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Brush with greatness


Jshep34

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7 minutes ago, TexasBeta said:

Forgot the best one... at least for me. Talked to George Jones after a concert he had here at Riverbend Church. I don’t really remember what I said. I was dumbstruck.

 

 

Ronny Milsap ran into me on campus as he was going to film Austin City Limits.

 

 

FIFY.

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My three Texas football related brushes:

1.) I wasn't even graduating but as a Student org leader I had to represent my group at the College of Education's graduation ceremony in 2013. I worked at Gregory and graduation shifts paid extra so I was pretty bummed to be missing a lot of good hours to sit on stage. Glad I did, because joining all of the student group leaders, faculty, etc. was... VY. He was graduating in that ceremony. Obviously not the place to go full fanboy but it was pretty damn cool to be there and see a football hero of mine walk at UT commencement

2.) Booking a trip to San Francisco from Austin around new years using miles. For some reason first class had discount availability but coach didn't, meaning it was cheaper, so I book the first class ticket. I was connecting through LA and Ricky Williams was on the plane with what I assume were his wife and child. Didn't want to bug him with family obviously.

3.) Earlier this season, I think before the Tulsa game, Jamaal Charles was doing a promo for some local bakery - handing out free cupcakes in the tailgate lot. Gladly snuck him a beer and almost got him to shotgun with us. 

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On 11/1/2018 at 5:32 PM, Gale Snoats said:

I volunteered for a film festival in college and ended up driving Sam Elliot around town for 2 days.  He was very laid back and cool to me.  Most of the time it was just him and me, including a great breakfast at the Driskill.  When I dropped him off at the airport he shook my hand and gave me a hug and told me to keep fighting the good fight, mijo.  It was awesome.

FIFY

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On 11/1/2018 at 7:54 PM, TexasBeta said:

Forgot the best one... at least for me. Talked to George Jones after a concert he had here at Riverbend Church. I don’t really remember what I said. I was dumbstruck.

 

 

Ran into Ronny Milsap on campus as he was going to film Austin City Limits.

 

 

I’m not sure if I posted this, but I served drinks to George Jones in 1980 when I was a bartender at the Silver Dollar South.

He was unable to take the stage for an prior booking because a bartender served him three too many. By that time, my usual bar was the one next to the stage. I got to meet several big name performers at that job, but The Possum was my favorite.

Jones hit my bar between sets, and he started slamming whiskey shots. I knew I had to slow him down, so I struck up a conversation that I steered into him offering me life advice. He got weepy talking about Tammy, and told me to stay at UT and not try to chase fame because life is lonely on the road. Lulz because I had no talents that would have me chasing fame.

The weird thing is that people generally didn’t bother the performers when they were getting drinks at my bar. There was one pretty boy (can’t recall his name) who attracted a small crowd, but that was an exception.

After the last set, he asked me to join him and his band and crew for late night eats at Sambo’s in Sunset Valley (now Kerbey Lane). I had to decline because none of the other asshole bartenders would take over my bar and close it for me. 

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As a sideline photographer that has done quite a few NFL and bigtime college games I have had a number of brushes with famous athletes and announcer types, the occasional celeb fan. But it doesn't usually impress me that much. I'm not into idolatry much. Folks is folk. I've only really been star struck on time. That was when I took a trip to shoot a Baltimore Ravens game early on in their existence. I look over to my right and standing next tom me is Johnny Unitas. Johnny Fuckin' U! He slightly leaned toward me an made comment about a dumb play that had just happened in front of us. I uttered some incomprehensible grunt, the best I could come up with. I count it as a conversation with Johnny U.

 

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On 11/6/2018 at 11:13 PM, Pokoloco said:

Al Ruscio, yes THE Al Ruscio sat down at a blackjack table with my wife and I and kept making offhand comments about my wife being a hooker, but in a very complimentary way. You know, just like you'd imagine Al would.  

I have no idea who this is, but would still be interested in pics of wife.  Especially pics of her wearing her hooker attire.

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Don't have many brushes at all, walked past Shaq at the Galleria in Houston once, near an entrance to a department store with nobody else around but his friend and my family, kind of surreal. Nate Diaz worked out at my gym last year (24 hour fitness at the Hancock Center) before UFC Austin. Also saw Mia Khalifa there acting stupid and annoying during SXSW (jumping on and off machines, generally just fucking around while a hotter blonde friend and some ugly short dude actually worked out). One day in Memphis I was walking down the street minding my own business, just walking off, feeling good, I walk around the corner, a man walk up, hit me in my chest right? I fall on the ground right? and i look up and Dr. Martin Luther the King, I say "DR. KING!?" he say: "oops I thought you were somebody else..."

 

tl;dr I saw a porn star and ufc fighter at my gym and shaq at the galleria and martin luther the king punched me in my chest once.

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