re: Your IRL encounters with celebrities

Not mine but Clint Eastwood was filming a movie and met one of my friends, who is Asian, near a filming location. I think it was The Mule.

My friend tells him (in a clearly joking manner) that he was a big fan of Gran Torino. Clint famously uses a bunch of Asian slurs in that movie.

Clint picked up on what he was doing, and replied "Glad it you liked it, g**k"

I was on a flight out of Reno and first class was filled with celebrity athletes because it was the morning after that big celebrity golf tournament they have in Tahoe every year.

After the flight it was the normal dash to the bathroom to piss. I was in the first row of coach so when I got to the urinals they were filled with athletes. I stepped up to the only urinal available and jokingly said "Am I the only guy taking a piss here who isn't in the Hall of Fame?" Marcus Allen nodded at Doug Flutie and said "he's not" and Flutie replied "screw you".

Installing cell phone antennas in the tram station at Hartsfield about 1995 or so. About 2 AM a young man, about 5 feet tall with wild hair, and 2 young ladies getting his autograph come strolling down the station...the young ladies get the autograph and take off while the young man continues toward me. When he gets close enough I think I recognize him and I say "Are you Coolio"?....he replied that he was....and got on the tram and was gone.

Was in the airport in Las Vegas once, early on a Monday morning, and Sinbad walks up and sits down one seat over from me at the gate. I ask him how he's doing and we get into a conversation about how busy the airport is for a Monday morning at 5 AM. When we board the plane we are again seat mates in business class....seemed like a pretty normal person. Very friendly.

My son and I were getting on the elevator at the Marriott Rive Gauche in Paris in 2010 and Dane Cook and his manager were on the elevator. I did not immediately recognize him but my son did. We said hello and "have a nice evening" when they got off and my son told me who he was.

I was sitting outside a CVS Pharmacy in 2014 in Santa Monica waiting on my wife to come out and Zach Galifianakis comes out of the store and gets in an OLD Ford Ranger single cab work truck. I thought "damn, that man looks just like Zach Galifianakis". When he tried to start the truck it would not turn over....he saw me and came over and asked if I had any jumper cables, I did and while I was jumping him off my wife comes over and asks it it is him and he says it is.....again, perfectly normal person. seemed very friendly....but I was giving hem a jump LOL. He offered to pay me but I told him it wasn't necessary LOL....

I was getting gas in Madison Georgia one Saturday morning in the mid 1980s and there was a band tour bus at the pump and they were obviously having some issues. Guy walks up and asks if I would give him a ride to an auto parts store about 3 miles away....I tell him sure and he hops in and we go get a fuel filter and return....when we got back he told me to wait a minute and he went into the bus and came back with 3 T-shirts. It was Vern Gosden.

Went to my buddies apartment in 10th grade and another tour bus was in the parking lot. Walked into his apartment and Porter Wagoner was sitting on the couch....my buddies mother was apparently his "girlfriend" when he was in Atlanta....dude was dressed like Porter Wagoner LOL....4 oclock on a random weekday and this dude is in full rhinestone regalia. Kind of an arse.

Lived with a family in North Alabama in the early 90s while working in the area. Worked nights. Came home one morning and there is a note on the door telling me to sleep on the couch, Uncle Bobby is using my room. Got up around noon and Bobby Allison is sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch. Fantastic dude....actually became sort of friends....he was just a person. Son was more of a celebrity, also met him several times but he was way more aloof than Bobby was...

Does anyone else find it concerning how many Ranters are hanging out in restrooms?

I crossed Carlos Santana coming out of an elevator but left him alone.

Saw Mick Jaggar at Rock N Bowl in New Orleans in the 90s. I think they were playing in Nola later that week and he was celebrating his birthday at RNB.
He was pretty chill. No one was hassling him. I talked to him for several minutes at his table. He looks you in the eye and is engaging. Remembers your name and stuff. I was impressed. Very nice

Years ago, I had back stage passes for Al Jarreau at the Saenger. After the show, we all had rooms at the Hyatt and had drinks and hung out with the band until late that night.

The next day I was headed home and as I got off the interstate in Hammond,
I noticed the cops had pulled over the band's tour bus. I walked up to the bus and saw George Hawkins, the bass player for Al Jarreau (and Kenny Loggins), standing outside the bus. He was telling me that the cop and their driver were 'getting into it" and the driver was about to get arrested. I approached the officer and got him to waive everything. He agreed to do so and minutes later the band was back on the road.

I got spit on by Keith Hernandez once.