Brushes with Greatness and/or Mediocrity

I had dinner with my parents a couple tables down from Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall several years back.

Saw Meatloaf, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Martha Stewart and Jason Robards in the town where I used to live in Connecticut.

Oh, and went to a party at Harvey Firestein's house. Real nice house.

Here we go again. Which is great, actually. I think this thread should be revived every month or so because I'm always remembering another celebrity encounter that I'd forgotten about.

Like the time my friend Marina called me up and asked me if I wanted to meet her at the Waverly Theatre (the one featured in "Frank Mills") to see My Own Private Idaho. So there I was standing on 6th Avenue waiting for her when a cab pulls up and out comes Marina. With NICK CAVE. I guess he'd just gotten into town and called her up looking for something to do. Anyway, I remember he was a rather polite movie-going companion, very giving with the arm rest and the popcorn. There's one scene in the movie where Udo Kier is doing a ridiculous Sprockets-esque performance in a hotel room with the hustlers that had Marina and I rolling in the aisles, but Nick just didn't find it funny at all. I thought that was odd.

I've vaguely mentioned my encounter with Ric Ocasek before, such as it was. Oasis, Suede, the Melvins, Perry Farrell, Kevin Haskins, little of this, little of that...

Elvin Jones gave me a nickel once, for no apparent reason other than he found it on the floor.

I am constantly running into the famous and semi-famous. Maury Povich smokes, did you know that? I saw Joan Cusak the other day, I thought she'd be taller but she wasn't.

I once met Boy George at a party, around Karma Chameleon (just pre- smack I think). He was VERY disappointing.

I shook Rob Tyner's hand. He played a show with an all-female metal band called The Vertical Pillows backing him. He was very fat, and wearing big sunglasses, a leather trenchcoat and sweatpants. After the show, I told him I was a big MC5 fan. He said, "Me too, kid." and turned back to the bar. He had a heart attack and died about a year later.

I played hockey with Tim Robbins and Dennis Leary... so I'm not sweatin' it.

met katie from brookie in the florida mall last week !

i met kevin shields in a pub toilet the other week. he made a noise like a hoover.

My purest pop moment: 1982. Let's just say I was much younger then. (Many of you weren't even born.) I was visiting Manhattan for the very first time and was alone one afternoon on a deserted midtown streetcorner, deserted because there'd just been a cloudburst and that's the way city streets are sometimes. I crossed the street and passed by the only other people around--who I instantly recognized as three members of Blondie, Debby Harry leading the pack. Amazingly, I kept my cool and merely brushed past them and gave them a quick bacwards glance. Even more amazing was the fact that Ms. Harry turned back to look at me--not because I'd be worthy of a second glance, I think, but because she found the need to know that she was still recognized by everybody, everywhere. We gave each other this very knowing look--at least, I think it was a very knowing look; she might have been thinking of her grocery list. If it had been 1978 I might have fainted dead away, so I'm glad it was 1982 and I felt a little uncool for having turned around at all. I've seen a lot of famous people since then, but I'll think of this chance encounter as emblematic somehow (of what, I'm not exactly sure--maybe just getting this Norma Desmond-ish sense from Debby Harry even then).

Anton Fier is my new upstairs neighbor!!

Wow, great one, I'd love to run into Debbie, especially then, what a great star. I'm not even kidding.

I just remembered another one, I'm walking towards the subway at maybe 6:00 am after sleeping over at a stranger's house in NY, and walked by Marc Almond, who was talking to someone. I wan't sure it was him, but then saw his neck was tattooed.

Hopefully he doesn't play drums all night and keep you awake, Tracer.

S'OK: AF plays Golden Palominos rekkids. Soon Tracer sleeps like a infant.

Is this a shameless attempt to get Steady Mike to talk about Paul McCartney and sweets again?