Most of my friends are pretty well known in indie/experimental/electronic music so I won't count those, but here are a few others that might amuse:

I shared some 'pusher street' goods in Christiania Denmark with Joaquin Phoenix. It didn't even dawn on any of us who the guy was until we looked at the 'Gladiator' packaging on the tour bus. When in Rome...

I sat behind Beyonce on a flight from Chicago to Houston last Christmas - she needs some work to look like she does on TV. They let her have a dog in first class too.

I had a summer job delivering pizzas and a fairly frequent run was to the headquarters of Rap-a-lot records, and I'm pretty sure I met some of the Geto Boys. Most of them aren't really from the ghetto unless you consider communities 'master planned by Exxon' to be a type of ghetto.

I sat next to Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino at a screening of Fassbinder's 'In a Year of 13 Moons'. Just think about that combination for a bit. Anyway, Richard had taken control of the University of Texas film archives and was showing so many great films back then (1993). I often shook his hand and thanked him after the shows - he was always very personable and had great enthusiasm.

Rod "Rod Blag" Blagojevich is my neighbor

I just moved to Sunnyside and Sacramento, and have yet to see Blago. I get various types of looks from the state troopers watching his house though. And what the heck are they doing to those steps on the side of his house?

I saw Hakeem Olajuwaun (sp?) in Radio Shack at this mall here in Houston. He got fucking mobbed

Back in the Phi Slamma Jamma days (god they were great), my father and I would sit in the student section at UH football games and talk to him, Clyde and the others. That Cadillac Anderson was a funny guy. My friend's older sister dated Hakeem right after he went pro, but her parents didn't think he was good enough for her!

I was walking down 48th street in Manhattan (the big music shop area) midday on a weekday and I walk by Billy Corgan who was with a manager or publicist-type. He was walking with a acoustic guitar case and his new bald haircut. No-one seemed to recognize him at all. I turned around and caught up with him on the corner (trying to get a cab). I shook his hand and thanked him for the new SP cd that had just come out (Mellen Collie...). He said thanks and then I left him alone.

I gave my demo to both Thurston Moore and Roy Harper at a Roy Harper show in NYC.

I sat about 20 feet to the left & same row as Paul & Linda McCartney at the premiere of his movie "Get Back". That was weird.

I watched Senator Pat Moynahan get hit in the face with a pie. I was very young at the time and it was quite perplexing.

I sat next to Natalie Merchant at a Japanese restaurant. I thought she'd be low key and freaked to be recognized so I acted super-respectful and ignored her but she was normal and even sang at the table a few times.

I had a quick chat with Ravi Shankar who gave me the musical advice of "Practice!" (no, it wasn't in reaction to my playing, it was just general advice).

Others I met:

Bert Jansch, Chloe Sevigny, Danny Glover, Allen Ginsberg, Rain Pryor, Harry Nilsson, Spike Lee, the drummer from Lightning Bolt.

Others I've seen but said nothing:

David Lee Roth, Steve Albini, Harry Shearer, Harmony Korine, Paul Shaffer, Nipsy Russell, Ace Frehley, Joan London, Adrien Legg, Russell Simmons, Puffy, Jay-Z w/ Beyonce, Rob Thomas, Randy Bachman, Dave Navarro, Ween, Nicholas Cage, Val Kilmer.

That's all I can remember.

one of my most memorable celebrity encounters was with todd trainer at a shellac/dianogah show in indianapolis ~summer '01. the show was great and had one of the funniest question/answer sessions of all the shows i've been to. during that time, todd was selling some small works of art at the merchandise booth. i purchased a 5" canvas that had the word "pink" written on it in silver marker. later i was standing outside with friends and saw todd leaning against the wall. i raised my painting to him in a keep-up-the-good-work fashion. he then walked over to me and said "my favorite color is pink". i said "mine, too". we shared the moment and then he reassumed his james dean-esque lean against the wall. a rare precious moment that i cherish. thanks todd.

mel

Musicians don't exite me much anymore (guess I am jaded), but I met Mauro Forghieri, the one-time president of Ferrari racing and Lamborghini. Very nice guy. After being a passenger in a Lamborghini he was driving, my father said to him "I notice your car does not have a clock." Mauro replied, "When you have a Lamborghini, they will wait for you." Priceless.

I also had dinner with former master of March Formula One, Robin Herd, and met about a dozen Formula One drivers.

Oh, I once met The Queen and Prince Philip.

I was doing a voluntary course for The Princes Trust and we'd painted a library which they came to see. The Queen walked right past but The Duke of Edingburgh came and spoke to us. As he walked down the line none of the girls curtsied like they were told to so I did.

Other than that it was totally boring.

I walked past my old elementary school one day, and they happened to be shooting a movie. Inside a trailer, looking out the window right at me is Edward Norton. He is an intimidating guy, believe it or not.

i met this guy, on a boat in NY harbor on July 4th about 10 years ago.

His brother worked for my brother in law. My brother in law had rented this boat to cruise around NY harbor and see fireworks and shit.

Frankie V was a good guy.

i was barely famous for about 30 days at the end of last year:

here

that landed me on a few national tv shows, as well as a couple of international news programs and magazines. i even made the enquirer! that's when i knew that it was all ridiculous. easily the nicest and best show i've been a guest on was ellen degeneres. she was quite funny and interesting.

beyond that, i met:
henry rollins here in town after a show
questlove from the roots at LAX
lilly tomlin on a flight
keaunu reaves randomly standing next to me at a cafe in paris

that might be it.

You guys do realize we've done this thread before, right?

Granted, I wouldn't want to imply we wreck the works w/ the search function, but I've already doled out some of my better stories on this topic.

I got into an elevator at the Thompson Center and Michael Jordan was in it. I didn't say anything. I didn't look at him. He said "It's OK if you want an autograph" with an affable smile. I said "No, I don't." That was the entire conversation.