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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
 Posted - 12/31/2004 : 00:29:02
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Okay, as yet another attempt to stop the hijacking of this thread, here's a new thread to dump the dirt on celebrities. Dirt you've personally experienced, or got from a friend, that is - avoid the regular tabloid fourth- or fifth-person gossip, please.
We've already established that Harlan Ellison seems to be a jackass. We're on to Asimov...quote:
Originally posted by gtpooh
quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
On a slightly-related topic, I met Asimov at a tiny scifi convention (there were maybe 100 attendees) in Pennsylvania shortly after seeing the show mentioned above. The impression I was left with was "my, what a dirty old man."
That has always been what I heard. LOL I didn't get involved in the who con thing until early 1999, so I missed every seeing him. But a lot of my friends would say the same thing and, of course, filks about him and lime jello are ubiquitous.
quote:
Originally posted by Siberia
Damn! I love Asimov! Alas, I was too young and too foreign to ever meet him.
I got involved with scifi/fantasy conventions with the first EveCon, in 1984 (yes, I knew Bruce). Anyway, it wasn't an EveCon, but a con I don't even remember the name of, held in Lancaster, PA, at which I met Asimov.
Mind you, I'd read Asimov, and I had always thought that the stuff he said about himself in introductions and whatnot were all a bunch of jokes. Nobody could have an ego that large.
I was mistaken. Of course now, nearly 20 years later, my memory is getting a little foggy, but the scene which sticks with me is Asimov asking my 18-year-old friend if she'd like him to autograph her chest. Even worse was his wife's nervous titter at that question, which said to me that she was trying to just grin and bear the whole situation, but she didn't like it.
So, rather than walk away from a chance meeting with Asimov saying, "wow, I've just met the elder statesman of science fiction," I left knowing that I'd just met an old letcher attempting to use his fame as a club with which to recapture his youth. Bleah.
Oh, my friend, wise beyond her years, got a disgusted look on her face and said "no" in that tone of voice which says, "why did you even ask me that question?"
Next up, I'd just like to mention that I once met Somtow Sucharitkul at a con. A friend and I spent some time in Somtow's room, looking at bits and pieces of a manuscript for what he said would be his next book after Mallworld. We got into a discussion about Samuel R. Delany's book Dhalgren, and my friend mentioned that he'd like to talk to Delany about our idiotic friends having "Scorpions Parties," and otherwise trying to bring the book to life. Somtow said, "Oh? You want his number? I'll give you his number..." and he proceeded to write down Delany's home phone number and hand it to my friend. Somtow had known us for all of two hours by then.
Well, that wasn't very dirt-like, but just an amusing memory. As is this next one:
At Balticon in 1985, I think, my friend (same friend from last story, yes) was dating a girl, Leslie, who worked at one of our local TV stations, channel 20. It just so happened that one of the official guests at Balticon that year would be channel 20's own "Creature Feature" host, Count Gore De Vol, and Leslie was going to be his personal assistant during his con visit.
A guy I'd watched on TV for years, and I finally got to meet him! Unfortunately, it was nothing more than a "hi, nice to meet you" kind of thing in the lobby of the hotel, as he was trying to suck down a cigarette between his "official" duties.
Hours later, I was walking through the lobby again, and ran into Leslie, moving fast in the other direction. "Busy?" I asked. "The Count needs another beer," Leslie replied, exasperated.
[Edited to tinker with links, and correct a typo - Dave W.]
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- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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Siberia
SFN Addict
Brazil
2322 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2004 : 07:13:20 [Permalink]
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Pretty amusing story, Dave
Alas, back in ol' 1984 I was busy being born, wetting my diapers and such. Or, depending on the time of the year, I was engaging in active cell division, being a foetus and all.
However, were I there, and knowing myself, I'd most likely accept the chest signature. I'm crazy, and enjoying every second of it
Anyway, I've yet to meet any celebrities. Back in 2000, when I was at the International Book Bienal (it's a book fair; stands for known publishers, cheap prices, etc.), there were lots of well-known brazillian writers, but I was too busy sitting like a duck and signing my newly published book for the merciful souls who came to support this writer wannabe. Maybe next time. |
"Why are you afraid of something you're not even sure exists?"
- The Kovenant, Via Negativa
"People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs."
-- unknown
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tw101356
Skeptic Friend
USA
333 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2004 : 10:47:38 [Permalink]
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Alexander Haig is the subject of my story.
In the fall of 1979 I was a sergeant in the US Army in Germany. We had just finished a 3 day non-stop exercise and my company had regrouped and camped in a small woods. The cooks assigned to us had just whipped up a batch of Chili Mac for dinner. (Chili Mac is cooked elbow pasta, ground beef, canned crushed tomatoes, chili powder to taste. Easy to cook for 170.)
We were all lined up for our first hot meal in 72 hours, having been eating canned combat rations during the exercise, when a jeep pulls up and General Haig jumps out. We snap to attention and he strolls down the mess line and mounts the mess trailer. He inspects the food, then grabs an oven mitt and lifts the huge pan of Chili Mac off the heating table and hurls it on the ground while yelling at the cooks to fix us a decent meal instead of that crap.
Having just proven his cameraderie with us lowly enlisted types, he strode over to his jeep and was whisked away to another company campsite where I'm sure he repeated the same ineffectual grandstanding. The cooks gathered up their pans. Their senior NCO asked us what we wanted, and everyone started shouting "Chili Mac!" He assigned one cook to make up white bread and baloney sandwiches on the spot to hand out to us while we waited anouther couple of hours for a fresh batch of hot Chili Mac.
Years later I saw the exact same same scene in a WWII movie, except that in the movie the troops were being fed food that they DID NOT like. Haig missed that critical detail.
- TW
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- TW
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 01/02/2005 : 21:06:28 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Siberia
Back in 2000, when I was at the International Book Bienal (it's a book fair; stands for known publishers, cheap prices, etc.), there were lots of well-known brazillian writers, but I was too busy sitting like a duck and signing my newly published book for the merciful souls who came to support this writer wannabe.
And hey, just last year I met (online) this young Brazlian author who's popular enough to be signing books, and who gets so fed-up at "woo-woos" on a Web forum that she claims to be beating her own head on her desk.
How's that for celebrity dirt? |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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Siberia
SFN Addict
Brazil
2322 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2005 : 06:48:10 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Dave W.
quote:
Originally posted by Siberia
Back in 2000, when I was at the International Book Bienal (it's a book fair; stands for known publishers, cheap prices, etc.), there were lots of well-known brazillian writers, but I was too busy sitting like a duck and signing my newly published book for the merciful souls who came to support this writer wannabe.
And hey, just last year I met (online) this young Brazlian author who's popular enough to be signing books, and who gets so fed-up at "woo-woos" on a Web forum that she claims to be beating her own head on her desk.
How's that for celebrity dirt?
Evil! Don't make me sue you for difamation |
"Why are you afraid of something you're not even sure exists?"
- The Kovenant, Via Negativa
"People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs."
-- unknown
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
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Siberia
SFN Addict
Brazil
2322 Posts |
Posted - 01/03/2005 : 16:18:20 [Permalink]
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Of course. You'll be all invited for a cruise in my yatch (as I'll be ridiculously rich).
Ah, to dream... |
"Why are you afraid of something you're not even sure exists?"
- The Kovenant, Via Negativa
"People who don't like their beliefs being laughed at shouldn't have such funny beliefs."
-- unknown
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Topic Locked
