When famous people are cool

sdbrit68

Student Of The Blues
So, my sister in law, (the one that actually likes me)............which is amazing unto itself.

I found out she is a huge fan of the G-funk, yeah Warren G (everyone over 55 probably need to go to youtube and type in Warren G, Regulators)

What she didn't know, he is a friend of mine, other than him being famous and talented, we have a lot in common with motorcycles and blues and such. So, I called up, he came down to one of my stores and signed a guitar for me to give her for Christmas, talk about a cool guy and doing me a solid.

She knows about it, and is begging to get it before Christmas......so far in my experience, the "stars" that I have met, have been very righteous people, except 2, most of them were serious down to Earth greatful for their fans. 3 of the most gracious, Warren G, Kip Winger (nicest guy you could meet), and Joan Jett1.JPEG 2.JPEG
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
Over the years my wife and I have met a number of well known people, like Kirk Douglas, Dean Martin, Sabicas, Juan Serrano, Carlos Montoya, Jose Greco, Clint Eastwood, and Tommy Emmanuel, to name a few. We have great stories about each of them, and it is amazing how friendly they were to us.

We would see Clint Eastwood in Carmel, and talk for hours. We were born in the same Hospital (Saint Francis) in San Francisco. Tommy Emmanuel has spent many hours with us, talking about so many subjects.

The first time we met Tommy, he had just flown in from Poland, in the morning, finished his concert in San Francisco that evening, and was on his way to Japan for a concert. His schedule is insane! :confused:

Good people are good people! :)

Tom
 

sloslunas

NM Blues
As you may know, I don't get out much. That being said I have only met a few famous people. Leon Redbone, Bobby Foster (at the time he was the light heavyweight champion of the world). And of course Bo Diddly, who used to be our sheriff down here in Los Lunas, New Mexico (He had family very near by and dearly loved New Mexico). I first met Bo at a watering hole in Algodones NM (Rosa's Cantina to be exact). We spilled a few beers that night, and I never let him know that I knew who he was. It was like two brothers having a great time swapping lies and listening to some great music! Fast forward a year or two and I was in Santa Cruz, California. I was in a great venue that was playing multiple bands and some excellent music. I was leaning over the second story rail listening intently to the great music that was being played. Who taps on my shoulder?? Bo Diddly. First words out of his mouth were " Steve...what are you doing up in these parts?". First, I was stunned that he even remembered me. Of course, we had to spill many more beers together talking about music...

Steve
 

CaptainMoto

Blues Voyager
That's cool!
She picked a good brother-in-law to like!
You're a winner:thumbup:

Although I've met a few famous people, the story I will always remember is:

I was on a business trip to NYC.
After the meeting I went out for a walk.
As I'm crossing the street a big black SUV makes a right turn from the cross street and almost hit me in the crosswalk.
I look up and see Paul Simon at the wheel. I gave him a NYC salute.:sneaky:
 

sdbrit68

Student Of The Blues
when I lived up north, we used to run into Sammy Hagar and the Pointer Sisters all the time. Sammy used to go to a coffee shop is Sasaulito
 
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brent

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
That's cool!
She picked a good brother-in-law to like!
You're a winner:thumbup:

Although I've met a few famous people, the story I will always remember is:

I was on a business trip to NYC.
After the meeting I went out for a walk.
As I'm crossing the street a big black SUV makes a right turn from the cross street and almost hit me in the crosswalk.
I look up and see Paul Simon at the wheel. I gave him a NYC salute.:sneaky:

At my first job, I used to sack groceries at a grocery store. One of my usual (and favorite) customers was a guy named Eddie Brickel. I only knew him as Eddie until one day saw him signing his check. Even then, no lightbulbs came on right away. Then, one day he asked me and a friend of mine if we "liked rock and roll." Of course, we gave a resounding, "YES!!". He said his daughter was in a rock and roll band asked us if we'd ever heard of Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians. Of course, we both had. The next week when he came in for his usual grocery trip, he invited us both out to the car and gave us each a copy of her new album a week before It was released to the public. That's actually the closest I've ever come to meeting someone famous.

I did find out later that she was married to Paul Simon and her younger sister was in the same graduating class as my younger brother. During their graduation, my parents told me Paul Simon and Edie Brickell were in the audience right in front of them watching Edie's younger sister walk the stage. Unfortunately for me, I was in the Navy at the time and was unable to attend.
 

snarf

making guitars wish they were still trees
and Joan Jett
I'm sure I've told the story here before so won't go into details, but I worked with a guy for a while that ended up eating a meal with Joan Jett out in West Texas about 25 years ago. He always said that she was amazingly down to earth and all around just a super cool person.

I don't think I've ever met anyone really famous that was more than a handshake in a line. Although there was that one night I was leaving Bass Hall after seeing the FW Symphony and a local chorale perform something (don't remember what) when I got run over on the sidewalk by someone in a huge hurry. Dude nearly knocked me over. I didn't see who it was, but turned to my buddy to start complaining about whoever just ran me over. My buddy had stopped walking and was standing there with his mouth open and pointing at the curb muttering "you just got run over by Van Cliburn. That's when I saw Mr Cliburn opening the door and crawling into the back of his waiting limo. So didn't actually meet the dude, but he we were all up in each other's personal space for a fraction of a second.
 

Elio

Student Of The Blues
My favorite encounter was with Bob Newhart at my graduation from grad school. After the ceremony, my brother-in-law pointed him out and said, "hey, there's Bob Newhart". It turns out he was there for a friend's daughter's graduation. Afterward, we all went out to eat at a local restaurant in a cute little outdoor mall, where it turned out that Bob Newhart and his friends also went for lunch. In a further coincidence, it turned out that the friends he was with went to the same church with friends that I was with, so they all knew each other. After lunch, Bob Newhart and I ended up getting ice cream and sitting outside and chatting and eating ice cream for a while. What an amazingly nice guy. Talking to him is like having a conversation with your neighbor over the back fence. I wish I had thought to take a picture with him.

The next favorite was meeting Cary Grant and Jack Lemon together with their wives at a play. I had noticed they were sitting in the row in front of me but then I literally walked into them talking to a fan during intermission. I looked up and realized who they were and they sort of moved over to make room for me to join the conversation. I don't typically get star-struck, but I could think of absolutely nothing to say as I was processing who I was with. Cary Grant finally put his hand out and said, "hello!". Both of them are in my "movie legends" category, so I wish I had been quicker on my feet for that one.
 
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Slofinger

Blues Junior
I was nine years old when the Dodgers came to L.A. And the players were memorable. I used to go see them at the Coliseum, and then Chavez Ravine. Years later in the mid eighties Sandy Koufax lived in the town I worked in and I saw him at the golf course quite often. One day I saw his truck (Ford Courier) outside the auto parts store. So I waited for him and got his autograph. We reminisced about those old days for quite awhile. Imagine, standing there carrying on a conversation with a living legend!
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
The San Francisco Giants obtained a new player, whose name was Willie McCovey. Willie was playing for the Phoenix Giants baseball club. He had just signed a contract with the SF Giants, who paid his bus fare from Phoenix to San Francisco, in July 1959. There was no additional cash involved for the move.

Willie was 6'5” and I am 6' 7”. I was 17 when I met him for the first time at Levin's Auto Supply in San Francisco, on Van Ness Avenue near Market. Levin's also sold parts for bicycles, and I needed a part for my bicycle. I walked up to Willie, and he directed me to the area I was interested in. He was very polite and soft spoken. He worked at Levin's because the Giants did not pay him much that first year. I later had him autograph a baseball, his major league baseball card, and an autograph book, items that I still have. He has always been my favorite baseball player! :)

I also met and had great conversations with Bob St. Clair (6' 8”) San Francisco 49er's. Bob told me he was a Graphic Arts Major in college. I can palm a basketball, and Bob's hand was about 1 ½ times larger than mine. He said “It is nice to meet someone your own size”! Bob invited Katy and I to his house in Santa Rosa. I also met another 49er, this time at my doctors office. His name was R. C. Owens, famous for the “Alley-Opp” play, with Y.A.Tittle. Such a polite man! :)

Tom
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
I was nine years old when the Dodgers came to L.A. And the players were memorable. I used to go see them at the Coliseum, and then Chavez Ravine. Years later in the mid eighties Sandy Koufax lived in the town I worked in and I saw him at the golf course quite often. One day I saw his truck (Ford Courier) outside the auto parts store. So I waited for him and got his autograph. We reminisced about those old days for quite awhile. Imagine, standing there carrying on a conversation with a living legend!

Sandy Koufax was an outstanding pitcher. He was known as "The Giant Killer"! That is alright, as the Giants are my favorite baseball team, and Sandy was one of the best pitchers to play baseball.

Tom
 

snarf

making guitars wish they were still trees
He had just signed a contract with the SF Giants, who paid his bus fare from Phoenix to San Francisco, in July 1959. There was no additional cash involved for the move.
That story makes me think that I grew up living across the street from Gerald Carter. Didn't think about him because I never thought of him as famous even though I used to watch him on tv on Sunday afternoons. He was an NFL wide receiver, but it was back in the day when NFL players didn't get the kind of money they get these days. Regular house in a regular neighborhood, not even one of the fancy neighborhoods in town. He had grown up in town and played for the local high school, then went to the university across town, and then got drafted to play for the Tampa Bay Bucs. Super cool guy!

Every year he'd bring me a team pic that had been autographed by the entire team (really wish I would've kept one) even though I wasn't really a Bucs fan. He and his family lived there for about 6 months of the year and then in FL for about 6 months. Whenever he'd be in town he'd be jogging up and down our street tossing the ball into the air and catching it, and never complained when I'd come out and ask to play catch. When he retired from football, he started working with the local Boys and Girls Club trying to make a difference in the lives of the kids. Everybody in town knew who he was, but he was my neighbor. His oldest daughter (who was several years younger than me) used to come over and play basketball with me occasionally. He's a stand-up guy if ever there was one. I never think about him as being a famous guy (he wasn't a really well known player I don't think). In my mind, he's still just Mr Carter, the guy that lived across the street and happened to play football.
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
I mentioned Bob St. Clair in my post above. In 1953, he was offered a contract with the 49ers. He was the "first hold out" in the history of the NFL. He held out, in his rookie year, for $5,000 and he got what he asked for! :) Times change and all that. :eek:

Tom
 

PapaBear

Guit Fiddlier
I was nine years old when the Dodgers came to L.A. And the players were memorable. I used to go see them at the Coliseum, and then Chavez Ravine. Years later in the mid eighties Sandy Koufax lived in the town I worked in and I saw him at the golf course quite often. One day I saw his truck (Ford Courier) outside the auto parts store. So I waited for him and got his autograph. We reminisced about those old days for quite awhile. Imagine, standing there carrying on a conversation with a living legend!
I was lucky to get to know Phil Neikro, quite well, a friend lived across the cove from him on Lake Lanier, Phil would come over to his New Year's Party every year at 1:00 AM and entertain us all with stories and card and magic tricks he picked up from years on the road, I think it kind of let him revisit those days. My Dad had a quadruple bypass and a valve replacement and was in the hospital recuperating, one day when I was visiting I ran into Phil in the hall, his wife was having a procedure, I told what a big fan my dad was and immediately he insisted I take him to meet him, my dad just couldn't believe Phil Neikro was visiting him in the hospital, I was of course forever grateful to Phil for taking the time to lift my Dad's spirits! I think I've told my Kenny Rogers story before, so I want redux that here
 

Slofinger

Blues Junior
Sandy Koufax was an outstanding pitcher. He was known as "The Giant Killer"! That is alright, as the Giants are my favorite baseball team, and Sandy was one of the best pitchers to play baseball.

Tom
I was at the San Francisco airport with my brother one day around 1962 or so when the Giants landed. Willie Mays, Willie McCovey. I wore Willie Mays #24 in Little League and Pony League.
 

Dr. Ron

Nuthin’ But The Blues!
I mentioned Bob St. Clair in my post above. In 1953, he was offered a contract with the 49ers. He was the "first hold out" in the history of the NFL. He held out, in his rookie year, for $5,000 and he got what he asked for! :) Times change and all that. :eek:

Tom

I don't think I would argue with a guy that ate raw meat! Good Bay Area stories guys. It was good growing up in those days.
 
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