# Famous People You Know Second Hand. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 30, 2014, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398 "2014-07-30T04:07:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/61 "2014-07-31T01:54:03Z")
My wife “dated” some celebrities. I have some female friends who “dated” some baseball players when they were in A ball, and also a few musicians of some acclaim. I’ve met a couple A list actors during my brief time in movies, and I sold something to a notable actor at my college sales job. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/62 "2014-07-31T02:59:31Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Dang, you guys are impressing me. Though I’m not sure I believe the anecdote about Cecil. 🙂 Well, Zotti and Mike Lenahan (sp?) were giving the tour (it was on a Sunday and the place was closed) and they _said_ it was Cecil’s office. CK Dex and Tubadiva were taking the tour also. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/63 "2014-07-31T03:08:41Z")
Oh, I knew my cousin’s first husband. He was Ricky Scaggs’ first cousin. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/64 "2014-07-31T03:45:38Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > I taught college courses for a while and David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones (aka Zowie Bowie) was in one of my classes. damn, this is so cool. No parent-teacher conferences? forgot to mention I knew someone who claimed to have been with Charlie Manson’s Family back in the Spahn Ranch days. ---
**Author:** ![Mapache](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@Mapache](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mapache)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/65 "2014-07-31T03:54:27Z")
I used to know Jerry Brown fairly well; met him in a bar in Oaxaca, traveled with him to various places in Mexico, stayed at his house in North Hollywood a few times, so I can say that I am one step removed from pretty much everyone in politics (and Linda Ronstadt). Also was friends with Joan Baez when we were both about eighteen so I’m again one step from most everyone in music. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/66 "2014-07-31T04:28:19Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > Styx played at the prom of the high school I almost went to (if I hadn’t moved), ten years before I would have gone there (had I lived there at the time). Creedence Clearwater Revival played at our prom. Nobody had ever heard of them, they were cheap. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/67 "2014-07-31T04:41:15Z")
I thought of a couple more. My mother, in their respective childhoods, played with guitarist Les Paul. whose uncle lived across the street. I was pretty good friends with the cousin of President Talabany of the semi-autonomous republic of Kurdistan, and with the son of Jordanian Prime Minister Rifai. I knew the father of NHL player Colin Greening very well, we worked together at two different places. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/68 "2014-07-31T08:07:22Z")
A one-time chess student of mine is a minor rock star who is/was (depending on whether it was the dead one) friends with one of the Beastie Boys. I also know the chess teachers of David Lee Roth, Howard Stern, and Sean Lennon. Also, a girl who was sort of a student (part of a class) of mine went on a date with Keanu Reeves when she was ten and he was thirty. A long-ago neighbor of mine used to see Mario Mendoza (of “Mendoza line” fame) when the Pirates were in town. Another friend lived in the same building as Willie Mays and a number of Bronx machine politicians who went to jail in the 80’s. The guy who whistled the “Andy Griffith” show theme visited our school when I was in third grade. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/69 "2014-07-31T08:35:47Z")
Thought of another one… One of my Dad’s high school classmates was Lois Maxwell. She is best known for playing “Miss Moneypenny” in the James Bond films. Apparently, Dad knew Miss Maxwell well enough to have lunch at school with her a number of times. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/70 "2014-07-31T11:10:09Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > You win the thread; one step removed from Andrew McCarthy’s cat. _She wasn’t much good at chasin’ a mouse but That cat could sing…_ kk. Guess I’m just jealous; I honestly can’t think of a single famous handshake/conversation with someone who could actually remember my name at this moment containing the words “Hi, I’m \_\_\_\_. You must be \_\_\_. Nice to meet you…!” Probably because it isn’t nice to meet me, but I digress… ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/71 "2014-07-31T11:11:19Z")
Not really famous unless you’re a sports fan. When I was a kid, my dad was friends with Frank Oceak, who coached third base for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 60s and 70s. Once when we were at a game, Frank got me the autographs of Roberto Clemente (he signed it “Bob”) and several other of the Pirates players. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/72 "2014-07-31T11:39:29Z")
^Which reminds me. I went to grade school with Willie Stargell’s niece. He came to several school assemblies over the years. Our neighbor did legal/tax work for Roberto Clemente. I met him briefly (“Kids, be quiet, Stephen’s dad and Mr Clemente are busy!”) days before his death. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/73 "2014-07-31T14:19:54Z")
A friend of mine knew a woman who sang backup on one of Bruce Springsteen’s tours. She got me backstage and I met the E Street Band members (Clarence Clemmons was an absolute doll!), but not Bruce & Patti. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/74 "2014-07-31T15:32:50Z")
My dead mom’s adopted cousin’s (might be dead too) daughter is/was married to John Mellencamp’s guitar player (Mike Wanchic). ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/75 "2014-07-31T15:35:59Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > Also, a girl who was sort of a student (part of a class) of mine went on a date with Keanu Reeves when she was ten and he was thirty. :eek: He likes 'em young, then? ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/76 "2014-07-31T15:36:58Z")
My dad was friends with L. Ron Hubbard. I have an autographed copy of Dianetics that he gave my dad. My mother met Hubbard and said he was an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/77 "2014-07-31T15:40:51Z")
A late uncle of mine became acquainted with Edward Heath (UK Prime Minister 1970 – 74) around the 1970s / 80s, through their both being keen amateur small-boat sailors. The two were polar opposites as regards political views, but were able, when engaged in their shared sailing avocation, to set that aside. Within that context, my uncle considered Heath to be an OK guy. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/78 "2014-07-31T15:49:29Z")
Living: Carey Mulligan (her first or second cousin lives in Thailand) Ned Beatty Adrienne Barbeau Deceased: Buddy Holley ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/79 "2014-07-31T19:50:20Z")
My dad worked in the Agriculture industry and worked on policy with every President from Carter to Obama. I had an almost hour long phone chat with Isaac Asimov after my college theater Department Head invited him to be a guest judge for a playwriting festival we hosted every year. He was not able to participate but wanted to call and wish us luck on the festival and My girlfriend and I were the only ones around the theatre when he called, so we got to talk to him. Amazing guy to have a casual chat with. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/80 "2014-07-31T20:32:34Z")
The weirdest one for me is Tracy Morgan, not so much because of who he is but because of the circumstances. Some of you may remember that Morgan made some public and rather vulgar comments about how sexy Sarah Palin was, including referring to her as a “MILF” on the red carpet at the 2011 SAG Awards. (Here’s a brief story with a video clip on [HuffPo](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/31/tracy-morgan-sarah-palin-_1_n_816174.html).) I’d heard about this before I ever saw the SAG clip – I can’t remember now where or why I even did first see it, because it’s not something I would have thought would interest me – and was very surprised to see who Morgan’s date to the SAG Awards was. “Wait, is that KATIE?” Katie, the woman in the black dress in the video clip, lived across the street from me when we were both little kids. She is the first person I remember being friends with, and our parents were good friends. My family moved away when I was still pretty young, but Katie and I were pen pals for a while and our parents have remained in touch for more than 20 years. I know that Katie has met and worked with plenty of prominent people through her job – she’s an executive assistant for a very well-known businessperson – but I’m not clear on how she and Morgan even met or how they became good friends. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398.md?page=5)