OT non sports the Boss

[David Atkatz]

+1

[GrayGhost]

why would someone have Mitt Romney sign a guitar? Kid Rock, at least is sorta in the music business.

[Michael B]

Steve Miller
Ted Nugent
Robert Palmer
Carl Perkins
Johnny Rotten - Lead singer of the Sex Pistols
Carlos Santana and Tom Coster

[HOFautosChris]

Michael Those are great ! Are those all in some type of history of rock n roll book ? Did you purchase the book that way or obtain the signatures in person.

As for me met Bill Cosby the other day and added these to my non sport collection.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by HOFautosChris

Michael Those are great ! Are those all in some type of history of rock n roll book ? Did you purchase the book that way or obtain the signatures in person.

As for me met Bill Cosby the other day and added these to my non sport collection.

Gotta love those early Cosby albums! They're definitely classics!

[Michael B]

Hi Bruce,

I have this book called "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock" published in 1976 and authored by two writers from NME - New Musical Express, the British rock newspaper. Every signature has been obtained in person by me with only two signatures not signed directly in front of me. One person signed on their tour bus, which is their standard way. One person was obtained very early on by a friend that worked for his crew. I never say which two as it is not important as they are both genuine. I started getting it signed in 1979 when I was a poor college student. I brought it to an in store signing for Iggy Pop. His guitar player was was standing there and he was a member of legendary punk band The Damned - Brian James. He was number one. Iggy was number two. There are currently about 450 signatures in the book. There are plenty more I can add. The beauty of the book is not the big names, but all of the lesser known bands that have signed it. Some people I have gotten other items signed over the book but for the last 10 years or so the book has been primary over all other items. I have a database of when and where every person signed it. As I was not thinking about it early on I am missing some dates, but still knew most of the places once I started keeping a log. Would I sell it? Yes, for the right price. It is just an item. The memories are more than the book. 'Things exist whether we own them or not" - Chairman Mao.

The scans for many of them are too large to show (Ramones, Yes, Ten Years After, Genesis, Four Tops, The Jam, Rod Stewart). But here are a few more items.
Carly Simon
Robin Trower
Cher
Gene Clarke - The Byrds deceased
Link Wray - deceased. The day I got it was the only concert he did in the U.S. that year and his last U.S. appearance.
Frank Zappa

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by HOFautosChris

Michael Those are great ! Are those all in some type of history of rock n roll book ? Did you purchase the book that way or obtain the signatures in person.

As for me met Bill Cosby the other day and added these to my non sport collection.

Great Stuff! I've been collecting comedians for a while:





I met Eric Idle in Los Angeles; most nervous I've ever been meeting a celebrity or athlete:



Got this almost 20 years ago at a MADD fundraiser:





Woody Allen endorsed check



Martin Mull. In 1988 Martin Mull stole the show at the Improv. The event was an All-Star Toast to the Improv shown on HBO. On stage were Mull, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Robert Klein, Paul Rodriguez and Richard Lewis. Unlike most comedy shows, the comedians were actually sitting on stools behind whoever was at the mike, which gave the sitting comedians the chance to interfere with whoever was supposed to be speaking, which Williams and Crystal did repeatedly. Martin Mull got up there and quietly, calmly cut every one of the others to shreds with a low-key zinger arsenal. He even had Robin Williams sputtering with nothing to say in response. He hit Robert Klein for that "rehearsed spontaneity" that he is so well known for, embarrassed Paul Rodriguez on using his ethnicity as a fountain of jokes by showing how racist they would be if a white man like Mull told them, and shut Williams down by pointing out how he parlayed his otherwise debilitating mental illnesses into a career. It was one of the greatest performances I have ever seen.



Desi Arnaz:

[mark evans]

Originally Posted by GrayGhost

why would someone have Mitt Romney sign a guitar? Kid Rock, at least is sorta in the music business.

Is this any different from having someone who has no connection to the game sign a baseball? I've never much understood that. Why not have them sign an item relevant to their own field or, if nothing appropriate or available, then a photo?

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by mark evans

Is this any different from having someone who has no connection to the game sign a baseball? I've never much understood that. Why not have them sign an item relevant to their own field or, if nothing appropriate or available, then a photo?

Hello Mark,

I wholeheartedly agree with you. I think it is silly to get figure skaters, authors, politicians and other non-baseball personages on baseballs, bats, hockey pucks, golf balls and any other item not related to their field. I have yet to see someone refuse to sign a baseball, but I am sure there are some who do. The philosophy is that it is different, but so many lemmings are doing it that it has become pedestrian. It is also not 'unique'. An overused and misunderstood word. Unique means there is only one of that item ever and at all. Though I have never really signed my name for anyone if I was put in that position I would refuse such items. Just my two cents.

Cheers,
Michael

[HOFautosChris]

Michael That is great that all the graphs were obtained in person by you. There must be some fantastic stories with that item. Thanks again for showing it to us.

[Gary Dunaier]

Originally Posted by mark evans

Is this any different from having someone who has no connection to the game sign a baseball? I've never much understood that. Why not have them sign an item relevant to their own field or, if nothing appropriate or available, then a photo?

For a while in the early 1990s I was getting baseballs signed by non-sports people. To me it was a novelty, and they made interesting display pieces. Some of the names I got on baseballs were George Plimpton, Phil Donahue, Maury Povich, Jim Shooter (former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics), Curtis and Lisa Sliwa... and Rush Limbaugh, who does have some kind of a baseball connection in that he worked in the Kansas City Royals' front office for a while.

[Exhibitman]

Great stuff, Michael, love to see more of it and hear some details of the more memorable encounters.

[Michael B]

Hi Adam,

I will try to post a few stories about 'The Book' over the next few days whenI I have a chance to think about them.

[Michael B]

Adam,

In the interim you can check out some of my concert photography at www.fanseyeview.net. Click on the portfolios.

Here are a couple of concert photos from 33 years of shooting. I don't keep many on my computer and the few that are are too large.

Joe Strummer - 1981 Clash on Broadway. They did 14 days at Bond's in Times Square. I shot the first two nights.

Kenny Aaronson - Was a member of Stories when "Brother Louie" went to #1. Played with Rick Derringer on 5 albums. Has played/recorded with Bob Dylan, Brian Setzer, Joan Jett and many others. This is him with John Eddie at a small club in Vienna, VA

Tim Bogert - member of Cactus, Vanilla Fudge and Beck, Bogert, Appice. This is him playing at a club in Springfield, VA, where I currently live. This was a Cactus/Vanilla Fudge show so he was with the opener and headliner. Rarely tours due to health problems.