Embarrassing celebrity encounters

Off Topic!!!
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i’m sure folks have afew stories here, as i’m also sure the celebrities have seen just about everything!

I’m still embarrassed about this one. I’m nervous meeting dan aykroyd for the first time. the kid in front of me gives me his camera and asks to take a photo of him talking to dan. I’m so nervous, I totally forget I have two camera’s in my hand and when he asks, I apologize, and snap a quick shot of a confused dan just sitting at the table and hand the camera back to him. both where probalby confused as heck. but my brain went into nerve overload. :).

I kind of crashed a party at William Patterson University. There was a sesame Street Celbration with cast members Bob, Maria, ‘Tully’, ‘Oscar’ and ‘Elmo’. I asked someone if there was a stage door or something I could go to to meet them and they told me about a party I read online about after the show. SUPPOSEDLY this was a donor party, where only people who donated to some fund could attend and get access to the stars for a while. So, I took my chances and went in. SUPER nervous, thinking I’d get thrown out any second. but no one asked me for info as I went in, so took my chances. I VERY breifly got to talk to Kevin Clash…was hoping I could get him to record a short 3 second elmo clip for a friend of mine in radio who just ran a 21 mile marathon dressed as elmo, he politltey declined and excused himeslf ;o). VERY Breifly got the nerve to talk to Frank Oz for all of 10 seconds and show him a photo I thought he might find interesting from star wars insider of him meeting ‘yoda’ for the first time. And then I went to an area where Bob and Carol where taking photos’ with people. They took me namee and info down. a few weeks later, I got a free copy of the book ‘street gang’ which I had carol spinney autograph at another con a few years later, and SOMEONE ELSES picture with the group! No idea who those people are, and I wish I could not only find them to give them their picture, but find out if mine still exists!

Well, those are my stories. share 'em if you got 'em!

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I posted this in a similar thread, but it was many moons ago. And, it’s not exactly a celebrity, but celebrity-adjacent. And, as a big music fan it was embarrassing.

Many years ago, my friends and I knew a woman who frequented the record store where we worked (we’d also see her about town and at shows). We just knew her as this very nice woman with an accent who often dressed akin to Stevie Nicks.

At some point, this woman opened a small vintage clothing store. I went in one day with a buddy who was a bassist. It was clear from my buddy conversing with her that he knew her. Their conversation turned to music and, I gathered from context, that her late husband had been a musician. I said, “Oh, was your husband a musician?” and she smiled sweetly and replied that he had been.

We left store and my buddy turned to me and asked, “Do you know who that was?” I replied that I didn’t; I just knew her to say “hello” and exchange pleasantries.

It turned out that her husband had been Nicky Hopkins, one of the most successful and respected session players in the history of rock music. His credits are lengthy, but among them were playing on every Rolling Stones record from 1967 to 1981 and performing on solo albums by all of The Beatles.

I had no way of knowing this beforehand, but, in retrospect, I still felt a little silly asking, “Oh, was your husband a musician?”

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I submitted a similar thread last month. I ran into a large number of celebs at conventions. The highlights were Denise Crosby, Thomas F. Wilson, Robert Patrick, Christopher Lloyd, Neve Campbell x2 (what a sweetheart!), Andrew Robinson, William Shatner, Michael Biehn (talked to him for 40 minutes), Edward Furlong, Carrie Henn, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Lance Henriksen, David Arquette, Rose McGowan (we gabbed over TCM and silent movies), Jamie Kennedy, Matthew Lillard x2, and Patrick Wilson (on that particular day shot down my compliment on The Founder and really didn’t want to be there).

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All of my encounters are embarrassing whether they’re famous or not.

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@FlyingSquid That’s what she says. :zipper_mouth_face:

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We had a Meet-and-Greet with The Struts before their concert but it had to be masked and with plexiglass between us and the band so we’re all half yelling and though they were gracious, it was super awkward. At least we have a good picture.

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Was at a Flogging Molly concert at a rather small venue with a big group of friends, and we were standing quite near the stage when the show ended and the lights came up. We were still standing there when a couple of the band members came out onto the floor, and one of my more charismatic friends struck up a conversation with the bassist, Nathan Maxwell. He happily obliged when we asked if we could all take pictures with him. There we are, standing in a big huddle and cheesing away for the camera, when one of the managers came up and asked if we had VIP tickets — and when we said no, huffily told us we were NOT allowed to take pictures with the band.

I still got a couple though :laughing:

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All of my celebrity encounters have gone off without a hitch.

People say “Aren’t you Jack Elam, star of Girl in Lover’s Lane?”

And I say, “Yes, yes I am. You may take a selfie with me.”

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Not embarrassing per se, but probably the weirdest celebrity encounter I’ve ever had.

Back about 15 or so years ago when Al Franken was doing his show on Air America, they did a live broadcast from here in town. During the break, there was the predictable rush to the bathrooms. I was, ahem, doing my business at a wall unit and as I’m getting settled in, who takes over the stall next to me? Al himself.

I maintained the presence of mind to not choose that moment to ask for an autograph. :wink:

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I also met Eric Idle (in the Kalamazoo State Theatre where the Time Bubble tour was)
I was last in line for an autograph.
I was very impressed with his show because he tailored the “Say no more!” sketch for southwest Michigan- with towns named Colon and Climax, it really worked :sweat_smile:

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I mentioned this in another thread but I must have lived near Eric Idle for a while because I took my dog to the park and his dog and mine played together. I didn’t even realize who he was at first because why would I be chatting about our dogs with Eric Idle, right?

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Forgot to mention the embarrassing part:
He mentioned during the show how people keep thinking he’s Michael Palin so I was going to say “Thanks, Mr. Palin!” after he autographed the CD but since I was the only one left, and he was looking me right in the eyes, I chickened out and all I could do was awkwardly say thanks and move along.:man_facepalming:

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in the late 80’s I was at a Flotsam and Jetsam show in S.F. and went up to the bar to get a Coke and Kirk Hammett of Metallica was there and I said “do you know who you are?” I’m a dork and have no idea why I phrased it that way… He smile and autographed a bar napkin for me.

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This wasn’t am embarrassing encounter with the celebrity, but embarrassing leading up to it.

My wife and I went to a Star Trek convention in Chicago featuring many members of the various casts, including William Shatner. The convention was having a blood-drive, with signed photos given to all who gave blood and a contest where one person would be selected to have a private meet and greet with Shatner that night.

So my wife and I gave blood, entered the contest, and they were to announce the winner later in the day after Garrett Wang spoke. My wife started not feeling well and went back to our hotel room, but I decided to hear Garrett Wang’s talk and see who won.

I was having issues with my hearing and found most of the talk a bit muffled, but struggled through. Then they had Garrett announce the winner.

And, boy, it sure sounded a little like my name, but maybe I misheard. So I sat. Then Garrett announce it again, and - wow - that could be my name, but what if I’m wrong and go up there and it turns out wrong. That will be real embarrassing.

He says it one more time and I reluctantly, slowly, moved up the rows to the front of the stage, figuring I was wrong.

As it turned out, they did call my name, but later I thought to myself, "My slow hesitant walk probably got them thinking I was really, really reluctant to meet William Shatner. Like, “Ooooh, do I have to? Rats. Well, okay.’”

The meeting with Shatner turned out fine. Very brief, but he signed a couple of things, and had us sit in front of him for a picture. I could help but say, “It’s just like getting a picture with Santa.” His response was, “Well, you’re not sitting in my lap!”

Ah, good times though.

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Maybe he has metal ear and didn’t even understand what you said and signing napkins is his go to getouttadodge move.

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That is hilarious!
The Struts (incredible band) have a song ‘Primadonna Like Me’ with the opening lyric “Hey you, don’t you know who I think I am?”

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Josh Weinstein has occasionally told a story at cons (I’ve seen video of one instance, but don’t know how often) about how someone had tried to make a “I hate Tom Servo’s old voice” joke at him once.

That was me at, if I remember right, Supercon (San Jose) in 2010, when he and I think Frank and Joel and/or Trace had a signing table there (I’d have to check the signatures in my ACEG).

My nervous dumb mouth thought it would be funny and, idk, demonstrate that I knew the lore of the show or something stupid like that, and I was not serious at all; I did not hate his voice. But apparently he was not amused, if he decided to start recounting this. I have rarely been so ashamed as when I saw video of it for the first time.

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To be fair, Josh is very easily annoyed if his podcast is of any indication.

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Not TERRIBLY embarrassing but oh man did I ever freeze the first time I met Trace and Frank, they came to town for a The Mads show and I wore my green labcoat et all. Trace looked at me and said “and who are YOU supposed to be?” I just froze and all I got out was “you… would… know…” to which he smiled and replied “oh, I would, wouldn’t I?”

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I was so embarrassed I didn’t even get my photo with them on that occasion. I’ve had my photo with them since, but sans labcoat… hopefully Frank is healthy enough that one day they’ll return to new orleans and I can get my photo with them in labcoat and with Puppet Frank!

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