It’s nice that some people meet some celebrities that are nice some of the time, but lets not make any claims that it reflects their personalities. Every ghoul has their tender moments or is at least capable of faking them from time to time in the same way that every saint has a bad day and bitches someone out.
My coolest experience as a bartender was waiting on Walken and Harvey Keitel at a private party. We were sort of haggling over which chilled vodka to use and they were both so incredibly goofy (and sober; it was early) it still makes me laugh. Never would have guessed it.
IIRC, I waited on Steve Martin the same night and he barely uttered a word.
I don’t know dude. I made it pretty clear that I wasn’t going to bother her, she instigated the extended conversation about my life (boring) with me. My friends and I are wondering if she’s doing a movie about unions. I’m hardly Hoffa, though.
My in laws used to hang in the same crowd as Dylan before he was Dylan. Neither was ever too impressed with his personality (and they’ve been divorced 30 years and agree on nothing other than Dylan was a jerk). Its possible fame improved him.
Garrison Keillor is another one who is known by many friends, who has a very nice guy personality, but isn’t. One of my girlfriends has known him since she was a baby (he was a friend of her parents who are part of the Minnesota folk music scene). Despite the fact that she dated his son, he refuses to acknowledge her when he runs into her in public (in that “hi” sort of way).
I’ll vouch for Neil Gaiman being a nice guy - although I wouldn’t recommend dating him.
Because Amanda Palmer would kick their ass? She seems to be doing ok with him. They Twitter to each other when they’re in the same room! It’s kinda cute.
No, because relationship wise he is emotionally about seventeen. (Although thinking about it, I wouldn’t want Lorraine kicking my ass).
My husband performed with Charo when he was a kid. Even around age 10, he thought she was hot (also very nice, but still the hootchie-cootchie girl, even with a bunch of kids).
As someone who thinks that Bob Dylan is the single most important American musician of the past 50+ years, and who has travelled far and wide over many years to see him perform live (spending a pile o’ money in the process) I would say that this assessment seems to be right on the money.
Incredibly talented artist, kind of a pompous dick…
(that combo is not unique in Bob Dylan, by the way)
I met **Peter Weller **back when Robocop first came out. I went to his hotel room in Atlanta to interview him and when I walked in he was yelling on the phone to someone in the hotel saying something like, “I wanted linguine. This is stringozzi!”
So I thought, “What a shallow, Hollywood pompus ass.”
Now I see him as an expert on Roman history (my favorite hobby) on TV and have a better opinion of him. Maybe he really, really was looking forward to linguine.
Suddenly, “Don’t stand so close to me” makes more sense.
**Sharon Stone **bought my fiance a drink at a bar in France. I think she was just excited to run into another American.
**Wayne Coyne **of The Flaming Lips is a pretty nice guy (even though from time to time likes to talk shit about other artists w/o much of a filter.) The most surprising thing to me about him is that he worked at Long John Silvers when he started the band (that part’s not surprising) but continued working there even after the band started taking off. He also still lives in the same small house in Oklahoma that he bought w/ money he made at LJS and paid something like $20k for it. I believe he’s bought surrounding buildings and has created sort of a “compound” but the main residence is still that first house.
So now I picture him wearing a pirate had and singing about credit reports.
I used to have a coworker who, back in the day, had a personal connection to Bob Dylan. She never explained exactly what happened between them, but she wound up absolutely loathing the man. And she apparently wasn’t the only person who felt that way.
I met 3 of the members of Wilco, and they were really great. Jeff Tweedy seemed a bit shy and slightly reserved, but was very kind to me (especially since I was pretty much freaking out on him). I actually had a pretty long chat with Glenn Kotche (the drummer).
I’ve been in Bob Dylans company several times. A couple parties and on the road with different bands. I was always in a pretty dizzying array of rock royalty that I didnt really focus on him. He was always pleasant to me.
About 7 or so years ago I was walking across a deserted Nicollet Mall (Mpls). It was -20 F. I was going to Let it Be Records, and ran into him on his way out. He recognized me and got my name right on the second try. I think he’s a decent enough guy.
A relative worked on stage with Darren McGavin. Said he was a mean, miserable drunk who would reduce cast members to tears. Sad to hear it about such an appealing actor.
About Garrison Keilor: when he dumped his longterm partner, Margaret Moos, she lost her home, her "step"kids, her life partner, and her job - she had been the producer of Prairie Home Companion. He left her for a former exchange student from Denmark he reconnected with at a high school reunion and married 5 months later. He has since married someone else. Keillor wrote a piece for Saloncomplaining about people marrying too often for their kids to keep track of all the relationships when he’s been married 3 times (not counting the LTR with Moos) and has kids with 2 of them.
James Thurber was supposed to be pretty unpleasant to be around, too.
I beg to differ. I have met him and IHMO, he is an arrogant blowhard, on and off camera.
I met John Waters and he was most gracious and kind; in no hurry to rush on to the next fan. Signed my program and everything. Also, his one man show was brutally hilarious!
In all fairness, calling a man like Garrison Keilor a “life partner” is probably not a great idea, especially supposing this woman must of known about his patterns beforehand, since she was his producer.
If you watch someone treat others (over ond over again) a certain way, it should not come as a shock when they start to treat you in a similar fashon…
When she and I were both much younger, and she closer to the height of her fame, I had a brief interaction with Joan Jett. I worked at the hotel the band stayed at. She wanted to cook a meal for the band after the show, and asked that I seek out a larger pot to cook it in (it was one of those all suite hotels with the kitchens).
She seemed as pleasant as all get out. And tired. And hot! (She was still in her black leather outfit from the show when she talked to me).
The fact that she was very nice, though obviously very tired, and yet still wanted to do something as mundane as cooking a meal for a road weary band on tour…that was a normal, non-badass thing to want to do.