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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2020 13:03:22 GMT -5
Been a while since we've had a new thread topic at the TIF, and I'm nothing if not opposed to tilting at windmills.
Who is the most famous person you've met, in real life or maybe you have an interesting online or other interaction.
Me:
Philip Glass, the composer. A good friend in college knows him--his mom is Glass' best friend. So, got to meet him backstage at a performance in St. Louis. Very nice man. I was explicitly forbidden by my friend to talk music with Glass, to which I was initially confounded by (I'm a fan and, you know, what else do you talk about with a composer upon meeting?) but I quickly got it. Glass is a very down-to-earth person and he gets very few chances to be a normal guy and not a world-famous composer when on tour.
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Crash Test Dumbass
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Mar 2, 2020 14:50:45 GMT -5
I'll share mine later, but to piggyback off of this, who was the coolest famous person you've ever met?
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 2, 2020 15:03:40 GMT -5
Not many, but in 2002 I interned at Interview Magazine and delivered a transcript of an interview with The Rock to Scarlett Johnansson, who was 17 at the time and just getting started. Otherwise, Neil Gaiman, and I had a brief twitter interaction with Adam Savage.
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Post by MyNameIsNoneOfYourGoddamnBusin on Mar 2, 2020 16:13:48 GMT -5
Chris Cornell at a small private acoustic concert in 2013. He did not seem pleased to be there or to be required to interact with us.
I also did a quick handshake with Bono as he passed through a crowd, but I don't count that as "meeting."
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Dellarigg
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Post by Dellarigg on Mar 2, 2020 16:55:45 GMT -5
Not met, exactly, but in my theatre days I was once in small group of post-show drinkers that included a pre-GoT Jerome Flynn (Bronn). I should say that pre-GoT Jerome Flynn had lots of UK fame but zero cache. He was quiet and likeable all the same.
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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 2, 2020 17:05:58 GMT -5
I wouldn't say we met per se, but I was the the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in NYC and Barbara Walters asked me if there was room for her to scooch closer to the action (it was packed) I made some kind of joke about perhaps needing the assistance of a billy club or something along those lines, and she kinda chuckled and went past.
Gripping story, right?
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Post by Powerthirteen on Mar 2, 2020 18:38:37 GMT -5
I introduced myself to John Glenn at a conference and got his autograph.
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Post by Nudeviking on Mar 2, 2020 18:50:54 GMT -5
I met 80s pro-wrestleman, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka in the parking lot of a shopping mall in upstate New York at some point in the mid-90s. He told my friends and I to "Keep it cool guys. Keep it cool..." which I don't think was advice he himself followed earlier in his life. Other than that I've met and hung out with a lot of random Korean rock bands though it's doubtful anyone outside of Korea would be familiar with them.
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Post by Mr. Greene's October Surprise on Mar 2, 2020 18:57:47 GMT -5
Grabbed Bernie Sanders's hand at a rally back in 2016.
Was Facebook friends with J.J. Abrams's partner until a month ago, which meant I got to hear from him, too.
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Post by Mr. Greene's October Surprise on Mar 2, 2020 19:00:34 GMT -5
Oh, have met Catherine Tate, Gwendoline Christie, Beverly D'Angelo, and "Weird" Al Yankovic at cons.
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Post by Mr. Greene's October Surprise on Mar 2, 2020 22:06:12 GMT -5
Oh, shit, how could I forget: I met STAN LEE.  |
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Post by moimoi on Mar 2, 2020 23:44:34 GMT -5
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton (a couple times), Condoleeza Rice, Barney Frank, Rahm Emanuel (a couple times), various ambassadors
Barry Jenkins, Kristin Schaal, and Kumail Nanjiani are friends-of-friends (also Panda Bear and Sasha Velour, but I haven't met them)
In concert/record store settings I have met Flight of the Conchords, Debbie Harry & Chris Stein, Stephen Merritt, The Roots, and many lesser-known artists.
EDIT: forgot about my Nick Cave encounter last Fall!
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Post by Hachiman on Mar 3, 2020 0:57:36 GMT -5
Almost entirely during my college years: Hillary Clinton, Ralph Nader, the playwright August Wilson(we had a nice chat when he came to a cafe I was working at), the writer Sherman Alexie, De La Soul, Bill Gates once or twice, and Dave Matthews at a taco restaurant where he tried to steal my table.
I've met a few famous Japan bloggers over the years, but I don't know who else here would recognize them.
We've never actually met, but Anna Faris is from my hometown and her mom worked at my elementary school when I went there. Her dad was a VP at my university and I met him a few times as well. So I knew one of her parents before she was famous and the other after she was famous.
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Crash Test Dumbass
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Mar 3, 2020 9:29:24 GMT -5
I'm never sure who qualifies as "most famous": Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton, or Buzz Aldrin. Also Weird Al and Stan Lee; the former is just totally awesome, and the second was very happy to meet fans but his handlers were total dicks.
And to answer my own question: Henry Winkler was easily the coolest celeb I ever met. Most celebs at cons sit behind a table and have their handlers do everything. He had his handler sit behind the table and was greeting everybody on line, shaking hands, saying hi, and just giving off a feeling of "Wow, all you guys are here to see me, and I'm just some short Jewish kid from Manhattan, this is amazing! You guys are so awesome!"
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Post by Powerthirteen on Mar 3, 2020 10:17:50 GMT -5
I'm never sure who qualifies as "most famous": Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton, or Buzz Aldrin. Also Weird Al and Stan Lee; the former is just totally awesome, and the second was very happy to meet fans but his handlers were total dicks. And to answer my own question: Henry Winkler was easily the coolest celeb I ever met. Most celebs at cons sit behind a table and have their handlers do everything. He had his handler sit behind the table and was greeting everybody on line, shaking hands, saying hi, and just giving off a feeling of "Wow, all you guys are here to see me, and I'm just some short Jewish kid from Manhattan, this is amazing! You guys are so awesome!" You met Robert Caro! He trumps all these guys! |
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Post by ganews on Mar 3, 2020 12:03:07 GMT -5
A couple indie musicians who by definition I guess aren't famous, but a good number of reasonably famous scientists, including a couple Nobel Prize winners (Fenn and Tanaka, Chemistry 2002).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2020 12:12:16 GMT -5
A couple indie musicians who by definition I guess aren't famous, but a good number of reasonably famous scientists, including a couple Nobel Prize winners (Fenn and Tanaka, Chemistry 2002). So awesome. I hope we can return to the days when Nobel Prize winners are covered in the celebrity rags like Niels Bohr and Max Planck were in the '20s. |
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Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Mar 3, 2020 12:20:52 GMT -5
Semi-met James Franco w/out knowing it—not so much met as ran into him at a bookstore and disappointed him by not recognizing him right away—gave me a sort of “really, you’re not going to say anything?” look and didn’t realize it.What a piece of shit. Is it possible that he was disappointed that you weren't complimenting him on how smart he must be for buying copies of McCarthy's Border Trilogy or whatever he was purchasing? |
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on Mar 3, 2020 12:29:51 GMT -5
The McElroy Brothers. So not very famous, but very very good.
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Post by ganews on Mar 3, 2020 12:46:19 GMT -5
A couple indie musicians who by definition I guess aren't famous, but a good number of reasonably famous scientists, including a couple Nobel Prize winners (Fenn and Tanaka, Chemistry 2002). So awesome. I hope we can return to the days when Nobel Prize winners are covered in the celebrity rags like Niels Bohr and Max Planck were in the '20s. I just finished the new Sam Kean book, this one about the mission to thwart a Nazi atomic bomb. Apparently Bohr was a real blabbermouth who didn't pay attention and was easily recognized by his huge noggin. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2020 13:00:07 GMT -5
You'd think living in Winnipeg I'd run into a shit-ton of stars but nah. I met Stan Lee but only because he was signing books and I was 11 years old. I sing in a choir with John K. Samson and chat with him sometimes but I dunno if he counts as famous. I have no real desire to chat with any star, though I bet Leonard Cohen served very good olives--like, olives that make you question your whole fuckin life they're so good. Probably best he's dead and not serving me olives of existential torment.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2020 13:26:06 GMT -5
I'm trying to remember any celebrity meetings that have been more than a handshake/saying hi, and can't. Every one I'm excited to meet, I freeze up and stay silent other than a "hi" or something. I get nervous in crowds so tend to avoid Cons even though I love the IDEA of them. I wanted to say hi to Weird Al after both concerts I saw him at, but was too nervous and just left, even knowing he's apparently super nice.
Penn & Teller, Craig Chaquico (of Jefferson Starship), Richard Dawkins...if I remember more I'll just edit this post.
Online though, I've written to several people over the years and gotten nice responses. Bruce Campbell was brief but funny as expected. Zilpha Keatley Snyder was very kind, as was Stephen Donaldson.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 3, 2020 13:30:43 GMT -5
As a kid I wrote a few letters to authors and remember three responses specifically... William Sleator sent a brief note and autographed photo. John Marsden told me I was correct about my interpretation of the ending of Letters From the Inside. And Jerry Spinelli was very excited to hear from a kid from Norristown, Pa. (Which is where he's from and the thinly-disguised setting for several of his books.) I remember a nice letter and that he included his actual home return address on the envelope.
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Post by Mrs David Tennant on Mar 3, 2020 15:45:07 GMT -5
Michael Bolton (in the 80s)
Have received responses from authors: Robert Sawyer and Christopher Moore
Conventions: Kevin Sorbo, Marina Sirtis, probably several others I'll remember later
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Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on Mar 3, 2020 16:12:15 GMT -5
Sat next to a very nice woman on the train ride back to NYC after Thanksgiving break when I was in college who gave me a little yellow flyer and told me she played classical guitar. It turned out she was Sharon Isbin, who has won multiple Grammy awards and founded the guitar department at Julliard. I think I still have the flyer.
Met Mary McConnell at C2E2 a few years back, because a friend of mine who really loves Battlestar Galactica wanted an autograph. I was in cosplay as Louise from Bob's Burgers and she was very nice, even though I know I looked ridiculous with pink bunny ears waving around.
I've met a bunch of comic book writers and artists at cons - Kelly Sue DeConnick, Gail Simone, Joe Quiñones, Phil Noto, Nathan Edmonson, Marguerite Sauvage, Stephanie Hans, and a bunch more who I'm likely forgetting.
Paul F. Tompkins smiled at me as he made his (late) way up to the stage at NYCC, and it counts because I was not having a good time thanks to some friends being awful, and he was the only person who was even remotely nice to me that weekend.
Walked by Matt Bomer in Manhattan once but had no idea because I was paying attention to something else, as I usually am, because ADHD.
Saw Terry Quinn in a local Starbucks (he lives in suburban Baltimore) at like 8 AM on a weekday and he was nice enough to take a photo with a fan of his. I did not bother him as I have not seen any of his work that I can recall and I also do not like to bother anyone when they are just going about their day.
Wil Wheaton picked a fight with me on Tumblr once and lost, because he has the reading comprehension of a paving stone and I wasn't about to let him get away with talking to me the way he did.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 3, 2020 16:23:41 GMT -5
Saw Terry Quinn in a local Starbucks (he lives in suburban Baltimore) at like 8 AM on a weekday and he was nice enough to take a photo with a fan of his. I did not bother him as I have not seen any of his work that I can recall and I also do not like to bother anyone when they are just going about their day. Wil Wheaton picked a fight with me on Tumblr once and lost, because he has the reading comprehension of a paving stone and I wasn't about to let him get away with talking to me the way he did. You mean Terry O'Quinn, from LOST? I mostly know him from that (and the short lived 666 Park Avenue and his brief stint on Emergence) but he seems like a cool guy. I don't know if I would have talked to him either though. Wil ... based on following him on Twitter before he left it, seems like a decent enough dude but very very sensitive to criticism. Probably for the best that he left Twitter. I did once follow Jared Leto around the Whitney art museum, but I didn't talk to him and I was trying really hard not to be a stalker weirdo (it was pretty busy, a new exhibit had just opened, I just wanted to confirm it was him) |
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Mar 3, 2020 16:34:37 GMT -5
Also I just got tickets to a photo op with Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, so I will get to complete my Clinton collection.
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Post by MyNameIsNoneOfYourGoddamnBusin on Mar 3, 2020 16:41:22 GMT -5
Couple others:
My hometown celebrity was Dr. Kevorkian. I saw him around, but never spoke to him.
I met the Head of the National Archives (this was back in 2011 but he apparently still holds the post). Our entire conversation was about muffins despite the fact that no muffins were present.
One current member of the US Senate. He was walking by and I said "Aren't you the guy who lost the Attorney General race?"
A small number of semi-famous musicians, including: two non-original members of the Ramones, Dave Wakeling of the English Beat (who gave me an impromptu but possibly incorrect Catholic history lesson), Marshall Crenshaw (friend of the family so I don't know if it counts), Tommy Stinson from the Replacements (most famous person to ever hug me, if that's a category), the band Wolf Alice, the guy who wrote the King of the Hill theme song, and stretching the definition of "met" Duff McKagan from Guns N' Roses and I once held glasses and toasted each other from across a parking lot. Dishonorable mention for Julian Casablancas from the Strokes, who once stood up a post-concert backstage pass meet-and-greet group I was in, which I guess is a better story than if we'd actually met.
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Post by The Sensational She-Hulk on Mar 3, 2020 16:41:47 GMT -5
Saw Terry Quinn in a local Starbucks (he lives in suburban Baltimore) at like 8 AM on a weekday and he was nice enough to take a photo with a fan of his. I did not bother him as I have not seen any of his work that I can recall and I also do not like to bother anyone when they are just going about their day. Wil Wheaton picked a fight with me on Tumblr once and lost, because he has the reading comprehension of a paving stone and I wasn't about to let him get away with talking to me the way he did. You mean Terry O'Quinn, from LOST? I mostly know him from that (and the short lived 666 Park Avenue and his brief stint on Emergence) but he seems like a cool guy. I don't know if I would have talked to him either though. Wil ... based on following him on Twitter before he left it, seems like a decent enough dude but very very sensitive to criticism. Probably for the best that he left Twitter. I did once follow Jared Leto around the Whitney art museum, but I didn't talk to him and I was trying really hard not to be a stalker weirdo (it was pretty busy, a new exhibit had just opened, I just wanted to confirm it was him) Yes, I do mean Terry O'Quinn, thanks! I didn't Google it the way I should have to get his name right. I was with a friend who actually was the one to notice him (there is a trend of me not noticing my surroundings) and she was like, "If anyone asked me for a photo before I had coffee, I'd probably stab them. He must be a really nice guy."
I wasn't even criticizing Wil! He picked a fight with me over something completely random (a comic-book writer reblogged someone else's post of a bunch of Captain Marvel fanart that wasn't sourced at all, I replied to the OP to ask her to credit those artists because I knew several of the works on sight and who created them, and he decided I was chastising the comic-book writer when I clearly was not) and he was super nasty about it, so I destroyed him. I'm not bragging, I swear. I just wasn't about to let a total stranger with a huge social media following rip into me for no reason other than that he can't read OR be nice about it. Also, he's a major supporter of Chris Hardwick, so I don't think he's a decent person at all.
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Post by MyNameIsNoneOfYourGoddamnBusin on Mar 3, 2020 16:43:51 GMT -5
Also I just got tickets to a photo op with Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, so I will get to complete my Clinton collection. I hope said collection includes Roger. |
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