# Are you within 6 degrees of separation from me? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 28, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597 "2004-10-28T01:31:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/61 "2004-10-29T06:47:36Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Way cool, Dawn and I went to the Harley School of Rochester [NY] so I would be willing to bet that we now are much closer, since I am from the Rochester area we probably have at least 1 person more or less in common=) Funny. I went to Allendale-Columbia. Since Kevin Bacon seems to be the standard in these things, I’m 4 degrees from Kevin Bacon. My friend Anna worked on _Face Off_ with Nicolas Cage, who was in _Welcome to Hollywood_ with Lawrence Fishburne, who in turn was in _Mystic River_ with Kevin Bacon. PS. I am entertained by [this website](http://oracleofbacon.org/). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/62 "2004-10-29T08:33:30Z")
> [@Boyo Jim](#): > > Disclaimer: I don’t know any of these people from Adam, I don’t mean to suggest I have even a trace of a personal relationship with any of them. Does this mean we have no degrees of separation at all? ☹ Adam ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/63 "2004-10-29T12:07:17Z")
**I** slept with Person #1 who slept with Person #2 who slept with Person #3 who slept with Person #4 who slept with \*\*Bob Dylan #5 \*\*. It was a long time ago. And not all on the same day. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/64 "2004-10-29T13:50:04Z")
If it’s just a matter of seeing someone on a stage or across a room, we’re all probably a heckuva lot closer than six degrees. Got a few in common with the OP. I’ve seen Santana in concert and ran some electronics gear when Al Gore was talking to a small group (I was about 20 feet from him, but never met him). If you change the definition to include being introduced and carrying on a conversation (although possibly a very short one), it’s more reasonable. I’ve talked to and shaken hands with three senators (Boxer, Hart, and Bradley), some electronics industry biggies (Stever Wozniak of Apple, Gene Amdahl and his son Carlton, and others), various musicians, a lot of writers, and a few actors. If you go to the most restrictive definition, where we know each other and would remember each other’s names, the list of names you’d recognize gets _very_ short. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/65 "2004-10-29T16:21:29Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > Funny. I went to Allendale-Columbia. > /url]. 😉 I was class of 80…almost went to A-C, but since I was picking up the cost I went with Harley as I could get a partial scholarship. Hm, lets see… The Oracle says: William S. Hart has a Bacon number of 3. William S. Hart was in Hollywood Gad-About, The (1934) with Billy Barty Billy Barty was in Tough Guys (1986) with Eli Wallach Eli Wallach was in Mystic River (2003) with Kevin Bacon I never met him, but he was a great uncle, and my parents knew him, that would make me a bacon-5? and The Oracle says: William S. Hart has a Nicolas Cage number of 2. William S. Hart was in Cinema Circus (1937) with Mickey (I) Rooney Mickey (I) Rooney was in 75th Annual Academy Awards, The (2003) (TV) with Nicolas Cage and The Oracle says: howard keel has a nicolas cage number of 2. Howard Keel was in That’s Entertainment! III (1994) with Mickey (I) Rooney Mickey (I) Rooney was in 75th Annual Academy Awards, The (2003) (TV) with Nicolas Cage damn, this is fun=) ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/66 "2004-10-30T05:48:27Z")
Ha, when I was a child Herbert Hoover’s brother lived at the next place to ours, and we visited regularly. That connects to a lot of history. And, hi, **tdn**! My brother knows Joan Baez who knows the Beatles, so that connects (on the “seen” criterion) with a tremendous number of people. Specially, hi, **fishbicycle**! My father as a youngster shook the hand of someone who shook the hand of Abraham Lincoln (unless there was another hand in there too). Carl’s uncle was one of the roustabouts in the circus movie “Freaks”, plus in other movies. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/67 "2004-10-30T16:14:59Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > You can make a shorter connection if you are willing to stretch the definition of movie star slightly: Henry Winkler was in Happy Days with Ron Howard, who directed _Splash_ which had John Candy in it, who was in _Planes, Trains, and Automobiles_ with Kevin Bacon. > … Ooooh, I thought of a shorter connection if you are willing to include TV appearances…Henry Winkler appeared on “Laverne and Shirley” which starred Michael McKean who was in _Planes Trains and Automobiles_ with you know who. I really have to get to work here. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/68 "2004-10-30T17:09:45Z")
My 4 degrees from Kevin Bacon: My brother Mike used to attend the birthday parties of Sean Lennon (yes, John Lennon’s son) back when they were kids. \*\*The Oracle says: Sean Lennon has a Bacon number of 2. Sean Lennon was in Moonwalker (1988) with Joe Pesci Joe Pesci was in JFK (1991) with Kevin Bacon.\*\* Therefore: 1. Me → Mike 2. Mike → Sean Lennon 3. Sean Lennon → Joe Pesci 4. Joe Pesci → Kevin Bacon Adam :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/69 "2004-10-31T02:31:53Z")
My brother worked at a bookstore where Al Gore did a signing, and even got an autographed copy of _Earth in the Balance_ out of the deal. My aunt has met Dan Quayle. My dad is a musician, and played at a rally for George Bush, so I’m three degrees away from Barbara. I worked as a vendor at Cleveland Stadium from 1982-87, so I’ can connect to the baseball players you mentioned in myriad ways. Also, I’ve met Jay Leno, so I’m within two degrees of anyone who’s ever crossed paths with him. In short, I’m no more than three degrees from you, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out we both knew (or had at least seen) several of the same people, whether famous or not-so-celebrated. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2004, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/70 "2004-10-31T03:07:41Z")
Hmmm… if we’re going by the strict definition of knowing the other person by name, then I’m within a few degrees of a whole bunch of people, as my foreign relations professor had dinner with Lech Walesa a few weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Squire\_Trelane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@Squire\_Trelane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squire_Trelane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/71 "2004-10-31T22:43:27Z")
A couple of years ago, semi-famous banjo player Steve Huber was actually in my house. Steve Huber taught Ewan MacGregor to play the banjo, putting me three steps from George Lucas, Natalie Portman, and most of the Star Wars Episode I and II gang. Lucas puts me four steps from Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, etc. Thus, I’m five steps from the entire Simpsons cast, Lion King cast, Batman the Animated Series cast, Tom Clancy, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Steven Spielberg, etc. Surely, at least ONE of these people was in a movie with Kevin Bacon! ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/72 "2004-10-31T23:08:29Z")
Two. I’ve spoken with Bill Clinton (shortly… at a book signing.), and I went to a German-American relations symposium when I was in 11th grade. I’ve also been to a Republican rally, where Bush was. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597/73 "2004-11-01T09:59:35Z")
Well… my co-worker has met Prince Willem Alexander, who has met Bill Clinton, whom you say has met you. So that’s only four degrees of separation between you and me. It would be hard to do this without the people whose core business it is to be spiders in a social web. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-within-6-degrees-of-separation-from-me/271597.md?page=3)