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Strangest celebrity encounter you've had?

#81
This one changed my life. I was getting gas (fuel) for my car at the gas station one block from my office. The pump was running disgustingly slow, so I decided to go sit in the car and listen to the Doobie Brothers' version of "Take me in Your Arms," which my band was learning at the time. As I sat down in the driver's seat with the door open, I noticed this guy with long white hair and a big bushy white mustache filling up from the other side of the same pump I was using.

Anyway, I cranked up the CD player and started listening to the song, when the guy says, "That's one of my songs." I said, "What do you mean?" He responded, "I'm playing on that song." As I took a closer look, I said, "Wow! Are you Jeff Baxter?" He said, "Yeah."

I asked him what he was doing around there and he showed me his security badge for General Atomics, which is right next to my office. He told me he was consulting to them on missile defense systems (he is a recognized expert on such matters ... Google it). We chatted a little about charity gigs and stuff and went on our way. I've never been the same since.
 
#84
now that i think about it, i've seen quite a few people at namm. not really "encounters" but i was walking out, and since i walk kinda fast i was passing everyone. I got to a "walkblock" and kinda squeezed through, and ended up right next to boosty collins, and george clinton. they both looked just like they always do, dreds and star glasses...they had their little entourage...

then I saw victor wooten on the way out the door. In nashville the wooten brothers play every wednesday night at 3rd and lindsley. they rock it out every week...its awesome...

then when my band was getting somewhere in nashville i ended up at a warner brothers after party for the CMA's. We were hanging out and Kid rock was walking around shmoozing everyone...along with some other country guys, but i dont know who they were...our guitarist was his bass players best friend, so he helped me hump gear into a gig once.
 
#85
Ok this one is going back a bit (1975 or so ). I was a wrestling fanatic when I was a small boy. I begged my Dad to take me to the big wrestling show coming to town. I was standing on the staircase to get a better view of the ring when someone bumped into me. I turned around and it was my wrestling hero, Mil Mascaras. Looking up at him standing there from my 10 year old's view was like looking at Batman or something. I was too stunned to ask for an autograph and just stood there in amazement as he walked on.
 
#87
Ran into Jorma Kaukonen from Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna at the Air and Space Museum in DC.

Met many a musician backstage, but the most memorable was Rob Wasserman because he gave me the look of death. My good friend was Bob Weir's guitar tech and I was letting loose on one of Bob's guitars while they were being restrung. His look implied to me and my friend that I will not be touching his bass.

Ran into Rob Schneider at the Dallas/FW airport.

Rode the Mammoth rollercoaster at Six Flags with Frankie Munez.

Ended up about 25 yards from President Bush. His motorcade stopped at a CVS in DC. I turned the corner, walking, and a Secret Service guy grabbed my shoulder and said hold on. The motorcade was there with two identical presidential limos (to confuse potential attackers I presume) and police cars and bikes. After a couple minutes he leaves CVS, holds up a pack of gum and smiles, gets in the limo and rolls out.
 
#90
a few years back i met carter beuford before a dave matthews show. they were playing with big head todd and the monsters (who were bigger than they were at the time) in sacramento. before the show my friend (who bought the tickets) and i were walking down the block to get a cup of coffee and we saw four big black busses parked on the street. so this big guy is standing by the bus and we start talking to him while waiting to get in. he mentioned that he was a drummer and so we started talking music for a minute. real genuine guy, well after a few minutes we checked our watch and headed in the show. two sets later the dave matthews band takes the stage and we see the guy we had just been talking to behind the kit. he blew our minds that night, complete with 30 min drum solo that was anything but typical. anyway it was pretty cool
 
#91
This late afternoon I saw Udo Dirkschneider (Accept/U.D.O. singer) strolling through Cologne with wife and son (who apparently just got a new bassdrum skin).
Not really weird, except that it totally took me by surprise.
 
#92
I had just arrived for a solo piano gig at a restaurant in town. Previously the piano was "playing itself" and I turned the machine off and began playing it for about 30 minutes.

John Travolta came walking out and said to me "It sounds so beautiful I thought it was the recording!" and walked by with a big grin.
 
#93
I was in the movie 'JFK' with Kevin Costner and Joe Pesci. I was literally rubbing shoulders with Kevin Costner when they broke for lunch and we waited in line to leave the scene. He was pretty quiet and wasn't talking much. Joe Pesci was more talkative and chatting it up with us extras between scenes.

Also, wardrobe had me wear this dark suit that had Dan Akroyd's name in it. He's about my size. The suit looked just like this (the one on the left):
 

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#94
I met Iggy Pop after a show in '94. I shook his hand and then immediately recalled where it had been several times during the show. I coulda used same hand-sanitizer.

A friend of mine had a great story about Ken Stringfellow from The Posies. He and some friends were saw Ken and a girl go into their bus. A few minutes later the girl comes out with messed up lipstick followed by Ken. One of my friend's friends say to Ken "Wow, that was fast!". She received a very dirty look. :)
 
#95
Back in 79, I worked as a bouncer at the Montreal Forum. A good of ours was going to the Santana concert that I was working at. She was staying at a hotel/apartment nearby and mentioned seeing some guys in the laundry room with tour t-shirts on.

During the concert, I was assigned outside of Santana's dressing room. His band was rehearsing acapella. His road manager started mooching smokes off me on a continuous basis. Just before showtime, everyone left Carlos room so he cook pray.

After the concert, my friend and I met and left for her apartment/hotel. When we arrived, the limos pulled up and the band got out. We all made eye contact having seen each other earlier in the evening. My friend and I went to bar on the ground floor. No one was there. It was a week night and the place was empty.

In walked the road manager who mooched smokes from me and he came over and pulled up a chair. We were the only ones in the bar. The drummer and keyboard player came in and pulled up chairs. The Carlos Santana came in and added a table. We all sat there and we listed to the band talking about the show. Very interesting evening.

More recently, my daughter dated the son of a very high profile American based over here for about eight months. I can't divulge who he is, suffice to say there are lots of pictures around the house of GWB with the family. The house has about fifteen red buttons around the house on walls. When pressed, the Swiss military, US Marines and three helicopters would be on their way. She regularly drove around in the armored BMW 750. Interesting times.

Sat next to Jean Claude VanDamme on a flight from London to Montreal about three years ago. He's about 5'7".

Last year, Eric Clapton was about three feet from checking in on the same BA flight out of London. He was about six rows behind me.
 
#96
I've met a few because I use Heathrow quite a lot but the most memorable was walking past Elvis Costello and saying hello - I didn't really recognise him but thought that I must know him from work or school, when I realised I told my kids who he is (aged 7 & 4 at the time) that a friend in Long Island was a massive fan & would have married him if someone else hadn't got to her first. He came cack reading a newspaper so the kids ran over and chatting to him - he was chatting away and kept laughing at my daughters remarks. When they came back to me I asked what they chatted about, he'd asked if they knew what he did for a job & daughter put her hand and said 'Your Elvis Presley - my dad's favourite comedian', but kept asking him to tell her a funny joke.
He wrote a shrt love letter for my friend in Long Island saying what a shame it was that they couldn't marry.
A nice geezer but he didn't give my son back (joke).
 
#98
I think what makes Travis Barker a douche is Travis saying "I'm in a band that sounds a lot like Blink 182" instead of just saying "I'm in Blink 182". Saying to someone you don't realize is in a band you think sucks that the band in question sucks is a lot different than telling the drummer for that band you think they suck. He was expecting your friend to recognize him, slightly miffed that he didn't, set him up to embarrass him and then came back with a browneye response. Total jerk. IMO of course.

I met Oteil once. Cool guy. We were both using the same restroom - different stalls - 5 minutes earlier. I met Bill Laimbeer at a big men's store in Auburn Hills once. HUGE head. Nice guy though. Anybody remember Antwain Joubert who used to play for UofM (michigan, not Miami)? While he was still in college I was at a high school basketball playoff game in the Detroit area buying tickets for the game. I see a black Benz pull up out front and park in a restricted parking area. The Judge (his nickname) gets out, wearing an ankle length, white fur coat (poor kid from South Detroit on a basketball scholarship mind you) and tries to walk right past the table to go into the game. The girl taking the money says, "Where you goin!?" He says "Don't you know who I am?" She says "I don't give a f(*& who you are. You don't pay, you don't get in!!" He paid :)
 
#99
was at disneyland and me and some friends were talkin about teh lakers(they just won the championship) and we were talking about how they needed to improve next season by getting rid of some players - we turned the corner and saw rick fox (ex laker) siging autographs with his family - i looked at him and got this really evil glare almost like he had heard us (physically impossible tho) funny non the less
 
#100
I'm a big fan of the Beatles. I got a chance to visit Richard (Ringo Star) Starkey at his Beverly Hill home some time ago (way after the breakup). He had a drum set in his living room as well as a interesting machine with a mirror and lights. I forgot what he called it.

He talked me into using this machine with him. In the machine we faced each other and were looking at a partial-mirror. Then the lights started to slowly switch on-and-off first from from his side then to my side. Every time the light was on his side, I saw his face. Every time the light was on my side, I saw my face. As the lights began to switch faster and faster, I could see myself slowly turning into a Beatle! That was amazing!
 

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