@Morpheus and everyone else when you have business with celebrities it is actually business with their handlers and when you do meet them its normal interaction like anyone else, and if you do interact with them straight up its not a awe inspiring moment. Actors, musicians and others are so used to being in performance mode they may or may not be performing in their interaction with you. Understanding body language and being a normal person when interacting is what is important. Snob or not its reality of dealing with people who can make money just for being present.
Wait should I be star struck by pro cuddlers over enthusiast lol? Things that make you go hmm!
I was more awe inspired by people I knew growing up and the wisdom they gave me in life. They weren't rich and famous but they inspired their community which is great me.
Many years ago, while sitting at an airline gate waiting for the plane to arrive, I realized I was sitting across from former WCW/WWE champ Goldberg. We chatted a few minutes about a new project he was working on related to muscle cars. I’m a car enthusiast so passengers nearby wouldn’t think it wasn’t just a normal conversation about cars. I didn’t draw attention to him by asking for a photo. When it was time for him to board early in first class, we shook hands and I wished him well. Hands like a baseball glove.
Earlier this week my FB memories from years ago was highlighting a family reunion in Santa Barbara. I wouldn’t have remembered otherwise. Mentioned during the trip Jessica Alba was sitting near us by the pool, Jeff Bridges was treating a group at a dinner table across from us, and saw Alanis Morrisett taking her baby out out of the restaurant for breakfast.
A few years ago, some friends and I were hanging out at the local watering hole in Yellow Springs, and I spotted Dave Chapelle. My fella is a huge fan, so I went over and asked if I could take a picture of him (to gain "points" at home! lol). He quietly whispered, "I don't want to get that started." It was at that moment that I realized exactly how PUBLIC their lives often are. I asked his forgiveness, told him I FULLY understood his stance, and then returned to my friend group.
After that, I felt like a creep for even asking! Lesson learned..
I’ve seen
Tom Hanks at Gazzarris Ice Cube with Tiny Lister at Tommy’s B Real and Eric Dickerson outside the Colosseum Tony Dorsett and Michael Irvin at a bar John Salley at the airport
I’ve been in the following celebs homes while they were there
Eddie Murphy Crispin Glover Christopher Lloyd Charlize Theron Lennie James Cameron Diaz Vin Scully Various Dodger players OJ Mayo Charleston Heston (made me a sandwich) Fergie Will I am Jack Black Jimmy Kimmel
There’s more but those are some off the top of my head.
OK, I couldn’t resist chiming in. About half of these I had conversations with but being born and raised in LA the list is long so here goes:
Diane Keaton on the street , Matthew McConaughey standing next to me on the Santa Monica 3rd St. Promenade, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman next to me at a crosswalk, Springsteen w/ Julianne Phillips in a restaurant before they were married (I was very young and said something really stupid to him so if I ever meet him again I owe him an apology), John Ritter, Schwarzenegger in an elevator, Woody Harrelson w/ Joe Pesci in a restaurant, Winona Ryder at the Beverly Hills Hotel downstairs Fountain Room lunch counter, Kate Walsh was sitting next to me in a Culver City restaurant lunch counter so we chatted and she allowed me to buy her lunch, Clancy Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Paymer, Courtney Cox getting frozen yogurt (never seen someone make choosing a flavor such a hard decision), Alyson Hannigan (American Pie’s “one time at band camp”), Christoph Waltz at a coffee house, Jim Carrey quick chat at Coffee Bean, Marlee Matlin at Fred Segal clothing store (and then long story short ended up sitting down to lunch with her and her interpreter (the only famous deaf actress I’m aware of), Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed), Mark Valley, Ewan McGregor on a group motorcycle ride (still have the selfie), Christmas dinner with Alex Trebek – he was related to a girlfriend of mine at the time and had exactly the same persona as on the show! and George Clooney who people always confuse me with! (Full disclosure ALL of the above are 100% true EXCEPT the last one which was a total lie!)
And the irony is, I’m not even in the entertainment industry).
BONUS POINTS STORY: I knew the mother of a famous female vocalist here in LA and she asked me if I would like to be fixed up on a blind date with her daughter. Not only was I honored, but I was even more surprised her daughter agreed to it!
We had an absolutely beautiful evening together and she was super down to earth!! Our dinner lasted about three hours and we shut down the place being the last table.
And then of course the subject of kids came up and that’s where I lost her.
Having said that though, it was still a great experience and an unusual one at that having dinner with a celebrity. I kept wondering if someone was going to come over to the table asking for an autograph or something, but it didn’t happen.
Shortly after that, she met someone else, got married and had I think has three kids now.
Lol love the lists and the stories. People are people regardless of their lot on life from local to international fame
I edited my riddle above to embed the answer.
And, Oh! I just remembered Indigo De Souza once sent me an email saying the work I was doing was giving her hope, and we corresponded for a bit after that. Not sure if anyone here knows who that is. She'd slipped off my radar, since. But here's her performing her 2021 single, Hold U.
Partly because of the official music video*, Hold U is sort of an anthem for the monthly enthusiasts' cuddle group I attend. (Pros and enthusiasts attend, alike, but nobody pays. It's partly a consent workshop, partly a meet-up to normalize and promote platonic touch, and usually it's an amazing cuddle puddle by the time it wraps up). DM me if you're near York, PA, and want more info about that.
*I'd be curious to hear people's take on the video, but it seems likely to be a distractor, here.
I will link to it in another thread. If anyone wants to discuss the video, I'll see you over there!