--
(props to the guy who got to make out with Elis Shue! Crushed on her for ages! She still looks great after all these years! The most I've gotten from a celeb, is having sex with a girl who's had sex with Trent Reznor haha)
My history (in the best chronological order I can remember) :
80s:
LITTLE BEAVER - midget from WrestleMania III, he walked into my 1st grade class to meet us students and promote an indy show that night. I didn't get to go, but I heard he won via DQ after being strangled on the ropes too long.
BUD McGREGOR - tween country singer who appeared on the Mickey Mouse Club, did a free show at the same grade school, got an auto from him.
GEORGE BUSH SR. - didn't technically meet him, but shook his hand, during a class trip to watch him speak at the state capital here in ND.
-
90s:
VINNIE PAUL & DIMEBAG DARRELL - Met Vinnie before a concert. After the concert, met Vinnie again and Dimebag (who was honestly, one of the most down to earth realist guys you could hang with, not just saying that now he's gone, but I stand by those words to this day. I asked him about whether I should buy a new guitar and his response was, "Well it's like a tractor tire; if you can still get some good out of it, keep using it. If it needs to be replaced, buy another one". -paraphrased, but you get the analogy, he was cool AF).
-that same night, I got to witness Evan Seinfeld kick the crap out of a drunk chicano, for tampering with a PPV satellite dish, whom Biohazard & Pantera were watching the Tyson/Holyfield fight after their concert. Hilarious $#!t
ANNA KJELLBERG & MARIA AXEN (Drain STH) - After a show in Fargo, was hitting on Anna because I was crushin on her BIG time back then, while Maria was hitting on me (sort of; She said she remembered seeing me in the audience, with that smile on her face girls give guys - being a dumb 16yr old I didn't capitalize because I was too into Anna. Knowing what I know now, I could've had Maria that night, but you live & you learn.
ROB FLYNN & ADAM DUCE (Machine Head) - Met Rob before a show in Fargo (same venue as above^, "Playmakers"). Rob was kind of a prick. After the show, met Adam and he was cool.
JOHN KELLY (Type O Negative) - He was a guest drummer for a group back then called Pist-On (who's drummer was ill during their tour). After the show, I had him auto my band's new release CD and had him make it out to all the members including myself. He looked at me kinda oddly, but did it. -The following summer, my band then, got to play that same stage 2x that summer (the now defunct First Ave. in Fargo).
VANILLA ICE - All he could talk about was pot. Pot this, pot that. The funny thing about this occasion, was he had just played on a stage that my band had played on 6mo prior, in a hotel of all places. VI was also my first ever concert in 1990 at the Civic Center, and 8yrs later, he was playing a hotel. How far they can fall. Post script: he's going to be coming back to the Civic Center in Nov as part of the "I love the 90s" tour, so I guess if they fall, they can phoenix back up
JOHNNY LANG - he was at the same music equip store me, my bassist & drummer were visiting. I listened to him play some licks, and just as he was putting the Telecaster back on the wall, I complimented his playing. He just looked over his shoulder at me and snickered. I should've dropped him right then & there, back then thou, 'respect' wasn't a big deal to me as it is now as I'm an adult. 80% of his songs weren't written by him anyways, and he was a 90s 1-hit wonder, so F'em.
JARED "JAHRED" GOMES (Head PE) - in the crowd at Ozzfest '99 in Wisconsin. That same weekend, my bud got high w/ System of a Down on their tourbus, and that day of the show, Serj Tankian walked past us and acknowledged us. I had no idea who he was. At the show, that same lil fella was on stage singing for SOAD.
TRIPLE H & CHYNA - In Minneapolis for Summerslam '99 weekend. That Sat, am at Walmart (randomly, I might add). I picked up a few issues of various wrestling mags and wanted to check out the figure selection. Noticed there was a line, asked someone about it and they said 2 wrestlers are here. Turns out it was Hunter & Chyna. I opened up the mags for their particular photos so they could sign it. I presented it to them on the table, when their publicist intercepted and said they couldn't sign it because it wasn't an officially licensed WWF product. Hunter added, "Yeah, ya douchebag!". I was stunned, I got rejected by the publicist and I just had the next World Champ call me a D-bag (well, he was supposed to have been the next Champ at SS). After the signing, I had stuck around with everyone else who had also, to catch them on their way out. Some guy gave Chyna a bouquet of roses just before I got to shake her hand and she gave me a hug, I think because she remembered me being the guy Trips stepped on. Call me crazy, but I'm still a fan of Trips after all these years.
ZAKK WYLDE - ^Summerslam '99, it's on the Network if any of you want to see it, when Test tosses Shane into the MSP and the couch tips over, that's me with the leather baret egging on the situation, and Zakk is there in the denim with his beer. Before that match, Zakk came in and sat next to me and it was a trip, seeing as Ozzy & Randy were idols of mine and here's Ozzy's guitarist shootin the breeze w/ me. He even bought me a beer, even thou I was only 18, he was cool as hell. Hooked me up w/ an auto & some picks. He mentioned he was originally supposed to get involved in that spot, which is why WWF brought him in. He's also seen sitting at the bar where Al Snow & Bossman brawled, across the street from the Target Center.
THAT 70S SHOW CAST/CHEAP TRICK - Literally just had moved to Hollywood at 18, and there was a free concert in the parking lot of Warehouse Music. Turns out it was Cheap Trick and they were promoting the new release of the That 70s Show soundtrack - if you bought the CD, you got to enter Warehouse Music and meet the cast/band. Bought it and met Danny Masterson (Very cool down to earth guy!), Wilmer, Don Stark, Ashton, Mila (by this point, I mentioned 'Greetings from North Dakota' and Mila responded saying Ashton's gf was from South Dakota (which was legit). Mila then asked me for MY autograph, so I signed my sig (I went out to L.A. to become a rockstar, so I had my own gimmick and sig and such). Met Kirkwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp, and oddly secluded from everyone else were Topher Grace & Laura Prepon. So Danny & Mila were the only ones who were really verbally interactive. Cheap Trick..... I wanted to meet the guitarist, he was kind of a prick. And their bass player kept giving me Googly-eyes, which was awkward af. I was kind of bummed that Tanya Roberts wasn't there, as I was/still am a 'Bodyslam' mark, plus she was a Charlie's Angel. And I can't remember if Lisa Robin Kelly was there or not, her presence there or lack of, is kind of fuzzy trying to remember.
DINO (Fear Factory) - At the show above^, I got to meet Dino. And a few other shows afterwards, got to hang out with him. Awesome guy to chill with.
TOMMY LEE & PAM ANDERSON (and their kids) - They were on Hollywood Blvd, I believe they were divorced at this time, but they were so on/off again, this may've been just one of those on-times. Anyways, I had started writing a column for a music magazine in the area, and told Tommy about it and he hooked me up w/ 2 demo cassettes of his new band, Methods of Mayhem. Pam didn't say much, she seemed aggravated, actually.
PETER STEELE (Type O Negative) - While waiting in line to see them at the Palace, Pete came out to meet/greet with the fans. I brought along 4 issues of the magazine I was writing for, because Type O happened to be on the cover of that month's issue and my roomie (the mag'z publisher) told me to take them to give to the band haha. So I did, introduced myself and handed them to Pete, he was like "Whoa, thanks man!" - just a gentle giant. Shook his hand, he was humble. Another one of the good ones gone far too soon.
JOE ELLIOT (Def Leppard) & JOAN JETT - Flew home here in ND for Xmas, turned out Lepps was doing a show w/ the Blackhhearts opening, at the Civic Center. Went to it, great show from both. The next day, had to fly back to L.A. While waiting at the terminal, who walks into the same area..... Joe & Joan. I sat there with my mom and said "Watch this", got up and just started a convo with Joan. Told her about the mag I was writing for and asked about the covers she'd made a career performing and she seemed a bit irked by that. So much so that Doc McGee (a well known manager of rockstars) had to intervene and get Joan's attention. After that, walked up to Joe and same thing, introduced myself and asked about his opinion on current musical trends and his response was classic: "...What's a trend...". Being professional, I didn't ask for autos. Turns out we flew on the same plane to Minneapolis. After landing, I wished Joe well and he did the same, was pretty cool.
--
My fingers are tensing up, I'll post a pt. 2 to this (2000 to present day) a bit later on.