| Author | Message | ||
     Mark Fuhrman Citizen Username: Mfpark Post Number: 1294 Registered: 9-2001  |
Once in Boston, when walking into the courthouse, I was next to Robert Parish (7' center for the Celtics). A few years later, in Philly, I was at the opening of the Corestates Center and was standing next to Shawn Bradley (7'2" center). The funny part is that on a good day, with a strong bounce in my step and the wind lifting my hair, I am 5' tall. People stopped and stared as I walked past Parrish--I could have walked between his legs without ducking. As for Bradley, well, he was wearing basketball shorts and I had an eye-level view of his very bony and surgically-repaired knees. Always regretted a newspaper photog did not catch that photo. | ||
| Cato Nova Citizen Username: Cato_nova Post Number: 493 Registered: 12-2003 |
Yeah, Mark, like you were looking at his knees. | ||
| ML Supporter Username: Ml1 Post Number: 2288 Registered: 5-2002  |
Had drinks one night in Hollywood with Johnny Rotten. He was very friendly to me, although he took an instant dislike to one of my colleagues, who was trying to give him marketing advice.  Performed in a show in NYC a couple years back, sharing a bill with 60s R&B singer Maxine Black, who was incredibly gracious. She loved that I performed a Sam Cooke song -- she didn't think too many guys my age were fans of his. Also had the opportunity to say hello to Bono and Larry Mullen. They were doing a live TV show to promote the release of the "Beautiful Day" video, and I was in the control room when they arrived. Bono was doing the rock star thing, with the shades and the black leather, greeting everyone in the room without actually making meaningful eye contact with anyone. Larry was actually pretty shy, but he made it a point to shake everyone's hand and say hello. In my college days, I found myself standing next to Springsteen at a club at the shore one night, and managed only to say hello and mumble a few other words. Oh well... Used to work in a building that was frequented by music industry types, so I also had the opportunity to share an elevator with Gene Simmons (who was carrying a 3-ft action figure of himself in full KISS makeup), MC Hammer, and a couple others I can't recall at the moment (not all at the same time). Met Steve from "Blues Clues" at a holiday party one year. A little weird to see him in that environment with a beer in his hand (although not as weird as if it had been Mr. Rogers throwing back a Bud). I also used to work on Columbus Ave., and in the summer, a stroll at lunchtime usually meant passing by a celebrity and giving them "the nod" -- Seinfeld, Baryshnikov, Peter Jennings, Springsteen, Brooke Shields, Dustin Hoffman, Richard Belzer, and on and on and on. Danny Aiello and Regis Philbin were such frequent sightings in one of the outdoor cafes that you'd stop counting the number of times you saw them. | ||
| doublea Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 887 Registered: 3-2003 |
In the early 80's, I used to spend a lot of time in London. I stayed at Blakes which is a favorite of musicians and actors. Blakes is like a club which has its regulars, and I was probably one its most regular regulars. The bar and restaurant are small and intimate and is favored by its regulars. I actually got to know Robert Plant pretty well, who stayed there when he was in town. One night I came down for a drink/dinner and the manager of the restaurant told me "....you missed last night. Robert Plant, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks (and few other Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac members) were down here drinking to 4:00a.m. By the way, Robert Plant was a hell of a nice guy. I also saw Grace Jones in the hotel and Albert Finney (who was smoking a cigar). | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 5519 Registered: 1-2003  |
My 13 year old asked, "Dad are you a famous celebrity, or just a celebrity?" | ||
| doublea Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 888 Registered: 3-2003 |
Several years ago Geraldo started coming to High Holiday Services at our temple down the shore. (Geraldo had a house on the Navesink). He would come with his bodyguard, and I will say the two of them had two of the best fitting suits I've seen. After services, people were going over to say hello, and I said to one of my friends mother that he propbably didn't want the attention. She said "Are you crazy, he loves it!" | ||
| mem Citizen Username: Mem Post Number: 4627 Registered: 5-2001  |
I got to pick a barrel of monkey's on the Bob McCallister show. I dated Howie Long (we went to college together) I dated Conrad Anker (the mountain climber who found Mallory's body on Everest) I had Pinetop Perkins stay at my house numerous times over the years when he has shows in NYC. (He lives in Chicago) | ||
| doublea Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 890 Registered: 3-2003 |
Amy Carter stayed at our house at the shore about 17 years ago. She and my older son were very good friends at Brown and got arrested together when they staged a sit-in at IBM protesting apartheid Amy, her fiancee at the time who was my son's roomate (and eventually his bestman) and my son stayed at my mother's house in western Pa. so that they could see a Pirates game. My mother was selling her house at the time and a prospective buyer was coming over. She had to rush them out of bed and really got flustered when she introduced Amy. My mother, may she rest in peace, always said she sold the house because of Amy.  | ||
| composerjohn Citizen Username: Composerjohn Post Number: 146 Registered: 8-2004  |
my wife used to work at Paradigm Talent Agency in NYC. She used to constantly see Samir Nayeenanajar - you know, from the movie Office Space (real name Ajay Naidu). | ||
| sbenois Citizen Username: Sbenois Post Number: 13191 Registered: 10-2001  |
Took a flight to Sweden in 1986 - one week after Chernobyl. Got on the plane and sitting right there in the front were The Ramones. I whispered to my wife "must be the radioactive tour". | ||
| tulip Citizen Username: Braveheart Post Number: 2023 Registered: 3-2004 |
Soda: If that's Elisabeth Bing who was the daughter of Rudolph Bing, I went to school with her at Bennington. When I was at Bennington, so were Jerzey Kozinski (playwright), Elizabeth Swados (playwright and composer), Kathleen Norris (author of Dakota and other books) was in my dorm, I met Bernard Malamud; Susie Toepfer, former editor of People Magazine was my freshman assigned "buddy," Shirley Jackson's daughter was my classmate and I met her husband, renown mythologist Stanley Edgar Hyman, dancer Wendy Perron was actually a friend of mine, and is now editor of Dance Magazine. I didn't ploink any of 'em though, if you mean what I think you mean by that. | ||
| sbenois Citizen Username: Sbenois Post Number: 13193 Registered: 10-2001 |
How about this one? I've hung out with David Berkowitz. (completely true, no details will be provided) | ||
| Mark Fuhrman Citizen Username: Mfpark Post Number: 1300 Registered: 9-2001 |
I hung out with Sbenois (not details provided, either).  | ||
| flugermongers Citizen Username: Flugermongers Post Number: 371 Registered: 5-2001 |
Billy Crystal, Jon Lovitz, Fyvush Finkel, Dr. Ruth, Regis & Joy Philbin, Peter Wolf (had pizza with him), Bob Balaban (such a cool guy!), Philip Seymor Hoffman, and more I can't remember. I guess I should keep a list. The 2 funniest were 1) Jeffrey Tambor: I went up to him, got his autograph and said, I loved you in "Leo: The Richest Cat in the World!" -- and he says he wasn't in it. I'm thinking, is this guy so jaded he doesn't remember a film he was in? So I asked him again. I realized a year later that I was wrong, and in retrospect, must have been arguing with this guy about his career! 2) Mel Brooks: I don't exactly get star struck.. but Mel Brooks! I was in the Graybar building and was signing in, when I see this man with mussed up white hair coming out of the hallway. He was larger than life, and bigger than he looked in his films. I had just watched Blazing Saddles the night before. I looked over and in my head was like "Ha, that old dude looks like Mel Brooks" and did a double take-- "Holy •••• that's Mel Brooks!" Somehow I got my right arm to extend and my brain told my lips to say 'Oh my god I am such a fan of your work' and he replied "Well ya got good taste!" | ||
| doublea Supporter Username: Doublea Post Number: 891 Registered: 3-2003 |
I think it's time for a "2000 year-old man" thread. | ||
| Moose11217 Citizen Username: Moose11217 Post Number: 46 Registered: 12-2002 |
Back in 1984 (?) I went to see Randy Newman play at Avery Fisher Hall. I spotted Paul Simon in the orchestra seats from where I was sitting in the balcony. I was a huge Paul Simon/Simon & Garfunkel fan growing up, so much so that I took guitar lessons from his brother Eddie's Guitar Study Center in Manhattan in the mid 70's. The two look very similar. Anyway, at intermission, my cousin and I are hanging out having a beer and decide to go meet Paul Simon, but by the time we find him, he's hanging with a bunch of people and didn't seem approachable, so we went to the upstairs to look around. So we get to a spot that is about fifteen feet above where Simon and his pals are hanging out and we're kind of excited because it was the first time we'd seen him in person since we saw him play at Seton Hall in 1975 (the "Still Crazy" tour). All of a sudden, all of the people he was talking to walked off and he was left there by himself, kind of looking around and it seemed weird that here was this big star all by himself and he looked really insecure. Seeing a rare opportunity, I called down to him from our perch above: "Hey Eddie!" He kind of looked around not knowing where the call was coming from. I called again - "Hey Eddie!" Paul looked up somewhat puzzled. "Eddie, what's up" I called. He said "No, I'm not Eddie, but I'm looking for him." I responded with a bah and waved my hand at him as I turned away. My cousin said he stood there looking up for a few seconds and then walked back towards the seating area. It was funny at the time. I don't know what compelled me to goof on him considering I was a big fan and all or if he even thought twice about it when he returned to his seat - the opportunity to mistake a famous brother for a not famous brother was hard to pass up. | ||
| Soda Supporter Username: Soda Post Number: 2583 Registered: 5-2001  |
Tulip: This was 1983, and Ms. Bing was in her seventies. Are you really that old???  | ||
| DeborahG Citizen Username: Deborahg Post Number: 1189 Registered: 5-2001  |
Okay this got me thinking. In college, I worked as a barmaid at a rock club (drinking age was 18 back then of course). Among others, I served U2 (back when they were playing to audiences of 200 or so), Roger Daltry (came by after a Who concert at the arena), Billy Joel (recorded an acoustic album there), NRBQ (frequent visitors -- they were a riot) and Muddy Waters (old but immensely cool). I finally got fired for breaking a male patron's nose with a tray of beers, but that's another story. After college we moved to New York, and my then-husband had a band that rehearsed in the infamous music building. Seen in the elevator: Madonna (like anyone gave a damn back then), David Byrne, Debbie Harry, Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd (one cranky, the other zoned on heroin), and everyone else who played the Mudd Club. But the most amazing places for celebrity sightings are NYC 12-step meetings. Nuff said. | ||
| DeborahG Citizen Username: Deborahg Post Number: 1190 Registered: 5-2001 |
Oh, I forgot the coolest thing: In college I took a "music industry" seminar taught by none other than David Geffen. Guests were Joni Mitchell and Neil YOung. I was late the day Neil came, and the classroom was packed, so I had to sit on the edge of the podium facing the class while he sat on a chair right behind me. When I got tired of sitting up straight, I leaned back against his legs. An actual brush with greatness. Can't remember if I actually got credit for this, but I suspect so.Those were the days. | ||
| tulip Citizen Username: Braveheart Post Number: 2026 Registered: 3-2004 |
Soda: Nope. I guess it's a different Elisabeth Bing. Her mother? |
