who have you met?

[Twin Fist]

One advantage of being in SoCal when I was in the navy, all the MA guys go to the tourny's to promote thier movies.

Met:
Bill Wallace- I thought he was very nice, and quite east to talk to, but I can see how he might come off as a jerk, he is a practical joker and smart aleck

Chuck Norris- met him twice. Nicest guy on the planet. Shorter than you might think.

Steve Seagal- very arrogant.

Kathy Long- really very nice, and much hotter in person. She actually invited me to visit her school in the high desert. Her trainer (they were dating at the time) was a jerk tho

Micheal Dudikoff- not really a martial artist,not very nice, but ok

Jeff Speakman- I loved the guy

Sho Kasugi- decent fellow.

Gene Lebell- funny guy, totally doesnt come off like he is one of the bad asses.

Rickson Gracie- actualy very friendly

Non MA:

Stevie Ray Vaughn- exactly like you would think he was, drunk as Cooter Brown, but when i told him we grew up in the same area, really friendly

Jimmy Vaughn- less friendly, but still cool.

 

[Fiendlover]

just my instructor Chris Casamassa who was Scorpion in Mortal Combat.

 

[Sukerkin]

Interesting thread to read through :tup:.

I really can't match some of the enormous list of celebrites people have rubbed shoulders with over the years. I have a few 'encounters' to recite from my decades but nothing really brag-worthy. Let's see:

Musicians:

Judie Tzuke {lovely lady}

Dave Murray {miserable chap;maybe he was just tired?}
Steve Harris
Bruce Dickinson (oh, my missus has been flown by him ... no, not in that way )
Adrian Smith
Clive Burr

David Coverdale {just about long enough for an autograph :lol:}

Nik Turner & Dave Griffith {met them in a record shop before one of their gigs and ended up in the pub }


Actors:

Bonnie Langford & Sylvester McCoy {they filmed an episode of Dr. Who at my museum}

Drivers:

David Leslie {lovely chap who took the trouble to pass the time of day with a babbling fanboy i.e. me . Sadly taken from us not too long ago in a plane crash }.

Amanda Stretton & Annie Templeton {world's fastest grannie and very gracious} (they drove a GTS-R Viper in the British GT series)

There are many others on the drivers list but I'm guessing you've never hear of most of them ... other than maybe Shane Lynch (who I know as a driver but others may recall as a member of BoyZone ).

Martial Artists-wise, I'm betting you've never heard of any of the ones I've met - no film stars or massively-hyped fighters. Just excellent teachers and exemplary practitioners.

 

[zeeberex]

hmmm...

I trained with Manaka Sensei, head of the Jinenkan, on a very regular basis in Japan for years. Very personable, but frightening in a wonderful way, too. (I'm biased, but he's my favorite). :supcool:

Also trained fairly regularly with Hatsumi Sensei, head of the Bujinkan. The man is the David Copperfield of the martial arts world - "it shouldn't be possible, but I sure just saw him do it!"

Had tea and snacks with Otake Sensei, head of the Katori Shinto Ryu. Very personable, yet formal - an impressive combination! Tremendous knowledge and poise. Lots of details and stories in my ebook about sword training.

Met Mike Tyson a few times near my old office in Beverly Hills. Luckily, doesn't sound like Mickey Mouse in person. Had a small chat, and I wasn't really looking to have a longer discussion with the man.

Trained very briefly under Tom Patire - founder of CDT. Knowledge base is very sound, and he's calm under pressure like few others. Strong business sense, too.

Perhaps my greatest privilege is to have met all of the people I've trained with over the years. I've learned TONS because of everyone, in every dojo/training group, etc.

Mark O'brien
Sensei Muramatsu
Mrs Stephen Hayes

 

[Gordon Nore]

Martial Arts
Gene LeBell
Chatted for several minutes at a seminar we hosted -- nice guy. '96

Oleg Taktarov, '95 or '96

Chatted briefly. His command of English was not strong at the time, but he seemed receptive to talking to MAists and fans.

Tuhon Leo T. Gaje
Quick chat. He's a longtime friend of my son's Kali guro.

Authors
Jonathan Kozol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Kozol)
Spent quite some time interviewing him for a magazine article. He had been a hero of mine for his work, and I was delighted find him as sincere and passionate as I had believed. I read recently, he has been on a partial fast in protest of NCLB.

Herbert Kohl -- not Senator Herb Kohl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Kohl_(education))
Like Kozol above, he began his career as a teacher in inner-city schools and has written extensively on education. Brief chat. He was fascinating.

Music
Liona Boyd
Classical guitarist. I was in my teens, she in her twenties, already internationally known. I was among the first to arrive at a small reception after a concert she gave. She came up to my little group and engaged us in conversation.

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
He lives here. I introduced him twice at teaching conferences and we became casually acquainted. He was already very much in demand, but we managed to have a couple of meals together. Very warm, passionate person. This was before the Denzel film came out, and I haven't chatted with him in years.

Politics
I pumped hands with a few politicians when I worked for a national literacy organization years back. Politicians who favourably impressed me...

Senator Joyce Fairbairn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Fairbairn)
The Canadian senate is actually a patronage appointment, not elected, oft overlooked by the public. Joyce was remarkable in her role. Very smart, former journalist. Spent several hours with her in meetings. She was a hard worker and really talked with people.

Gerard Kennedy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Kennedy)
Former director of Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, then Member of Provincial Parliament, now a federal MP. Met him several times, chatted at some length. Very quick mind. Friendly and easy going at the same time. This guy could easily the Prime Minister -- no doubt.

 

[Josh Oakley]

MA:
Professor Charles Mattera (Punched in for him at a seminar)
Shihan Paul Taylor (ran my brown belt test)
Master Dave Hopkins, Kung Fu San Soo (took a class with him)
Master Paul Schroeder, Kung Fu San Soo (The person I credit with really getting me interested in formal training)
Hanshi Frank Dux (not as evil as advertised. Actually, a great person)
Shihan Sky Benson (After class, we went out to eat and I watched him break a table knife with one finger. Then the twisted a fork around. We keep having to go to new restaurants because of him.)


Non-MA:
Rebecca St. James, helping backstage at a concert of hers. Very nice girl.
All the members of Tree63 at the same concert
Rick Warren, of Purpose Driven Life fame. He is a very VERY tall man. I felt like a kid talking to him. I had to look almost straight up.
Jenny McCarty: Met her on her way to a book signing on Ft. Lewis. GORGEOUS. Needed a towell as soon as she said hello.