Whose autographs do you have?

Cafe Society
41

Penn often says that he’s the carnival barker while Teller is the magician. It’s a drastic oversimplification, but not entirely unfounded.

I actually have 2 P&T autographs. One’s a postcard that they used to send out advertising their show at the Rio and the other is an 8x10 picture that I just got about a month or so ago.

I had hoped that they’d sign after their talk in Chicago like they do after all their actual shows, but no luck. Apparently they were on a tight schedule and literally out the door to the airport immediately after they walked off stage.

They’re quite entertaining to see in person, regardless of whether or not they’re actually performing.

42

Pete Townshend–personal letter from him
Simon Townshend–signed a CD at a gig

In the 60s and early 70s I sent letters to all kinds of TV personalities and Astronauts asking for photos and got a lot of publicity shots in return. Some of them had personalized autographs. I still have a few in my archives:

Ernest Borgnine
Smothers Brothers
Robert Conrad
Don Adams
Eddie Albert
David Hedison
Pat Paulson
Moona Lisa (San Diego “Creature Features” hostess)
Bob Wilkins (Bay Area “Creature Features” host)
Wally Schirra
Frank Borman
Tom Stafford

43

The only autographs I have are Green Bay Packers.

I have footballs signed by:

  1. Bart Starr
  2. Lynn Dickey
  3. Don Majkowski and Tim “Six Guns” Harris
  4. Brett Favre and Reggie White.

Still need a Randy Wright, a David Whitehurst and an Aaron Rodgers.

The odd thing is, I never set out to intentionally collect them. I was given the Favre ball as a gift, got the Majkowski one for buying a TV, and happened to run into Lynn Dickey while buying a car from a dealership he was affiliated with. I’ve put almost zero effort into the collection with the exception of seeking out Starr.

44

I often wish I had started out sooner. There are some great names on that list, but by the time I started (a little over 10 years ago), they’d either passed away, quit signing, or started charging (often obscene amounts).

I’m still kicking myself for not getting Ernest Borgnine’s when I met him a few years back, but I didn’t have the cash for it at the time.

That’s what it was like for me before I started actually collecting. A lot of gifts or “eh, might as well ask”.

In my case, it was mostly Chicago baseball players (Joe Girardi, Mark Buehrle, Roberto Alomar, etc.) with a few '85 Bears thrown in for good measure (Dan Hampton used to sign at Jewel grand openings).

45

I have signed First Editions of all of Ayn Rand’s books published within her lifetime. Some of them are worth quite a lot now.

I also have a signed handwritten letter by the composer Leo Delibes. I have no idea what it says.

46

All right, since you asked.

I’d seen Dick Dale play before, so I knew he gave out a lot of guitar picks. With his staccato style, he goes through a pick every song or two (there’s actually a dispenser glued to his guitar) and then usually gives it to the prettiest girl he sees.

A former girlfriend of mine was coming to the show too, and I asked if she would try to get a pick for me. She’s very attractive to begin with, and turned up at the show wearing a revealing schoolgirl outfit. About halfway through the show she said, “Be right back!” and pushed into the crowd. A couple of songs later I saw Dale lean into the audience and hand down a pick. After pushing her way back out of the throng, she triumphantly handed me a guitar pick with a shit-eating grin. Not sure if she had to expose anything further than her outfit already did, but she definitely made short work of that quest! Dale signed it afterwards.

47

Adrian Edmondson (a British comedic actor, from The Young Ones, etc) on a cricket bat. I worked with his management team to get it signed. Took forever and a bit of money but I’m very proud!

The three remaining members of The Dead Milkmen on a Big Lizard in my Backyard album. I got Joe Jack Talcum first when he played a solo show here. Then I went to see the band play for the first time here in like 20 years on Halloween a few years ago. The show started and - the power went out. No show!! But I did get the other two guys to sign my album.

Caroll Spinney (Big Bird), on a Christmas Eve on Sesame Street VHS tape copy. I met him earlier this year at a comic-con. Also got a photo with him.

Mike Hargrove, on a glossy pic, former MLB player and manager of the 1990s-era Cleveland Indians. I won an auction to go watch an Indians game with Mike and his wife in their suite. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve done in my life (I am a huge Indians fan). Also got pics taken with him and all sorts of other great goodies. I had him sign a pic for Asimovian, but forgot his first name so now he’s got an autograph from Hargrove too but with someone else’s name on it :slight_smile:

Bob Feller, Cleveland’s best pitcher ever. Never met the guy but I have both a signed photo I got from an auction and a Bob Feller Starting Lineup figuring, NIB, signed by Feller, that my brother got for me.

Jim Martin, Muppeteer, who went on to do The Great Space Coaster (he was Gary Gnu). The Great Space Coaster had an online auction for some goodies, and Martin would send you an autograph if you bought anything. I bought some badges and got a note with an autograph. Somehow I managed to throw the autograph away! I contacted him on FB and he was nice enough to send another. At the time I was VERY excited to have an autograph from someone who was “personal friends” with Oscar the Grouch (Martin was an Oscar performer at times). Then a few years later, see above, I met Oscar himself.

Brian O’Holloran from Clerks. He was at the same con as Caroll Spinney - I didn’t know he was supposed to be there that day! :wink: - He looked kind of lonely so I paid $20 to get a pic with him and an autograph on a glossy. I also had gotten a selfie with Jay Mewes (of Clerks) a year before, but no autograph.

I have a Grady Sizemore signed bat that my friend got for my 30th birthday. I’ve also got baseballs with about a dozen total Cleveland Indians autographs from the past 5 years or so. And I’ve got a signed photo of myself with the Indians radio broadcasters.

British comedy, Muppets, Dead Milkmen and Cleveland baseball. That about sums me up!!!

48

Brilliant!

49

I met him (and his wife) when they did a convention in Chicago a couple years ago (like you, I did the photo & autograph bundle deal). They were both so sweet that I went back the next day and did it again.

The first time, I got the autograph on a then new-er photo of him, Big Bird, and Oscar with a white background, which I absolutely loved (until that point I had only seen one on a blue background, which I wasn’t crazy about). The second time, because of how great they both were the first time, I got a photo they had of just the two of them & had both of them sign it.

I also, the second time, got the idea to ask him to “do the arm” when we were taking the photo, which he graciously agreed to do. What I didn’t expect was that, when he did it, he also did the voice and moved his hand with the words. It was exactly like meeting Big Bird sans the costume & rig. I did feel a bit bad afterwards though because, from the faces of the people in line, I got the feeling that I had started something…

Was Mrs. Spinney dotting his i’s for him when you met him? They did it when I saw them as a bit of a line control measure, since they had one of the longest lines in the convention, but I just thought it was absolutely adorable.

Before he passed, Bob Feller was one of the most approachable baseball HOF’ers out there. To date, he’s among the cheapest to pick up on the secondary market on a good condition baseball because he essentially flooded the market by signing for anyone and everyone who asked.

I love the Muppet autographs myself, if you can’t tell from my above story. When Mike Quinn opened up his limited signing window through his website last year, I was the first one to order because I was glued my computer waiting for it. All of his signings are more geared toward Star Wars fans (of which I am one, I do confess), but I’m far more interested in his Henson work.

In fact, during that particular signing window I mentioned, I spent about $100 with him and got almost every picture offered except Nien Nunb.

50

Yes. She was so adorable I even had her in my pic with Carroll.

To be honest he seemed to be in terrible health and it’s possible he would not have been able to “do the arm” at this con (Feb 2017). He walked with a cane when not being pushed in a wheelchair, and told us that he was having a lot of neurological problems in his back, legs and arms, alluding to all those years of whole-body puppetry.

I went to the Q&A beforehand and she did a lot of finishing his sentences/stories for him as his mind wandered. He was still pretty with-it, and had some cool stories but he is an old dude and there was only so much time :slight_smile:

I got to ask Carroll how it worked when Big Bird and Oscar were on screen together, speaking, as they are in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. He was kind of confused because it’s a 40-year-old movie and he didn’t think the two characters interacted anymore. But we finally got to the bottom of it - Carroll is inside the character who has the most lines, but does the voices for both, in conversation. There’s a Muppeteer in the other one who does the movements, to Carroll’s voice.

51

I have some signed books: Al Franken, both Fred and Sara Machetanz, Bernard Hubbard, Bob Reeve, and Brad Washburn. Probably some others. I have a letter of award signed by Henry Kissinger when he was Secretary of State.

My wife has a letter signed by Jim Jones. :eek:

52

Ok, there has got to be a story there…

53

I’m not really into getting autographs. That said, I have a small accumulation of noted signatures of famous people I’ve come across.

Sports Autographs

  • Bill Veek
  • George Brett
  • Johnny Bench
  • Hugh McElhenny
  • Tom Lasorda
  • Bob Feller
  • Brooks Robinson
  • Luis Tiant

Non-sports Autographs

  • Mark Russell
  • Archibald Cox
  • Senator Edward Kennedy (I was an intern)
54

OSU football great Archie Griffin, who came to my elementary school for a Reading is Fundamental event.

Mass. Gov. Mike Dukakis, from when I was working on his presidential campaign.

2001: A Space Odyssey actor Keir Dullea, from when he appeared at a local independent film series.

Grand Budapest Hotel and etc. actor Willem Dafoe, ditto.

55

Some others I forgot:

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, when I was admitted to the bar of the court back in 1997.

Oh, and signed books:

Dan Chaon
Peter Baker
Congressman John Lewis
George R.R. Martin
David Sedaris (that day he was jokingly asking people to give him cigarettes, and some people did - not me, though)

Alec Guinness, Edward Hermann and Jeremy Brett at the stage door after I saw them perform in London.

Gilbert Gottfried signed the case of a comedy-show DVD of his after I saw him do standup.

My sister bumped into Julia Child in an airport years ago, got her autograph and later framed it. It now has pride of place in her kitchen.

56

My father was friends at University with Kingley Amis. I have inherited a signed first edition of Amis’s first published work, a book of poetry which is a rare collectors item in itself.

57

I don’t know what I’d prefer–getting a chance to see those 3 perform live or getting their autographs after.

Wow.

58

I have too many to list, but my favorites are:

Ichiro
Joe DiMaggio
Patrick Stewart
Brent Spiner
David Duchovny
Tommy Emmanuel
Chet Atkins
Yoshitaka Amano and Nobuo Uematsu (the Final Fantasy series’ artist and composer, respectively)

59

I once wrote to Adm. James Stockdale and he replied with a kind note, nicely signed. I voted for him and Perot based on the 1992 vice presidential debate.

60

Who was he? Why was he there?