Brush with greatness

Posted by John
August 14, 2008

I had the chance to spend some time tonight with my out-of-state brother and 2-year-old niece, neither of whom I’d seen in 18 months. They’re in the process of moving from California to North Carolina (which will allow us to see each other more often!) My sister-in-law Kelly and my nephew drove cross-country a week and a half ago, so that she could begin orientation at her new job. Mike and the baby stayed behind to supervise the loading-up process before flying from L.A. to Nashville today. My parents will drive them the rest of the way to North Carolina, starting early tomorrow morning. Their stuff will arrive on Saturday, thanks to my sister-in-law’s truck driver father.

Anyway, when Mike got off the plane today, he told me that this was one time he wished that he had his own blog. So I promised him I’d tell the story on my blog.

Because he was traveling with a two-year-old and a (tranquilized) cat, he cashed in some frequent flyer miles and got an upgrade to First Class. While boarding the plane, he noticed country star Marty Stuart at the same general area of the gate, and sure enough Marty got onto the plane. He heard various passengers greeting Stuart (“Man, I love your stuff,” and so on.) The seat across the aisle from Mike and the kid was open, and Mike briefly wondered if Stuart would alight there. Mike had checked Marty Stuart in one time when Mike used to work the VIP checkin desk at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.

Anyway, it turned out that Marty Stuart did not sit in the seat across the aisle. Mike shrugged and turned his attention back to the baby.

He looked up a few minutes later, and someone was now sitting in the seat across the aisle, reading the book “Simple Genius” by David Baldacci.

It was Malcolm McDowell. That particular flight continued on from Nashville to New York, which is apparently where Mr. McDowell was headed. Mike said he was studiously focused on the book, in the way that celebrities probably learn to do as a defense against constant attention-seekers.

Anyway, I had a pleasant but far-too-brief time with Mike and the kid, and I hope to get out there later in the fall for a more leisurely visit.

Personal, Popular culture,

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.

  • Mr. Linderman! Hehe...shows you where I'm coming from. And I have *no* earthly idea who Marty Stuart is. That is sad.
  • That's pretty cool! He was wonderful in Planet of the Apes.

    My only brush with fame is that Bob Dole once personally told me to shut up from the floor of the U.S. Senate.
  • Unless you're making a joke, I think you're thinking of the late Roddy McDowell. Malcolm McDowell is from "A Clockwork Orange," "Star Trek: Generations," and most recently the TV series "Heroes," among many, many other credits.
blog comments powered by Disqus