A friend and I were having dinner in an NYC
restaurant, and he went to the men’s room.
He came back deathly pale and barely able
to walk, and just sat at the table for five
minutes without talking. I was wondering
what had happened in there.
Finally he says “So-and-so was in there.”
So-and-so is a celebrity my friend has
admired for decades. I asked him what he
did and he said “Nothing.”
So, the question is: If a famous person
is using the men’s room at the same time
you are, what should you do? Start a
conversation. Wait till you are outside?
Miss Manners never covered this.
The problem is that many celebrities would prefer to be able to live their personal lives (like, say, peeing) without being bothered by fans. On the other hand, celebrities get a kick out of being recognized.
My suggestion is a tentative recognition, “Aren’t you Wossname? I’ve really admired your work” or “Hope you’re having a good day, Mr. President” or whatever. That leaves them the choice of just nodding, or just saying “Thanks”, or starting a conversation. But don’t YOU start the conversation, other than a pleasantry.
That’d be my suggestion.
Falling down in worship on the bathroom floor in front of the urinal is not ideal. And, it could be miscontrued by someone else entering the restroom.
This reminds me of a joke dating back to the 1960s, when they had all those variety shows on teevee. Somebody like Joey Bishop told it…about how he ran into Dean Martin in Vegas, and Dino had a long damp streak down the leg of his pants. Joey asked him what happened, and Dean said “I went into the john and stepped up to the urinal, and the guy next to me went (physical comedy – Martin jerks his body abruptly to the left) ‘My God, you’re Dean Martin!!!’”
So, uh, don’t do that.
When I run into celebrities (I live in New York City) I make a point of referring to them as some OTHER celebrity who’s ever famouser. If I see Robin Williams, say, I’ll go “HEY! I know you!” and when he starts to beam and acknowledge his godly celebrity status, I continue, “You’re JIM CARREY!”
I’ve started a few conversations in johns, usually during a break right after a speaker finished. Some think it’s normal, and act like we’re still in the conference room, and others can’t leave fast enough, saying nothing. That’s not my problem. I figure if I don’t ask then I may never get my question answered anyway.