gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Default)
Douglas Berry ([personal profile] gridlore) wrote2011-12-09 11:44 am

Writer's Block: Starstruck

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- Vice-President George H.W. Bush (During a visit to Schofield Barracks, HI.)
- Robin Williams (I blogged it)
- Phil Lesh (While trying to find an address in Atherton. Got to show him The World's Worst Grateful Dead Tattoo. He loved it.)
- John Entwistle (While on a flight home while in the Army.)
- Randy Cross (49ers Offensive Lineman, he used to bring his cars to the car wash I worked at in Los Gatos. He let me wear his Super Bowl XVI ring one time.)

There have been others, for example I've met a ton of famous authors just from being a SF fan and going to conventions. I'm also ignoring brief encounters like asking Paul Krugman to autograph A Theory of Interstellar Trade at the Montreal Worldcon.

One really funny one. I met General John A. Wickham, Jr., Chief of Staff, U.S. Army. This was the man who commanded the entire US Army. Next step in the Chain of Command was the President. I met him on my first full day as a soldier, fifteen minutes after haircuts and uniform issue. I knew enough to try to stand at attention, at least.

[identity profile] fragbert.livejournal.com 2011-12-09 08:21 pm (UTC)(link)
I met the Sergeant Major of the Army!

[identity profile] johno.livejournal.com 2011-12-09 09:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I had just gotten off a space-A flight to Atlanta. It's 5am, and I'm more then a bit rumpled after 8 hours in the air.*

I never got his name, but the 4-star General of CONUS Army came through. Glad handing everyone, including me in my USAF blues.



*Space Available flights are rarely straight lines. From Colorado Springs, we flew to North Dakota, then to Atlanta. And not the most comfortable of planes, despite being a "executive" Lear jet.

[identity profile] dalen-talas.livejournal.com 2011-12-10 01:16 am (UTC)(link)
All mine are at book signings - William Gibson, Neil Stephenson, Dan Abnett (whom I gave one of my chainmail bracelets), and almost got in at Dave Mustaine's.

[identity profile] capplor.livejournal.com 2011-12-10 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
I used to work backstage for a production company putting on concerts, I got to meet a lot of people doing that. Los Gatos was, during the days of my halcyon youth the occasional hangout of lots of Hollywood people. My mother used to have (I wish that I could find it) a photo of 18 month old me being cuddled by Marilyn Monroe. But I'm so used to meeting or seeing famous people that my response is typically, anymore, "Oh, another celebrity."

-Fred

[identity profile] qeldoq.livejournal.com 2011-12-11 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Shirley Temple Black -- in a waiting room. The nicest Lady (and I do mean that capital L) -- friendly, and gracious.