Meeting Your Heroes

A few years ago, I was in a store with my son when a man came up to me and apologized for bothering me.  He explained that he had listened to me for many years (I think he said something about growing up with me, but I can’t be that old) and saw me and forced himself to come up and say hello.

It is more of a treat for me to meet you than it is for you to meet me.  I talked to him for a few minutes, and asked about his life, when he listened, how far his commute was, what he did for a living, and what were his plans for the day.  

Ryan, cause I do remember his name, thanked me again, said hello to my son, then left the store.

Luke, my boy, is now at the age where he contemplates events.  He is more aware of subtext than just that something occurred.  “Is that weird for you, Dad? And you sure talked to him a long time, do you always do that?”

Mine is a peculiar job.  For most of his life, I have left home, he would hear me on the radio as he got ready for the day, and then I would be home in the afternoon.  Life has changed for all of us, I now sit here in my home studio.  They still listen to me as they get dressed, but they also know I come out and make them breakfast, and finish up so I can take them to school.

I got to explain to him that I have led such a blessed life, in fact, I live a life that I would not have thought possible when I was his age.  I know that I owe this life to the talent God has given me, but also to all of those people out there like Ryan.  I have never taken them for granted, nor will I.  

It was good to teach him that lesson.  He followed up with “But why did you talk to him for so long?”  

This feels like it should belong on an episode of some wholesome family drama, or maybe a heartwarming story that changes a young boy’s life.  I hope it is.

It’s a privilege to meet someone who takes the time to appreciate your work.  The vast majority of people don’t even know who you are, and a significant part of those who do know who you are don’t like what you do.  That’s just part of being involved in the entertainment industry.  

When people tell me they don’t listen to me, I always reply, that it’s totally ok, I don’t listen to them either. That always breaks the tension and lets everyone laugh.

But I always strive to be who people hope I am.  I’m not trying to be who I’m not, but I do want to meet their standards of who they believe Gary Scott Thomas is.  Meeting someone you admire is sometimes frightening, and nothing is more disappointing than bad behavior from someone you are a fan of.

Maya Angelou said it best:  People won’t remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.

I asked people on my social media to share stories of meeting their idols and how it went. I’ll start.

Joe Kapp was one of my favorite football players.  When I first noticed him, he was the quarterback of the Boston Patriots (later renamed the New England Patriots), one of the worst teams in the NFL.  He left to be the QB at the Minnesota Vikings, and led them to the Super Bowl.  They were destroyed by Kansas City.

Niners fans, I know that smarts just reading it.  

Time marched on, and I never knew what happened to Joe Kapp.  Went I started at KRTY, we were located in a building that had a huge plate-glass window in front of the studio.  And every morning an older man would walk his two dogs by and wave at me.  Years later I was at an event where I found out Joe Kapp would be there.  I couldn’t wait to meet him. 

Joe Kapp turned out to be the man who would walk by the window every morning with his dogs and wave.  We became friends, and it astounded him that a kid in Alabama would pick him to be his favorite quarterback not named Johnny Unitas.

His stories were amazing, and I was delighted that whenever he would see me he would shout out in a loud voice that showcased his Latin heritage “Hey Mr DJ!  When you gonna have me on your show?”

He was always invited, but always busy.  I just cherished any time I got with Joe.  He was absolutely who I hoped he would be, in fact, he was even better.  That made a big impression on me, and I wanted other people to feel the way Joe Kapp made me feel.

Craig shared that he actually gave 49er legend Dwight Clark tennis lessons, and they went on to form a friendship. I couldn’t figure out a “love” joke to insert here but know that I tried.

Glen Campbell was at the Phoenix Airport when Fran met him.  She recalls he was a true Southern gentleman.  All I could think of was, well, he finally got to Phoenix.  That’s a song joke, look it up.  

Stories about Toby Keith never get old.  Jan met him on a rainy day at a golf course in Murphy,
California.  Toby had a show that night at a local amphitheater, and as was his custom, he had a cigar and a round of golf.  She shared with him the night she saw him at a local bar, and he said, I remember that place.  All these years later, she still remembers how kind and caring he was.

Trisha Yearwood has become a delight.  I remember meeting her when she first came out and she was a nervous young lady, whose fears came out as testiness. But when Christine met her years later before her and Garth’s show, she was wonderful.  I know this, my sister was here for that show, and she’s been a Trisha fan forever.  I wish you all could have seen those two chat like they were best friends at a church social.  I love talking to Trisha Yearwood, but I will always be grateful for how she made my sister feel that day.

Patty and Kris both have baseball stories to tell.  Patty grew up a lifelong A’s fan, and while on a work trip in Florida, Tony LaRussa, the legendary manager, joined her and her friends for a cocktail and conversation and explained to them his animal charity.  He certainly was who she hoped he would be.

Kris met the Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres.  He made her feel welcome.  Don’t we all want that?  Way to hit it out of the park, Mr. Gwynn.

Clarence sent me a story of his meeting an idol, and honestly, I wish we could all hear him tell it.  It’s just that cool.  He was at Laguna Seca raceway, waiting for his race to begin.  He walked around looking at the cars when a voice rang out behind him “Those are some beautiful cars, huh?”  He turned around and stared into the pure blue eyes of Paul Newman.  Paul showed him his cars and then ended up talking racing for more than a few minutes.  Talk about a memory that will last a lifetime.

Yes, some stories don’t turn out well.  I met an NBA legend who may have been one of the rudest people ever.  It still colors how I feel about him whenever I hear his name.  There was an entertainer who I used to love watching on all the talk shows when I was growing up.  They asked me if I wanted to talk to him, and I eagerly jumped at the chance.  He didn’t listen to a word I said and had no interest in replying to any question or statement I made.  

I have met so many celebrities, I mean hundreds if not thousands.  To only have a handful of negative experiences, I’ll count that as a win.

Let me give you a tip when it comes to meeting people.  Be excited to meet them.  I mean it.  Shake their hand, look at them in the eye, ask about their life, and don’t act like there’s anything more important than the time you are spending with them.  If you only have a minute, then give them the full minute, and share with them why you have to go.  I’ve never had a person get mad at me, in fact, they are usually grateful that I took the time to explain.  

Make everyone feel welcome.  To change the world, just start one person at a time.  

Thanks for reading this, and please feel free to share any encounters you have had!