Meeting your heroes. Inspired by Alphadawg's Josh Allen's post.

[Draconator]

@Alphadawg7 and his post on Josh Allen is most certainly inspiring. Yet there are so many more A list celebrities who are just down to earth, good people. 

 

As many of you know, my all time favorite band is Rush. I have had the great fortune of meeting Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee. 

 

Alex: I was the webmaster of his former bar in Toronto, The Orbit Room on College Street. I had met Alex a few times at the bar, and we usually talked about website stuff. But then one night made me see first hand how hilarious Alex is. I got to the bar early one Saturday, around 7:30 pm. The house band, The Dexters, usually started around 9 pm. Alex would get up on stage and play blues, funk etc. Well on this evening, Alex was also there tending bar. He sees me, and shouts, "Hey Hoffman! Come here!" So I walk over to the bar, he pours 2 shots of tequila (his alcohol of choice besides wine), places one shot in front of me, and says "drink". I reply "Alex, that s-h-i-t will kill me". To which Alex replies, "then you can tell all your friends you died drinking with the guitarist of Rush! Drink!" So, I had a shot with Alex. He always had a kind word for anyone who approached him. If someone got too "Fan boy or fan girl", he politely excused himself from the conversation" Another Alex story, a bunch of Rush fans, about 12 of us in total, made it to The Orbit Room for the bar's 5th anniversary. We all brought gifts for Alex and his co owner Tim Notter. The bar made sure we had a stage side table for The Dexter's show, and a few of us was about 3 feet away from Alex as he was playing. Alex was sincerely moved with the gifts, and thanked us. We started to then thank him profusely for everything he had done in Rush. To which Alex said, "Alright! Stop saying thank you!" One of us then chirped, "Alright. F-u-c-k you". Alex looked at him, and started laughing uncontrollably, and said "That is the greatest thing a Rush fan ever said to me!"

 

Geddy: My ex and I won a contest during the promo tour of Geddy's solo album, My Favourite Headache". In San Jose (I was living in the Bay Area at the time), Geddy's stop on the promo tour was to have breakfast with contest winners at a local San Jose hotel. So after winning, my ex and I had to be at the radio station at 5:30 am. All the contest winners assembled, and drove over to the Hotel De Anza in Downtown San Jose. They had the breakfast in an stately lobby (not the hotel lobby). There was an interview table set off to the side, and 16 of the winners got chairs and crowded around the interview table. More in the middle of the room there were two huge couches facing each other. My ex and I and another couple decided to sit on one of the couches, while the other couch which had it's back to the interview table was empty. The couches were about 5 feet from each other. So Lamont and Tonelli (The DJ's who were hosting the event) came in, and about 5 minutes later, Geddy walks in. Lamont and Tonelli said the interview table was in a not so good place, so they asked Geddy if he wanted to move where he sat for the interview. Geddy says "Sure. I'll sit on that couch over there". So for 4 hours, Geddy sat about 5 feet directly across from my ex and me. All the contest winners asked Geddy about Rush, and he freely answered each one of their questions. My ex then says to Geddy, "How is your daughter doing?" My ex has a son (another baby daddy) who is the same age as Geddy's daughter. Once Geddy heard my ex ask him about his daughter, he was locked into my ex and I, talking about everything except Rush. Geddy and I had a very nice conversation about his passion, baseball. Not only can the guy name every World Series winner since the early 1920's, he also knew the nicknames of those winning teams. 

 

No pictures with me and Alex. (I had one, but was lost in a move). Here's one with me, my ex, and Geddy. 

All in all, Geddy and Alex are just down to earth, good human beings. What's your story with celebs who are also down to earth good people?

 

[Bills4everNY]

Very cool story!

 

I worked in a hotel in my hometown in the early '80s. There was an auditorium that could fill 7,000 people for a concert, so several major bands/musicians would play there and they all stayed at the hotel I worked at. I got to meet a lot of famous musicians. I won't make a long post and mention everyone. I'll just mention one for now.

 

Ozzy came to town and he and his band and road crew stayed there. I was right at the front desk when they checked in. Ozzy was so out of it drunk that I didn't bother to say anything to him but Randy Rhoads was there and I went up to talk to him and ask for an autograph. He was very polite and soft-spoken. When I mentioned what and incredible guitarist he was, he was very humble about it. Such a nice guy. It was such a pleasure to get to meet and talk to him. When I heard that he died a half a year later, it really hit me hard. I still think about what he could've achieved in music if he didn't die at 25 in a senseless, idiotic accident.