon. My 130 lb was no match for his 280. He laughed and graciously helped me to my feet. That was likely more than 30 years ago now.
My inlaws took my ex and I to see Harry Belafonte and his featured artist on that tour was Miriam Makeba. She waved me to the apron of the stage, latched on to my hand and proceeded to ask if I could make the ‘click’ sound that was in her famous song. Of course, shy me, couldn’t click on cue while standing in front of 2,000 people. She died just last month; a vibrant lady.
During the Toronto Film Festival a few years ago I saw a frazzled Nick Nolte crossing the street to his hotel dodging traffic and photographers. He didn’t appear to be in the mood to be signing autographs.
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I’ve had quite a few. I lived in Los Angeles for many years so it’s sort of a daily thing there. I also went to a major private university with future celebs, politicians, etc., as well as several offspring of celebs in my dorm and a few athletes that later hit national pay dirt.
I do have a Kevin Costner story. I lived in Glendale, California for many years. My neighbor and best friend had out of town company that asked her about Kevin Costner. His family went to the same church as my friend. So my neighbor told them that she knew the Costners and she pointed out their house that sat up on a little hill in La Canada, visible from almost anywhere in the neighboring Glendale. Her company asked if they could go up to the house to see it up close. So she gulped and said yes. She drove them all the way up the driveway, pronounced that their car wasn’t in the driveway so no one was home then proceeded to drive down the driveway only to encounter the Costners arriving home! She smile and waved and got out as quickly as she could!
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Oh, I forgot, I met Sam Donaldson when I was working at a hotel in San Francisco at the Dem convention in 92 (I think). He walked up and slapped down his credit card, and said, DONALDSON. I looked in our computer, saw his name wasn’t there, and that we were overbooked by about 20 rooms, decided that I didn’t get paid enough to deal with that, and got my supervisor.
Also, my friend and I gave Sinbad a ride to a local Black Angus restaurant/bar so he could pick up women. Don’t tell his wife.
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Hey, Sam Donaldson lives in Taos, doesn’t he? Or has an extra house there.
And, I met Sinbad, too, J. He was a speaker at an event I was at, and I asked him for his email address so I could send him news about the event. He wrote it down for me on an envelope. I still have it at work. I remember hearing that he was the ultimate computer nerd, with his own set of servers. That he loved computers.
Corina, how embarrassing. I bet that happens all the time to famous people. I think some would get pretty pissed but at least the Costners seemed to take it in stride.
Flann, you’re hilarious! There was that one Harvey Keital movie, I’m forgetting what it was, where he played a messed-up police captain or something like that. I just picture him in full frontal nudity, his arms outstretched like a crucifix, and his eyes half-closed as he walks slowly, stoned out of his mind. I’m thinking of all the strange references he invokes. ; – )
J, you got some good ones in Cap’n & Tennille and Makenzie Phillips. Those ones were important to me in my youth. 8)
Oh, yeah, QM, Louise. You left her alone and just admired from afar, I recall.
R3, the image of Simmons cracks me up. What I always wonder is how he doesn’t seem to be as thin or muscular as you would think he would be given all the exercise he does. But maybe he is in person?? Also, meeting the liver transplant guy would have been a real honor, I imagine.
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Norm, bummer about the clicking. I could have done that job. Or whistling with two fingers in my mouth. I’ve often been called on to do that once people know I can. It’s a good attention getter. Quiets everyone right down.
Also, re: Nick Nolte, ever since he played the messed up brother in Rich Man, Poor Man, he’s been doomed.
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For my birthday about 5 years ago, my husband got us VIP tickets to Public Radio’s ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ live broadcast in Kalamazoo, Michigan. We schmoozed around at a reception afterward with the celebs and listened to them talk about being on the show.
I asked Garrison Keillor if he wouldn’t mind autographing my ticket. He looked at me not-in-the-eyes and said, “and a lovely pair of tickets they are.” My midwestern mind froze and it took a couple of hitches to realize he was being something of a dog, right in front of my husband! I got all embarrassed and couldn’t think of anything to say, so I just handed him the ticket, thanked him as he signed it, and left.
It was a good exchange though, because I learned that he isn’t just the voice of Lake Wobegon. I have read other things he has written, and they aren’t all so cute and sweet, but they are very good. And sometimes a bit randy.
So my understanding of Garrison Keillor changed from that encounter. He went from being a writer reading a character he had written on the radio, to a real, live person who is a pretty darn good writer. And he flirted with me!
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Corina from Glendale has it right. You tend to see alot of people here. She’s right next to Burbank where Jay Leno is constantly driving some crazy car around and alot of shows are filmed there. Plus…the Disney Studio. And of course, Santa Monica is full of stars. Not sure if you saw any while here last time.
Walked around the MGM with Sinbad. He was sweet and yes, a computer nerd.
Today I made paper samples for Tiger Wood. We print for his Foundation and they are working on new corporate colors and stock. I’d like to shake his and Armstrong’s hand if I ever get the chance but most times, I rather just think of them as what’s in my head…better to not be disapointed.
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I met Bobby McFerrin when he was performing with the St Paul Chamber Orchestra (I think) in a small town in Iowa. I was in middle school at the time, and had gone to the concert with my clarinet teacher. She knew everyone in the orchestra, and managed to get us backstage, where we met Bobby and I got his autograph. To my never-ending shame, I did not at the time realize that he was famous outside of the St. Paul Orchestra!!
I met Tom Daschle in 2000, at the South Dakota State Fair. I was still in high school and couldn’t think of anything to say to him, but my mother was able to keep a conversation going with him for a few minutes. No autograph, though. Boo.
I have met musician Josh Ritter twice now, and lived down the street from him in Idaho (but didn’t meet him until I moved to Virginia). He autographed one of his CD’s with the message, “R—–, you are as beautiful as your name! Love, Josh Ritter.” And I got my picture taken with him. 🙂
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Hi there 🙂 This was such a fun read!
My closest brush with celebrity was meeting Gary Busey at the Malibu Chili Cookoff waaaaaaaaay back in the 70s. Dude was partying it up, for sure (and is way taller in person than I thought!)
One of my guilty pleasures is watching Celebrity Rehab…and Gary’s on the show this season. Yikes!
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Grace, my stepsons are distant relatives of Gary Busey (their Mothers side of the family), though I don’t think I would ever admit to that if I were them. Not sure how distant, but I recall mention of it in the past.
Also, I’m waiting for Mom to chime in. She was once a guest on the Phil Donahue show. I believe it was in 1980, but I didn’t know her at the time. She was also featured in a comercial for the department store she works for one year during a breast cancer awareness ad, though she did not have a speaking part in the commercial.
I met a few political folks when I was in my teens & attended dozens of fund raisers with my parents, but that’s as close as I’ve ever gotten to anyone famous. D
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Oh, Grace, that’s one of our guilty pleasures, too, watching Celebrity Rehab. 8) I can’t believe there’s another fan out there. In fact, just last night we saw Gary on the show. Small world.
diddy, I had forgotten all about Mom’s celebrity and her time with Phil. Thanks for reminding me! Some great comments in this thread. I’m really enjoying reading them.
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Cool about MOM’s appearance on the Phil show. I hope she chimes in.
Gary Busey. He’s kind of Nick Nolte, don’t you think? I bet will appear on Celebrity Rehab, too. I’ve never heard of that. What happens? Do celebrities enter into a real rehab for addictions? Or is it more about rehabilitating their careers?
It’s about 5:20a here, and I got a case of jetlag/insomnia today. Finally at 4 I just got up, took a shower, starting packing. We leave today for Da Nang, which is in central Vietnam. Looking forward to it. I hear it’s pretty and cooler, more mountainous, but also beach. Doesn’t that sound like a perfect combination? Then to Hanoi and back to HCMC by the late part of the week. I wonder what celebrities I’ll come into contact with in the coming days? Probably none.
Just wanted to say hello before logging off for a while. I have a loaned camera, so hope to take photos that I can post next week.
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Hey, I just thought of one of my own brushes with fame. Many years ago, a friend & I went to see 38 Special at The Host Inn in Lancaster, PA. Although, I didn’t meet him personally, the lead singer, one of the Van Zant brothers ,threw his white terry cloth towel into the crowd. It was what he used to wipe the sweat off his face. I was the recipient of the towel. I actually kept it for awhile before deciding to trash it! D
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Prince. In the Minneapolis airport circa 1995. I was on my way to visit my grandmother with my mother. As we came out of the boarding area where our flight arrived, we started into the corridor to find our departure gate. One of those electric cards whirred past us and then stopped to let people pass, just as it had passed us.
I looked up, and there was Prince, sitting on the back bench of the cart, resplendent in a white fur coat and looking tiny next to an enormous body guard. He was about 4 feet from me at that moment.
I said, “Hey, you’re Prince!” And he said, “Yeah. How about that.” Then the cart drove off.
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Nat, good to hear from you. Prince! Now that’s a pretty big one, too. Well, it was back in the day. I can see him whooshing off in his white fur coat. Of course, he lives in Minnesota and First Avenue is still going strong. Haven’t been there in a few years now. I think one of the last times I was there it was a date with Liz — Musiq & Vivian Green were the acts that night. That was back in the day, too, the early stages. 8)
diddy, you threw away the towel from 38 Special! You might have been able to sell it on eBay these days. I wonder if they are still around.
ybonesy, sounds like you have a packed schedule for the next week or so. Will look forward to your check-in’s when you can. So glad you were able to borrow a camera. I’d love to see photos of mountains and beach in Vietnam.
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Oh, ybonesy, about Celebrity Rehab, yeah, celebs actually agree to enter a treatment facility with Dr. Drew and they film the whole thing. It’s shameless. But the amazing thing is to see how extreme conditions such as wealth and fame, sometimes at an early age, can warp a world view and add to conditions for a life of addiction.
It’s kind of sobering. Because many who are famous seem like they have everything going for them — money, fame, opportunity — things that our culture tells us we are supposed to aspire to. Yet many times, they are not able to have successful or intimate relationships and seem so, so far from being happy.
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I am good friends with Kevin Costner’s nephew, who goes to my school. I got to see Costner speak and campaign for Barack Obama right before the election. Pretty exciting. Also, ironic because it was my mom who met Costner at the Isotope’s game!
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Adam, how did your mom get to meet Costner? Did she just walk up to him at the game? It’s interesting to think about meeting a star’s nephew or niece because that implies that they have siblings, then you start to wonder — how many, where do they live, and, oh, yeah, these people have families and extended families all over the place.
When Liz and I were watching a documentary on Into the Wild a few weeks ago, Sean Penn was talking about the brother he lost and what a huge impact that had on his life. It also gave him insight into playing that role in the movie. Then, of course, there are families of the famous like the Baldwins. Crazy.
My most recent brush with fame was watching this crazy show on Celebrity mug shots (it made me glad I’m not famous). You know the most recent in the news who have been arrested, I’m sure. But there were some older ones like Keanu Reeves. When looking at his mug shot, I kept thinking of Eno in The Matrix. 8)
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In 8th grade I met Waylon Jennings, Jessie Colter and their son, Shooter Jennings. My friend Susan’s Aunt was Shooter’s nanny. Shooter was about five or six I think at the time, dressed in black and long hair like his dad. I think he is married to Drea de Matteo (sopranos) now and has a singing career of his own.
I met Amy Pohler before she was on SNL after an improv group I saw her in. She seemed a little flirty with my mans, so I didn’t really dig her too much.
So jealous of the woman who met Capn’ and Tenille – my first “rock” show…love that Toni!
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the claw, I thought of your comment when I watched Amy Pohler on SNL’s Weekend Update last night. 8) BTW, I think last night was her last night on the show. At least, it seemed that way. Does anyone know? She just had a baby and I wondered if she’s leaving to devote more time to motherhood.
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weird. probably just taking a maternity leave. kristen wiig so outfunnies her, amy should be a baby’s mama full-time. again, i am being bitter.
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p.s. thanks so much for the claw link. adding you as well!
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I’ve always been confused about Captain and Tenille. I thought Toni *was* Tenille. Or Captain. Wait, was Toni the woman?
I love Kristen Wiig. Gawd, she cracks me up. Like Lucille Ball or Carol Burnett, a comedian who’s completely physical in her comedy. I like Amy Pohler, too, but not as much as Kristen. I do think Amy (I can call her that now that I know her through the claw) left the show to be with her baby.
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She did leave, I finally watched last week’s episode tonight. Toni was/is the lady, and the Capt.’s real name is Daryl Dragon. Bit of trivia you need not know.
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They were such an odd act, but man did I love them. Isn’t it sort of weird to compare the music and bands we loved in our teens (or that was how old I was, anyhow) to teens today? Seems incongruent.
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So true. There are no Tony Orlando and Dawn’s today or Capt. and Tenilles. Possibly for the best.
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[…] I am so obsessed with celebrity that even though I don’t know who this man is—my sisters and niece tell me he is famous—I am posting his photo on the blog. And not only is he famous—he is retired NFL player Jerry Rice, used to play for the San Francisco 49ers—because he was runner-up in the second season of Dancing with the Stars, losing to Drew Lashea, who I also didn’t know but am told was in a boy band with brother Nick, who used to be married to Jessica Simpson, which means that through six degrees of separation I am now connected to Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys. (I don’t know who he is either, and my niece just reminded me that since they are both of football fame, Tony and I are probably connected through three degrees, not six.) […]
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