Aaron writes:
Okay, now we all know that celebrity sightings here in manhattan are a dime a dozen and not generally worth getting excited about but this is an exception. I was thinking that the high point of my brush with fame on friday would have been holding the door open for Gwennie Paltrow at my local coffee shop, and since she was a little rude I considered letting the door slam on the (admittedly world-class) Paltrow-heinie.
But -- late that night I was hanging out with some friends at Chumley's, a former speak-easy in the west village, when this curly haired old english dude sat down next to me with two of his friends. I was kind of thinking the guy must be Sammy Hagar or something, because he had this artiste-rock-star aura. So I started chatting with him a bit, something along the lines of recommending the burgers or the shepherds pie, and we started talking about the struggles that artists go through or something along those lines. He went into a long discussion of how important it is to love your work, to really look forward to it at the beginning of the day and all that sort of thing. It was a little bit cliche but the guy was entertaining enough that I was pitching in too. To emphasize the point he toasted to our whole table "so here's to the best thing in the world --- to wake up bright and early and be given a chance to fuck everything up in an entirely new and different way."
So we swapped blackout stories, he and his friends got up, shook our hands, and said goodbye see ya round mates.
The waitress comes up to me totally breathlessly with "ohmygod how do you know Robert Plant?" Not being savvy or fast or sober enough to say "well if you're lucky darling one day I'll introduce you," I smoothly replied instead with a "huh?" (or maybe it was "wha..?") and looked around to see the guy leave and you know what she was right. Holy cats! I was drinkin' frosties with Robert Plant and didn't even know it!
Thank god I didn't say I thought he was Sammy Hagar.
| Robert Plant | New York City | Greenwich Village |
"Does anybody remember laughter?!"
Jesus tap-dancing Christ Â- that is a serious brush with fame. I'm sort of amazed he was so easygoing and approachable; he never comes off that way in interviews, and John paul Jones (Zep bassist), reportedly a nice man, has had a fued going with him for years. But jeez, he sounds like a fine chap.
I went through a Chumley's phase in the mid-to-late '90s Â- several coworkers liked it Â- but I haven't been there in at least five years. Sounds like it's as pleasant as ever, albeit with an unexpected celebrity quotient.
It's amazing!
I live in NY and have been to Manhattan on numerous occasions but never had an experience as wonderful as yours!
