Reflections on Celebrity

In my forty-two(42) years, I have had occasion to meet all manner of celebrity. My maternal grandparents had the first post-Prohibition legal liquor store in Nashville and my grandfather was particularly close to Roy Acuff, Brother Oswald, and frequent dinner guest Jimmy Riddle. I knew them all. I took my flu shot one year at the Harris Teeter grocery store in Belle Meade right after Chester Atkins who the administering nurse did not recognize as the country guitar superstar. I had known Chet at least peripherally for years as my godfather had a house immediately above his on a three terraced hill lot and my basketball would frequently have to be retrieved on Atkins' property. On one such foray, I met Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits who was evidently visiting. I dined with my grandfather at old Nashville institutions Flaming Steer and Marchetti's and sat immediately next to Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner who exchanged greetings with my Grand-Dad. I was in the company of Art Garfunkle as a child as he flea marketed with our family friend, his now ex-wife. I saw Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and was actually in Kris Kristofferson's lap as an infant or toddler in clubs either co-owned or supplied with liquor by my father whose primary business was wholesale liquor. My family were great backers of Tennessee State University football under John Merritt and I met Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Claude Humphrey. I knew at least in passing all the Vanderbilt athletes when I was at University School of Nashville which abuts the Vanderbilt campus. I met one of the Everly brothers at USN. When I attended Vandy, I met Will Perdue and have known Clyde Lee and Bill Wade in the community. I have met all the Nashville mayors of my lifetime but the last two. I knew corrupt Governor Ray Blanton and was disappointed in a personal brush with Fred Thompson who sat near my date and I during Forrest Gump at the former Lion's Head Cinema. He wasn't driving his little pickup featured in his campaign ads but a Lincoln Towncar and even though he was in his initial Senate run left like the building was on fire when I and the other two people at the movie tried to engage him in conversation. The band I was majordomo to opened for the Four Tops and the Temptations at the War Memorial Auditorium. I happened upon Robert Redford while visiting Savannah while he was filming Bagger Vance and in spite of the massive per minute cost of making a picture, he permitted my traveling companion and I to take his photograph. And he had a reputation for being distant from his fans. I have known other stars but will save that for future postings. Generally, celebrities are like anyone else but I always have wondered if Kristofferson would have held me if he had known I would have grown up to be a conservative.