Richie Furay - thanked him for a great show and for coming up to New England at the height of winter.
I ran into Ike Willis before the 1988 Springfield Show. I told him how much I enjoyed the Hartford shows. I also to him I had his cd Venting the Krypton Gas and enjoyed it. Saw Sha Na Na at the Oakdale in Wallingford Ct either late 73 or early 74. Afterwards took my date the Dinos which was very much like Mels Diner in Happy Days. We were eating at a table in the take out area when who comes in but most of the band. I pointed them out to my date and told her I was going to go talk to them. I went up and said Hello. They looked terrified that they had been spotted. I told them I simply wanted to thank them for the great show they just put on. When they realized that I wasn’t about to attack them Lenny stepped forward and told me that they really enjoy putting on a good show for their audience.
Through both my work and where I live I have met a lot of famous people. But two of the weirdest by far were both Marlon Brando. The first time I was doing a bunch of work at his neighbor Jack's house. At the end of the day I was checking a trench for some new camera cables we were installing, when all of a sudden out pops Marlon from the bushes. He kind of mumbles something like what are you doing, so I explain. Then I ask him why he has all those radio antennas on his roof. He says its so he can talk to his people in Tahiti. I say "oh you mean Tetiaroha." Well he was completely blown away that I knew the islands name. I told him I used to read a lot of books about sailing when I was a kid. And like nothing it was like we were friends. We probably talked for at least an hour and a half. He gave me a lecture on wearing sunscreen, how the system, in particular kick backs worked, it was crazy. Parts of the conversation were in the Apocalypse Now voice. Really! The whole thing was surreal. I was going to post my Cloris Leachman story on her RIP page, but I will try post it here another day. She was awesome!
Played pool with Bob Geldolf in Chicago many years ago. He was playing at a club downtown and I went to buy tickets the day of the show. He was hanging out at the club during the day playing pool. We chatted for a bit about his solo albums and autobiography. He asked if I wanted to play pool. Yes, he won. Came back later and had a blast at his club show. Intimate place and he had a great band. Good times.
Was at the Grammy awards in early 90s one year at Radio City. Had an extended conversation with Steve Howe about ABWH and the Union album. Super nice guy. Not sure if he thought I was in the industry or just a fan. The same night after the show we were at a party and someone came up behind us and said “you guys seen BB”. It was Buddy Guy and think he won some award that night. We walked around with him and found BB King and was I introduced. Both of them super nice. I met a ton of people that night.
What was Vessel (Devant frontman) like? From his interviews, he seems like a friendly, down-to-earth bloke who has a tendency to launch off into impenetrable philosophical statements. He treats his fans very well ("all done by kindness" is his motto).
Townshend and Entwistle All of Slade All of Cheap Trick Elvis and the Attractions Paul Weller Francis Rossi Andy Fraser Ron and Russell Mael Wreckless Eric
I flew on the same plane from Chicago to Connecticut with Chuck Berry. It was 1970 and I had just bought his latest album and had it with me . I met him at baggage claim and he was very cordial. Shook my hand and signed my record. Unfortunately it was on the shrink wrap, but you can still see the impression on the jacket.
The MOST famous would probably be Iggy Pop... twice. Then, probably... PJ Harvey REM Steve Albini Pete Best Meat Puppets Several others who are famous but it was very brief such as Joey and Dee Dee Ramone. And MANY who are a little less famous these days such as The Replacements. Then, there is Carina Round who is actually a friend. The longest I hung out with anyone besides Carina Round was Mike Watt in Columbus in 1987 after a fIREHOSE show. About an hour. We were in the band's van. My friend and I kept trying to talk about alternative music but Watt kept turning the conversation to Madonna's then current new album.
I played a game of pool with Bob Mould May 18, 1985 at Traxx in Detroit. He won. We discussed Husker Du reissuing Everything Falls Apart which, at that time, was out of print.
He appeared at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, NJ and since I know the owner I sat right next to him. He was there with Eric Alexander. Although Eric took some breaks Harold never did. He worked very hard. It was a great evening.
Gary Numan and George Harrison, both at Shepperton Film Studios, where i used to work in the mid-eighties.
Will Smith at the Virgin Mega Store in Times Square back in 2001 when Willenium (sp?) came out. I bought the disc and he signed it!
