I love Michael's memoirs. As I said before, I hope he makes a book of them.
I always tried to ignore the famous people I saw, but one day when I lived on the Upper West Side in the 80s, I saw Kevin Bacon carrying a large mirror on Broadway walking toward me and for some reason, I forgot I didn't "know" him and said, "Hiya, Kevin," as I passed him. "Hi, how're you doing?" he said. A few days later, I came across him again and he was the one who said hi to me. I think he thought he actually knew me. It was embarrasing. After that, whenever I'd spot him, I'd cross the street to avoid him.
That was a great read! My mother used to tell me to not stare or say anything to famous people too. She was a pastry chef at a major hotel in the 60s thru the 80s and many famous people passed through the dining room. She would let me and a friend do tea and I had to school my friend not to stare and act crazy. NYC is tops for anonymity, it why they live here- if you know ,you know.
I bet you live in fishtown if you are still in Philly. Have a house there but my east village crib is home.
Thank you Michael. This was really fun. Many years ago when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn and we lived near Ebbett’s field and players came by subway my friends and I would go to the subway station and wait for tall, nattily-dressed guys to come up the steps. Often we had no idea who they were but we’d ask for autographs. If they signed our books we then looked to see who they were. We knew what the Dodgers looked like from baseball cards and small black and white tv sets and pics in the local papers. I got Gil Hodges, PeeWee Reese, Roy Campanella and Carl Furillo that way.
But I still have no idea who Jim Bagby Jr was or what team he played for. Of all of them he was the most eager to sign.
That was before Google. Maybe I’ll check him out? Maybe I won’t? He might not even have been a player. 🤷🏼♂️
That was so much fun to read, thank you! I would be the worst autograph chaser, I never recognize anybody. In a restaurant in Houston, a friend grabbed my arm and said: "That's the President!". "Who?" "George Bush" (the elder, he lived in Houston). I turned and all I saw was the wide back of a Secret Service guy... so much for my celebrity sightings :) .
Oh man, I just love this! NYC can be intoxicating...so many humans with so many cool memories--this is told so well, so personally that I can clearly remember walking on the same streets...wearing grooves in the sidewalks....seeing the stores again --although I’m 80 miles away
ooooh this was a good one. It made me run down my list of celebrity encounters in 90s New York and 90s L.A. New York is still so seductive to the spirit with all of its nostalgia. Thank you for sharing this!
Wow from a former long-time NYC resident. Yes that is the way it was and still is. Found 6th Avenue in the 50s to be rich in sightings like Spike Lee. Lots of agents there. Saw Paul Simon in MOMA. Lost in thought once but when I looked up there was Woody Allen filming a few feet away in the street.
Smiling all the way through this sweet piece. We certainly don't get enough warm and fuzzies. Didn't realize how much I craved this feeling. Delightful.
This was SO COOL to read! All those famous people! Oh so many years ago, when he was promoting Dream A Little Dream, actor/singer Michael Damien was doing mall tours. He shook my hand and thanked me for coming. I met and got my pic with actor Stephen Amell (Arrow) at Phoenix Comic Con. I've met and got my pic with actor Jared Padalecki (Dean Winchester, Supernatural) at the Supernatural Convention. I met Jared Leto when he was promoting his first album. The best by far, though, was meeting Keanu Reeves when his band played at Alice Cooperstown O_O; I'd just seen The Matrix the week before, to give you a frame of reference. He smiled that Bill & Ted smile and I goofily asked him to sign my checkbook. BWAHAHA
Thanks for sharing these sweet encounters. I grew up right by NYU, went to a small high school with several celebrities’ kids including Mel Brooks’ 3 kids from his first marriage and Robert Goulet’s daughter. I didn’t have as many celeb encounters as you, but my most memorable was in 1980 when my fiance and I walked into Tiffany’s to look at wedding rings. As we passed through the main doors, all the sales staff and shoppers were staring in our direction. After our initial reaction of wondering what we did and making sure we were fully dressed, we realized just a few feet in front of us were the unmistakable backs of Cher and Duane Allman.
Working in a research center adjacent to the Cooper-Hewitt museum in NYC, I had access to the gated garden for al fresco lunches with a boorish fellow phd student with whom I went on to write several boring research texts.
One sunny day as we were eating who should I recognize stalking without deerstalker down 5th Ave but Basil Rathbone the English Film actor famous for his many Sherlock Holmes films. I excitedly told my Dr. Watson like benchmate and suggested we leave the garden and follow him. My impulse was thwarted by “who the hell is Basil Rathbone?”
Years later, my wife Fran and I spotted Woody Allen slouching in his bucket hat past the restaurant window while eating burgers together. Of similar adventurous minds, we sprung from our seats, I threw down some cash and we proceeded to follow Allen down Madison Ave. When he turned west on a side street--probably heading towards the Frick or Mia’s place, Fran and I turned to each-other and asked “what the hell are we doing?”
Such a great story. I grew up in Philadelphia, and the theater used to preview there before they went to New York. Also, two popular talk shows were filmed there. I had 3 or 4 books of famous people's autographs that I collected all through high school. Unfortunately, the books got lost. .As I grew into young adulthood, I had the opportunity to work side-by-side with many celebs and no longer had need of their autographs. I had made memories instead!
Love this. Growing up in LA the celebrities I saw or met were far less interesting than the NYers you mentioned. But isn’t that a reflection of those two towns? Even so, as a kid I was thrilled. I also went to school with lots of famous people’s kids. My mom was never impressed. She was more bothered by the traffic they caused or getting a table at a booked restaurant without a reservation. I get annoyed by this too. 😉
I love Michael's memoirs. As I said before, I hope he makes a book of them.
I always tried to ignore the famous people I saw, but one day when I lived on the Upper West Side in the 80s, I saw Kevin Bacon carrying a large mirror on Broadway walking toward me and for some reason, I forgot I didn't "know" him and said, "Hiya, Kevin," as I passed him. "Hi, how're you doing?" he said. A few days later, I came across him again and he was the one who said hi to me. I think he thought he actually knew me. It was embarrasing. After that, whenever I'd spot him, I'd cross the street to avoid him.
That was a great read! My mother used to tell me to not stare or say anything to famous people too. She was a pastry chef at a major hotel in the 60s thru the 80s and many famous people passed through the dining room. She would let me and a friend do tea and I had to school my friend not to stare and act crazy. NYC is tops for anonymity, it why they live here- if you know ,you know.
I bet you live in fishtown if you are still in Philly. Have a house there but my east village crib is home.
I love the innocence the nostalgia the breezy storytelling..this piece has such a cool musical feel! Thank you.
Thank you Michael. This was really fun. Many years ago when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn and we lived near Ebbett’s field and players came by subway my friends and I would go to the subway station and wait for tall, nattily-dressed guys to come up the steps. Often we had no idea who they were but we’d ask for autographs. If they signed our books we then looked to see who they were. We knew what the Dodgers looked like from baseball cards and small black and white tv sets and pics in the local papers. I got Gil Hodges, PeeWee Reese, Roy Campanella and Carl Furillo that way.
But I still have no idea who Jim Bagby Jr was or what team he played for. Of all of them he was the most eager to sign.
That was before Google. Maybe I’ll check him out? Maybe I won’t? He might not even have been a player. 🤷🏼♂️
That was so much fun to read, thank you! I would be the worst autograph chaser, I never recognize anybody. In a restaurant in Houston, a friend grabbed my arm and said: "That's the President!". "Who?" "George Bush" (the elder, he lived in Houston). I turned and all I saw was the wide back of a Secret Service guy... so much for my celebrity sightings :) .
Oh man, I just love this! NYC can be intoxicating...so many humans with so many cool memories--this is told so well, so personally that I can clearly remember walking on the same streets...wearing grooves in the sidewalks....seeing the stores again --although I’m 80 miles away
thank you. a lovely memoir.
ooooh this was a good one. It made me run down my list of celebrity encounters in 90s New York and 90s L.A. New York is still so seductive to the spirit with all of its nostalgia. Thank you for sharing this!
Wow from a former long-time NYC resident. Yes that is the way it was and still is. Found 6th Avenue in the 50s to be rich in sightings like Spike Lee. Lots of agents there. Saw Paul Simon in MOMA. Lost in thought once but when I looked up there was Woody Allen filming a few feet away in the street.
Oh, how cool is that!
Nice recalling such "close encounters of the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious kind".
It's like being in a particle accelerator, going at full thrust, bumping into rare particles, not casually seen.
Happy Christmas 🎄☃️🌲from London 🥸🧘🌌
Smiling all the way through this sweet piece. We certainly don't get enough warm and fuzzies. Didn't realize how much I craved this feeling. Delightful.
This was SO COOL to read! All those famous people! Oh so many years ago, when he was promoting Dream A Little Dream, actor/singer Michael Damien was doing mall tours. He shook my hand and thanked me for coming. I met and got my pic with actor Stephen Amell (Arrow) at Phoenix Comic Con. I've met and got my pic with actor Jared Padalecki (Dean Winchester, Supernatural) at the Supernatural Convention. I met Jared Leto when he was promoting his first album. The best by far, though, was meeting Keanu Reeves when his band played at Alice Cooperstown O_O; I'd just seen The Matrix the week before, to give you a frame of reference. He smiled that Bill & Ted smile and I goofily asked him to sign my checkbook. BWAHAHA
Thanks for sharing these sweet encounters. I grew up right by NYU, went to a small high school with several celebrities’ kids including Mel Brooks’ 3 kids from his first marriage and Robert Goulet’s daughter. I didn’t have as many celeb encounters as you, but my most memorable was in 1980 when my fiance and I walked into Tiffany’s to look at wedding rings. As we passed through the main doors, all the sales staff and shoppers were staring in our direction. After our initial reaction of wondering what we did and making sure we were fully dressed, we realized just a few feet in front of us were the unmistakable backs of Cher and Duane Allman.
Autograph Failures
Working in a research center adjacent to the Cooper-Hewitt museum in NYC, I had access to the gated garden for al fresco lunches with a boorish fellow phd student with whom I went on to write several boring research texts.
One sunny day as we were eating who should I recognize stalking without deerstalker down 5th Ave but Basil Rathbone the English Film actor famous for his many Sherlock Holmes films. I excitedly told my Dr. Watson like benchmate and suggested we leave the garden and follow him. My impulse was thwarted by “who the hell is Basil Rathbone?”
Years later, my wife Fran and I spotted Woody Allen slouching in his bucket hat past the restaurant window while eating burgers together. Of similar adventurous minds, we sprung from our seats, I threw down some cash and we proceeded to follow Allen down Madison Ave. When he turned west on a side street--probably heading towards the Frick or Mia’s place, Fran and I turned to each-other and asked “what the hell are we doing?”
Hilarious.
Such a great story. I grew up in Philadelphia, and the theater used to preview there before they went to New York. Also, two popular talk shows were filmed there. I had 3 or 4 books of famous people's autographs that I collected all through high school. Unfortunately, the books got lost. .As I grew into young adulthood, I had the opportunity to work side-by-side with many celebs and no longer had need of their autographs. I had made memories instead!
Love this. Growing up in LA the celebrities I saw or met were far less interesting than the NYers you mentioned. But isn’t that a reflection of those two towns? Even so, as a kid I was thrilled. I also went to school with lots of famous people’s kids. My mom was never impressed. She was more bothered by the traffic they caused or getting a table at a booked restaurant without a reservation. I get annoyed by this too. 😉