Brushes with Fame
Submissions 1 - 10
Starstruck Idealist
My name became the subject of news stories. Never a good thing for a journalist.
"I'm sorry? You said Erin Brockovich called you? It was her...personally?
It was 4:00 p.m. on a Wednesday, and she talked like it was a matter of life and death, the source said.
This was true. But it wasn't until later that I came to terms with the fact that there was nothing the famous environmental activist could do to change that.
The source was a vocal woman who had a sick little boy. As any good mother would, she sought answers for child's ill health.
Erin came Read more
Are you Serious?
A cold and wet Australian sinks into the subway bench on her first day in New York City.
Two hours spent shivering, walking the streets of Soho with an umbrella that was rendered useless in the first 30 minutes.
The doors opened and in walks Mr Big from Sex & The City. He proceeds to sit right next to her.
"Are you serious?" was all she could think, as the gods of New York city made her aware that this was an extraordinary place.
Lab rat guitarist
The name of the new work study student was Steve. He was from California. As we got to know him he mentioned he played guitar. We all did. One day he even brought a guitar in to jam on. He was pretty good. I was just learning.
Later I found out he had a couple of jazz albums out and played on a Steely Dan album (Gaucho). Who knew? To me he was just another lab rat getting a college degree.
Intense
When Jason talks to you, it’s as if you’re the only two people in the room.
I don’t mean that in some fan-girlish way. I also don’t mean to sound like I’m squeeing “Oh my God, he totally just looked at me!!” No, I don’t think I’ve suddenly and magically become the ‘only girl for him’, that he’s suddenly thought that I’m the hottest thing on the plant and perfect for him and he must have me now. I don’t think he’s fallen in love with me. He has a very beautiful, very nice wife and, though I Read more
Zach Galifwhatever-the-fuck-my-name-is
I went to a screening of Edie Sedgwick in Outer and Inner Space and Lupe (1966) at a gallery one night. The weird thing was that I was quite torn about attending it, knowing Zach Galifianakis was performing at a nearby venue.
After the screening was over, I ran to it, slipped past security, and sneaked in. I have never sneaked into anything besides this and a charity ball. Anyway, it was worth it.
This was back in 2006. No one really knew who Galifianakis was at the time, but I sure did. The show was free, and no one knew how Read more
Stage Fright at the Fair
I was six years old, and Tom T. Hall was playing the Dade County Youth Fair.
He saw me there, my father's pride and joy, dressed in cowgirl garb and singing aloud to the music: "I love little baby ducks, old pickup trucks, and rain...."
He called me up onto the stage to sing with him. I was horrified, and have had stage fright ever since.
The Best of Me
Back in the early '80s, my husband at the time (ex now) was a program director for our local rock radio station. Bryan Adams was not only coming to town for a concert but was also doing a meet-and-greet by taking one of our tour boats on Lake Superior. It was our job to be his cruise escorts for the evening.
I, of course, dressed for success, taking great care with my appearance--wanting to look sexy in a classy sort of way. I practiced all day walking in those heels as well as steady breathing, not wanting to be one of Read more
The Night Kramer Punched Me
I was on the way home from watching Spring Awakening during my freshman year at New York University. I was waiting for the N Train. At the time, a lot of construction was being done, and trains were constantly full and consistently few and far between (not that it's so different now).
When the train finally made its appearance, it was unexpectedly pretty empty. My friends and I waltzed into the closest car, and as the doors were about to shut and the next stop was announced, a tall, gangly looking guy with wild hair peeking out from his forest green Read more
Me and John Updike
At Night of 100 Stars back in the 1980s, the star who most impressed me was a shy fellow in tuxedo and brown tweed hat, standing on the sidelines.
I had already shaken hands with Milton Berle, George Burns, Alexis Smith, and a long line of other celebrities. Wearing a tux myself, I suppose they had no idea who I was: a film producer, a bit player, a musician, another star of this star-studded evening at Radio City Music Hall. The truth is, I was a Hollywood nobody, just a middle-aged teacher and poet from across the river in New Read more
Ozomatli Is in the House
When I caught wind that my husband's and my favorite live band--three-time Grammy Award-winning Ozomatli coming near our expat home of Buenos Aires, Argentina, we were beyond excited. We rushed to buy tickets and eagerly waited for the day of the concert to come.
When the golden moment finally arrived, we settled into our randomly chosen hotel, the smiles glued to our faces. Wanting to shake a bit of the excitement, we decided to take a walk through the hustle and bustle of the big city. Within a few hours, we were ready for some relaxation and made our way Read more
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