# 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:** 9\ **Page:** 7
**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:** [August 11, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/121 "2014-08-11T16:18:10Z")
> [@Tremblay](#): > > My cousin is a well-known composer of classical music. But I take it you have met your cousin? In which case that would disqualify you under the OP’s conditions. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/123 "2014-08-11T16:40:54Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > Do you know Wayne Allyn Root? I ask because in 2008 he wrote all these columns about how since he didn’t know Obama personally, and no one he knows knew Obama either, that Obama didn’t really go to school. or something. No- and frankly, it DOESN’T surprise me that I don’t remember Obama. He was a transfer student from Occidental, so he was only there for 2 years. In any case, it wasn’t such a small school that I’d expect to know everyone there. Heck, it’s entirely possible we WERE in a class together, and that we just never made much of an impression on each other. There are literally HUNDREDS of people who were in classes with me that I never really got to know. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/124 "2014-08-11T16:42:04Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > Do you know Wayne Allyn Root? I ask because in 2008 he wrote all these columns about how since he didn’t know Obama personally, and no one he knows knew Obama either, that Obama didn’t really go to school. or something. No- and frankly, it DOESN’T surprise me that I don’t remember Obama. He was a transfer student from Occidental, so he was only there for 2 years. In any case, it wasn’t such a small school that I’d expect to know everyone there. Heck, it’s entirely possible we WERE in a class together, and that we just never made much of an impression on each other. There are literally HUNDREDS of people who were in classes with me that I never really got to know. There’s certainly no reason Obama would remember ME, even if we did meet at some point. Is that proof that I never really went there? ---
**Author:** ![WreckingCrew](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wreckingcrew/32/4080_2.png) [@WreckingCrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WreckingCrew)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/125 "2014-08-11T19:46:37Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > I taught college courses for a while and David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones (aka Zowie Bowie) was in one of my classes. If this was when he was an undergrad, then you taught where I attended. I was a senior when he was a first year. My then girlfriend TA’d one of his classes. Another classmate of mine is the brother of the drummer from Warrant. A former co-worker was attached to the Marine Air Corps in Korea and got to know both Ted Williams and John Glenn. ---
**Author:** ![WreckingCrew](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wreckingcrew/32/4080_2.png) [@WreckingCrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WreckingCrew)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/126 "2014-08-11T19:55:13Z")
Too late to add - one more college pal ran Michele Bachmann’s campaign, and worked for Dan Quayle for a bit. According for Quayle’s bio, he was the aide who told him “they are only simple spelling words, no need to check.” ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/127 "2014-08-11T23:49:49Z")
One of my best friends’ wife is related in some way to Ke$ha. Some kind of cousin or something. They went to a family reunion at her ranch a year or two ago and had a picture of their daughter with her. She (my friend’s wife) is also usually on the guest list for her shows locally here, I think, but I don’t think she’s ever gone. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/128 "2014-08-13T02:08:46Z")
A former co-worker (he’s recently retired) is Paul Allen’s brother in law. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/129 "2014-08-13T18:13:20Z")
Apparently, my first cousin once removed is Marshall of the RAF Graham Eric “Jock” Stirrup, Baron Stirrup [COLOR=black]KG, GCB, AFC, FRAeS, FCMI[/COLOR] > **[Jock Stirrup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_Stirrup,_Baron_Stirrup)** > > Marshal of the Royal Air Force Graham Eric Stirrup, Baron Stirrup, KG, GCB, AFC, FRAeS, FCMI (born 4 December 1949), informally known as Jock Stirrup, is a former senior Royal Air Force commander who was the Chief of the Defence Staff from 2006 until his retirement in late 2010. He is now a Crossbench member of the House of Lords. In April 2013, he was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth II. > As a junior RAF officer, Stirrup was a jet pilot, and saw action in the D... I have never met him but my grandmother, aunt, and many others have. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398/130 "2014-08-13T18:31:20Z")
I knew two girls who were members of the harem in the royal palace in the Kingdom of Jordan. So I guess they knew some pretty famous people. I know you’re wondering, so: One was actually in the palace harem residence. She was recruited in London, her terms of service were explained to her, she had to commit to two years. Nothing really horrible ever happened to her, working hours were not overly frequent, usually with visiting dignitaries. Her employer fulfilled the terms of service that were outlined, and after two years she received a generous severance package. The other was recruited while traveling as an artiste. She was placed in a very nice apartment in London, and given a nice car and a generous personal allowance. She was expected to be on call, sober and drug-free, at a moment’s notice for any visiting dignitary, and the rest of her time was her own. She could remain in her job for as long as she liked, or quit at any time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-people-you-know-second-hand/694398.md?page=6)