For some reason, I decided to compile a list of all the famous people I’ve met in my life. The list turned out to be much longer than I thought it would be.
I'm sure just about everyone who read this story from Troy probably has a Bocephus story or two. I think Hank likes hanging out in Troy because most people don't make a fuss over him.
I do know that my friend, William Johnston, is a long-time close friend and fishing buddy with Hank.
Kidd Rock is also a close friend of Hank's who also owns hunting land outside of Troy. I've never bumped into Kidd Rock, but have heard from many people who have.
P.S. This made my day ... About two days after I got to hang out with Hank, Jr. during this atypical recording session, I'm in my car on Hwy 231 at a red light and I look to my left and see a big, nice black pick-up truck. Driving it is Hank Williams, Jr. who is smiling and waving enthusiastically at me ... He remembered me!
Readers might be interested in the back story of why Hank, Jr. recorded an album at social club just across the Pike County line. As I was told by several people, including Hank, Jr. and his manager, the country "social club" (which really looks like an old, plain white country house) had once been the location of a concert given by Hank's even more famous father, Hank Williams, Sr, when Hank's career had yet to fully take off.
As the story is told, Hank, Sr. didn't get to finish the show because an irate husband bursted into the venue and found that his wife was there with another man. Hank, Sr. was afraid shots were going to be fired and escaped out of a window.
Fifty years later, his son recorded an album at the same place.
BTW, the song I heard Hank, Jr. record is called "X-Tremely Country," which was fantastic IMO.
Hank's manager thought so too, telling me this was going to be a hit.
Another journalist was also there, a guy from Nashville and CMT. I struck up a conversation with this colleague and said I thought this song was going to be a big hit.
The man agreed with me it was an excellent song, but said it would not be a hit because it was not the type of song country music DJs and programming directors were playing at this time (in the late 1990s, I think).
That guy turned out to be right. It's still a great song and should have been a hit! (If it had topped the country charts, it would have made my story even better).
P.S. Hank, Jr. told me he wrote the song in about an hour the day before the recording session.
His "more famous father" is still more famous enough to not be referred to as "Hank Williams, Sr", as you well know. There is just "Hank Williams" (and some also quite talented fat kid who is probably his son). You don't have to pander to your sophisticated audience - hee.
But that's not what I'm here to say .. my own 'brush with fame' while living on campus as a Troy University AFROTC freshman was a casual but riveting conversation with visiting speaker, Dr. Edward Teller 'round 1980 or '81. The main impression he made on me, other than the gravity of his presence, was his unapologetic hawkishness on the virtues of fusion weaponry .. and this was WELL before he was cast as a villain in the Oppenheimer film. Well, I liked him.
And oh, I was at that same concert in Tuscaloosa - Go Gos. (I also attended a "Bocephus" concert there, but that was for the express successful purpose of getting backstage to meet his opening act, Jerry Lee Lewis). Did you ever find your way to The Vinyl Solution?
I was at that Hank, Jr. concert when Jerry Lee Lewis was the opening act. I thought Lewis would never stop playing!
I also met Dr. Teller, who apparently visited Troy State often. (I guess I need to add him to my list).
Columnist Walter Williams was another regular visitor to Troy. I went to hear him speak one time, but don't remember introducing myself so I can't add him to my list.
Regarding my memorable interview with Sen. Howell Heflin at Mr. J's in T-roy .., not long after this event I read a national feature story about Sen. Heflin, who was in the news because of the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court Confirmation hearings.
The author of that piece said he also ate lunch with Sen. Heflin, but in the Senate dining room at the Capitol. While waiting in the buffet line, Sen. Heflin reached into his pocket to get his handkerchief. Instead of pulling out his hankie, Heflin pulled out a pair of his wife's underwear.
My parents had three memorable brushes with fame when Dad was a young lieutenant stationed at Ft. Benning circa 1963- 64.
Dad's best friend on the base football team was Pat Dye, who became a Hall of Fame head coach.
Right before they got out of the military, Colin Powell and his wife moved into the house or apartment next door.
Their next door neighbor, with several kids, was a Col. Swango. One of his children, Michael, grew up to be a physician ... and one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history! He is believed to have killed 60 (!) of his patients.
Mom said they were a strange family.
I posted that story after my Courtney Cox story. My Substack friend Laura Kasner one-upped me. Laura went to high school with Jeffrey Dahmer!
I can’t remember. As my posts go, I thought it was pretty tame stuff - nothing extreme at all … but it was a different point of view that challenged the authorized narrative … and Rather couldn’t tolerate that free speech. What a tell!
What a fun, light-hearted topic that brings back an avalanche of memories. Your humor is understated and very appreciated in this chaotic world. Your dog is adorable!
Quite a list Bill - I enjoyed reading the names. Your cigarette lighter story reminded me of the time when the knicker-wearing pro golfer Payne Stewart snuck-up on me in a press tent after a golf tournament - He snatched my cigs out of my shirt pocket and said, "Sheesh nobody smokes anymore..." I asked him 'Why the silly Knickers?" He said, 'Listen kid- you'd wear knickers too if they paid you what they pay me." That was about it. I met Ron Paul in Seattle '08 - we was speaking at one of his Ron Paul R3VOLUTION mega-gatherings... I was holding a sign that read, "Dr Paul Cured My Apathy" - he walked straight to me when he entered the stadium and shook my hand. Thanks again for your trip down memory lane.
Great Payne Stewart story. He died in that bizarre plane crash. His agent, Robert Fraley, also died. I remember Robert when he was QB at Alabama in the mid-1970s. He was a reserve most of his career - 3rd team- but started 3 big games when the two other quarterbacks got hurt. Bama never missed a beat with Fraley at quarterback. He was a semi-famous sports agent.
I still have a score card w/Pete Jacobson, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer and Stewart' signatures… attempted to get the Shark to scribble his- he was insulted that I’d asked… being a ‘hot shit’ commodity He was at the time.
I've never met Tuberville, who I still don't like because I remember that photo where he proudly showed his thumb after Auburn beat Alabama for the 6th consecutive year. The slogan Auburn fans embraced was "fear the thumb."
I think Alabama has now beat Auburn seven times in a row and Alabama coaches and fans don't do that. When I was a kid the Tide beat Auburn nine years in a row after Auburn got a fluke victory by blocking two punts in the game's final minutes, both of which the Tigers returned for touchdowns. You still see bumper stickers that say, "Punt Bama Punt!"
My older brother Rush did meet Tubs when he was campaigning for Senate at an Alabama football game. There was a feature story on this campaign trip that included a quote from Rush.
Two good celebreties though! I just watched a documentary on Martin Short, which showed some good clips from Candy. There was a big group of Canadian actors and comedians that all hung out together and they all made it big.
At the Silicon Valley Comic Con a few years back, the only such event I've attended, I found I was quite uninterested in meeting celebrities, so I didn't. You generally need to cough up a few bucks for the photo, or buy some merch, which wasn't a limitation for me. But I did walk through the photo area and the biggest draw were STNG actors, like Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner. I saw them, they were having a good time. Billy Boyd had been on the roster the previous day. Didn't see him. Then: William Shatner came through; all the lines evaporated and everyone went to his. He got enormous applause as soon as he appeared. DIdn't meet him either! However, some years earlier in the 90s, he was sitting in front of me at an Intel conference. I didn't realize it was him until they called him up to speak about a book he'd written, "I'm Working On That".
Shatner’s career just kept evolving and he was always doing something to keep himself in the public eye. Retired baseball players keep their houses by going to all these autograph events. Those don’t interest me either.
You beat me. Mine's mostly 2+ degrees of separation -- "my ex-wife's cousin did the audio replacement on such-and-such movie". I've met some comedians after the show.
I added many more famous people I have met in my Troy Citizen version of this article . One person is Cornelia Wallace, who was married to Gov. Wallace when he was shot and paralyzed. She instantly aided her husband. I got to know her decades later. Her life fell on hard times, but she was very gracious to me. She was a great beauty in her younger years (and once went out on a couple of dates with my uncle). Angelina Jolie played Cornelia in the mini-series “Wallace.” Gary Sinese (Lt. Dan) played Wallace.
I have a close friend who is friends with Sinese. My friend coordinated tours of celebrities who visited the troops in Iraq and he told me Sinese made more trips to war zones than any other celebrity. My friend Scott Rainey has met more famous people than me!
More trivia: Scott’s daughter was once a guest on Tucker Carlson’s show, talking about events on j-6. She was an Army officer who was run out of the military for going to this protest and then protesting the Covid lockdowns.
Well I grew up in Woodland hills in the LA area of California. My parents dropped off us kids at the Spahn Ranch for horseback riding in the Summer of 1969. There were lots of hippies there helping us kids to saddle up and ride these old horses.....
So my tie to fame is vicarious, tenuous, and through my mother. After her death in 1999, my Aunt Tordis told me that Myran Floran--of ancient Lawrence Welk show fame--was always wanting (trying?) to date my mother who was born in a small town (Baltic) near Dell Rapids, South Dakota where apparently Myran hung around as a young man. Well, actually, I also used to have a photo of me at (about) 8 years old, posed with Bill Muncie in front of his winning hydroplane "Miss Thriftway", thanks to my mom's cousin Grace who may have worked for Thriftway. Pretty pathetic list, but i'm ok with that. These days there are a lot of "celebrities " I don't think I'd even want to meet.
I'm sure just about everyone who read this story from Troy probably has a Bocephus story or two. I think Hank likes hanging out in Troy because most people don't make a fuss over him.
I do know that my friend, William Johnston, is a long-time close friend and fishing buddy with Hank.
Kidd Rock is also a close friend of Hank's who also owns hunting land outside of Troy. I've never bumped into Kidd Rock, but have heard from many people who have.
P.S. This made my day ... About two days after I got to hang out with Hank, Jr. during this atypical recording session, I'm in my car on Hwy 231 at a red light and I look to my left and see a big, nice black pick-up truck. Driving it is Hank Williams, Jr. who is smiling and waving enthusiastically at me ... He remembered me!
Readers might be interested in the back story of why Hank, Jr. recorded an album at social club just across the Pike County line. As I was told by several people, including Hank, Jr. and his manager, the country "social club" (which really looks like an old, plain white country house) had once been the location of a concert given by Hank's even more famous father, Hank Williams, Sr, when Hank's career had yet to fully take off.
As the story is told, Hank, Sr. didn't get to finish the show because an irate husband bursted into the venue and found that his wife was there with another man. Hank, Sr. was afraid shots were going to be fired and escaped out of a window.
Fifty years later, his son recorded an album at the same place.
BTW, the song I heard Hank, Jr. record is called "X-Tremely Country," which was fantastic IMO.
Hank's manager thought so too, telling me this was going to be a hit.
Another journalist was also there, a guy from Nashville and CMT. I struck up a conversation with this colleague and said I thought this song was going to be a big hit.
The man agreed with me it was an excellent song, but said it would not be a hit because it was not the type of song country music DJs and programming directors were playing at this time (in the late 1990s, I think).
That guy turned out to be right. It's still a great song and should have been a hit! (If it had topped the country charts, it would have made my story even better).
P.S. Hank, Jr. told me he wrote the song in about an hour the day before the recording session.
His "more famous father" is still more famous enough to not be referred to as "Hank Williams, Sr", as you well know. There is just "Hank Williams" (and some also quite talented fat kid who is probably his son). You don't have to pander to your sophisticated audience - hee.
But that's not what I'm here to say .. my own 'brush with fame' while living on campus as a Troy University AFROTC freshman was a casual but riveting conversation with visiting speaker, Dr. Edward Teller 'round 1980 or '81. The main impression he made on me, other than the gravity of his presence, was his unapologetic hawkishness on the virtues of fusion weaponry .. and this was WELL before he was cast as a villain in the Oppenheimer film. Well, I liked him.
And oh, I was at that same concert in Tuscaloosa - Go Gos. (I also attended a "Bocephus" concert there, but that was for the express successful purpose of getting backstage to meet his opening act, Jerry Lee Lewis). Did you ever find your way to The Vinyl Solution?
I was at that Hank, Jr. concert when Jerry Lee Lewis was the opening act. I thought Lewis would never stop playing!
I also met Dr. Teller, who apparently visited Troy State often. (I guess I need to add him to my list).
Columnist Walter Williams was another regular visitor to Troy. I went to hear him speak one time, but don't remember introducing myself so I can't add him to my list.
Regarding my memorable interview with Sen. Howell Heflin at Mr. J's in T-roy .., not long after this event I read a national feature story about Sen. Heflin, who was in the news because of the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court Confirmation hearings.
The author of that piece said he also ate lunch with Sen. Heflin, but in the Senate dining room at the Capitol. While waiting in the buffet line, Sen. Heflin reached into his pocket to get his handkerchief. Instead of pulling out his hankie, Heflin pulled out a pair of his wife's underwear.
That story has always stuck with me as well.
My parents had three memorable brushes with fame when Dad was a young lieutenant stationed at Ft. Benning circa 1963- 64.
Dad's best friend on the base football team was Pat Dye, who became a Hall of Fame head coach.
Right before they got out of the military, Colin Powell and his wife moved into the house or apartment next door.
Their next door neighbor, with several kids, was a Col. Swango. One of his children, Michael, grew up to be a physician ... and one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history! He is believed to have killed 60 (!) of his patients.
Mom said they were a strange family.
I posted that story after my Courtney Cox story. My Substack friend Laura Kasner one-upped me. Laura went to high school with Jeffrey Dahmer!
Bill - I want to know what you said to Dan Rather to get banned from his Substack!
I can’t remember. As my posts go, I thought it was pretty tame stuff - nothing extreme at all … but it was a different point of view that challenged the authorized narrative … and Rather couldn’t tolerate that free speech. What a tell!
What a fun, light-hearted topic that brings back an avalanche of memories. Your humor is understated and very appreciated in this chaotic world. Your dog is adorable!
Quite a list Bill - I enjoyed reading the names. Your cigarette lighter story reminded me of the time when the knicker-wearing pro golfer Payne Stewart snuck-up on me in a press tent after a golf tournament - He snatched my cigs out of my shirt pocket and said, "Sheesh nobody smokes anymore..." I asked him 'Why the silly Knickers?" He said, 'Listen kid- you'd wear knickers too if they paid you what they pay me." That was about it. I met Ron Paul in Seattle '08 - we was speaking at one of his Ron Paul R3VOLUTION mega-gatherings... I was holding a sign that read, "Dr Paul Cured My Apathy" - he walked straight to me when he entered the stadium and shook my hand. Thanks again for your trip down memory lane.
Great Payne Stewart story. He died in that bizarre plane crash. His agent, Robert Fraley, also died. I remember Robert when he was QB at Alabama in the mid-1970s. He was a reserve most of his career - 3rd team- but started 3 big games when the two other quarterbacks got hurt. Bama never missed a beat with Fraley at quarterback. He was a semi-famous sports agent.
I still have a score card w/Pete Jacobson, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer and Stewart' signatures… attempted to get the Shark to scribble his- he was insulted that I’d asked… being a ‘hot shit’ commodity He was at the time.
Payne Stewart played the game of golf well no doubt!
I remember watching him in his knickers....
oh glory be...
sad to see how mee-maw went from friendly breakfast-mate to jab promoter
surprised to see tommy tuberville isn't on the list - maybe future!
I've never met Tuberville, who I still don't like because I remember that photo where he proudly showed his thumb after Auburn beat Alabama for the 6th consecutive year. The slogan Auburn fans embraced was "fear the thumb."
I think Alabama has now beat Auburn seven times in a row and Alabama coaches and fans don't do that. When I was a kid the Tide beat Auburn nine years in a row after Auburn got a fluke victory by blocking two punts in the game's final minutes, both of which the Tigers returned for touchdowns. You still see bumper stickers that say, "Punt Bama Punt!"
My older brother Rush did meet Tubs when he was campaigning for Senate at an Alabama football game. There was a feature story on this campaign trip that included a quote from Rush.
maybe bama fans who don't take the high road can embrace "fear the 8th finger?" it's the same one whichever way you count
Wow, that's some list!
I've only met 2 celebrities, John Candy & Wayne Gretzky, when they owned the Toronto Argonauts, CFL.
Long time ago...
Two good celebreties though! I just watched a documentary on Martin Short, which showed some good clips from Candy. There was a big group of Canadian actors and comedians that all hung out together and they all made it big.
At the Silicon Valley Comic Con a few years back, the only such event I've attended, I found I was quite uninterested in meeting celebrities, so I didn't. You generally need to cough up a few bucks for the photo, or buy some merch, which wasn't a limitation for me. But I did walk through the photo area and the biggest draw were STNG actors, like Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner. I saw them, they were having a good time. Billy Boyd had been on the roster the previous day. Didn't see him. Then: William Shatner came through; all the lines evaporated and everyone went to his. He got enormous applause as soon as he appeared. DIdn't meet him either! However, some years earlier in the 90s, he was sitting in front of me at an Intel conference. I didn't realize it was him until they called him up to speak about a book he'd written, "I'm Working On That".
Shatner’s career just kept evolving and he was always doing something to keep himself in the public eye. Retired baseball players keep their houses by going to all these autograph events. Those don’t interest me either.
You beat me. Mine's mostly 2+ degrees of separation -- "my ex-wife's cousin did the audio replacement on such-and-such movie". I've met some comedians after the show.
I added many more famous people I have met in my Troy Citizen version of this article . One person is Cornelia Wallace, who was married to Gov. Wallace when he was shot and paralyzed. She instantly aided her husband. I got to know her decades later. Her life fell on hard times, but she was very gracious to me. She was a great beauty in her younger years (and once went out on a couple of dates with my uncle). Angelina Jolie played Cornelia in the mini-series “Wallace.” Gary Sinese (Lt. Dan) played Wallace.
I have a close friend who is friends with Sinese. My friend coordinated tours of celebrities who visited the troops in Iraq and he told me Sinese made more trips to war zones than any other celebrity. My friend Scott Rainey has met more famous people than me!
More trivia: Scott’s daughter was once a guest on Tucker Carlson’s show, talking about events on j-6. She was an Army officer who was run out of the military for going to this protest and then protesting the Covid lockdowns.
OK Bill you are "famous" 90 times over - whoopty doo Bill out of Alabama.
So you know Courtney from Friends - oh that is a great accomplishment Bill.
You know the coaches from Alabama
You know some journalist here and there - let me ask you this
What the hell have you done Bill to make the world better?
I don't give a shit who you have known - what have you done?
~
Now you say and you think there was early spread of a virus -
let me tell you Bill - I don't think the virus exists in the first place.
So what you think Bill - you and all your famous friends
or are they just acquaintances?
~
I'll tell you this - tis known long time that the jabs are of harm Bill
and the clots - they are the outcome of said jabs no doubt
so focus on the evidence why not Bill - cause did I not
already put forth - virii do NOT exist Bill
~
They are imaginary.
They have NOT been proven.
Early spread is meaningless trifle but the clots
are physical and another matter altogether - they Bill - are PROOF.
~
So why don't you focus on proof and
glad you met so many famous ones
but really - the proof is in the pudding
and who cares who you met if you can't see the forest from the trees!
~
BK, 62726 1804
How many encounters with the infamous?
Well I grew up in Woodland hills in the LA area of California. My parents dropped off us kids at the Spahn Ranch for horseback riding in the Summer of 1969. There were lots of hippies there helping us kids to saddle up and ride these old horses.....
So my tie to fame is vicarious, tenuous, and through my mother. After her death in 1999, my Aunt Tordis told me that Myran Floran--of ancient Lawrence Welk show fame--was always wanting (trying?) to date my mother who was born in a small town (Baltic) near Dell Rapids, South Dakota where apparently Myran hung around as a young man. Well, actually, I also used to have a photo of me at (about) 8 years old, posed with Bill Muncie in front of his winning hydroplane "Miss Thriftway", thanks to my mom's cousin Grace who may have worked for Thriftway. Pretty pathetic list, but i'm ok with that. These days there are a lot of "celebrities " I don't think I'd even want to meet.
live right now - ed dowd say covid was in maui in 2019 --- https://www.youtube.com/live/QaGvxtIEKKA
Can't help wondering how many "brushes" ever met the Savior?
i'm okay with jeff cooper