[Windswept]

I imagine some of you have known some pretty interesting people - people who are/were interesting in themselves or in the life experiences they have undergone.

I hope you will tell us about these individuals. They don't have to have been famous... just interesting. They might even be relatives of yours from the distant past. They might even be *you*!

Kind of a weird example is that I've known two people who were hit by trains. One was our family doctor when I was ten. He was badly injured but recovered fully. Another was an ex high school classmate of mine. He survived the collision but was paralyzed from the chest down. He had been sleeping in the back of the car while his girlfriend was driving during a cross-country trip.

When I was ten and living in Mexico, I had a crush on an extremely good-looking, famous, aristocratic blonde bullfighter from Spain. I even went and knocked on the door at his hotel room to get his photo autographed. I still have it somewhere. Okay, so I didn't actually *know* this guy, but it felt like I did. Plus, I think bullfighting is truly appalling, but that's another thread entirely.

A good friend from high school is an internationally prominent marine biologist. I'm sure *many* of the people in my high school senior class (private school - 135 seniors) are prominent in their respective fields. I saw one (social science professor) quoted in a major Newsweek article a few years ago. One is a speech writer in the Pentagon. Unfortunately, I've really lost touch with these people. I'm sure I would be truly amazed at some of their accomplishments.

How about you? Know any interesting individuals?

Thanks for any replies.

[Messiahtosh]

A little known placekicker from State College high school named David Kimball was an acquaintance of mine and he was in some high school classes with my older brother. He was an odd guy, very laid back and he just seemed like a total lazy do-nothing. The perfect mentality for a placekicker. He cheated off of my brother on some English and Math exams, but boy, he could hit a 60 yard field goal like it was nothing.

He won a scholarship as a kicker (a rarity) at Penn State University and became our kickoff man, but never did much placekicking (the guy in front of him is now the kicker for the Chicago Bears and Kimball had some accuracy trouble due to an injury). He's been on and off of NFL rosters over the past 3 years or so, and I really do wish him well, and I think he'll land a permament job at some point. He's one of those quirky, funny, and cool people that you come across in your life and just admire for no real good reason.

He was always nice too. I remember being a high school freshman and I saw him in the school weight room where he gave me his autograph. He was kind of shocked that I asked for it, but he was a parade all american and I had never seen anyone kick like him before. Honestly, watching him play was unreal. He wasn't a huge guy either, going about 6' 180 at the most. He just had some God-given ability to swing his leg at an incredible speed and crush a football. I distinctly remember him hitting a school-record 57 yard field goal to win a big game. It was like Ed, the field goal kicking horse. Just line him up and let him slam it through the uprights.

It sent a chill through my spine to see the ball soar up above and beyond the uprights, beyond the stone wall, across the street, and into a brick municipal building. The impact created a thud that still echoes in my memory to this day. You had to have been there, it was unearthly.

David Kimball, I wish you luck, wherever you are. (even though you missed the game-wining 68 yard field goal attempt against Ohio State in, I think, 2002.)

[Argento]

A friend of mine from high school I'm sure Murbot would love....





Saddest thing this summer his mom finally died from a brain tumor....

Great guy, unbelieveable hockey player. They always thought he was too small to play....the top picture is of him reciving the Hobie Baker award.

[NosferaDrew]

Joe Strummer



I was lucky enough to work at a recording studio where everybody came to record.
I always checked the schedule for bands/artists that I loved and lobbied hard to be assigned to the gig.

I got turned on to the Clash, mid - 1977, by a very hip brother who always seemed to find the best music before it became popular.
Loved and still love the Clash. Joe was a mythic figure to me growing up.

Anyway, I saw Joe on the schedule and forced my way onto the gig as the assistant engineer.
It turned out that Joe wanted to work around the clock, so the first engineer would leave at a respectable hour and Joe and I would work all night.
He liked to smoke spliffs (tobacco/pot combo) and drink lots of wine. I wasn't into the tobacco aspect, but what can you do when Joe Strummer is passing one to you?
He bought me masses of Guinness because he would refuse to drink alone.

Phenomenal time in my life. Especially special since he passed in December of 2002, but I have indelible memories of that man.
He was unbelievably energetic and creative and so damn nice and happy in his life.

I've got bunch of great recordings of him somewhere.
"Roll the fuckin' tape, Drew", he'd say or "Wait, where's you Guinness. This track won't be right if you set that Guinness down! Remember that! My career depends on your grip!"

He was a great man.

[FFL]

Originally Posted by NosferaDrew Joe Strummer

Waaaay cool, dude. A very enviable experience, indeed.

[FFL]

I was good friends & teammates in high school with someone who broke the world record in the 200 Butterfly, and (in college) became an Olympic Gold Medalist, and had her picture in Sports Illustrated as well as a Wheaties box.



http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/h...PAR_I_ID=35194
http://www.womeninkentucky.com/site/sports/M_Plant.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of...ies-boxes#wp-M
http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=1126

Mary T. Meagher is the greatest butterfly swimmer ever. For her feats she earned the nickname of "Madame Butterfly." Meagher won three gold medals at the 1984 Olympics, in both butterfly events (100m and 200m) and in the 4x100m medley relay. In 1988, by then past her prime, she earned a bronze in the 200m butterfly and a silver in the medley 4x100m relay. Meagher would likely have won both butterfly events in 1980 had the United States not boycotted the Moscow Olympics. She was world champion in 1982 over 100m and in 1986 over 200m. She set two world butterfly records over 100m, and five over 200m, beginning in 1979. Her performance at the 1981 U.S. Nationals remains her greatest effort, when she set world records of 57.93 for 100m, and 2:05.96 for 200m. These records, extremely dominant for their time, both lasted until 1999 before being broken. Her full name was Mary Terstegge Meagher, with her middle name derived from her mother's maiden name. Meagher was always known as Mary T. to differentiate her from a sister who later entered a convent, to literally become a sister, Sister Mary Glen.

We were teammates on an US Swimming Club for 7 years, practicing together in both the winter and the summer. We were 14 when she first broke the world record, and was looking forward very much to what should have been her first Olympics - in 1980. She was so disappointed at Carter's boycott that she quit swimming for one season, and then came back, accepted a swimming scholarship from Cal, and won 3 golds in 1984.

[Argento]

It's supposed to be a picture of Buzz Schneider but that's the best I could do. I met the guy once I was friends with his son Neil in high school. Very intersting guy, and that family is one of the nicests I have ever met.

[kretara]

I've met Bill Clinton on multiple occasions. I've also met his wife and daughter a few times

I've got to hang out with Winthrop Rockefeller (of the very rich 'New York' Rockefellers) on multiple occasions. This branch of the Rockefeller's lives in Arkansas.

I had the privilege to work and be friends with Dr. Doug Richardson. Most of you won't know of him, but he was a giant in Neonatal Medicine and a professor at Harvard. I worked with him for 4 years. He was a great man and I am proud that I called him friend. He died August 14 2003 when a dump truck pulled out of a driveway, without looking, and ran over him.

I had the privilege of working with many great people at WGBH in Boston. Jon Alper is a fantastic boss, mentor and person. He gives lots of Quicktime related speeches and trainings at the various MacWorld's. Another really great person who I worked with at WGBH is Peter Pinch. He also is a fantastic boss, mentor and person. I miss them both very much and wish that I was still working at/with WGBH.

I met Sam Walton (of Wal-Mart) once. He was a very nice man who really cared about his employees.

[euain]

Our family used to go fishing with the first person to be on television. (More accurately, the first person to be broadcast in a public showing).

It was the first demo by John Logie Baird in a cafe in Falkirk in 1925. His name was Robert Shaw and he was a small boy at the time (he was an elderly gentleman when we knew him).

Kind of cool.

[murbot]

My dad fought Bobby Clarke in a hockey game.

[Windswept]

I know two people with interesting relations. One is a direct descendant of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The other is a direct descendant of John Wilkes Boothe, who assassinated Abraham Lincoln. The latter even *greatly* resembles Boothe in face structure and hair coloring. Kind of eerie to see the same exact physical features carried down so perfectly after 150 years.

Both of these individuals have the same last names as their famous ancestors.

Also, someone at AppleNova mentioned recently being a direct descendant of the first English child born in colonial America. It's driving me crazy trying to remember who that forum member is.

[DMBand0026]

I occasionally hang out with Pete Wentz of the punk band Fall Out Boy. I know that might not mean much to a lot of people here, but these guys are pretty big now, on MTV and all that, they were on Letterman the other night, they sounded terrible, but it was still fun to watch. I also know one of their best friends, the one who they wrote the song "Grenade Jumper" for.

Although I know a handful more interesting people, I'd have to say that the most interesting person I know and probably the person I admire most in the world is my Grandpa. He's lived an amazing life and survived it all with the good humor and sense to look back on it all and be able to laugh. He's just an awesome person and I hope that I can someday be half the person that he is. Unfortunately, he's in a hospital in the ICU now, he fell and broke his hip a few weeks ago and the recovery isn't going well. The amazing thing is that he still jokes about it, he'll remain happy to the end.

[scratt]

Mel Gibson. Tried to get him to back a film project we were trying to get off the ground. He's a really nice guy. Spent a lot of time with him when he was filming in the UK.

Michael Jackson, worked with him at Sega in the Dreamcast days. A very professional man. Totally obsessed with getting stuff right and willing to work all night to do it..

Charlie Sheen - Used to party with him in my bar in Tokyo when he came over promoting his movies. Lunatic, back in the day.

The Stone Roses and Prince - Again, both guests in my bar who became friends. Prince asked me to work on a VR project he was 'helping'? (funding?) with at MIT, which had something to do with his Virtual Reality tour he was working on at some point.. This was in the 90's, when I had just left Sega and bought a bar, and people wanted VR expertise 'cos it was in vogue.

For UK people this...

The Stone Roses - Total maniacs. Almost got me arrested in Japan more times than I want to remember. But also did me a lot of favours, including dedicating Fools Gold to me at a Yokohama concert and having me on stage! Good memories....

Fish - from Marillion. Went on tour with him on the 'Vigil' tour, whilst going out with Steve Rothery's cousin - after the band split. Family dinners at Steve's Mums house were always interesting as it was well known that I was good friends with Fish. Hilarious!

A few other 'muso' people.. But most are relations of friends so I knew them as Mr. So and So etc. and don't really want to list names as it feels a bit wierd.

Actually one of the people I was happiest to meet was Norman Wisdom, who I bumped into in Carnaby street in London. I was going through a punk / goth phase and walked up to him (he's really short), and I was wearing a full length leather trench coat, biker boots with steel plates, and fingerless gloves. All Black. He looked like he thought he was going to get mugged. I recognised him instantly, even though the last movie I had seem him in must have been made 20 years before! All I wanted to say was "Cheers mate I absolutely loved your movies when I was a kid" and then shake his hand. I did all that, through which he gaped at me a bit suprised and then smiled and said thanks, and made a sort of Norman Wisdom one liner.. Then I said "Bye" and walked off. That's the best way to meet someone you admire. I never want autographs or anything like that, just to be able to tell someone I admire or respect how I feel and both get on with our lives...

Meeting people in a work environment or social setting who you wouldn't normally meet and being able to talk to them as peers, rather than them assuming you are a screaming fan when you rush up to them after a show is a really great way to meet people...

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by scratt The Stone Roses - Total maniacs. Almost got me arrested in Japan more times than I want to remember. But also did me a lot of favours, including dedicating Fools Gold to me at a Yokohama concert and having me on stage! Good memories....

I've seen pictures of Ian Brown where he looked really great, and some where he looked like a totally-wasted junkie. How did he look in real life, scratt?

I have the Very Best of Stone Roses CD. I like his voice quite a bit, though apparently reviewers didn't seem to think much of it.

A friend of mine up in Manchester smoked weed with him on the sidewalk one time, after the band had already broken up, iirc. I notice that there is talk of them getting back together again, possibly in 2006. Do you think that might happen?

Wow, you've really known a lot of remarkable people, haven't you? Do they seem just like ordinary folks, or do they seem to have something 'extra' that sets them apart from the rest of us, I'm wondering?

[GSpotter]

I had the pleasure to get to know some interesting people in the software engineering business:
I met Kent Beck several times. We did the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyworld together (We attended a conferences which took place at the Disneyland Hotel). I also met Erich Gamma and was lucky to attend one of the last workshops of Gerald Weinberg. I would be proud and lucky if I only had written one of Jerry's many inspiring books. I was also lucky to meet Mario Jeckle several times before his tragic death in 2004.

[ShadowOfGed]

I haven't really known any "interesting" people in my life. Of course all those close to me are interesting... to me. Not to the world at large. That's another subject.

Last spring, I had the chance to meet the current (or former, I can't find record of which) Swiss ambassador to the United States. He came to Virginia Tech to meet with the university president, but was kind enough to host a small discussion group in my dorm (the honors dorm). Only about 20 people went, so it was interesting to hear some things about political perceptions of the US from another nation. Nobody enormous, but that's about as notable as I can come up with.

EDIT: Just remembered someone else. Anand Shimpi of AnandTech went to my high school. I was taking one of my mid-term or final exams in my computer science class, and he dropped by to visit my teacher. He was a really down-to-earth guy. Loads of cash, but you couldn't tell from what he wore or how he carried himself. It was pretty cool.

[Windswept]

Two of the most interesting people I've ever known in my life I 'met' at AI.

I won't mention any names.

I'll just say, "WOW!"

Both are incredibly brilliant, and just a little crazy - in their own special ways.

Offhand, I would say many of the world's most interesting people in general are probably Apple lovers.

Edit:
A third person I might well include teaches at the University of Edinburgh. *Interesting* is a pale and lifeless term when it comes to 'this' guy.

Sooo... two of my three are... Whoa!... British!

[scratt]

Originally Posted by Windswept I've seen pictures of Ian Brown where he looked really great, and some where he looked like a totally-wasted junkie. How did he look in real life, scratt?

The whole band is loopy beyond belief! Ian is very intelligent, but I am afraid he does look like a totally-wasted junkie most of the time. Manny (the bassist) is actually the most worrying of the group, but I do love him! A 'nark' in Tokyo was hanging around my bar one night and the whole band (led by Manny) decided he was watching to see if I did any drugs so that he could report me to the police so they dragged hiim down a side street to beat the crap out of him.. I interviened after they had given the guy a scare, as he was a genuinely nasty piece of work, but I couldn't let them take it as far as they innevitably would have. Ian got busted for plane rage not so long ago as I remember also.. They are really a bit like football hooligans who got very famous very quick and never sobered up really. Shame, because their music is great, and they are nice people at heart. I will dig out a photo of us in my bar and scan it and post it here at some point.. It's actually in one of my albums back in the UK, but I am having a load of stuff shipped here this year..

Originally Posted by Windswept I have the Very Best of Stone Roses CD. I like his voice quite a bit, though apparently reviewers didn't seem to think much of it. A friend of mine up in Manchester smoked weed with him on the sidewalk one time, after the band had already broken up, iirc.

Well, yes. That sounds like them. When they played Tokyo the first time I broke a lot of laws and took some big risks to get them a load of weed. (Enough to send me to gaol for a long time). I explained this to them so that they would not be stupid enough to spark up in a club we were in. They dutifully pulled the entire bag out, plonkedit on the table in full view and started to roll big fat spliffs. It was very funny at the time. But I knew we were all that close to going to gaol for a long time. Well they might have got out of it like McCartney did (but then they weren't quite the Beatles), but I certainly would have been screwed!

Originally Posted by Windswept I notice that there is talk of them getting back together again, possibly in 2006. Do you think that might happen?

It's been talked about for quite a while..

Originally Posted by Windswept Wow, you've really known a lot of remarkable people, haven't you? Do they seem just like ordinary folks, or do they seem to have something 'extra' that sets them apart from the rest of us, I'm wondering?

They are all ordinary. With the same hopes and fears as all of us. With the possible exception of Prince. Who is incredibly short, definitely would sleep with anything (animal, mineral, vegatable), and let's you know it ( understood what women feel like sometimes for the first time in my life when I met him) as he mentally undresses you, it seems like.... Little Wierdo!

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by scratt I will dig out a photo of us in my bar and scan it and post it here at some point..

Wow, that would be great, scratt. Thanks.

They dutifully pulled the entire bag out, plonkedit on the table in full view and started to roll big fat spliffs. It was very funny at the time. But I knew we were all that close to going to gaol for a long time. Well they might have got out of it like McCartney did (but then they weren't quite the Beatles), but I certainly would have been screwed!

Sounds like being around them was a volatile situation pretty much *all* the time. And, yeah, you definitely *would* have been screwed! Yikes!

They are all ordinary. With the same hopes and fears as all of us.

That's pretty much what I thought, but it's nice to hear it anyway.

With the possible exception of Prince. Who is incredibly short, definitely would sleep with anything (animal, mineral, vegatable), and let's you know it ( understood what women feel like sometimes for the first time in my life when I met him) as he mentally undresses you, it seems like.... Little Wierdo!

*Every* guy should have that experience and see what it feels like.

Thanks for your reply, scratt. Very interesting indeed.

[mattf]

Originally Posted by Windswept Edit: A third person I might well include teaches at the University of Edinburgh. *Interesting* is a pale and lifeless term when it comes to 'this' guy.

Merely out of interest, which department? (Not only did I study and work (not teaching) at UoE, but so did my girlfriend).

Originally Posted by Windswept Sooo... two of my three are... Whoa!... British!

Whoa!, indeed. Only two out of three?

[RowdyScot]

Perhaps the most interesting acquaintances I've had are band members. Don't know if anyone has heard of them, but the Glengarry Bhoys are pretty big in the North American Celtic music world. Their lead singer/guitarist is a good friend of mine. I've also met Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull on multiple occasions. Well, that makes my 2 Scots

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by scratt They are all ordinary. With the same hopes and fears as all of us.

Actually, scratt, I was talking with a California friend the other day who got a degree in Economics. After graduation, while he was applying for jobs in his field, for interim income he drove limousines, frequently for movie stars/rock stars/etc. in the Los Angeles area.

I'm kicking myself that I can't remember some of the names he told me. But I recall that he did say that to him they did seem different from the rest of us, that they had a higher energy level and I guess a sort of restless creative aura. Some of the stars repeatedly requested him as their driver, and sometimes he would be with them throughout events, meals, parties, and so forth, so he got to know them fairly well. I think Stevie Nicks was one name I remember, but there were quite a few others.

We have this tv program, I think it's on the Bravo channel, called Actors' Studio, or something like that, where a moderator interviews top stars in a small auditorium filled with drama students. Of course, the stars do seem like ordinary people; but they also seem exceptionally bright and well-spoken, usually with a wry, self-deprecating sense of humor. I guess a huge factor is the education level of all these individuals, as you more or less alluded to in your 'football hooligan' comment.

Offhand, I'd say successful musicians in particular, and top stars in general, have emotional depths and creative sensitivities that are only partially tapped by their artistic work. Perhaps musicians have a greater opportunity for full expression of their inner selves than anyone else. Would any of you agree with that? Just wondering.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by mattf Merely out of interest, which department? (Not only did I study and work (not teaching) at UoE, but so did my girlfriend).

The English Department, of course.

Whoa!, indeed. Only two out of three?

Okay, the third is a Scot in pretty much *everything* but geography; so yeah, I guess they're ALL British! heh

But then, I think I did tell you once that I am a *major* Anglophile, didn't I, Matt?

[scratt]

Originally Posted by Windswept Offhand, I'd say successful musicians in particular, and top stars in general, have emotional depths and creative sensitivities that are only partially tapped by their artistic work. Perhaps musicians have a greater opportunity for full expression of their inner selves than anyone else. Would any of you agree with that? Just wondering.

In a lot of cases yes.... I think *true* artists have those depths, and obviously if you lead an interesting life you will be a more interesting person... Jim Morrison, Jon Lennon for example.. But then are they a positive lifeforce, a tortured soul, or an emotional sponge? Which of those is attractive, and which would be attractive if they weren't famous, if any?

I do think there are some truly talented people and they do stand apart from the rest (including other performers). But then I also think that there are a lot of ordinary people who are percieved as deep, intellectual, wonderful, beautiful, pretty simply because they are a star. Ben Asslick is a perfect example of a dick who got lucky IMHO, but politicians love him and girls go crazy for him. Err, why?

I really got on well with Charlie Sheen, but he's just a guy. Y'know. Good for a few beers, and happens to be related to a couple of very good actors.. (Well one anyway!) Actually the first time I met him the first thing I said was, "I think your brother's a better actor". To give him credit he laughed and bought me a drink. Perhaps it was becuase I didn't go "Oh my god Charlie. Charlie. Can I have your babies...." that he wanted to hang out that first time... Who knows...

Michael Jackson, on the other hand is really different, and has a great deal of heart. But he is genuinely on a different plane. And he does really care about a lot of issues.. But then I also think he cares about them and is not even sure really why, sometimes..

Mel Gibson, is a very ordinary guy too. Very smart, great sense of humour, but you could sit and have a beer with him and talk about the weather. In a lot of ways that's what makes him so cool. He's mega mega famous, but has time for you as a person. I think quite often it's easy to get caught up in that and think, 'Wow, they really like see me for who I am', when all they are being is a normal person, 'cos that's what they are...

I think there are some very talented and very 'artisitic' people that never become famous, just as there are some really untalented people that do become famous - Paris Hilton, for example.

I also think that fame changes you, and gives you an attitude and that makes people believe the myth. I am not dissing what your friend found here, by the way. Simply that it's not the fame that makes you special but who you are...

The famous people I really like, I like because of who they are and generally because they seem indifferent to their fame, almost as if they are bemused by it, or don't even realise they are.
And there are an awful lot of really cool people who are not famous who I really dig too.... But then you don't talk about them much because well their not famous, and no one is interested because of the way society functions these days...

[NosferaDrew]

Originally Posted by scratt IMichael Jackson, on the other hand is really different, and has a great deal of heart. But he is genuinely on a different plane. And he does really care about a lot of issues.. But then I also think he cares about them and is not even sure really why, sometimes..

I'm sure he does have a lot of heart, but he's a wack job!
On a different plane? Oh yeah.

I worked on "Dangerous" and we had "Michael Alerts" whenever he was about to arrive (in disguise no less). He would clear the control room whenever he wanted to touch a fader on the console in order to tweak the mix slightly. Had a "speak when spoken to" rule and you really shouldn't look at him.
Strange.

I'd say that on the whole though, most of the musicians that I've met/worked with when I was in music and most of the Directors/Producers/Actors that I work with now that I work at a motion picture studio are absolutely the antithesis of Michael Jackson.
Well, except Barbara Streisand. What a nightmare.

[scratt]

Originally Posted by NosferaDrew I'm sure he does have a lot of heart, but he's a wack job! On a different plane? Oh yeah. I worked on "Dangerous" and we had "Michael Alerts" whenever he was about to arrive (in disguise no less). He would clear the control room whenever he wanted to touch a fader on the console in order to tweak the mix slightly. Had a "speak when spoken to" rule and you really shouldn't look at him. Strange.

In a way I think we made him what he is.... That's my take on it anyway....

And 'wack job' or not, he has a lot of talent, and really cares about the end product that he produces. Yes he is a perfectionist.

When I worked with him at Sega he was not really like that. But then he didn't have the entourage (which I feel actually make the situation worse) and was in a much politer culture than say the US or UK... Go figure... In fact we went out to a local restaruant to eat... No biggie...

Did you ever deal with him direct, or just get the third hand freak stories and get 'managed' by his team?

[billybobsky]

I had an interview with future Nobel laureate Roderick MacKinnon, intense... over the many interviews I have had in my post-college days, I have found that you can get a vague sense of someone you interview with.

I don't know... it is spectacular at some level that I interact with a rhodes scholar on a daily basis, a royal society member, several national academy members, and all sorts of other people with similar accolades... but at some basic level these things don't matter... when i talk to my boss, i see my boss, who clearly has some things he wants me to learn under his tutelage, and all these other people who have done, seen and thought of interesting things are just themselves...

I have to say I am unimpressed by most people at some very fundamental level... but that is not to say I don't respect them, just I have never been in awe of other people...

[patrickatm08]

I met Tom Landry (former coach of the Dallas Cowboys) once. My uncle had cancer and my dad was his (perfect) match for a bone marrow transplant. Anyways, the Baylor School of Medicine had a reunion for transplant patients and their families and the donor's families and we went. Tom Landry's daughter was a cancer survivor, I belive, and he was a great philanthropist to the cause. If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Landry died of cancer.

My girlfriend's roommate has met Pres. Bush 41 many times at Texas A&M (whoop!) and my friend Kelly was on a treadmill when he started jogging on the one next to her, I think they talked about the Astros. My friend Ryan met him while he was fishing in a pond on campus near his Library, they talked about Aggie football and the lack of any kind of defense.

[NosferaDrew]

Originally Posted by scratt Did you ever deal with him direct, or just get the third hand freak stories and get 'managed' by his team?

Directly with him.

If you mean that, as a by-product of all the stardom, adulation and attention that he received as a child, he turned out this way - then I do agree with that.
I guess that a lot of people who have had that kind of success at such a young age have had issues as they're aged.

The opinion that I had of him while working with him was that he's so insulated by the people that work for him that he's really out of touch with reality.

But talented ? Definitely.

[scratt]

The opinion that I had of him while working with him was that he's so insulated by the people that work for him that he's really out of touch with reality.

- Absolutely.

Once you meet someone and get to know them, the trappings of who they are become more dependant on your *real* impressions of them as a person...

And you do realise that all people are pretty much just people, as I said a bit earlier in this thread.
And *all* people have their own personality. Albeit shaped by their life experiences.

The truly great people among us are able to hang on to their basic humanity and their own identity in any environment...