Who is the most famous person you have met?

[KILO NOVEMBER]

One night while working at the pipe shop I mentioned in another thread, Tommy Smothers walked in an bought some smallish Don Diego cigars. The brothers were appearing at a venue call The Cellar Door a few blocks west. I was a big fan, but too reserved to gush. So, I just started grinning while I rang up his purchase. Noticing this, Tommy started grinning too. I thanked him and gave him his change and out the door he went.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Rudolf Wanderone, the real “Minnesota Fats”. Not the most skilled but certainly the most flamboyant.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Politicians, musicians, and old-time-radio actors mostly. My favorite political interview was with Ross Perot, who spent a good part of the session complaining that our high school band played his theme song, "Crazy For You," in the wrong key.

 

[EngProf]

Since I'm from Nashville, I have met several of the classic country-music stars over the years - Minnie Pearl, Marty Robbins, Bill Monroe, etc. It's part of the semi-official Nashville social order to not make a big deal of it, while talking to them.
Beyond that, I had a good couple of hours of conversation with author Hunter Thompson.
He was here at Vanderbilt making a presentation, and had some time to kill after that was over, before his flight.
I stayed behind his escorts and struck up a conversation with him, starting with whether he might want to go shooting with us the next day if he could stay over. He was famous for being a fan of the .44 Magnum.
He couldn't stay, but was pleased to get the invitation.
We talked guns. shooting, politics, etc. (Shooting was the common interest that got things going.)
One specific thing I remember telling him was that he almost got me kicked off an airplane.
I was reading "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" while the other passengers were getting aboard the plane. I happened to be sitting right at the front directly in front of the stewardess/flight-attendant. I put the book down, and was politely paying attention to what she was saying. Right in her "Number of Exits " speech I had a vivid flashback from something hilarious I had just read in Thompson's book.
So, I burst out laughing right in the midst of her serious life-or-death speech.
She gave me a hard look, but did not kick me off the plane.
If that happened today, I would have been taken off and sent directly to Homeland Security for questioning.
As for the Thompson encounter, since was "Off-duty" and not being "Hunter Thompson, Gonzo Journalist" he was funny, polite, and a pleasant conversationalist. He thought my airplane "adventure" was funny. He didn't say so, but I think his Gonzo-side would have been pleased if his book had gotten me kicked off the plane.

 

[Frunobulax]

Neil Armstrong. The only person I've ever been that nervous around. I was so starstruck I barely eked out a, "Hi, sir."

 

[tonyb]

This morning‘s sad news of the passing of Daniel J. Evans, a former Washington state governor and U.S. senator, reminded me of bumping into him at the Lowe’s store on Rainier Avenue. That was, geez, 20(?) years ago. His senate tenure was by appointment, to fill the seat vacated by the death of Henry M. Jackson in 1983. Evans declined to run for the seat in 1988, citing his frustration at the political atmosphere in D.C. “Governor Dan” was 98.

My occupation, after Dan Evans stepped away from public life, had me in regular contact with local elected officials. People who once took my call didn’t know my name when I was no longer in a position to do them any good (or harm). This wasn’t universally true, but it did remind me of Harry Truman’s observation on dealing with the run of politicians: “You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.”

I’m guessing Dan Evans would have concurred.

 

[tonyb]

Dizzie Gillespie. Ilie Nastase. Harold Reynolds. Herb Score. Howard Dean.