meeting famous people

[skipclone 1]

One of my cousins saw Stanley Jordan at a small club in California, got to meet him and they had an extended conversation about something they were both interested in-string theory.

[A String]

Originally posted by skipclone 1:

One of my cousins saw Stanley Jordan at a small club in California, got to meet him and they had an extended conversation about something they were both interested in-string theory.

SEE!!! String theory does tie everything together! I knew it!

[Dr. Ellwood]

Originally posted by A String:

Originally posted by skipclone 1:

One of my cousins saw Stanley Jordan at a small club in California, got to meet him and they had an extended conversation about something they were both interested in-string theory.

SEE!!! String theory does tie everything together! I knew it!

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by A String:

String theory does tie everything together!

Knot really, but I'll bow to you anyway.

[picker]

I met Ted Nugent at a party back in the fall of '71. He was kind of a jerk but not unfreindly, and he was funny. I didn't hate the guy after meeting him. I did spend more time talking with Joe Vitale, who was his drummer at the time. He was a party guy, and having a good time.

I met Phil Keaggy after a concert here in Kansas City back about '93. I had seen a bunch of folks come up to him with obviously prepared speeches about how they loved his playing and all, and it seemd like it would be more of a drag for him to have to think of something to reply. When my friend (who knew him well enough to get backstage before the concert was over)introduced us, I was gonna let him "off the hook" by not making him engage as it were. But he asked me questions, seemed genuinely interested in connecting with me. Great guy, very genuine about his beliefs and interested in people as more than fans or cashcows to keep him in business.

[Trucks]

When im famous you can all come meet me if you like

 

 

lol

[Eric Iverson]

There are famous people I'd like to meet, and actually HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH, like I do with you guys!

 

But to just kiss their a## and tell them how life had no meaning till I heard their music... in line behind 1,000 other people wanting to tell them the same thing... no thanks, I'll pass!

[Bbach1]

I'm not much for worrying about meeting anyone famous. I'll take all the friends I can get, famous or not.

Years ago I and a partner had a couple music stores, one here and one up north about a hundred miles or so. We put on a couple concerts in our local civic center. The center only seats about 10,000, so these were bands that would only draw that or less. We never made money on the concerts, but it drew customers to our stores. We brought in The Ozark Mountain Daredevels one time and they were a total bunch of pricks. We had to make sure they had a certain brand of booze before they would play. We gave away a couple back stage passes to some lucky customers of ours and the band completly grossed them out. Very rude, drunk, and obnoxious.

Ambrosia, Adam and the Ants, as I recall, very nice people.

[Eric Iverson]

Yeah, it ought to be clear by now that because a person is part of a group selling lots of CDs or movie tickets, it doesn't mean that their LIFE is a class act!

 

And yes, I know, I live in a glass house, too, and am still working on MINE....

[Eric Iverson]

Why would anyone have a thing against Alan Alda?

 

I loved M*A*S*H and other things I've seen him in, ... interviews with Charlie Rose, and narrations on science programs etc.

 

I don't know the man personally, but he always struck me as a nice guy, and not an arrogant ()*)*)$ or anything!

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Joe Bbach:

We brought in The Ozark Mountain Daredevels one time and they were a total bunch of pricks.

That's a pity. I really love some of their stuff.

[Guitarzan]

i don't think i have a strong desire to meet anyone famous. but it would be cool to meet some of you guys and gals.

[Pappy P]

I try to treat famous people the way I would like to be treated. I give them thier own personal space. Personally, I dis-trust people who approach me, especially if they act like they know me or are asking me questions.

 

But then again, I'm not famous, so I have no idea how I would act if someone wanted just to shake my hand or get my autograph. I would like to think I would handle it professionally, since these are the people who would supporting me with thier hard earned money and thier precious (ever so precious and limited) free time.

[Big Red 67]

Lets face it time is the only currency that is really worth anything.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by Pappy P:

these are the people who would supporting me with thier hard earned money and thier precious (ever so precious and limited) free time.

Yeah, but... say you ran a restaurant. People come and eat at your place and yes, you owe your success to their continued custom, blah, blah, blah...

 

But if you were a restauranteur and people banged on your house door at 3:00 and insisted that you fried some eggs for them, you'd tell them where to go, no matter how often they drop in for dinner at your place. Running a restaurant involves a certain amount of creative talent (much like being a musician) but everybody realises that there are such set-in-marble things as opening and closing hours.

 

In the same way, even if I own a copy of some guy's record, I don't think that gives me a right to a little bit of that person's time regardless of the time and place.

[Big Red 67]

Originally posted by Kramer Ferrington III.:

Originally posted by Pappy P:

these are the people who would supporting me with thier hard earned money and thier precious (ever so precious and limited) free time.

Yeah, but... say you ran a restaurant. People come and eat at your place and yes, you owe your success to their continued custom, blah, blah, blah...

 

But if you were a restauranteur and people banged on your house door at 3:00 and insisted that you fried some eggs for them, you'd tell them where to go, no matter how often they drop in for dinner at your place. Running a restaurant involves a certain amount of creative talent (much like being a musician) but everybody realises that there are such set-in-marble things as opening and closing hours.

 

In the same way, even if I own a copy of some guy's record, I don't think that gives me a right to a little bit of that person's time regardless of the time and place.

No, but I think the fact that we are human gives us the right to be treated kindly regardless of anothers status, fame, or fortune.

[fantasticsound]

Originally posted by Bluesape:

I was an extra in "Canadian Bacon". It's not like we had much of a conversation, he was just friendlier than Rhea Perlman, John Candy, Rip Torn, and other cast members, who were admittedly busier at the time. If you recall the scene with the rocket launcher being auctioned off, I was the guy bidding against Kevin O'Connell's character, "Roy Boy".

Cool that you were an extra in a movie, Reif, but I find the bold statement amusing. After John Candy died, Jim Belushi was interviewed about his friend and he said Candy was the kind of guy who couldn't leave a room without shaking hands with everyone who wanted to meet him. He recalled times when Jim and their management had to push him out the door after personal appearances because they would've missed their flight out.

 

I try to give celebrities as much space as possible. If I don't have something intelligent to say, a simple acknowledgement is as far as I'll go. I've had the many opportunities to interact with celebrities on live gigs I've worked, whether as crew or mixer. On many jobs it's absolutely forbidden to mingle with the artists unless they initiate the conversation or you have specific business with them. It's too easy to lose a contract off a bad reaction from the artist. And it may not be one client. It may be a house contract for a large venue.

 

All that said, I'm somewhat saddened that I ate dinner 3ft. from James Taylor backstage and couldn't strike up a conversation with him. Those celebrities I have spoken to have, on the whole, been kind and respectful.

 

I will say I object to conversations like this that describe how "x" celebrity acts with their public. Certainly there are those who are jerks and don't appreciate where their fortunes of fame and money come from. But more often bad reputations come about becaue fans have bought into the notion that they've bought access to celebrities simply for having bought an album, seen a movie or bought a concert ticket.

 

I feel I must point out that some of these people are dogged every day by fans, reporters and business interests. They don't get to call a day off and have that respected by the public. If you had a bad experience with a celebrity, aside from those who are pricks (few, IMO), they may have met 2,000 people before you and they're tired. They may be sick. They may simply have had a bad day but all you care about is they didn't have the time for you when you felt they should. I've heard more stupid comments about celebrities I've worked with and how they were rude to fans that ignore the many hours a year they spend specifically catering to the fans.

 

And worse than that I hate hearing about celebrities who buy into the same belief to the detriment of their own famiilies. Reba McEntire once scolded her 5 year old, after he waved off fans at our local mall saying, "No autographs today!", by telling him they were the reason he has a beautiful home and toys, etc. It was years later I read she regretted that incident, as well she should have. A 5 year old neither understands nor should understand sharing his mom with scores of fans every time they shop or eat out.

 

Again, there are extremes of kind, generous as well as petty and rude celebrities. But please accept the answer, "No." if a celebrity you like refuses your request. I know it may be the only time you ever meet them, but is it really worth meeting them if they don't want to meet you, for whatever reason?

[Big Red 67]

No shouldn't hurt a persons feellings without a doubt. It might bum me out that I missed a chance to connect with another person though. I wouldn't hold it against someone.

[Pappy P]

Krammer's Right. Everyone is entitled to the same courtesies and decorum you would expect in the real world.

 

IF someone was knocking on Jon Bon Jovi's door at 3 in the morning for an autograph, that person would be a stalker.

 

But if a superstar is making a public appearance, then he should be considerate and professional. Unless of course you are Marilyn Manson and you have a certain persona to perform--but even then, there's no reason to be rude. In truth, I've never heard of Marilyn Manson being unkind to anyone, I just used him as an example because of his wild persona.

 

I think this comes back to the Dixie Chicks thread. How serious do you take your whole celebrity status? How big of a deal are you really?

 

I've heard that even if you are invited to an Elton John party, you are not allowed to approach him with out expressed or written permission.

 

What really set's you apart from other people?

If you are out in public and you put you self on display, how much privacy can you expect.

 

Ofcourse if you are at home, you should expect privacy.

 

I think non-celebrities should treat celebrities the way they would treat regular people they meet in public. Would you walk up to some stranger on the street and act like a jerk off. No you would not.

 

I suspect if you approach someone politely and with tact and decorum, they would not be inclined to be dismissive or rude.

[Scott Fraser]

<< Adam and the Ants, as I recall, very nice people.>>

 

He spent a week in my studio many many years ago, & I found him very reserved & distant, & his guitarist Marco was a genuine strange-nik. Glad you got on well with them, though.

 

Scott Fraser

[Bluesape]

Neil, perhaps I should clarify that we were on a set, scenes were being shot, and we lowly extras weren't supposed to speak to the cast. I was supposed to be in a crowd shot, but was too stubborn to vacate the auction scene, so they left me in it, and Kevin O'Connell devised a funny moment, pulling down my arm as I was bidding, and winning the bid on the rocket launcher/bazooka/whatever. I guess I looked the part of a beefy overfed factory grunt, cuz they kept the scene. There were hundreds of people in this warehouse, and John Candy would have been hours if he spoke to everyone. I'm not saying he wasn't engaging, just busier than Alda was at that precise moment. Rhea Perlman walked past people as if they weren't there, not snotty, just working, and staying in character.

 

Interstingly enough, this gig as an extra came by way of a talent recruiter wandering into my band's gig at the now defunct Pastificio's on Yonge Street. He spoke to me during a break, was happy that crowds didn't bother me, and liked my miniature Grizzly Adams look, saying I looked right for a minor part in an upcoming film. I'd been hit up dozens of times by so-called promoters over the years, as I'm sure many of us have, who usually turn out to be broke hustlers trying to snag beer money. But, we exchanged numbers, and I thought that would be the end of it, but I did hear from an agency a few days later!

[GuitarPlayerFL]

Ritchie Blackmore - Polite, but distant. Signed my "Made In Japan" vinyl album.

 

Roger Glover - Great guy and personality.

 

Steve Morse - A++ attitude and friendlyness...a gentleman.

 

Craig Chaquico - Friendly.

 

Jeff Watson (Night Ranger) - Cold...basically ignored my questions. I ended up walking away.

 

Tony Curtis - Very friendly...my 85 year old Aunt was in heaven when he talked to her as he was a sex symbol when she was younger.

[BiC]

I've met a few, but the most memorable was Metal Church back in 91 on the "Human Factor" tour. It's when John Marshall was with them and Mike Howe on vocals. If you recall, John Marshall filled in twice for James Hetfield on tour when James broke his wrist and was burned by that pyro accident.

 

Anyways, they were a great group of guys just hanging out with their fans in the parking lot after the concert. REALLY cool to hang with.

[vikingrat]

Originally posted by GuitarPlayerSoCal:

Ritchie Blackmore - Polite, but distant. Signed my "Made In Japan" vinyl album.

 

Roger Glover - Great guy and personality.

 

Steve Morse - A++ attitude and friendlyness...a gentleman.

 

Craig Chaquico - Friendly.

 

Jeff Watson (Night Ranger) - Cold...basically ignored my questions. I ended up walking away.

 

Tony Curtis - Very friendly...my 85 year old Aunt was in heaven when he talked to her as he was a sex symbol when she was younger.

Blackmore! that rules.From working at Sam ash,Tower records on sunset,Virgin megastore,Gc and working out at the old Worlds gym in Venice ive met to many to mention and most i didn't give a shit about.Exceptions would be Billy Gibbons,Holdsworth,John Sykes Lemmy and Coverdale.There has been some real assholes but like they say,if you cant say something nice.........

[Darcy H]

A nurse friend of mine saw Harrison Ford having lunch in a fancy restaurant, went over to say "hi" in typical East Coast fashion (none too invasive) and he was pretty chatty. She ended up asking him if he's care for a home cooked meal some time. He accepted and had a nice dinner with her and her family the next night, even brought the wine. Next day he took them all out touring the Halifax area in his helicopter. Pretty down to earth guy.

 

I've shook hands and made a joke with Rick Mercer (Canadian comedian), pretty funny guy. His brothers in a celtic band that my wife's boss was in, and I did have breakfast beside Harvey Keitel once in a restaurant, but I didn't bother him.

[Guitarzan]

Paris Hilton helped me with my camcorder once.......

[Eric Iverson]

I guess the closest I've gotten was when Robben Ford went over to talk to some girls who knew him just before a concert. I happened to be seated right next to them, but didn't want to interrupt a private conversation.

 

Oh, and I went to an Allan Holdsworth clinic at a Sam Ash store, and even asked him a question... and then there was the line to meet him and have him sign the CD, but I didn't have the cash on me to buy it, plus which, I'd like to have a REAL conversation with him, not just "you're so wonderful, you're so wonderful...." etc. for 30 seconds or so!

[Greg B.]

Besides my Jimmie Vaughn meeting, I met Billy Sheehan about late 1989 in a little guitar shop (next to Voltage Guitars, if I remember correctly) just off of Sunset in Hollywood. I wasn't positive it was him till I saw his old Fender bass on the workbench. He was really nice, polite and acted like he was really interested in what I had to say. This was right before Mr. Big came out and I asked a few nonspecific questions about the new stuff and he was pretty excited to talk about it. Very cool guy! BTW, I had read an interview with him some time before this (DLR days) and they basically asked if he was making lots of money, he said that he was still living in the same house and driving the same green Pinto. And wouldn't you know it, we saw him leaving a little while later and he was actually getting into a green Pinto that was bordering on being a POS! For a 19 years old metalhead, it was the coolest thing!

[fantasticsound]

Originally posted by Bluesape:

Neil, perhaps I should clarify that we were on a set, scenes were being shot, and we lowly extras weren't supposed to speak to the cast...

No clarification necessary. Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. You had already mentioned they were working. It just struck me as amusing because Candy had such a reputation for kindness and generousity to his fans. Of course it's different in a working environment while they're working.

 

Around the time Garth Brooks was on top of the world and had famously spent 23 hours straight signing autographs at Fan Fair (now the CMA Music Festival) I had several run-ins with him.

 

This was when CRS (Country Radio Seminar) was still held at Opryland Hotel. I had a small band gig to mix in one of the smallest ballrooms but had to enter past a ballroom that had been turned into autograph booths for the DJ's and radio personalities to meet & greet with stars. An industry version of Fan Fair.

 

When I arrived to load-in they were in full swing. I loaded in, set up, did the show, packed up, began loading out and peeked my head in the ballroom on my way to the truck. It was a shambles. paper everywhere being picked up by maintenance workers. Booths and tables being broken down and moved out. Despite this, one booth still have 20 - 30 autograph seekers. Sure enough, it was Garth.

 

6 months later (just before Christmas) I worked a larger ballroom at Opryland Hotel (I was there most every night for Opryland Productions.) at a time when security on the loading docks and parking for contractors was pretty lax. This was an unusual gig in that I had two extra bodies to help load and run spot for the show. Afterward, we opened the dock door to a sea of parked cars of performers working other rooms. There was no way to load our 17ft. box truck, let alone drive away. It was 45 minutes before the other cars began to leave. I was pissed as we loaded the truck.

 

Fortunately, the warehouse was almost next door to the hotel, however, due to the massive light display surrounding the hotel it was one way traffic except for the first 40 feet on the access road. This forced us to drive to the Opry House artist entrance to access the warehouse. As we pulled up to the guard gate (after 12:30am) I noticed a group of people waiting in line in front of a full size Chevy pickup. Sure enough, there was Garth signing autographs in front of his crew cab, 5 patient people waiting inside. There were 6 or 7 fans still in line.

 

I pulled in the parking area, asked my guys if they minded stopping and we all piled out to take a look. I asked the guard if I could get in line and was told, "Yes."

 

I had my mini-Les Paul copy (famous here from my "Domino the cat plays guitar" avatar) and he graciously signed it, "God bless you, Neil. Garth Brooks". A lady who had been several places ahead of me insisted on taking a picture of me with Garth and later sent me a copy.

 

I was already a fan a fan of his music, but not a huge fan. I don't idolize the man or anything like that. But I can tell you Garth's giving attitude turned a really pissy night for me into a memorable experience. Where the crew and fans are concerned he's a class act.

 

Even if he'd declined to let us get in line, I would've understood.

[Rhino Madness]

You guys have some great stories here (but please Guitarzan, don't reveal any detail)!

 

Famous people are just that, people. Some are very comfortable mingling with a crowd, some are not. Some will be very welcoming with stories and anecdotes, others are naturally very private. When faced with fans day in and day out, their personality will definitely come through.

 

It's also good to remember that some artists became famous because they expressed their rebellion and extreme anger through their art (is it then surprising if they're not too likeable in person with total strangers that want something from them?)

 

I've met quite a few famous people, some at meet'n'greets, some at unrelated places. Some very nice ones that stand out: Les Paul (what a sweet man), John McLaughlin, Gary Hoey, Billy Sheehan, Barry Sparks (bassist for a bunch of guitar greats, currently touring with Dokken), Robert Godin,...

 

In 2003, I was personally invited backstage at a G3 show (how cool is that? ). Joe seemed genuinely interested in everybody's comments, Steve had a definite aura surrounding him and was very cool (in all the meanings of the word) and Yngwie just seemed to totally be himself no matter where he is; he just sounded like he would speak the same way whether he's on the stage, talking to fans or talking to close friends sitting in his living room (which would explain why it's so easy for him to get bad press as he always speaks his mind with a devil may care attitude).

 

But to this day, the famous encounter that I cherish most is when, as a kid, I met a famous influential political hero (please don't ask, I'm not telling who it is). My buddy and I saw him get into a newspaper store on an early Sunday morning and when he came out, followed by his bodyguard, he walked to these two starstruck kids to say hello with his characteristic warm smile on his face before getting back to his limo. He was truly greater than life.

 

But most famous people are just that, people.