Was at LSFest 2010 and talked to Freiburger and Finnegan for a while. They were trying to find a $500 car to drive from LSFest to the start of Drag Week and then run every day. I told them I had just moved to the area and had no leads. They ended up buying the old Beech Bend ambulance and turning it into the Whambulance.
This guy: He really is a nice laid back guy. Gave his grandkids? go kart rides.
Woody wrote: I also shook hands with Carrol Shelby.
How much did he charge you for that?
In reply to sirrichardpumpaloaf:
You should have challenged him to an uphill bike race. 
I went into a Tim Hortons to take a leak and there was a line of guys in suits waiting. The last guy was short and he turned to me and stuck out his hand and said hello and some other bafflegab. I looked at his hand and stuck mine in my pocket and said "why is the berkeleying line so long?" Then I turned and walked out and realized it was Preston Manning and his Reform party on their campaign busses.
May have to be a Canadian over 40 for that one.
MDJeepGuy wrote:Woody wrote: I also shook hands with Carrol Shelby.How much did he charge you for that?
Ha! I had actually typed out "free of charge", but then erased it.
My time with Habitat for Humanity gave me a lot of overlap with Pres Jimmy Carter. Worked on a few of his pet projects, a community center in his home town, etc.
Bantered a lot with him about his "love of Republican causes".
Most memorable moment was actually accidental. For safety reasons with volunteers, HfH had always avoided using nail guns. The annual Jimmy Carter workcamp was the first time we introduced them. House had a wood floor and a crawl space. That means it echoed at LOT. I pulled the trigger on a nail gun to begin nailing down the plywood deck, and the loud echo really made it sound like a real gun.
THAT little moment got me tackled by the Secret Service. 
When I started bartending in L.A. I figured I would be hasseling a lot of celebs. Turns out, I just usually kicked them out of the bar for being douchebuckets.
Never hassled, but I have a picture with Peter Yarrow.
Andre the Giant. We ran into him at a local mall before the 87 Wrestlemania.
I was about 7 at the time and couldn't get over how huge he was in real life - went up to him and asked "hey Mister you're so big what do you eat?"
He leaned way down to look me up and down and shouted "I eat ... FOOOOD!"
I went and thanked Brian Leech for helping win the Stanley Cup at the Last Chance Bar in Burlington, VT during, of course, Irish Happy Hour. He had a friend with him. The Rangers were having the first week of training camp at UVM so we were all on the lookout for hockey players. He shook my hand. Truth be told I never liked "Pinch" much as he was always leaving his defensive partner high and dry.
The most shameful for me personally was when I was a teen out at a movie rental place with my dad. My dad is shameless when it comes to local celebs, chats them up every chance he gets like they know him. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes not so much like the time he got yelled at by Bill Laimbeer at the A&P.
Anyway here we are are Mammoth Video and my dad says to me "Hey that's Joe Kocur!" And before I can stop him he's saying "hey Joe!" shaking the big Red Wings enforcer's hand. He asked him if he would recommend a movie for us to rent. I'm turning red at this point saying "Daaaad!"
Big Joe recommended "Erin Brockovich" I kid you not. And you know what, it wasn't bad.
Lee Iacoca - Sat next to them at Spago in LA. (I love saying that, it sounds so pretentious.) Really great guy, was there with his wife and was gracious and talked to us for a few minutes.
Johnny Cash - Was eating breakfast with June along with his manager and his wife. I picked up their tab (I love saying that, it sounds so pretentious.) He talked to us for a while and was just amazing.
Michael Jordan - Ran into him at an upscale Italian place in DC (I love saying that, it sounds so pretentious.) In his life, we were about the 15-millionth group of star-stuck morons who jumped up and prevented him from leaving so we could take pictures. But, he was friendly, magnanimous and so impressive in person. 5-carat diamond earring, a suit that cost more than my car (and not the $400 one) and a watch that could finance an invasion of Panama.
Vincent Schiavelli (Google him) - Ran into him at in steakhouse at The Bellagio (I love saying that, it sounds so pretentious.) He was with some really stunning women, and kinda wanted nothing to do with us understandably, but was really cool and took some pics and talked for a while.
Jamie Foxx - Him and his crew sat next to me while I was eating outside at some trendy place in South Beach. (I love saying that, it sounds so pretentious.) He was test-driving a Ferrari and a Lamborghini, so he had a limo bring his crew along. I think the dealer was wining and dining him. I was going to go over and say hi, but some drunk tourists tried it and his security guys stopped them. Nicely, perfectly respectfully, like: he was trying to eat dinner and could you please give him some space? Really class act. Eventually I figured out a way to make a comment about the cars and we talked a bit. Cool guy.
Bill Cowher - I was at a private press event sponsored by Heinz (I love saying that, it sounds so pretentious.) and I am in the hallway talking to some guy. I am talking about how the Steelers got a new head coach and maybe that's what this event is all about and how he will never be as good as Chuck Noll and he played for the Browns so what could he know about football and...you guessed it, it was Bill Cowher. He just laughed and asked if I knew anything about football and I admitted that I didn't.
Mike Rowe - I was in the VIP lounge at an trade show (I love saying that, it sounds so pretentious.) and Mike walks in. He is the keynote speaker, so we start talking, take a selfie and he gets ready for his presentation. This is the guy you want in your circle of friends.
Traveling for work and taking clients out to dinners lets you run into a lot of people and sound really pretentious.
I must be hanging out in the wrong places. The only celebrity I can recall bumping in to is Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Many years ago, I was walking into the lobby of a hotel in the Poconos, and he was walking out. Needless to say, I did not choose to take any action that might provoke a flying leap of doom.
When I was a teenager, I worked at a high end grocery store in my town. Celebrities would pop in from time to time. The members of Aerosmith would come in regularly, especially Steven Tyler. In person, he really does look like your 60-something eccentric-but-hip Italian aunt. He sorta acted like that too. Seemed nice enough though.
We also had Christopher Lloyd stop in once with two younger Asian ladies, one on each arm, strolling around the store. I remember going around the store with some of the other employees quoting Back to the Future lines and having him laugh, stuff like "Great Scott!!! The peaches are on sale!!!"... stuff like that.
I shopped for fruit with Darth Vader once.
OK, that's way overselling it.
Truth is, I nearly bumped into (literally) Hayden Christiansen in a supermarket fruit aisle once. I just thought "I must be scaring this pimply dude, he's like running away from me. I just want the damn pears you're in the way of." Rachel Bilson was there too, didn't recognize either of them at the time. I still regret not re-enacting some of the worst scenes from the Star Wars prequels in front of him.
Perhaps those were not the pears you were looking for?
I was at a Mercedes party as part of the Monterey weekend. I was introduced to Marino Franchitti and during shaking hands, Marino spilled a glass of wine on my tie. I had been speaking with his brother Dario just a few minutes before.
A couple of minutes passed.... and the brothers were sitting at a table together. I approached and said "Would the Franchitti brothers like to sign my ruined tie?" They both laughed, and then signed. Marino even wrote---- "Sorry about the tie!"
The next day I was at Pebble beach (wearing a different suit and tie) and Dario comes over and says "This is much better than that ugly thing you were wearing last night!" Nice-- funny guys.
I still have the tie.
Joe Gearin wrote: I was at a Mercedes party as part of the Monterey weekend. I was introduced to Marino Franchitti and during shaking hands, Marino spilled a glass of wine on my tie. I had been speaking with his brother Dario just a few minutes before. A couple of minutes passed.... and the brothers were sitting at a table together. I approached and said "Would the Franchitti brothers like to sign my ruined tie?" They both laughed, and then signed. Marino even wrote---- "Sorry about the tie!" The next day I was at Pebble beach (wearing a different suit and tie) and Dario comes over and says "This is much better than that ugly thing you were wearing last night!" Nice-- funny guys. I still have the tie.
I'd probably frame that and put it in my "man cave" (I hate that term, but that's what I call my workbench area and place where I put the decor that I want, but doesn't fit in with the rest of the house)... Either that, or wear it at every possible event.
Start a collection
I have this fear of being "that guy." I figure my upper limit would be a simple "I really like your work."
I do have regret over one incident. I was at an Arrested Development show at a zoo in Atlanta a few years ago. I planted myself to the left side of the stage, near the sound equipment. When the show ended, everyone turned away from the stage and left, and Speech walked right in front of me and lingered, talking to stragglers. I should have shook his hand, but felt too awkward to do so.
mtn wrote:Joe Gearin wrote: I was at a Mercedes party as part of the Monterey weekend. I was introduced to Marino Franchitti and during shaking hands, Marino spilled a glass of wine on my tie. I had been speaking with his brother Dario just a few minutes before. A couple of minutes passed.... and the brothers were sitting at a table together. I approached and said "Would the Franchitti brothers like to sign my ruined tie?" They both laughed, and then signed. Marino even wrote---- "Sorry about the tie!" The next day I was at Pebble beach (wearing a different suit and tie) and Dario comes over and says "This is much better than that ugly thing you were wearing last night!" Nice-- funny guys. I still have the tie.I'd probably frame that and put it in my "man cave" (I hate that term, but that's what I call my workbench area and place where I put the decor that I want, but doesn't fit in with the rest of the house)... Either that, or wear it at every possible event.
I'm a single guy.....so I have no limitations of how to decorate. Engine block wine rack? Check! Velvet Elvis? Check! Ricky Bobby and Hulk Hogan posters? Oh yeah!--- check and check!
I do try to not let my automotive habit completely take over my walls....but it's not easy. The tie hangs on a framed picture that holds all my Indy 500 tickets. (27 races in a row now) Each year, I take apart the frame and add another ticket. It seemed appropriate to hang the tie there, as Dario is on a couple of the tickets. (previous year's race winner is always shown on the next year's ticket)
pinchvalve wrote: Traveling for work and taking clients out to dinners lets you run into a lot of people and sound really pretentious.
Meeting Lee Iaccoca at Spago does sound much better than Abe Vigoda was on my bus(he was).
I get oddly uncomfortable approaching famous people on the street. I usually just keep walking. There have been a few exceptions but even then I try to be quick and not annoy them. The strangest was probably either a few years ago when stopped at a club at my post. They had live music and towards he end of my shift I'd hang out by their door to listen to music and bullE36 M3 with their doorman. It was cold and I was wearing a scarf my wife made me that looks like a bus. He stopped on his way in to tell me he thought it was cool.
I also saw Tracy Morgan after his accident when he was getting ready to tour again. I was driving across 57st in Manhattan and thought I saw him get out of a car. I banged a quick U turn, stopped in front of him, jumped out to wish him well, then jumped back in the car, made another u turn and kept going.
I once went to a party in high school and we wound up played spin the bottle…as chance would have it, my bottle came to rest pointing at this gothy girl that sang in a garage band.
I made out with her and didn’t think much of it until a couple of years later when she became Belinda Carlisle, lead singer for the Go-Go’s.
Wall-e wrote:pinchvalve wrote: Traveling for work and taking clients out to dinners lets you run into a lot of people and sound really pretentious.Meeting Lee Iaccoca at Spago does sound much better than Abe Vigoda was on my bus(he was). I get oddly uncomfortable approaching famous people on the street. I usually just keep walking. There have been a few exceptions but even then I try to be quick and not annoy them. The strangest was probably either a few years ago when stopped at a club at my post. They had live music and towards he end of my shift I'd hang out by their door to listen to music and bullE36 M3 with their doorman. It was cold and I was wearing a scarf my wife made me that looks like a bus. He stopped on his way in to tell me he thought it was cool. I also saw Tracy Morgan after his accident when he was getting ready to tour again. I was driving across 57st in Manhattan and thought I saw him get out of a car. I banged a quick U turn, stopped in front of him, jumped out to wish him well, then jumped back in the car, made another u turn and kept going.
I'm dyin to know, who was it?
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