I suppose my first celebrity encounter was at a local theme park. The entertainment for the afternoon was none other than Gary "Radar" Burghoff from M.A.S.H. Yes, he sang and danced his way into the hearts of the hundreds assembled...well the tens anyway. My older sister had taken my brother and me. We seemed to be the only ones having fun with the whole presentation. We were dancing and swaying to what brotha' Burgoff was layin' down. He saw from the stage, we were the ones having fun and invited us onstage for a number. As I remember it (its been a few years now), he and my sister sang and my brother and I were on another microphone doing the "do wops". After the show, we were invited back stage. He was very nice and signed an autograph for my brother and me. I still have the napkin he signed in my scrapbook, it reads "Peace, Gary Burghoff" - perhaps I should put it on e-bay.
Later in life, I started working at a local theme park and had a few really great celebrity encounters.
Tom Cruise and Emilo Estevez came into the park. This was just after, at least on the news, anyway, Tom was married to Mimi Rodgers. I remember thinking, why is he here with him and not on a honeymoon?? Hmmm. My other impression was how incredibly short Tom is. I remember that 'Top Gun' was his big movie of the time and he is much too short to be a Navy pilot.
Michael Jackson came to the park a few times. There were hordes of people flocking around him and his entourage. This was around the time when "Thriller" was beginning to lull. He never said anything to any of the ride operators. He just rode the rides and left. I remember watching him walk up the long flight of the exit stairs (stars with an entourage, enter through the exit rather than waiting in line with the muddied masses). Just before he reached the top he stumbled and some of the crowd, watching him, laughed. How quietly poetic that image is to me.
One night those ride operators who were 18 (or over) were asked to stay after the park closed. It is a little known fact, that if you have enough money, you can rent this theme park. I found out later, it was Sylvester Stallone's birthday and Elton John wanted to rent out the park for a birthday party. A lot of the major rides, mine included, were staying open for this event. At this theme park, you didn't work at one ride forever. You got transferred around to other rides. The major rides are where you wanted to be - not the little kiddie rides. The major rides are where all the action happens. I worked at a river-rafting ride that is common at lot of theme parks. It is a good summertime ride as the key ingredient is the ride will leave you completely soaked. I can tell you it is every 18/19 year old's dream to work on that ride during the summer. Working the exit gate was like one long wet t-shirt contest all summer long - a beautiful thing. Anyway, Sylvester Stallone, his wife (at the time) Brigit Neilson, Elton John and some slacker hangers-on all came up to the ride, got in and started off. Mind you, Sly (we're pretty tight and I can call him Sly) is wearing a beautiful off-white sweater which I'm sure cost much more than I made on my little ride operator salary, in 10 weeks - including overtime. He got off the ride and he is completely SOAKED. Apparently Sly didn't realize that the drenching was a part of the ride - he was not pleased. "This ride is stupid, who would ride this ride?," he repeated this mantra over and over. You must realize that when you work on a major ride it becomes part of your identity. You develop affection for your ride. He was dissin' my ride! Since Sly's last three movies at that time were "Over the Top", "Cobra" and "Oscar", I shouted out, "Hey man, I saw your last three movies and you should be the last one to talk about what is stupid!!" OK, no, I didn't say that - but I thought it, and thought it LOUDLY. Just as a side note, Elton John loves that ride and rode it about four times that night. Also as a further side note one of my friends worked down the hill on a roller coaster told me a story about a very inebriated Bruce Willis, pulled out a huge wad of cash and gave it to my friend to hold onto while he rode the coaster. He gave it back when Willis returned, but to this day I wonder why (I know it was because it was the right thing to do, but, I mean, he would have never known).
Tom Hanks made an appearance and this was in the day when he wasn't the Academy Award(s) winning actor we know today. This was in the day when he had done 'Bachelor Party' and 'The Man With One Red Shoe'. I really liked his work, even back then. So did my friend, John. We had seen most of his films together. I convinced him that despite being in full ride operator uniform, to go ask for an autograph. He did and got refused. I understood the way Tom explained it, he was at the park with his kids and if he gave one, he would have to give a bunch and then couldn't enjoy his time. John didn't completely see it that way. I mean after all we had paid good money to see 'Volunteers'.
Corey Feldman went to the same Elementary School as my brother and I. Only in those days, his sister, Mindy was the big star. She was on the New Mickey Mouse Club. Corey had done some pretty memorable commercials including the McDonalds Gift Certificate commercial where the kid leaves a certificate for Santa and winds up running into the jolly old elf. I can remember Mindy's first day of school and packs of kids following her across the schoolyard. I remember Corey at the bus stop always looking to his sister because he had lost his milk-money. Celebrity is a bitch indeed.
I met John Cusak at a Dodger game. I saw him and his friend go up the aisle toward the concession stand. He is one of my all-time favorite actors. While I felt it was inappropriate to ask for an autograph, I still wanted to make my move. Without knowing exactly what I was going to do or say, I followed him up to the concession stand. After shuffling my feet on the floor in preparation for what I was going to say, I pounced. "Mr. Cusak?", he turned in my direction, "I just wanted to say that that, I enjoy your work very much". He reached out and shook my hand and said, "Thank you very much". No ordinary handshake, mind you, the double return hand shake. I think he may start stalking me.
Some of my most recent celebrity sightings happened when I worked for a watch store on Santa Monica's Third St. Promenade. I noticed a man looking at the watches and noticed that he had Billy Crystal's forehead. I made a mental joke to myself and said; "I wonder what Billy Crystal is doing for a forehead then". As the man turned around, I noticed that indeed it was Billy Crystal. No big ending for the sighting; I just liked my mental joke.
Another Day a guy with long reddish hair and shorts came in accompanied by an older woman. It would happen frequently that a watch by the window would catch someone walking by's attention and they would pop in and check out the watch (the design of the store was very friendly to this occurrence). I stood and watched him look at the watch and I started to notice a lot of tattoos on his arm. When I noticed a tattoo straight from the Gun's and Roses, " Appetite for Destruction" album, I started to ask, "So are you a big Guns and Roses fan?" The word, "So.." began to leave my lips. All of a sudden I took another hard look and realized it WAS Axl Rose. Sure, he was a much larger version of his former self. It was him none the less. I felt like an idiot, but not as much as if I had actually asked. I started to regroup my approach but with my false start at speaking, I think he must have gotten spooked and vanished.
Michael Stipe. My friend John, and I decided to go down to the “secret” location that the Syndicated “Rockline” radio show broadcasts from. R.E.M.’s latest album was “Time Out of Mind” and “Losing My Religion” was climbing the charts. We waited outside until the band finished their interview and live set. I had brought a huge “Document” poster for the band to sign. Peter Buck and Bill Berry both signed it gladly. Michael Mills made a getaway out the side exit. Last Michael Stipe made an appearance and people thrust things at him to sign. He very indignantly rolled his eyes and said, “I’ll only sign the latest album”. The tide of autograph seekers relented. I had, in my back pocket a copy of the latest, on cd. I whipped it out and handed it to him. He looked at it, and then at me. I was beaming and marveled at my own resourcefulness. He didn’t even open the cd to sign it somewhere cool. He just took the Sharpie pen and printed “Stipe” on it. He handed it back and I looked at the cd, then him, then at the cd. I couldn’t believe the little indignant dick. He didn’t sign any other autographs, just hopped into his manager/public relations person’s Jaguar and roared away. I remember thinking. Jaguar has one of the WORST emissions records in the automotive industry (at the time) and couldn’t believe that the self-righteous little creep has the nerve to tell others to protect the environment. I guess his message should be - protect it - as long as it is convenient for you.
Vvbce – Very, Very Brief Celebrity Encounters. _ I met Shannon Tweed (Gene Simmons of Kiss fame’s wife and Playboy Playmate of the Year, star of some forgettable b-movies). She was very nice and even told me a dirty joke, which to this day I wish I remembered as it would make the story SO much better.
Chuck Barris (the Gong Show host) at the old Getty Museum a few years back. He looked great with his hair completely white and some nice rimless glasses.
Ray Manzerick (keyboard player for the Doors) met him at a cd signing. He was so nice and I just wanted to ask him the question, “So how do you hang on to the same pair of glasses for so long?”.
Julia Styles and I had breakfast together about two weeks ago. Well, that is how I tell the story. Really she was just sitting right across from me.
Later in life, I started working at a local theme park and had a few really great celebrity encounters.
Tom Cruise and Emilo Estevez came into the park. This was just after, at least on the news, anyway, Tom was married to Mimi Rodgers. I remember thinking, why is he here with him and not on a honeymoon?? Hmmm. My other impression was how incredibly short Tom is. I remember that 'Top Gun' was his big movie of the time and he is much too short to be a Navy pilot.
Michael Jackson came to the park a few times. There were hordes of people flocking around him and his entourage. This was around the time when "Thriller" was beginning to lull. He never said anything to any of the ride operators. He just rode the rides and left. I remember watching him walk up the long flight of the exit stairs (stars with an entourage, enter through the exit rather than waiting in line with the muddied masses). Just before he reached the top he stumbled and some of the crowd, watching him, laughed. How quietly poetic that image is to me.
One night those ride operators who were 18 (or over) were asked to stay after the park closed. It is a little known fact, that if you have enough money, you can rent this theme park. I found out later, it was Sylvester Stallone's birthday and Elton John wanted to rent out the park for a birthday party. A lot of the major rides, mine included, were staying open for this event. At this theme park, you didn't work at one ride forever. You got transferred around to other rides. The major rides are where you wanted to be - not the little kiddie rides. The major rides are where all the action happens. I worked at a river-rafting ride that is common at lot of theme parks. It is a good summertime ride as the key ingredient is the ride will leave you completely soaked. I can tell you it is every 18/19 year old's dream to work on that ride during the summer. Working the exit gate was like one long wet t-shirt contest all summer long - a beautiful thing. Anyway, Sylvester Stallone, his wife (at the time) Brigit Neilson, Elton John and some slacker hangers-on all came up to the ride, got in and started off. Mind you, Sly (we're pretty tight and I can call him Sly) is wearing a beautiful off-white sweater which I'm sure cost much more than I made on my little ride operator salary, in 10 weeks - including overtime. He got off the ride and he is completely SOAKED. Apparently Sly didn't realize that the drenching was a part of the ride - he was not pleased. "This ride is stupid, who would ride this ride?," he repeated this mantra over and over. You must realize that when you work on a major ride it becomes part of your identity. You develop affection for your ride. He was dissin' my ride! Since Sly's last three movies at that time were "Over the Top", "Cobra" and "Oscar", I shouted out, "Hey man, I saw your last three movies and you should be the last one to talk about what is stupid!!" OK, no, I didn't say that - but I thought it, and thought it LOUDLY. Just as a side note, Elton John loves that ride and rode it about four times that night. Also as a further side note one of my friends worked down the hill on a roller coaster told me a story about a very inebriated Bruce Willis, pulled out a huge wad of cash and gave it to my friend to hold onto while he rode the coaster. He gave it back when Willis returned, but to this day I wonder why (I know it was because it was the right thing to do, but, I mean, he would have never known).
Tom Hanks made an appearance and this was in the day when he wasn't the Academy Award(s) winning actor we know today. This was in the day when he had done 'Bachelor Party' and 'The Man With One Red Shoe'. I really liked his work, even back then. So did my friend, John. We had seen most of his films together. I convinced him that despite being in full ride operator uniform, to go ask for an autograph. He did and got refused. I understood the way Tom explained it, he was at the park with his kids and if he gave one, he would have to give a bunch and then couldn't enjoy his time. John didn't completely see it that way. I mean after all we had paid good money to see 'Volunteers'.
Corey Feldman went to the same Elementary School as my brother and I. Only in those days, his sister, Mindy was the big star. She was on the New Mickey Mouse Club. Corey had done some pretty memorable commercials including the McDonalds Gift Certificate commercial where the kid leaves a certificate for Santa and winds up running into the jolly old elf. I can remember Mindy's first day of school and packs of kids following her across the schoolyard. I remember Corey at the bus stop always looking to his sister because he had lost his milk-money. Celebrity is a bitch indeed.
I met John Cusak at a Dodger game. I saw him and his friend go up the aisle toward the concession stand. He is one of my all-time favorite actors. While I felt it was inappropriate to ask for an autograph, I still wanted to make my move. Without knowing exactly what I was going to do or say, I followed him up to the concession stand. After shuffling my feet on the floor in preparation for what I was going to say, I pounced. "Mr. Cusak?", he turned in my direction, "I just wanted to say that that, I enjoy your work very much". He reached out and shook my hand and said, "Thank you very much". No ordinary handshake, mind you, the double return hand shake. I think he may start stalking me.
Some of my most recent celebrity sightings happened when I worked for a watch store on Santa Monica's Third St. Promenade. I noticed a man looking at the watches and noticed that he had Billy Crystal's forehead. I made a mental joke to myself and said; "I wonder what Billy Crystal is doing for a forehead then". As the man turned around, I noticed that indeed it was Billy Crystal. No big ending for the sighting; I just liked my mental joke.
Another Day a guy with long reddish hair and shorts came in accompanied by an older woman. It would happen frequently that a watch by the window would catch someone walking by's attention and they would pop in and check out the watch (the design of the store was very friendly to this occurrence). I stood and watched him look at the watch and I started to notice a lot of tattoos on his arm. When I noticed a tattoo straight from the Gun's and Roses, " Appetite for Destruction" album, I started to ask, "So are you a big Guns and Roses fan?" The word, "So.." began to leave my lips. All of a sudden I took another hard look and realized it WAS Axl Rose. Sure, he was a much larger version of his former self. It was him none the less. I felt like an idiot, but not as much as if I had actually asked. I started to regroup my approach but with my false start at speaking, I think he must have gotten spooked and vanished.
Michael Stipe. My friend John, and I decided to go down to the “secret” location that the Syndicated “Rockline” radio show broadcasts from. R.E.M.’s latest album was “Time Out of Mind” and “Losing My Religion” was climbing the charts. We waited outside until the band finished their interview and live set. I had brought a huge “Document” poster for the band to sign. Peter Buck and Bill Berry both signed it gladly. Michael Mills made a getaway out the side exit. Last Michael Stipe made an appearance and people thrust things at him to sign. He very indignantly rolled his eyes and said, “I’ll only sign the latest album”. The tide of autograph seekers relented. I had, in my back pocket a copy of the latest, on cd. I whipped it out and handed it to him. He looked at it, and then at me. I was beaming and marveled at my own resourcefulness. He didn’t even open the cd to sign it somewhere cool. He just took the Sharpie pen and printed “Stipe” on it. He handed it back and I looked at the cd, then him, then at the cd. I couldn’t believe the little indignant dick. He didn’t sign any other autographs, just hopped into his manager/public relations person’s Jaguar and roared away. I remember thinking. Jaguar has one of the WORST emissions records in the automotive industry (at the time) and couldn’t believe that the self-righteous little creep has the nerve to tell others to protect the environment. I guess his message should be - protect it - as long as it is convenient for you.
Vvbce – Very, Very Brief Celebrity Encounters. _ I met Shannon Tweed (Gene Simmons of Kiss fame’s wife and Playboy Playmate of the Year, star of some forgettable b-movies). She was very nice and even told me a dirty joke, which to this day I wish I remembered as it would make the story SO much better.
Chuck Barris (the Gong Show host) at the old Getty Museum a few years back. He looked great with his hair completely white and some nice rimless glasses.
Ray Manzerick (keyboard player for the Doors) met him at a cd signing. He was so nice and I just wanted to ask him the question, “So how do you hang on to the same pair of glasses for so long?”.
Julia Styles and I had breakfast together about two weeks ago. Well, that is how I tell the story. Really she was just sitting right across from me.
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