One brush with a minor controversy: went to Oilers camp at Trinity in 1992 to interview Bucky and Jack Pardee. At the postpractice press gaggle, Warren Moon drives up. He was holding out at the time, and both sides were less than amicable. All the beat reporters surrounded his car like piranhas.

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1) James Dean when filming The Giant in Marfa. Chill Wills talked him into giving me his autograph, which he normally didn't do. I was 7 years old in 1955. Dean was killed in a car accident before it was released a year later.

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Seems like half of west Texas was down there watching this. I know my extended family tells stories about their big adventures in Marfa, seeing Rock Hudson, James Dean, and Elizabeth Taylor.

I know they saw Elvis perform at the Tom Green County Fair once. Every girl loved him, and every West Texas guy wanted to beat him up. I know my uncle and pals tried to wait for him after the show. Stories of them following Elvis around town, looking to jump him. Teach him a lesson for making all the girls go crazy! He was vague about the outcome. Seems like the Elvis crew may have come out ahead. I know they did with the woman folks. Years later he was still sour about it. It's pure west Texas for you.

Have had a few encounters, but two stand out. In the 1970's I worked in Oklahoma City. Union Oil had a drafting office on the same floor, and one of the guys that worked there was good friends with our secretary, and would come over and camp in our office on his coffee breaks. He and his wife had six kids in a "yours, mine and ours" combo--two hers from a previous marriage, two his, and two theirs. The two that were theirs were in high school then, and he was always bragging on them. One of them played the guitar and sang, and one summer he brought him up to the office a couple of times, and we sat in their drafting room and listened to him. I thought he was ok, but nothing special. Flash forward a few years, and I'm working in Denver, driving down I-25 and listening to the local country station. They played a song and I hadn't heard, and when it was over the DJ said "And that's the new song by Garth Brooks." I almost ran off the road. That evening I called a friend who had been a part of those "concerts", and who still lived in OKC. I told her about hearing the song and said, "That's got to be Troy's son, right?" She confirmed it. She and my secretary were still in touch with Garth's family, and that year or the next I made major points with my niece by using those connections to get her an autographed Garth t-shirt for Christmas.

The other one only sort of counts because I can't remember the guy's name, and it was more history than a celebrity encounter. We were in the Houston area for a few years between Okla. City and Denver, and I was working at a small bank west of Houston. There were several Cuban expats there, most of them driving trucks. One of them came into our bank and applied for a truck loan. On his application, it said he came to the U.S. in 1962. I asked him about his immigration, and he said that was when he was released from the Isle of Pines prison, and the Cubans let him leave the country. I said something to the effect that the Isle of Pines must have been tough, and he just looked at me and said "Tough and a half!" I asked him what got him imprisoned, and he said he was captured at the Bay of Pigs invasion, and was commander of the Cuban rebels invading force. Our bank auditor was there at the time, and he was a real history buff. After the guy left, I told him the story (both of us fairly skeptical). There was a really good book about the invasion out at the time, and it so happened that the auditor was reading it then. He brought it in the next day, and sure enough there was the guy's picture. He (the Cuban, not the auditor) brought by a copy of a Miami paper later, with the news story of him being coming to the states and being greeted by JFK (maybe in an Orange Bowl rally, if I remember correctly). Several years later, I read that he had committed suicide.

saw Corbin Bernsen watching airplanes with his kids outside of In N Out next to LAX, gave him the head nod.

Ed Roland was dropping a deuce next to the urinal I stood at in a Lubbock bathroom prior to one of their shows when they opened for Creed.

ran into Jimmy Olander of Diamond Rio fame in the Las Vegas airport bathroom. awkward "hey" and customary head nod is all I got.

did meet and greets with Blackhawk, Wade Hayes, Mark Chesnutt, Weezer, Gary Allan, Doug Stone, Kip Winger within the last year. The older dudes are definitely more fan-friendly and outgoing.

partied hard with several Pittsburgh Pirates players after one of their Houston games back around 2008. that was a lot of fun.

met astronaut Storey Musgrave in a Houston hotel at a conference I attended. one awesome dude.

met Josh Todd outside Stubbs in 1999, before they made it huge. was on his ginormous cell phone and obliged a photo with the only dude who knew him. super nice guy.

LSCSN said:

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met Josh Todd outside Stubbs in 1999, before they made it huge. was on his ginormous cell phone and obliged a photo with the only dude who knew him. super nice guy.

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Used to hang out all the time with Buckcherry back in those days. Still good friends to this day with their original bassist. Josh rarely come out with us after shows. He was pretty quiet. Didn't drink or do drugs at all.

Not to start a whole 'nother thing, but I certainly couldn't have told you the name of the singer of Buckcherry

Edit: guessed right on Ed Roland though, had to look it up to confirm.

I don't know who the kid was, I guess it could have been boy or girl, I don't even recall what the kid looked like it was over 25 years ago and they were with multiple families. Did not recall seeing Demi. Damn I'm getting old.

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Summer '94, between 7th and 8th grade, while attending Emmitt Smith Football Camp on North Texas' campus.

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My son and I attended the same camp a few years after that. They were short-handed so I got to be on staff. Met Emmitt (and his wife, who is gorgeous) and Dexter Coakley, along with the coach from Navy at that time. Just missed getting to meet Dat Nguyen.

Met Gary Blair in the security line at the Austin airport. We had a nice conversation in segments as we wound through the line.

Shook hands with Brent Musberger at Casa Rod before one of our games a couple of years ago. Nice guy, friendly, a LITTLE full of himself.

Another ETA...did a rock cruise last year and met Eric Martin from Mr. Big, Frank Hannon from Tesla, Kip Winger, and had pics made with those guys and Tom Keifer and his band, the band Kix, Last in Line (Ronnie James Dio's band), and Def Leppard. That was the cruise where Last In Line's (and Dio's) bassist Jimmy Bain died on board the ship.

Oh and I bought some of Rick Allen's art work and got to meet and visit with him a couple of times. Great guy.

(And I know who Amy Lee is without looking it up)

Couple more - the band Chicago and the Moody Blues at meet-and-greets before concerts

LSCSN said:

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Ed Roland was dropping a deuce next to the urinal I stood at in a Lubbock bathroom prior to one of their shows when they opened for Creed.

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I was at that concert. Ed (I think) chastised people in the suites for watching a ball game on their TVs during the concert.

Sugar Ray Leonard - TGI Fridays, College Park, MD circa 1990..interupted dinner with his wife...he was not happy.

Billy Bob Thorton- Iron Cactus, Austin during SXSW...did 3 tequila shots with him...he paid.

I've been booking entertainers (mainly country/TX country) for over 20 years. This would take me waayyyy too long. I do have some funny @ss stories

My mom met him years ago and said he was the most charismatic person she'd ever met. And incredibly smart.

Went to summer camp with Joe Ely's daughter and got to meet him at the Buddy Holly Festival in Lubbock back when I was a kid. Also met Carl Perkins at the same festival.

Literally ran into Jackson Browne backstage at a Tom Petty concert. I was shocked at how short he was.

ok well...... there are three really......



1. Melissa Etheridge actually went to my high school a few years ahead of me (Leavenworth KS). Certainly it was before she was famous. She was in my sisters class and I recall her from several parties my sister had - always wore boots, jeans, concert t-shirts and/or flannel (duh...now i realize). the other reason I knew her was I knew she played guitar particularly for this backing band for a song and dance performing group in the high school. I would later play drums for the same band when I went there but not the same time as her....but I like to tell people I played in the same band as Melissa Etheridge (lol).


2. Was on my honeymoon in 1989 at The Halekulani (5 star) hotel on Waikiki (my parents paid for it).....it has a very tiny and isolated part of the beach separated from the rest by walkways and they don't let anyone else in their part very exclusive. Sitting out there sunbathing and look over next to us and Tony Dorsett is right there with his wife (at the time). Crazy. We were so alone I was able to talk to him a bit, just said I was a fan, etc.... on the next day we went on our own to climb Diamond Head and ran into him and his wife again. He had a cap on maybe to not be recognized but I noticed him and said Hi again.....from the hotel beach...he said oh yeah. I said I am not following you I swear.

Years later, like 2003, all of a sudden I run into him again at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison TX at the welcome thing for parents of Kinder students.... turned out he and I both had kids the same age in the same class. He had remarried years later and had a much younger child with her and older children from the first wife. Anyway it was really funny. The wife was doing the mom social thing and Tony was beaten down - he had her purse and like a bag of kid snacks, etc.....and was doing dad duty like any other dutiful Dad. He was continuously chasing down the younger kid. FYI he was in great shape looked like he could play still then. I didn't talk to him then but.....over the next 4-5 years I would run into him at the football games (the lower school usually had one night per season where they went out to the HS game) and I talked to him many times at the tailgates or in the stands. He spent little time watching the football which he told me could not stand to watch because it was such bad football. Really great guy. I asked him if he remembered meeting a guy in Hawaii at the hotel and on Diamond Head back in 1989 and he said he did recall at least but would not have recognized me. Anyway cool guy.


3. Very brief but it was my idol..... Went to Colonial in 1986 the year Jack Nicklaus had won the Masters earlier, his last major. Was following him around on Friday and on 18 he hit it off the fairway to the right - over a small creek nearly to the next fairway. He went over there and was making a long iron recovery to the green. It was a great shot actually over some trees etc....I had waited near the footbridge back across the creek and as he approached I had started walking across before him. they stopped the crowd and Jack started walking over briskly. He had to pass me on the bridge and as he did (20 year old me) said "Nice shot Mr. Nicklaus"...he kinda stopped did a double take look at me and just said "thanks" and walked on. lol. So after he putts out for par and is signing autographs I am one of the people around him thats is 4 or 5 deep. He sees me through the crowd reaches out for my program and signs it. He signed maybe 5 or 6 total but he grabbed mine. I was thrilled.

The Berenger episode cracked me up.

I'll steal one from my cousin, who was an exec with Nabisco in SoCal in the late 80s and early 90s. He booked lots of athletes and celebs at speaking engagements there. He said that Nicklaus was the worst. He wasn't a jerk or anything, he just seemed really uncomfortable at public speaking. (Not sure why he agreed to do it if it was so painful.) He said that the best, most personable celeb by far was...Orenthal James Simpson.

John Daly. Actually beat him in a two man scramble tourney a few years before he won his first major. My cousin and I cleaned up in the betting pool. John was drunk as a skunk but we still had to shoot 16 under in 36 holes to win. He hit the ball so far it was unbelievable.

Arnold Palmer at a youth national golf tournament. Nice guy.

Vitas Gerulaitis screamed at me on the court of a tennis match (I was a ball boy who asked him if he needed my ball during a match). He was the #3 player in the world at the time and I wanted to die.

Had lunch with Senator Lloyd Benson in the late '90s after the movie Air Force One came out. Asked him if there was an escape pod on Air Force One. He said he hadn't found it yet.

Watched the Colonial tournament with most of the Dallas Cowboys (mainly Emmit Smith and Troy Aikmen) of the early nighties and the cast of Walker Texas Rangers. Jim Nance was there till the broadcast went on.

Pissed between Mack Brown and Darrel Royal on New Years at Barton Creek.

When to a Eric Clapton concert with Peter Jacobson and Rocco Mediate.

Got a phone call on my 21st birthday from Nolan Ryan and AJ Foyt.

Allen Paulson (billionaire) set up a date for me with his Granddaughter. Fell through because he broke his hip that afternoon.

I am sure I got more.

Bobbie Gentry is a cousin. I remember a couple of family reunions on the farm in MS with her and her husband Jim Stafford singing us songs around the bonfire.

Ode to Billy Joe, Fancy, and Wildwood Weed were favorites.

Hogties said:

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Bobbie Gentry is a cousin. I remember a couple of family reunions on the farm in MS with her and her husband Jim Stafford singing us songs around the bonfire.

Ode to Billy Joe, Fancy, and Wildwood Weed were favorites.

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Gentry has apparently become something of a recluse.

http://www.rollingstone.com/country/features/bobbie-gentry-ode-to-billie-joe-singers-secret-life-w493809

True. I haven't seen her in decades. Last time she was at the family reunion I remember her kid being very odd. Wouldn't surprise me if he was autustic and that may be why she's dropped out of the public eye. Family doesn't talk about her much respecting her privacy.

Her former husband Jim Stafford was a lot of fun. He took part in our bottle rocket war with the teenagers vs the adults.

aggiedata said:

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1) James Dean when filming The Giant in Marfa. Chill Wills talked him into giving me his autograph, which he normally didn't do. I was 7 years old in 1955. Dean was killed in a car accident before it was released a year later.

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Seems like half of west Texas was down there watching this. I know my extended family tells stories about their big adventures in Marfa, seeing Rock Hudson, James Dean, and Elizabeth Taylor.

I know they saw Elvis perform at the Tom Green County Fair once. Every girl loved him, and every West Texas guy wanted to beat him up. I know my uncle and pals tried to wait for him after the show. Stories of them following Elvis around town, looking to jump him. Teach him a lesson for making all the girls go crazy! He was vague about the outcome. Seems like the Elvis crew may have come out ahead. I know they did with the woman folks. Years later he was still sour about it. It's pure west Texas for you.

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Did you go to Central?

Ok...I'm surprised no one has brought this one up.

They recruited the corps to be extras in Courage Under Fire. I was out of the corps and finishing up some classes and just shaved my head. I was playing flag with some other dead corps guys and one was wearing a PMC shirt. A bull asked us if we were interested in going with the corps to film. I had nothing going on, so I went. Took an A&M bus down to Bastrop, and was given a rucksack and fake M16 and marched all day. But during lunch, a guy in a weird uniform came over and thanked us for helping out, and told his story about quitting Harvard, and had only been in a few movies, but this one was his big break. He was really nice, talked to everyone, and I didn't hear his name but didn't want to ask, He said he and a buddy were extras in Field of Dreams, and Kevin Costner was really cool to him and he wanted to return that. As he said that, Denzel Washington walked by everyone with his head down. Yes, it was Matt Damon.

My first ever visit to Chicago I went to eat at Harry Carry's steakhouse. We were eating in the bar and my boyhood hero was eating in the dining room. Not wanting to be that guy, I didn't approach him. I googled it later Ryne Sandberg owned Harry Carry's at the time. Doh.

Emmit Smith held the door open for me once at Starbucks. "Hey, how you doing? Good to meet you," he said. I didn't know it was Emmit as I didn't even look at his face. I guess he just said that all day long when people stared at him.

We waiting for an hour after a baseball game for Steve Stone and Harry Carry in Houston in 198x. Steve Stone walked right past me and my brother like we didn't exist. Didn't see Harry.

AC Law at LAX flying back to Dallas before the NBA draft.

Talk to Tony Cassilas all the time. He lives near me.

Met Robert Horry at the Copa Room in midtown Houston on a random Tuesday night back in 2004. He was chilling by himself and the place was dead. Very approachable and talked for a while.

Flava Flav at some other midtown club whose name escapes me from that time. Dude is tiny and yes he was wearing a clock around his neck. Hanging by himself but was a weekend so busier night. Talked to anyone that came up to him and was friendly.

I know everyone here has a Texas country artists story but I went to Texas Lutheran and my senior year 2002 all our greek orgs (none were national) and student government paid $10,000 to get Cory Morrow to do an on campus show. We only had enrollment of around 1,400 at the time and he partied all night on campus and stayed the night in his bus in our on campus apartment parking lot. Was a fun night and from what I could tell he enjoyed it (pre his sober phase obviously).

I've run into several Spurs here in San Antonio; but the weirdest was seeing David Robinson at the Sistine Chapel of all places.

A group of mine met Darius Rucker while barhopping in downtown Houston during Super Bowl weekend ('03 or '04). He talked with us for a little bit and took photos with our ladies. SUPER nice guy!

Jackie Chan, Mako, jose Ferrer, I was an extra in a movie called The Big Brawl.
Mel Tillis at the San Antonio Rodeo. I just finished my event and was introduced to him as he was about to ride out and perform.

Don Swayze, cast wrap up party after he finished a film in San Antonio.

NFL players, other than Ags, Charlie Waters, Wade Key, Jermaine Mayberry.