Karaoke Forums

When it comes to movie stars, famous singers and bands I've never
understood going crazy over getting autographs etc....

Sure I'd love to meet and have a conversation with certain famous people because they've lived interesting lives or have knowledge I could learn from, but to want a lock of their hair, autograph, piece of clothing or swoon just to get a glimpse of them - I don't understand. They are just people. I feel like I am in the minority feeling this way. I know people who have stood in line for 4 hours just to get an autograph from a movie star. I'm not judging them - I just don't get it.

_________________
[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Personally,  I couldn't care less about autographs.  However I've had a few of my guitar's signed by a couple very well known musicians, but my motive wasn't that *I*wanted their signature.  I had resale value and collectibility of the guitar in mind. You'd be surprised how much people pay for certain signatures. Personally I find it rediculous but I like collecting and have assets so I lower myself  :D

_________________
Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Well, call me shallow but I collect autographs and letters! I also have Einstein's brain in a mayonnaise jar under my back porch where it has been hermetically sealed since noon today...NO ONE, I repeat, NO ONE knows the contents of that envelop--oops, sorry I was on the "Carson" kick of a while back....

Wait,  How can you have Einsteins brain in a mayonaise jar,  if I have it here ?   Did you bid on that dutch auction on Ebay too ?  Or was there more than one auction that was sold of his brain ?   I'm wondering if one of us got taken in by fraud..  How many Dutch auctions can there be selling his brain ?  I was surprised to find out Einstein was actually Dutch !

_________________
Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

The instructions said "DO, NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT OPEN OR CONTENTS MAY BE CONTAMINATED" so I haven't but I'm really starting to think it's just a chunk of cauliflower bobbling around in there.  So, not going to ask whose autographs I have..okay! Be that way! I don't care! I also have a baggy containing three of Frank Sinatra's cigarette butts hidden around here somewhere in the basement.

Well, that confirms it.  Your purchase is real.  That's his hair !

_________________
Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I don't have any big star autograph stories myself, but my folks have one good one in particular.  My parents have always been fans of the big bands and singers from the 30's, 40's and 50's.  They were friends of a national singer named Helen Forrest.
Well around 1962 or 63 the folks went on vacation and ended up in Lake Tahoe to hear their friend Helen singing at a club there.  As a bonus, a young Frank Sinatra Jr. was giving an early in his career performance.  Shortly before his show started, who should walk in but Frank Sinatra Sr. and his entourage.  The room was pretty packed except for the table my folks were at.  Frank Sr. came over to them and asked if he and his friends could sit there.  Of course my Dad said yes and so Frank Sinatra and friends sat right down there.  Helen Forrest who knew Frank Sr., came over and formally introduced him to my parents.  Needless to say my folks were really star struck!!  After Frank Sinatra Jr. had sung several songs, Frank Sr. leaned over and asked my Dad, "how do you think the kid's doing?"  Well, Dad DIDN'T exactly say "he was a little pitchy on that last one!"  LOL   They did get an autograph at the end of the evening!

When I was working at the radio station we had many luminaries as guests, some big names, some names known better by jazz fans. I have to admit after a while, I was not nervous about meeting them, they were all just regular people after all (well, except for Si Zentner, who was a much lesser known bandleader and musician but you'd think he was Tommy Dorsey or some such thing to hear him brag about his playing).  A couple of them were so nice I almost wanted to be friends with them....Woody Herman and singer Bob Eberly were two of the most down to earth people you'd ever meet.

I just keep one autograph on my wall

_________________
Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Wow!!!!! Look Steven, I have a letter written by Stan Laurel--could I entice you to trade yours for mine? I'll throw a free set of Broyhill Furniture into the bargain...

No way !


Are you kidding me ?

_________________
Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Woody Herman was a great clarinetist if I remember right.  He and Harry James were really good band leaders for sure.  Not as as well known as Dorsey, Goodman, Miller and Shaw but darn close.  What radio station were you working at Michael?

I worked at WFPG off the Steel Pier in Atlantic City.  How I got involved is there was a big band show broadcast every Saturday night and the host Dick Hertz (and NO, that was his real name) would have a trivia question contest in exchange for tickets to see one of the bands playing in towns (they still did back then, even before the casinos).  Invariably I always had the answer to his music related questions so one night after giving the question he called ME and asked for the answer.  I think he was impressed that I was only 15 years old and knew all this stuff about the big band era. He thought it was safer for me to be at the studio with him because people were starting to think the contest was fixed.  He was quite a character--many wonderful stories about that guy. So, that's how I got into radio as a teenager.  I got my third class commercial radio operator's license when I was 16 and worked there until my father died and my mother became ill and we moved here to Minnesota where she came from.  

I met Harry James as well Odie. I think the thing that shocked me most when he came through the door was how old he looked--nothing like the dapper, thin guy you remember him as...but I learned later he was a heavy drinker.  He was most cordial...they all were actually, even though for most of these people, the venues they were playing were a far cry from their past glory days.  The other thing I remember is visiting my mother in San Diego and calling up Charlie Barnet (we knew he lived there)...his name was right in the phonebook! He lived on Anchorage Drive, I still remember that.  Like an idiot, he answers the phone and I blurted out, "Is dis Charlie Barnet, the saxophone player?".  Anyway, he consented to be interviewed over the phone by Dick back in Atlantic City.  

I was VERY luck to have been there at that place in time because I idolized these people from a very early age and I sort of think they were kind of happy that a youngster knew so much about them.  I still have their autographs but alas not one lousy picture!

Wow, those are some cool stories Michael.  You were in the right places at the right time for sure to come in contact with a lot of these swing/jazz greats.  Too bad a lot of the older players tend to fall on hard times as they age, but they seem to be able to keep up their chops pretty well!

Well, I got to hear them all as most of them were playing right there on the pier...they were solid troopers!

Got to meet My Favorite Band Members   Ian Anderson and Martin Barre of Jethro Tull....Darn right I was getting an autograph  and a pic

http://www.karaoke-forum.com/album_show ... ic_id=3060

I was at a party once with tons of musicians, both famous and not so famous.
Just kinda standing around taking it all in. In the corner I see Gene Simmons, who of course is surrounded by the usual horde of young ladies. I kinda drift over that way, more to check out the babes than to see him. But anyways, I'm standing there and Gene turns to me and says, 'Did you want an autograph' and I'm like, 'What for?',
he bust out laughing and says, 'That's the best answer I've ever gotten', shakes my hand, then turns back to the attention of his fan club.
Honestly though, I do have a ton of signed music memorabilia and movie related stuff, all personally collected throughout the years. It's kinda cool to be able to look back on concerts and movie promotions and have a special token of the event, but other than that, they're stored away in numerous boxes that now take up way too much space in my house. I wouldn't sell any of it though, I didn't collect it to make a profit, I was just collecting memories.
James
Maninblack

_________________
I serve no man and am loyal to only one God.

Being critical of a person's success in any respect speaks volumes about the lack of your own.

Love as though you've never been hurt, Dance as though no one's watching, Sing as though God Himself were listening.

These days I would probably wouldn't be as cool about meeting a star as I used to be.

I once met Pat Paulson. Pat Paulson was a regular on the Smother's Brothers show. He was taking pictures and promoting his wine. A lot of stars in this situation will let you tell them what to write when autographing a picture, so I did. I actually got him to laugh too. I had him write, "Thanks Chuck, I couldn't have done it without you." He was just as nice as you would expect him to be too.

Did you know that Einstein's brain was sectioned and given to several universities? The unusual thing about Einstein's brain was that it did not have a right and left hemisphere in the traditional sense. Do a yahoo search on Einstein's brain. There used to be some interesting articles on this.

-Now back to our previously scheduled program....  :whistle:

_________________
Who loves ya baby?

This is sort of off-topic, but I'll tell this story anyway.

Some distant relatives of mine lived on a farm not far from Bloomington, Illinois, back in the fifties.  Apparently one day a small, elderly African-American lady knocked on their door and asked for assistance as her car had broken down.  They let her in and helped her arrange to get her car fixed and on her way.

A few weeks later a truck pulls up and delivers a television set (which, in the fifties, was a huge, heavy piece of furniture).  Wondering what the hell this was about, they opened the accompanying letter, which read:

"Thank you so much for helping my mother.
[signed] Nat King Cole."

_________________
Reward: nine yen in drawer.