# Whose the most famous person you know well enough to casually email? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216 "2011-01-27T18:40:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/21 "2011-01-27T19:56:02Z")
A couple of (relatively older) World Series of Poker winners but that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/22 "2011-01-27T20:02:08Z")
Quite a few established SF writers. Off the top of my head, Ray Feist, Esther Friesner, Norman Spinrad, Adam-Troy Castro, Jane Yolen, Joan Vinge, Alan Steele, Rob Sawyer, and too many others to list. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/23 "2011-01-27T20:10:41Z")
I don’t know if this counts as casually, but I’ve corresponded with both Mark Bittman and Michael Ruhlman via email (both food writers, both pretty successful). Usually cooking question kind of things, and I’ve written a couple articles that Bittman published on his blog. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/24 "2011-01-27T20:17:23Z")
I know a couple of Star Trek (TNG, Voy, Ent) writers. One is actually a friend, the other, an acquaintance. A local fire chief or two (business). I had a bit of a correspondence going on with RAH’s wife (before widowhood) a while back. Snail mail. She was interested in my ideas, but had little tolerance for certain things she considered credulous. She didn’t want to bother her husband with me. Interesting lady. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/25 "2011-01-27T20:17:48Z")
My former advisor, the historian, political commentator, and occasional consultant to world leaders [Niall Ferguson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niall_Ferguson). As an aside, I was wandering through Wikipedia one day and found that Sacha Baron Cohen also counted Professor Ferguson as an advisor, during Niall’s time at Cambridge. I had no idea I was one degree of separation from Borat. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/26 "2011-01-27T20:19:20Z")
Well…I’m on - or was on - friendly terms with three writer/historians (one deceased), well-known within their field of endeavor, but not exactly famous. And I’m :o _distantly_ related to Senator Larry (Wide Stance) Craig :eek: (cousin several times removed). Knew him slightly back when he was a junior congressman, but he probably wouldn’t remember me. Oh, and the long-serving state treasurer of Idaho. He was youth leader at my church back when I was a youth and he was a young adult. Kind of an obscure state official, but he’s famous in that everyone in the state gets letters from him at tax time. SS ---
**Author:** ![Rafe\_Hollister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/27 "2011-01-27T21:08:06Z")
I correspond occasionally with [Larry Dablemont](http://www.larrydablemont.com/), who is well-known regionally (MO, AR, OK, KS) because of his syndicated newspaper column and known nationally among sportsmen because of his books and magazines. He’s been to my house and we’re gonna try to arrange a rabbit hunt in the next few weeks. I used to e-mail with [James Lileks](http://www.lileks.com) a little bit and he’s used some things I’ve sent him in his blog. He’s a columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/28 "2011-01-27T21:16:03Z")
I dated a former child actor a couple years back. He played the little boy in _Parenthood_ alongside Steve Martin. We aren’t in contact at the moment, but I’m sure I could send him an email if I wanted to. Other than that, I don’t know anybody XD ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/29 "2011-01-27T21:21:03Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > I’ll keep it discreet, but he has been awarded at least three Oscars. You know Pauly Shore? Awesome! There’s a member of these boards I’m friends with who’s in the film industry, and I’m friends with a relatively obscure author (though his brother is a huge movie star). ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/30 "2011-01-27T21:41:31Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Casually email? Nobody. > > But I have engaged in **written** correspondence with quite a few famous or semi-famous people over the years. Same here. Kate Bush has telephoned _me_, so that has to rank pretty high. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/31 "2011-01-27T21:45:30Z")
> [@Rafe\_Hollister](#): > > I used to e-mail with [James Lileks](http://www.lileks.com) a little bit and he’s used some things I’ve sent him in his blog. He’s a columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. I loathe his politics, but his [website](http://www.lileks.com/institute/) and book has made me [laugh as hard as anyone](http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/meat/5.html). ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/32 "2011-01-27T21:48:49Z")
Casually? There’s a local NPR affiliate on-air personality that I’m friends with. That’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![Rafe\_Hollister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/33 "2011-01-27T21:51:38Z")
Most people will laugh at the Institute of Official Cheer. Most people on the Dope will loathe his politics. (Not me, but most.) ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/34 "2011-01-27T21:59:11Z")
I met quite a lot of stand-up comedians in the 80s and 90s who went on to bigger and better things, but most of them wouldn’t know me from Adam’s Off Ox nowadays. One exception is [Lisa Ann Walter](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910076/). You probably don’t know the name, but you’ve almost surely seen her. She’s had a bunch of TV and movie roles and even starred in her own sitcom for 18 episodes. We used to go out dancing whenever she was in town. I was single at the time, but alas, she was married, or else I might have a better story to tell. I haven’t been in touch with her for years, but I have no doubt that if I contacted her today she would greet me like an old friend. Oh, and there’s also [Harry Teinowitz](http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/radio/news/story?page=harry_teinowitz), a name some Chicagoans might know. He’s one of the hosts of a popular sports radio show. I still talk to Harry every now and then. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/35 "2011-01-27T22:05:02Z")
I don’t know this person, but I did have a very pleasant exchange of emails with [this chap](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0140970/), who was a former LA DJ, and did tons and tons of TV announcing jobs thru the 1960s and 1970s. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/36 "2011-01-27T22:21:44Z")
I’m friends with an actor who is currently starring as the title role in a world-famous hit Broadway show. In fact, just last night we drove home from an event together. ---
**Author:** ![orderfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orderfire/32/10908_2.png) [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/37 "2011-01-28T00:39:46Z")
I’ve been good friends with Tim Page since I was a kid. The Pulitzer winning music guy, not the Vietnam guy. > **[Tim Page (music critic)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Page_(music_critic))** > > Tim Page (born Ellis Batten Page Jr., 11 October 1954) is an American writer, music critic, editor, producer and professor who won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for his music criticism for The Washington Post. Anthony Tommasini, the chief music critic for The New York Times, has praised Page's criticism for its "extensive knowledge of cultural history, especially literature; the instincts and news sense of a sharp beat reporter; the skills of a good storyteller; infectious inquisitiveness; immunity to ... Denise Merrill was in my dad’s aerobics class for years, and is married to my former physician. > **[Denise Merrill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Merrill)** > > Denise W. Merrill (born October 8, 1948) is an American politician who most recently served as the Connecticut Secretary of the State from 2011 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Merrill was previously a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives. > Merrill graduated from the University of Connecticut. She attended but did not graduate from the San Francisco Law School, now merged with Alliant International University, and was admitted to the State Bar of California. > Merrill was... ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/38 "2011-01-28T00:46:32Z")
I’ve never emailed him (usually communicate with his daughter) but I’m sure I could send [my uncle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Bishop) a message if I had anything to tell him. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/39 "2011-01-28T00:50:41Z")
I e-mail and have had dinner at the home of a couple of Montreal radio personalities. And CJAD listeners out there? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216/40 "2011-01-28T01:02:27Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I e-mail and have had dinner at the home of a couple of Montreal radio personalities. > > And CJAD listeners out there? I don’t live in Montreal, but Bob Gainey would respond to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whose-the-most-famous-person-you-know-well-enough-to-casually-email/569216.md?page=3)