For someone who worked at a major recording studio for several years, I suprisingly haven't run into that many famous people. My list is pretty short:

- The Presidents Of The USA

- Soundgarden (did a live radio broadcast for their last record release from out studio)

- Queensryche - Did a lot of stuff at our studio, and then I produced a Drum Loop CD with their drummer, Scott Rockenfield, who is a GREAT drummer and the nicest guy around (totally no "rock star" ego at all).

- Guy Babylon - Keyboard player for Elton John. Got a friend and I backstage passes for the Elton John tour several years back, and took us up on stage to show us his extensive keyboard rig and just talked shop for over an hour before the show. Really great guy to hang out with!

- Kenny G - stopped by the studio one day to do some promotional photos for his Guitar player who was in our studio recording an album of his own.

- Current drummer and keyboard player for Heart. Have worked with both of these guys in the studio many times... they are both great studio musicians here in the Seattle area (Ben Smith and Tom Kellock).

- Greg Adams - One of the original members of Tower Of Power. Trumpet player and the main horn and string arranger with them for over 25 years. I mastered his newest solo album, Midnight Morning, which is out on Blue Note, and am producing a Big Band Brass loop/sample CD with him. Have recorded him with a local big band jazz organization several times over the last 4 or 5 years. He's a really great writer/arranger and we've recorded several of his big band charts which are a LOT of fun! I also designed and host his web site on my server (one of my fun side projects).

- Euge Groove - Sax player for Tina Turner and then signed to a major label for his own solo CD. He did some recording in my home studio for a project we were working on with the big band jazz group, and then I did some live sound for a clinic he did with his band at a local high school.

I guess my list is a bit longer than I thought! There have been some others that I'm not remembering now, and I've met a few other celebrities outside of studio situations. I guess I don't really think of them that way, and don't really ever ask for autographs or anything.

Steve

DBAR Productions & MusicTECH - Seattle
LoopLibrary.com
NetMusicLibrary.com - Producers Wanted!

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My association with Mike Keneally has put me on a tour with Vai

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Doesn't surprise me. I met Mike through an acquaintence and had lunch together - just about the time he released "Smoke and Wood." He deserves more credit than what he gets. The dude is an awsome guitar player.

Paul

VS-Planet - VS-Studio User's Group
VSPR- Home of VS-Planet Radio
Virtual Studio Systems, Inc.

An old friend once claimed he raced with Mario Andretti. I said, "Yeah, right...". The next thing I know I'm being handed the phone and I spoke with him for a few minutes. That was pretty cool.

I've also ran into a few musicians along the way, most notable was a 20 minute conversation with Steve Howe about 13 years ago. Earlier that same day I had ran into Tony Levin who was hanging around the show waiting for Bill Bruford. I shook Tonys hand and let him know I wouldn't blow his cover - he had a nice hat disguise on.

Cary

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Originally posted by Cary:
An old friend once claimed he raced with Mario Andretti. I said, "Yeah, right...". The next thing I know I'm being handed the phone and I spoke with him for a few minutes. That was pretty cool.

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I met Mario 2 years ago at a Firestone meeting we had (my day job is still selling tires...!). He babbled on, not a real good public speaker, but a real nice guy.

I met Walter Payton the year before he died. Walter Payton should be remembered as a great man, he gave back a lot.

Warren

www.frontendaudio.com
Home of the Safe Sound Audio P1

It would seem to me that being "known" to some extent would be an overwhelming experience....in a bad way. The adoration that is put upon people seems almost worshipful. People asking you personal questions that are none of their buisness. People being nice to you for reasons other than just enjoying your company. Like on that movie with Anthony "Tony" Hopkins and Alec Baldwin....

People just not respecting your privacy.

conga

“...that there’s something wrong with the world, you don’t know what it is, but it’s there...”

Morpheus – The Matrix

http://www.machinesound.com

I don't worry about famous people's privacy. I'm living my life, thus I worry about doing whatever it takes to convince myself that my life is meaningful, and if that means lieing my way backstage to meet a band I'll do it. If they get offended, fuck 'em. I've actually met a lot of artist just walking around looking for attention. I met Amy Lee from Evanescence at a Seether show just walking the crowd. I went to a P-roach show before they made their first video and there were a thousand people that didn't recognize them... I talked to them for 20-30 minutes before the show... it was funny, people 5 feet away were looking at the stage and chanting "POPA ROACH" and the band was laughing their asses off. Cool guys.

-Dusty

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I met Amy Lee from Evanescence at a Seether show just walking the crowd.

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That'd be a fun shag...

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Originally posted by Popmann:

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I met Amy Lee from Evanescence at a Seether show just walking the crowd.

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That'd be a fun shag...

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Yes indeed. She's EXTREMLY short. Definetly not 5'... but even more beautiful in real life than on tv. I'm always shocked with the height of celebs. Billy Corgan is a tall 6' 4", at at the time I was near him he was so pale you could see every vein in his face. Quite strange.

-Dusty

Ani Difranco and Tori Amos are both TINY! I knew they were small, but seeing them in person, I couldn't belive it...so little!

Les Claypool and Adam Duritz are frickin HUGE--like, very tall!

That reminds me, I chattered with a couple of the guys Cracker after a show (they opened for Counting Crows). The guitarist was in his pajamas, which he had also played in Nice guys.

*Together we can zap zap ZAP zap the world!!!*

You've seen both Ani and Tori in person! You dirty lucky ho-bag! And Dot's seen Bjork. If I could see those 3 plus Britney, Gwen and Jessica, Jessica, Jessica Simpson my life objectives would be all completed.

-Dusty

It does sound a bit weird to list "celebs I've known" but what the f---. Here are just a few:
Opened the show for Buck Owens and the Buckaroos in 1973. Buck was a sourpuss. I was in cahoots with the promoter and found out Buck was payed $17,500. We made $50 total. Played a gig with Little Feat in Boston. Lowell George wasn't too friendly but Billy Payne and Paul Barerre were fun to hang with. Had a fried chicken lunch with Linda Rondstadt once. A sweetie. Got to go up on stage with the Doobie Bros in Ann Arbor for their oncore of "Listen to the Music". Nice guys. Met Pete Fountain(new orleans clarinet god) in Virginia City NV. Worked the stage and met Roy Orbison and George Jones. Met Merle Hagard twice. First at a HoJo's eating a hot fudge sundae and later back stage smoking a spliff. How's that song go? 'We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee". Met Roger McGuinn at a bar in LA. Ran into David Crosby at the Renaisance Fair in Novato CA. Smoked a joint with Bill Walton. Hung out with Asleep at the Wheel. Have met Rodney Crowell and Emy Lou. I've known Huey Lewis for thirty years and he still calls me once in a while. A true gentleman. And Middleman--I played in band with Nicolette Larson too.
Darius

Darius, that's funny.

Yeah Nikki was a great egg when I knew here but definitely more political than I. When we met a few years before her untimely death she seemed pretty Hollywood to me, name dropping all over the place. Still, she was a sweet mid western girl from Kansas City.

In fact, you stirred a memory here. She was with me on my 18th birthday as I was buying beer in Kansas. She thought it was funny they didn't even ID me. Kansas was an 18 legal state back then.

So did you tour with her in the early 80s?

Well Middleman this is ancient history.
I first met her at Stanford University in 1975(I think?). My band had been asked by Hoyt Axton to play a benefit for Interplast, a plastic surgeon outfit going down to central America to work on kids. Nicolette was a backup singer in his band. Later in 1976 George Frayne of Commander Cody fame called me up. He had a deal with Arista and wanted to put together a band which included Niki so for the next two years we recorded and toured the States and Canada. She was married to Hank Di Vito the steel player for Emy Lou at the time. Nicolette and I shared many an airplane ride, renta car, song, dance. We sang some tunes together in the show in duet fasion like "the Angels Rejoiced"(Loovin Bros)and the Gram-Emy lou track "I Can't Dance" In fact the first time we played Vancouver I took her to see Jesse Winchester. I was a big fan since his album with Robbie Robertson. At that show he did Rhumba Man and I suggested to her it would be a great song for her to cover. We worked it up in the Cody band and it was added to our set list. She got her solo deal after the Cody thing ended and eventually cut that song. IMO Niki had one of the best harmony voices I've heard, clear, pure and strong.
I last saw her in 1988 when she visited Reno. We downed a couple of beers and reminissed. A sweet girl who left too soon.
Darius

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My band had been asked by Hoyt Axton to play a benefit for Interplast, a plastic surgeon outfit going down to central America to work on kids.

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Ummmmm....

*Together we can zap zap ZAP zap the world!!!*

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Originally posted by dirtyragamuffin:

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My band had been asked by Hoyt Axton to play a benefit for Interplast, a plastic surgeon outfit going down to central America to work on kids.

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Ummmmm....

*Together we can zap zap ZAP zap the world!!!*

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Did you really think that Shakira's ass was natural Dirty?

-Dusty

Wow, that is quite uncanny. She was an incredible backup singer. In fact she sang backup in our band. My freind and I were doing a duo and she showed up one night asking to sing along. We played together for about 8 monhts before parting ways. I went off to college and she to San Francisco just before hooking up with you.

After the Hoyt Axton days she hooked up with Linda Ronstandt, CSN&Y;, and later the Doobies. Ted Perlman gave her the first real break from what I read later. He produced her first Album.

Nice trip down memory lane..

I was in a movie once with Richard Dreyfus and Jay Thomas (Mr. Holland's Opus). I've met Gary Burton (vibist) and Chick Corea a few times.

... tacket

Long ago and far away, I met Ted Nugent, briefly. That was in the Amboy Dukes days and he played at the college I was attending...had his politics been know then, I doubt he would have gotten a university gig! I've run into Bo Diddley, who retired in a town not far from where I live. Those are the only names everyone would recognize. On a slightly lower plane, I know Shana Banana, the children's entertainer.

And I guess my girlfriend counts as a minor celebrity, in that she was once Miss Black Oklahoma!

~el Pollo

You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose but you can't pick your friend's nose.

met jaco.
once upon a time, around 1982, at a club in deerfield beach, florida, i was playing a top 40 gig, and this bum off the street wandered into the club..... i say bum because, he was wearing hole-y jeans, no shoes, and a pancho- and his hair was braided funny, and he looked demented. sort of.

but he came into the club, walked up to the bandstand, and stood at the edge of the stage, in front of each of the band members one at a time, and watched them. intently.

when he got to me, i just smiled and played as good as i could, and this guy stood there for the longest time, and it finally started to creep me out.

at the same time, i thought i recognized him, and couldn't imagine from where.

he watched our bass player for a long time........... we had a killer bass player, and he played a nice Alembic, and this seemed to really peak the interest of this bum........

so by now, i'm staring at the guy, sensing that he is in fact, not a bum, but probably a player....

so we finish the set, and the bum comes to me and says "hey, really like your playing. my name's Jaco."

i was stunned.

it dawned on me, that this was Jaco Pastorius, and that's why i recognized him, because i had his entire catalog in my cassette bag.........

I said "I thought I recognized you, i'm a big fan, let me buy you a drink!"

so we saunter off to the side bar, by ourselves, I order 2 rum and cokes, and he proceeds to tell me about his latest project........

"yeah, i just finished this album that's going to turn the jazz world on it's fuckin' ear. It's called "Word of Mouth"

then he tells me about his wonderful latest new toy, a prophet 5 synthesizer (one of which my band just happened to have), and how he was all into trying to program new unheard sounds into it, and i guess we talked for the entire break (30 minutes.......)

after which, i invited him to sit in with the band, to play bass of course, but he said, "no, i don't care about the bass right now, but i'd love to play your prophet"......

which, of course, the keyboardist said "sure", and we let the club owner know we had a guest, and he promptly told us he 'wasn't paying us to jam', so we played Loverboy's "Turn me loose" with Jaco Pastorius on keys.
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other people i've met while gigging:

i once played a gig alternating with greg allman, in panama city beach, around 1986.

when i used to gig, i met alice cooper, billy squiers, half of the scorpions, jammed at a live gig with artemus pyle (lynrd skynrd), jammed with johnnie van zandt (in my parents' living room), met all of molly hatchet, met all of 38 special (their soundman wired our rack up for us), met crissie hynde and james honeyman scott, met rick derringer, met pat benetar's guitarist and husband, had a beer and a conversation with allan holdsworth, met steve marriot (humble pie), met all of nazereth (we jammed for them during a rehearsal, while they partied in the club), and did a gig backing up "The Diamonds".

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claim to fame (not):
IN 1979.........
i was in a band called "Exit".
It was a hard rock band, doing originals and covers.

our manager (a woman) also had a gig as a caterer for all the major concert acts at the jacksonville coliseum.

She would get us backstage to meet any act we wanted to meet, only, most of the time we were gigging, and missed acts like van halen....
but i met billy squire, and alice cooper (what a dirty fucker he was..... i mean literally dirty!) and Dio, Pat Travers, Crissie Hynde, Neil Geraldo, and some others.


during one saturday night gig we had (happened to be on the same night as the def leppard/scorpions/ted nugent concert), our manager brought def leppard by the club after their set at the coliseum (the opening act, their first american tour for their first album).

Well, this was during the time that they had their first album out, but were working on their 2nd, and they were having major problems with the black haired guitarist in the band at the time (he was a notorious alcoholic......)


It was the singer, Elliot, and the drummer, the young guy, the drummer's older brother (who was their tour manager) and the bass player..... and they hung out for an entire set, and watched us......

After our set, this bunch approached me, and off to the side, explained to me that they were looking to replace one of the guitarists in their band, and wanted to know if i wanted the gig.........

well, i set up a time the next morning to meet with their manager, which i did, and in my naive youthful dimwitted mind, i decided that the band i was currently in was too good to leave, that we would have our break too..............

so i told him to give me a couple of days to think about it, and he gave me their schedule, phone numbers for the next couple of days, and even gave me the private number to Leber-Krebs, in New York (their management company)..... i was to call him the next day.....

well, unbeknownst to me, that night at the coliseum was going to be Klaus Meine's last night of singing, he blew his throat out, and the scorpions cancelled the rest of the gig so he could have throat surgery to remove polyps.....

all the rest of the tour dates got re-scheduled.

i never could get in touch with anyone.


There's an old adage, a bird in the hand........

gonzo-x

Well here's one that might get a chuckle.
Back in 1975(my heads a little fuzzy) the band was playin friday night at the Bar of America in Truckee CA. In the middle of our second set Boz Scaggs walks in and asks if he can sit in. "Sure Boz!" He played the rest of the night with us. Next night he came back with a flamingo pink strat and played again and the place packed out. I think he was up in Tahoe writing the Silk Degrees record. A few months later we were invited to play the Hookers Ball and California Hall in San Francisco. That night we introduced everybody in the band as "John". That night Boz (who was at the affair) invited us to a party he was throwing at his house the following evening. Steve Miller was there and others I don't remember. The whole night they kept playing Motown on the stereo. I finally got up the courage to thumb through his records and put on a Bob Wills disc. Boz' wife Carmella came over and threatened to throw me out if I didn't put the Four Tops back on. I sulked out cowboy hat in hand a few minutes later.
Darius