September 15, 2017
What has been the most random celebrity encounter you’ve ever experienced and what were the circumstances?
 Mike McVay, Cumulus Media: Bumping into Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols at KLOS/Los Angeles where he does middays on the station.
Toby Knapp, WIHT: The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, in a side lobby inside a Broadway theater in New York City. We were waiting to go in and see Hamilton. Mike Miller, WZFT: Smokey Robinson. Vegas. I was coming back to my room and turned to walk into the elevator. Out walks Smokey and I stepped on his shoes. His shoes were probably more than my yearly salary. I said I’m sorry man. “Oh wait you’re Smokey! Omg I’m really sorry about that!” He responded with, “it’s all good my man.” Kobi, WNRW/WLGX: Went to a Macklemore event in Seattle at Safeco Field. And out of nowhere, Russell Wilson and Ciara came out to play in the field while Macklemore was pitching balls to us to hit.
Java Joel, WAKS: When I was at KISS/Chicago, we did a nearly weeklong broadcast in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The staff went out to a restaurant one night. Chili from TLC was just a few tables away. Even though, the ladies had been off the scene for awhile, Chili was recently in the news after breaking up with the (at the time) hot-as-irons Usher. I forget who approached her first, but she was very gracious and, before she left for the night, took photos with all of us. Ironically, after the meal, the waiter gave us all after dinner mints. The brand of mint? Usher. Usher mints. Wonder how Chili felt about that. 🙂 Matt “MJ” Johnson, KUDD: One time during my younger days at Syracuse University, my friends recounted to me that I was hammered at some pizza place and I walked up to the counter to get my slices and apparently I was pretty tipsy, and Donovan McNabb turned and said to me, “hey you better not drop those slices boy!” Jeff Hurley, WHKF/B104: I stole a t-shirt from MC Hammer in the green room at the ESPY Awards in 1996 or 97.
Big Rob, KSME: I sat ringside for WWE Smackdown with about 12 Denver Broncos last season. Derek Wolfe and his wife posed for a picture with my championship belt. GO BRONCOS!
Rod Phillips, iHeartMedia: I met Kid Rock at the urinal at a Clive Davis Grammy party. I’m a super fan so I couldn’t resist saying hi. We did NOT shake hands however! Roxy Myzal, hardDrive: Hockey legend Phil Esposito and his Tampa Lightning in the Phoenix airport in late 70’s. Phil once dated my roommate so he recognized me! Matt Talluto, WBYR: Ronnie James Dio at the Applebee’s inside Glenbrook Mall in Fort Wayne, IN. A buddy and I were having a beer and he said, “That guy looks just like Dio.” Then he stood up to use the bathroom and we noticed the dude was only about 5 ft. tall because…IT WAS DIO! He asked what he doing THERE of all places and Dio said the plane he chartered landed for some maintenance. So they drove over for a coupe drinks. Weird!
Jason Squires, KFRR: Using the boys room in 1980-something and looking over and there was Tito Santana next to me. We would get to the matches early in Bakersfield as my dad used to do ring announcing for WWF when they came to town. |
Jonathan Reed, WNOK: will.i.am in Orlando. Was there hanging out with a bunch of radio guys after a Kings of Leon meet and greet and ran into him in a hotel.
Jonathan Shuford, WRVW: I flew on a late-night Delta Airlines flight with Reba McEntire last year and remember being taken aback that Reba flew Delta. Also ran into (former Packers QB) Bart Starr at a Ruby Tuesday when I was like 10. Mike “OD” O’Donnell, WKRZ: Years ago, while attending an industry convention in LA, I bumped into Jody Watley a month after she was in Playboy Magazine and I got my picture taken with her. I also bumped into Halle Berry at another convention in Atlanta and I got a picture with her too, which was a dream for me because I was totally in love with her at the time!
Fish Boy, WKRZ: I witnessed Vince Neil of Motley Crue fame get into a bar fight at a local club in the market. It was pretty wild. Rob Roberts, WRQX: I was the paperboy for former Yankee and Astro Joe Pepitone. He still owes me $5.60 for two months of the Houston Chronicle.
Rick Vaughn, Power 94.9: He might not be a celebrity to anyone else reading this, but I was in Puerto Nuevo, Mexico like 15 years ago throwing back pitchers of mango margaritas and fried lobsters and needed a bathroom break. I wound up posted next to some long-haired dude who ended up being Glen Plake. I knew this because as we were both relieving ourselves I said, “Plake?” like I had known him for years. He looked up and said, “hey bro.” I proceeded to fan-girl out and tell him he was my childhood hero and other cliché flattery. Plake is the sickest freestyle skier ever to walk the earth. U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame. Anyway, he was in Mexico racing Baja and my wife and I ended up hanging with him and his wife, Kim, that night while I tried to act normal. I also had a nice chat with Dustin Hoffman one time after a Sting show in LA but that’s a distant second place. Ron Osbourne, Radio Buzz 101: In the early 90s I was working for a computer manufacturer as a Northeast rep. I traveled to retail stores throughout the Northeast and one day at CompUSA in Fairfield, CT and a gentleman walks up to me and asks me the price of a Mac display a few aisles over I looked up, did a double-take and said, “I’ll be with you in just a moment…by the way. aren’t you Ace Frehley?” He replied yes, I took him over to the display, looked up the price and said “Have a nice day,” to which he responded, “Likewise.” |
 Jon Zellner. iHeartMedia: I was eating sushi in Nashville and Lionel Richie actually recognized me from across the restaurant. THE nicest, most sincere guy in the world.
Casey Reed, WIOQ: As interns, we were in the phone screening area and Jack Black was coming in. He apparently got there and was sitting behind us for a minute or so and no one had noticed. So he started singing, “Turn around, every now and then I get a little bit lonely…” We all turned and kind of smiled and it was all just super awkward. Chad Rufer, KZZO: Flying from LAX to Puerto Vallarta sitting next to Russell Brand and his new “friend” a few days after he broke up with Katy Perry. Heather Deluca, WSJO: Ran into Kevin Jonas and his whole family (wife, daughters, in-laws, and all) at Tropicana in Atlantic City. They were just down in Atlantic City for a couple days of rest and relaxation, but smack in the middle of a huge food tasting event we did with United Way. We stalked him as he tried to scurry to the elevator to dodge the crowd. Luckily, he was nice enough to stop for a photo and a quick hello. He was a gentleman about it.
Terry O’Donnell, WKKF: Eddie Money once asked if could borrow my comb. Jeremy Rice, WBLI:You see celebs all the time in NYC, I never talk to them, don’t want to be “that guy.” However, I once met Charlie Walk and he told ME I was s STAR! Tony Waitekus, WHTQ: Meatloaf yelled hi to me at an airport, after seeing me at a convention earlier. Pharrell Williams came up to me at an airport to put something in the garbage can I was sitting next to. I wish I would have gotten a picture.
Pat Martin, KRXQ: I was working at KMET in Los Angeles in 1986 and after my 6-10pm shift one night my buddy and I went out for a drink. We were on Sunset Blvd, parking to go into The Rainbow and saw Jack Nicholson just standing there, so we rushed over to say hello. He looked kind of disheveled, wearing a crumpled Dockers jacket. We played it cool, said hello and asked him if was at the Lakers game, which of course he was. He said, “Are you boys going in?,” opened the door for us and then bought us a drink at the bar. Very cool. That’s Hollywood for you, right? Willobee, KVNV: I was at Burbank Airport standing in line to board a flight to Phoenix. I just happened to be reading a book about the music business that had a chapter on Bob Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman. The line was growing longer and as I turned around to see just how long, Bob Dylan was standing directly behind me on line. I quickly turned around and thought I was seeing things. I then slowly turned around again and there he was, looking right at me and I said hi. He said hello and then they started boarding. Bob Dylan flying coach on Southwest. Unreal. After we got seated, I asked the flight attendant to hand my book to Dylan and ask for his autograph. He flipped through the book and handed it back to her and said no. That was it. Nik Rivers, WLKK: The GOAT & Mase’s Mom…6th Street Austin Texas…Mase, you were there! Jonathan Pirkle, WNFZ: Howard Lesse of Heart. He was gassing up his Benz and I was gassing up my Rover at 2am. Middle of nowhere Tennessee. |
Rich Davis, KDWB: It was a snowy night in Nashville, and Kenny Ornberg (Interscope), Jon Zellner and I were having sushi in one of my fav sushi spots Virago,and Lionel Richie came in. There was almost no one in the restaurant because of the snow so we talked to him. He couldn’t have been nicer.
Gina Gray, WERO: Ice-T in Atlanta underneath the awning of the Hilton hotel. We just got out of a Taxi from a label event and there he was just hanging out in his SUV. 
Sassy, WKXJ: I slept with Brian from Family Guy. I don’t regret it.
Kevin Kash, WWEG: I met Katherine Heigl just as her career was taking off on Grey’s Anatomy. She was dating singer Josh Kelley at the time he visited me at Mix XM in D.C.
JB King, KLUC: Years ago, (1999, I think)…. in LV after a Billboard Music Awards, I was hosting an after party for Johnny Wright, all the pop stars, boy bands, etc. were in attendance at this private party. I was at the bar, when I heard a young couple next to me talking, wondering if they could get a drink (if they would be served) and what they should order. Being the good guy that I am, I suggested “purple-hooter shots, cause they taste like grape juice and if they take the shot at the bar, no one will see them walking around with a drink.” After a quick thank you from the young couple, I said, “No problem, have a good night, guys.” (Justin & Britney).
R Dub! Z90: I ran into John Legend in Guyana! I was like, “Hey, I’m R Dub, I host Sunday Night Slow Jams.” He looked at me like I was crazy. Three weeks later I brought him on stage at one of our Slow Jams LIVE concerts. I was like, “Remember me, from Guyana; I’m really not a weirdo, I promise!”
Derrick “DC” Cole, WLAN: Conan O’Brien randomly walked into the store at the mall I was working at and I made him wait in the store while I ran to the Camera Shop to buy a disposal camera to take a photo with him. He actually waited about ten minutes for me.
Kobe, WWHT: Chris Kilpatrick of *NSYNC at a bar in Pittsburgh watching a Steelers playoff game. He’s a big fan and we got along like brothers!
Twisted Todd, WTPT: I was accidentally sitting in Chris Jericho’s seat at the Metallica show in Atlanta back in July!
Next Week’s Question Of The Week:
Who would be on your “Mt. Rushmore” of all-time label promotion executives?
e-Mail your responses to: jodorisio@fmqb.com or bburke@fmqb.com
