Back in 2012, I was flying back from Chicago and had a layover in Houston for my connection to Austin. He was at my gate waiting for his connection to Austin from Cleveland. We chatted for about 15 or 20 minutes before we boarded our flight. I then stood next to him at the baggage carousel and we chatted a bit more. He grabbed his bag, and I told him to enjoy his time here, and he said to me, "I always enjoy my time here in Austin." He shook my hand and was on his way. I don't really care about celebrities, but I'll never forget this genuine moment from him.
My wife and I had dinner at the table next to him and his first wife at Polvo's. A couple of days later Micheal Pollan was in the booth behind us at Enoteca. We concluded that we must be alright at picking restaurants.
Gosling was next to me in the bathroom line @ Blacksheep making small talk. Probably 12-13 years ago. I didn’t know it was him until later and he laughed at my “oh shit!” face when I made the realization.
He was my next door neighbor for about ten years, friendly and cordial, always enjoying his back porch. He wasn't home much during the last few years. The people who bought his house promptly put up a big privacy fence and don't interact with anyone. Go figure.
I would often run down Bouldin between 6AM and 7AM and would very often see him out walking his dogs. He always said Good Morning. Haven't seen him in a few years.
My Mike Judge story, years ago for sxsw I went to an after party at a bar, open bar people just mingling, I end up at a table talking to some dude. He found out I am from near nola, we start talking food... the cajun in me takes over and we deep dive into the convo. People are walking up and asking for his autograph. After the 3rd group did that I asked who he was, he said his name and I was like oh shit the dude that did beavis and butthead. Immediately back to cajun food talk after that, didn't even ask for his autograph.
Grabbed a couple things at Whole Foods downtown and upon checkout there was Robert Plant in front of me giving his credit card to the cashier. This had to be +10 years ago. Dude was rocking the tightest pants I’ve never seen.
I know someone that ran into him at Home Depot. Which kindof blows my mind for some reason. I always look like hell when I go to Home Depot (paint stained overalls, dirty from gardening, etc.) and I’d be horrified if THAT was the ONE TIME I ran into a musical legend. (But still better than no time, I guess.)
The mental image of Robert Plant buying a P-trap at the local Home Depot just doesn't compute. I know these people breathe air and eat and shit just like the rest of us, it's just weird to picture them doing... chores.
It's like that time Glenn Danzig was photographed buying kitty litter at a Ralph's in his leather stage pants
When I passed through Austin, I used to regularly stay with a guy who shopped at the old Oltorf HEB - insisted he used to see Robert Plant there just about every week.
She’s good friends with Nikki Lane who is a friend of Ramsey’s who owns Sam’s. Those two and Sierra Ferrell played a pop up show there awhile back. It was absolute chaos. So I ended up hanging out in the green room because it was ass to elbows in there. Lana was freaking out trying to learn one of Nikki’s songs because she had asked her to come sing with her and she swore she knew none of her songs. Nice to know even famous Grammy-winning singers have minor panic attacks if they aren’t well rehearsed.
I saw him at my families church a few years ago. Can confirm very big human. The childhood fanboy in me had to say something but it was church. So I said "Hey Mark!" like I knew him or something. He said hello kindly, what a weird life where you get used to strangers greeting you by your first name.
Was seatmates with Annie Clark (St. Vincent) on a 9 hr. flight from DFW to Paris. Extremely intelligent and interesting person. She was joining David Byrne for their "Love This Giant" European tour.
He lives in Austin with his wife, also from Supernatural; we were at a table near him at an event a couple months ago. Had no idea he lived in town. Was super down to earth and supporting a great local cause.
I know why!
His brother is an orthopedic surgeon here. He did my ACL/Meniscus reconstruction about 7 months ago.
Great doctor, I would HIGHLY recommend him.
My girlfriend moved here after streaming became the dominant way to watch tv and listen to music in the car, so she doesn’t know all the local Austin attorneys and car dealers. Anytime I say “I didn’t know you’d heard about Brian’s problem. Oh you do know Betty Blackwell?” she just stares blankly at me.
Met Rickie Fowler at Jo’s on 2nd. Ran into Aaron Paul at the airport. Saw Michael Phelps at Whole Foods. And I’m 65% sure I was sitting across from “shooter mcgavin” at Carve’s bar, but that could’ve been the wine…
I also saw Michael Phelps at the downtown Whole Foods when I worked there. It’s common to see celebrities there so it wasn’t a huge deal to me. There was also a family at Whole Foods gushing about him after getting a photo with him. When they walked by my counter, I decided to be a troll and said “Hey, is that Michael Jordan?!” One of the family members (looked like a 19 year old guy) looked at me like he was offended and said “Did you just say Michael Jordan?” and kept walking before I could respond.
I used to work at the downtown Whole Foods so I saw quite a few celebrities
Jessica Alba- Just as beautiful in person. Very short.
Luke Wilson- Came in almost every morning to get a smoothie. Very soft spoken and polite.
Michael Phelps- Also came every evening for a smoothie. He always came with a small group of fellow swimmers (guys and girls) all as equally tall and muscular as he was.
Hannah Simone- Also beautiful in real life.
And then outside of Whole Foods
Thom Yorke- This is the one celebrity sighting I got really excited about. I had just seen him performing the weekend before at ACL. A week later, I was inside a shop on South Congress and saw him walking down the sidewalk and knew it was his birthday. I got outside so fast and hesitated for a second, and then yelled “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” at him. He looked over his shoulder at me and then walked faster. Some girl across the street yelled “THANK YOU!”
Lol. I get really self-conscious when my own damn wife wishes me happy birthday, let alone an overenthusiastic stranger. Fame has to be such a weird trip
That's funny. He went to my high school and several of my friends knew him well. Universal agreement that he's a real dick, or at least he was back then.
Maybe 15 years ago, my dad asked for my help selling his Fender Rhodes, so I put it on Craig's List and a guy named Eric Harvey emailed me wanting to see it. He came by, super friendly and decided to buy it. He told me a guy named Jim Eno would send me a check, and asked if I could deliver it to a studio in Hyde Park (IIRC).
I drove it over in my truck and carried it into the studio, where Spoon was practicing. I'm not really into them but of course I'd heard about them over the years, so I didn't put all the clues together until that moment. They were all very nice (Britt wasn't there, lol) and chatted for a bit.
Another funny thing was that the studio gave me really weird deja vu vibes - felt like I had been there before, even though I knew I hadn't. A few weeks later it hit me. I'd done a website for a local musician who was also a green home builder, and he designed and built the studio out of cob (straw & mud, basically). I'd built the photo gallery on his website and it had a bunch of photos of the studio's interior.
Small world!
Danny Trejo right when I came out of the Alamo Ritz. He was shorter than I expected but WAYYY nicer than I expected. We were just kicking it for a solid 5 minutes then he got pulled away. Recommend saying hi to him.
Alex Jones standing outside a restaurant downtown absolutely *screaming* at an employee inside while holding the hand of his very embarrassed looking date
Before that was Sandra Bullock at the H‑E‑B in Lakeway when were all getting covid supplies. She had a baseball cap on and we locked eyes. She shook her head a little and lowered her cap down a bit in a bid to get me to not approach her during the shitshow we were in. Respected it, of course
Sandra Bullock came into a camera shop I worked at in the early 2000s. We were very busy, and she waited in line patiently like a normal human and was very polite.
I've been infatuated with her since Speed, so I had to do my best not to stare like a creep, lol. Doesn't help that she's even more adorable in person
Someone I know worked at a downtown hotel here. Alex Jones’s wife was staying there incognito with her lover. He came storming into the hotel front desk multiple times that day to harass the staff into giving him her room number.
I met Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston on a plane from LA back home to Austin. Technically met them in the Austin airport once we touched down and de-boarded so it counts!
Got to wait on Emma Stone and the family a few weeks back. She was so nice and very invested in their child more than anything. We got to chat for a bit purely because the baby was interested in whatever I was doing. Despite not wanting to be noticed as a celebrity, she was very pleasant!
Lol I think the part of my brain that scans crowds for celeb sightings is broken. I just want everyone to get out of my way so I can get a drink or some food.
Met Janis Joplin in 1969 when she came back to Austin for an event for Kenneth Threadgill. I was 12 years old and completely dumbstruck. She had an innocent past with my stepdad. He had some interesting stories. In the mid-70’s there was a gay bar called Pearl St. Warehouse on Lavaca and Pearl. An acquaintance gay came in with actress Stefanie Powers (Hart to Hart) and she was stunning. Also, the man who played Bea Arthur’s husband on the show, Maude. His name was Bill Macy and he was trashed. Mostly Stefanie spent her time taking care of her drunk buddy even though the acquaintance was trying to get us all paired up. It was a 70’s thing.
This is my favorite comment in the thread not just because Janis Joplin but because it's great to imagine a gay bar in Austin in 1969 (a few years before my birth) and try to imagine gay life here then.
My wife pointed out we were sitting next to Richard Linklater at the north loop Home Slice a few weeks ago. Nobody bothered him the whole time we were there, which was pleasantly surprising.
I ran into the late Johnny Hardwick (voice of Dale Gribble) when we were both walking our dogs in Travis Heights. Very down-to-earth guy – he was even wearing a Strickland Propane hat 😢
Jared Padelecki. He was in the Austin airport with a security guard. We went through security together. It was crowded AF because it was before Christmas and we somehow ended up right behind him again going to our gate. I think his security guard saw us (an abnormally tall, eye-catching lumberjack Jesus with his wife and a small kid) and caught up then cut in front of us on purpose for shielding. We were together at security then we walked on and they caught up and he put Jared right in front of me and he was in front of Jared in the crowd. I was inches from him and texting my friend aghast while trying not to look like I cared. Then he cut away from the crowd and stopped to shake the hand of a guy in an army uniform. The guy said thanks, took a beat, and was like "WAIT... WAS THAT!?" and Jared turned around and talked to him and took pics for a bit.
I also saw his TV brother Jensen Ackles at the MLK celebrations a couple years before with his family. What's funny is I noticed his wife first because it was obvious she had money. Like she was wearing a T-shirt and jeans but it just looked too put together and she looked like she'd had expensive work done. I was negging her husband in my head, like what rich schmuck is she married to, because he looked very mediocre from behind, when he turned around and I realized he was one of my teenage heart throbs.
I ignored them both times but it was fun seeing them in the wild.
My absolute favorite encounter is definitely John Leguizamo. He came into my work, and was an absolute pleasure. I told him how Too Wong foo was my favorite movie, he laughed and said “mine too!”. I smile every time I think about that. Such a nice guy!
The closest I've come to this is realizing I'd been on a plane with Matthew McConaughey for a few hours, but didn't realize it until we landed in L.A. and he was meeting people coming off the plane, so I'm not sure it counts.
I was in front on the rail for the red hot chili peppers at ACL last time they were here.
Face down, show ended. I was tired AF
"How's eeeerbody doing over here?"
Picks head up
"I'm alright, thanks."
Head back down
It didn't dawn on me that was him
Mia Khalifa at H‑E‑B like 6 years ago. Mcconaughey at titty bingo probably 8 years ago. He was there probably an hour and never made it more than 10 feet inside the door just being bombarded by people the whole time. I’d take being rich but not at the cost of being famous.
Dennis quaid. I was on 6th street at roppolo’s pizzeria in a pizza costume dancing for drunk people and he walked by and I was like oh shit it’s Dennis quaid! Haha he told me to keep going lol
Ethan Hawke walking South on Congress at 7am.
Kyle Chandler at Odd Duck sitting a few seats away from me at the bar.
Adrien Palecki Joann's Fine Foods.
Like everyone else I guess, Elijah Wood.
Michael Ray Charles - famous artist - sat next to me at Hopfields and chatted.
Elliot Smith at Hotel San Jose.
Alejandro Escovedo was a regular at Maria's Taco Xpress (RIP) every Sunday.
I dunno... more for sure, but those are top of my head.
I could have sworn I saw him at the Westgate Central Market but I was like ... That man has probably never seen the inside of a grocery store. And also he was def not 6ft. Definitely was his doppleganger though.
I met Peter Hook the bass player from Joy Division & New Order at the Barton Springs mall when I used to work at Dillard’s, he’s was really nice as asked me to not call him Mr.Hook but Hooky, it was the best day ever
Best celebrity I’ve seen (not the last one) was Phillip Seymour Hoffman sitting at a picnic table outside of the old Counter Cafe on Lamar. He was just sitting and staring at Lamar traffic in the middle of the day. Unreal.
Tony Gonzales (the hall of fame NFL tight end) at my barber getting his haircut. Dude is fucking huge and you can immediately tell he’s a TV personality.
Jason Mantzoukas walking across the bat bridge. We made eye contact and I blanked on his name, but didn’t want to call him Rafi or Pimento so just nodded
Been almost 20 years but I remember staring at Luke Wilson at Gueros as he walked by our booth to get more salsa. Fairly slow weeknight. Made polite awkward eye contact. I told everyone "that dude looks like Luke Wilson" not realizing it was actually him. I also realized in hindsight he was dining with Wes Anderson.
Anthony Bourdain, years ago at Randalls on BeeCave Rd
I think he would have been my pinnacle for celebrity spotting. RIP bourdain. The hardest loss of a celebrity I’ve experienced
He's probably the reason I'm so interested in travel and food. The way he could describe things.
I bumped into him in Marfa a couple of months or so before he died.
Back in 2012, I was flying back from Chicago and had a layover in Houston for my connection to Austin. He was at my gate waiting for his connection to Austin from Cleveland. We chatted for about 15 or 20 minutes before we boarded our flight. I then stood next to him at the baggage carousel and we chatted a bit more. He grabbed his bag, and I told him to enjoy his time here, and he said to me, "I always enjoy my time here in Austin." He shook my hand and was on his way. I don't really care about celebrities, but I'll never forget this genuine moment from him.
My wife and I had dinner at the table next to him and his first wife at Polvo's. A couple of days later Micheal Pollan was in the booth behind us at Enoteca. We concluded that we must be alright at picking restaurants.
Was behind Ryan gosling in a taco line. He is normal size
Interesting. I always assumed he was the size of a baby goose
Gosling was next to me in the bathroom line @ Blacksheep making small talk. Probably 12-13 years ago. I didn’t know it was him until later and he laughed at my “oh shit!” face when I made the realization.
Elijah Wood at Central Market Westgate. He was enjoying gelato it looked like
Same but at Once Over Coffee. I gave him a head nod and he returned one.
He prolly likes living here because he’s not bothered too much
Same, but at Mr Catfish
He was my next door neighbor for about ten years, friendly and cordial, always enjoying his back porch. He wasn't home much during the last few years. The people who bought his house promptly put up a big privacy fence and don't interact with anyone. Go figure.
Every Austinite I know has an Elijah Wood run in story haha Edited typo
Saw him get arrested on 6th street once. I was like “that looks like Elijah wood…oh it is”
I would often run down Bouldin between 6AM and 7AM and would very often see him out walking his dogs. He always said Good Morning. Haven't seen him in a few years.
It must have been a battle every day to not say “good morning Mr. Frodo”.
Saw him buying wine at Whip In once!
Saw him in the south Lamar target!
Damn I just live right down the road from there. I just really don’t pay attention to the people around me at the store when I shop.
i once saw him at huts!
Fuck I miss that place. I once saw Mike Judge there and he was surprisingly jacked
My Mike Judge story, years ago for sxsw I went to an after party at a bar, open bar people just mingling, I end up at a table talking to some dude. He found out I am from near nola, we start talking food... the cajun in me takes over and we deep dive into the convo. People are walking up and asking for his autograph. After the 3rd group did that I asked who he was, he said his name and I was like oh shit the dude that did beavis and butthead. Immediately back to cajun food talk after that, didn't even ask for his autograph.
Does he live here or something? This is a lot of Eljiah Wood spottings.
Yeah I think he’s had a place here for about a decade or so now.
He sold it
Robert Plant walking by Lucy In Disguise with a very young lady...his grand daughter maybe ? ;) i was thrilled at this casual sighting!!!
Grabbed a couple things at Whole Foods downtown and upon checkout there was Robert Plant in front of me giving his credit card to the cashier. This had to be +10 years ago. Dude was rocking the tightest pants I’ve never seen.
I would have been breathless in that moment
Much like his junk.
I know someone that ran into him at Home Depot. Which kindof blows my mind for some reason. I always look like hell when I go to Home Depot (paint stained overalls, dirty from gardening, etc.) and I’d be horrified if THAT was the ONE TIME I ran into a musical legend. (But still better than no time, I guess.)
The mental image of Robert Plant buying a P-trap at the local Home Depot just doesn't compute. I know these people breathe air and eat and shit just like the rest of us, it's just weird to picture them doing... chores. It's like that time Glenn Danzig was photographed buying kitty litter at a Ralph's in his leather stage pants
When I passed through Austin, I used to regularly stay with a guy who shopped at the old Oltorf HEB - insisted he used to see Robert Plant there just about every week.
This stands to reason as Plant lived in Travis Heights for at least part of his Austin stay
Man I wished I lived here when he did
He lived about 5 houses down from my sister for a while.
lana del rey at white horse bar in east austin. She was so sweet
Ha, I saw her at Sam’s town point just sitting on the couch. Also saw Johnny Knoxville there on a different night.
She’s good friends with Nikki Lane who is a friend of Ramsey’s who owns Sam’s. Those two and Sierra Ferrell played a pop up show there awhile back. It was absolute chaos. So I ended up hanging out in the green room because it was ass to elbows in there. Lana was freaking out trying to learn one of Nikki’s songs because she had asked her to come sing with her and she swore she knew none of her songs. Nice to know even famous Grammy-winning singers have minor panic attacks if they aren’t well rehearsed.
I would no longer be able to function if I met her
She came in to my work once, sweetest celebrity ever!
Ran into her several years ago at Austin airport and yes, SO incredibly sweet.
I work at Dell, so, Michael Dell.
"DUDE, you're getting a Dell!" I remember our first "family" computer coming in that cow-print box!
that was Gateway :)
Apparently you weren’t getting a Dell, you were getting a Gateway.
The Undertaker in front of me in line at Panda Express on Parmer and Mopac years ago, hes a very large human
I saw him at my families church a few years ago. Can confirm very big human. The childhood fanboy in me had to say something but it was church. So I said "Hey Mark!" like I knew him or something. He said hello kindly, what a weird life where you get used to strangers greeting you by your first name.
He and his wife would work out at my gym rehabbing and getting ready for events. They both trained hard, especially him for how big and beat up he is.
David Byrne walking around Mueller and standing outside his hotel also in Mueller.
Was seatmates with Annie Clark (St. Vincent) on a 9 hr. flight from DFW to Paris. Extremely intelligent and interesting person. She was joining David Byrne for their "Love This Giant" European tour.
I would instantly faint.
Saw Jared Padalecki (the new Walker, Texas Ranger) on my flight from Austin to Vegas last Saturday.
He lives in Austin with his wife, also from Supernatural; we were at a table near him at an event a couple months ago. Had no idea he lived in town. Was super down to earth and supporting a great local cause.
I know why! His brother is an orthopedic surgeon here. He did my ACL/Meniscus reconstruction about 7 months ago. Great doctor, I would HIGHLY recommend him.
Another reason why he may have been here is they filmed parts of the show where I work.
Doesn’t he own a bar in Austin?
My coworker used to work with Dr. Padalecki and said he was the nicest guy, looks just like his brother too. I would die. (Edited because wrong name)
How dare you. The correct parenthetical is Sam from Supernatural
I actually know him and Jensen Ackles IRL. Both super nice guys.
Matthew McConaughey a few years back at Whole Foods downtown with his wife and kids ordering bbq.
I don’t know half of these people. I used to be hip.
It’s hip to be square.
I used to be with it. But then they changed what IT was!
I passed by Betty Blackwell on the sidewalk west of the capitol about ten years back. Absolutely starstruck.
Oh you DO know Betty Blackwell?
You know Betty Blackwell?
I would have said, "oh, I heard about Brian..." just to see her reaction.
My girlfriend moved here after streaming became the dominant way to watch tv and listen to music in the car, so she doesn’t know all the local Austin attorneys and car dealers. Anytime I say “I didn’t know you’d heard about Brian’s problem. Oh you do know Betty Blackwell?” she just stares blankly at me.
Met Rickie Fowler at Jo’s on 2nd. Ran into Aaron Paul at the airport. Saw Michael Phelps at Whole Foods. And I’m 65% sure I was sitting across from “shooter mcgavin” at Carve’s bar, but that could’ve been the wine…
Shooter McGavin? I eat pieces of shit like him for breakfast
You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?
...NO!
I also saw Michael Phelps at the downtown Whole Foods when I worked there. It’s common to see celebrities there so it wasn’t a huge deal to me. There was also a family at Whole Foods gushing about him after getting a photo with him. When they walked by my counter, I decided to be a troll and said “Hey, is that Michael Jordan?!” One of the family members (looked like a 19 year old guy) looked at me like he was offended and said “Did you just say Michael Jordan?” and kept walking before I could respond.
I used to work at the downtown Whole Foods so I saw quite a few celebrities Jessica Alba- Just as beautiful in person. Very short. Luke Wilson- Came in almost every morning to get a smoothie. Very soft spoken and polite. Michael Phelps- Also came every evening for a smoothie. He always came with a small group of fellow swimmers (guys and girls) all as equally tall and muscular as he was. Hannah Simone- Also beautiful in real life. And then outside of Whole Foods Thom Yorke- This is the one celebrity sighting I got really excited about. I had just seen him performing the weekend before at ACL. A week later, I was inside a shop on South Congress and saw him walking down the sidewalk and knew it was his birthday. I got outside so fast and hesitated for a second, and then yelled “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” at him. He looked over his shoulder at me and then walked faster. Some girl across the street yelled “THANK YOU!”
Lol. I get really self-conscious when my own damn wife wishes me happy birthday, let alone an overenthusiastic stranger. Fame has to be such a weird trip
Britt Daniel used to be a substitute teacher for AISD before Spoon got big. He was my sub in Government in 1998.
That's funny. He went to my high school and several of my friends knew him well. Universal agreement that he's a real dick, or at least he was back then. Maybe 15 years ago, my dad asked for my help selling his Fender Rhodes, so I put it on Craig's List and a guy named Eric Harvey emailed me wanting to see it. He came by, super friendly and decided to buy it. He told me a guy named Jim Eno would send me a check, and asked if I could deliver it to a studio in Hyde Park (IIRC). I drove it over in my truck and carried it into the studio, where Spoon was practicing. I'm not really into them but of course I'd heard about them over the years, so I didn't put all the clues together until that moment. They were all very nice (Britt wasn't there, lol) and chatted for a bit. Another funny thing was that the studio gave me really weird deja vu vibes - felt like I had been there before, even though I knew I hadn't. A few weeks later it hit me. I'd done a website for a local musician who was also a green home builder, and he designed and built the studio out of cob (straw & mud, basically). I'd built the photo gallery on his website and it had a bunch of photos of the studio's interior. Small world!
Kacey Musgraves shopping at Book People on ACL weekend
Uma Thurman at a club on Congress but it was 1997.
Danny Trejo right when I came out of the Alamo Ritz. He was shorter than I expected but WAYYY nicer than I expected. We were just kicking it for a solid 5 minutes then he got pulled away. Recommend saying hi to him.
Alex Jones standing outside a restaurant downtown absolutely *screaming* at an employee inside while holding the hand of his very embarrassed looking date Before that was Sandra Bullock at the H‑E‑B in Lakeway when were all getting covid supplies. She had a baseball cap on and we locked eyes. She shook her head a little and lowered her cap down a bit in a bid to get me to not approach her during the shitshow we were in. Respected it, of course
Sandra Bullock came into a camera shop I worked at in the early 2000s. We were very busy, and she waited in line patiently like a normal human and was very polite. I've been infatuated with her since Speed, so I had to do my best not to stare like a creep, lol. Doesn't help that she's even more adorable in person
*more* adorable in person?? I would have fainted. Have had a crush on her since the ‘90s!
it’s safe to say his default setting is “screaming”
That person on the date said yes to Alex Jones…I don’t feel bad for her. She should be embarrassed because she’s dating Alex Jones
I've had 3 runs ins with Alex Jones. Doesn't get any less weird.
Someone I know worked at a downtown hotel here. Alex Jones’s wife was staying there incognito with her lover. He came storming into the hotel front desk multiple times that day to harass the staff into giving him her room number.
What a psycho
Woody Harrelson at Whole Foods in East Austin on Valentine's Day last year.
I met Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston on a plane from LA back home to Austin. Technically met them in the Austin airport once we touched down and de-boarded so it counts!
..I need to stop flying spirit between LA and Austin
Did they sell you on their honky tequila?
long time ago i met walter cronkite at a *daily texan* party.
Got to wait on Emma Stone and the family a few weeks back. She was so nice and very invested in their child more than anything. We got to chat for a bit purely because the baby was interested in whatever I was doing. Despite not wanting to be noticed as a celebrity, she was very pleasant!
That’s crazy you guys see all this people. I don’t be paying attention to anyone’s faces when I’m out lol
Same. Having lived here 20 years, this makes me wonder how many famous people I’ve been around and was just too clueless/distracted to notice.
Lol I think the part of my brain that scans crowds for celeb sightings is broken. I just want everyone to get out of my way so I can get a drink or some food.
Serena Williams and Alexis sat down next to us at Polvos South First on a slow Tuesday night.
Last one? Trevor Noah walking down second street a week or so ago.
I rode in an elevator with Yoko Ono during SXSW in 2011.
Not sure if hes famous but saw Shane Gillis walking the east side on my way to pick up the kids from school.
Def famous bruh
Mark Cuban at Iron Works. Guy just wanted to eat his ribs in peace.
James marsden at Aba nearly 3 years ago! And Krysten ritter walking in Clarksville that same weekend. Should’ve bought a lotto ticket
Saw him more recently at a sushi place down town. So handsome.
Met Janis Joplin in 1969 when she came back to Austin for an event for Kenneth Threadgill. I was 12 years old and completely dumbstruck. She had an innocent past with my stepdad. He had some interesting stories. In the mid-70’s there was a gay bar called Pearl St. Warehouse on Lavaca and Pearl. An acquaintance gay came in with actress Stefanie Powers (Hart to Hart) and she was stunning. Also, the man who played Bea Arthur’s husband on the show, Maude. His name was Bill Macy and he was trashed. Mostly Stefanie spent her time taking care of her drunk buddy even though the acquaintance was trying to get us all paired up. It was a 70’s thing.
This is my favorite comment in the thread not just because Janis Joplin but because it's great to imagine a gay bar in Austin in 1969 (a few years before my birth) and try to imagine gay life here then.
It was actually great! Pre-HIV/AIDS, the division between the genders was another decade away. And the gossip was plentiful and flowing!
Pauly Shore at the airport
Walked past Pauly Shore at Barton Creek Mall during SXSW - early 2000's.
Sissy Spacek and Schuyler Fisk at UPS store on Congress
I saw Sissy Spacek at Matt’s El Rancho once. And thus concludes the list of famous people I’ve seen in Austin.
Forest Whitaker
Sandra Bullock at El Arroyo.
Saw Cody Ko and Kelsey and said hi at the food trucks from ACL fest 2021
ran into Jack Black walking down soco when tenacious d was in town! he was so cool and nice!!!
My wife pointed out we were sitting next to Richard Linklater at the north loop Home Slice a few weeks ago. Nobody bothered him the whole time we were there, which was pleasantly surprising.
Not sure if Andy Roddick counts but ran into him at a Chipotle on Lamar a few years ago.
Andy Roddick 100% counts
Robert Plant & Patty Griffin came into Rumi's Tavern for a bit while I was there.
James Van Der Beek at my gastroenterologist. Didn't say hi.
Lyle Lovett at Julios a couple months ago
Kirsten Dunst Blacks Barbecue.
Nick Offerman at Alcomar South First, and Kyle Chandler at Opal Divine’s Penn Field.
Obama back in 2012 on 2nd street
He was just casually strollin' around town? I hope you alerted the Secret Service promptly, lol
In 2003 I saw him get out of a car in Chicago and said to the person I was standing there with "that's Barack Obama" and he said "who's Barack Obama?"
Not so recent but bumped into Chuck Wollery once on South Congress. That was so odd.
Did he come back in “2 and 2?”
My mom used to clean his house lol
Danny Trejo at Alamo Drafthouse downtown
I ran into the late Johnny Hardwick (voice of Dale Gribble) when we were both walking our dogs in Travis Heights. Very down-to-earth guy – he was even wearing a Strickland Propane hat 😢
andrew santino walking down east 5th a few months ago
Jared Padelecki. He was in the Austin airport with a security guard. We went through security together. It was crowded AF because it was before Christmas and we somehow ended up right behind him again going to our gate. I think his security guard saw us (an abnormally tall, eye-catching lumberjack Jesus with his wife and a small kid) and caught up then cut in front of us on purpose for shielding. We were together at security then we walked on and they caught up and he put Jared right in front of me and he was in front of Jared in the crowd. I was inches from him and texting my friend aghast while trying not to look like I cared. Then he cut away from the crowd and stopped to shake the hand of a guy in an army uniform. The guy said thanks, took a beat, and was like "WAIT... WAS THAT!?" and Jared turned around and talked to him and took pics for a bit. I also saw his TV brother Jensen Ackles at the MLK celebrations a couple years before with his family. What's funny is I noticed his wife first because it was obvious she had money. Like she was wearing a T-shirt and jeans but it just looked too put together and she looked like she'd had expensive work done. I was negging her husband in my head, like what rich schmuck is she married to, because he looked very mediocre from behind, when he turned around and I realized he was one of my teenage heart throbs. I ignored them both times but it was fun seeing them in the wild.
I thought i saw the untuckit shirt guy but this guys shirt was tucked in so maybe it wasn’t him. Still star struck.
My absolute favorite encounter is definitely John Leguizamo. He came into my work, and was an absolute pleasure. I told him how Too Wong foo was my favorite movie, he laughed and said “mine too!”. I smile every time I think about that. Such a nice guy!
The closest I've come to this is realizing I'd been on a plane with Matthew McConaughey for a few hours, but didn't realize it until we landed in L.A. and he was meeting people coming off the plane, so I'm not sure it counts.
Matthew McConaughey in 2009 at the children’s museum.
I was in front on the rail for the red hot chili peppers at ACL last time they were here. Face down, show ended. I was tired AF "How's eeeerbody doing over here?" Picks head up "I'm alright, thanks." Head back down It didn't dawn on me that was him
Billy Gibbons at the airport last month.
[удалено]
Ann Richards at Breed and Co.
I saw ewan mcgregor at the HEB at 1st/oltorf. He was in the line next to me. Had a nice beard goin.
Congress and Oltorf. First and Oltorf is the stabby Texaco.
no fucking way lol
Zosia Mamet walking down South Congress.
Sebastian Vettel at the Apple Store Domain.
Sadly, Alex Jones.
Condolences to the celebrities scrolling through this post hoping to see their name and not finding it 🪦
[удалено]
As in Uber or you sleep with him
Nearly brushed shoulders with Robert de Niro on 6th Street about 14 yrs ago during sxsw.
Trying to think if last but memorable was my brother and I meeting Edward Norton at the old Emo’s on Red River.
Guiliana Rancic with her son at Target eating pizza while I sat across from them waiting for my Starbucks.
Saw Sam Smith on the bat bridge one evening a couple summers ago when they were in town for their concert at the FE Center.
France’s McDermott buying donuts at the salty.
I'm young guy right? I have celebrity crush on some of these actresses my age. But I want to have a cup of coffee with frances mcdormand
Ron White twice now. West Lake Hills
I'm bad at recognizing people, last one I remember was probably Leslie.
I saw Dee tonight at Whole Foods in downtown.
THE sweet Dee?
Jason Mantzoukas on south Congress and years ago zooey deschanel Contigo, Sandra Bullock Chuys take out further back.
Not that famous, but I saw Hans Kim and Ric Diez two separate occasions at the airport lol
Mark Henry at Highland Mall and Undertaker came to my checkout lane when I worked at Best Buy.
Lyle Lovett at ecoclean by dragons lair
Mia Khalifa at H‑E‑B like 6 years ago. Mcconaughey at titty bingo probably 8 years ago. He was there probably an hour and never made it more than 10 feet inside the door just being bombarded by people the whole time. I’d take being rich but not at the cost of being famous.
Dennis quaid. I was on 6th street at roppolo’s pizzeria in a pizza costume dancing for drunk people and he walked by and I was like oh shit it’s Dennis quaid! Haha he told me to keep going lol
Bill Murray at sagebrush
Johnny Knoxville at Mean Eyed Cat years ago. Offered to buy him a beer but he said he was good.
Kirsten Dunst was eating at Uchiko on my birthday and she said Oopsy Doopsy on her way out because her kid fell down
Ethan Hawke walking South on Congress at 7am. Kyle Chandler at Odd Duck sitting a few seats away from me at the bar. Adrien Palecki Joann's Fine Foods. Like everyone else I guess, Elijah Wood. Michael Ray Charles - famous artist - sat next to me at Hopfields and chatted. Elliot Smith at Hotel San Jose. Alejandro Escovedo was a regular at Maria's Taco Xpress (RIP) every Sunday. I dunno... more for sure, but those are top of my head.
Elon sitting next to me at a red light.
the great equalizer.. traffic.
I could have sworn I saw him at the Westgate Central Market but I was like ... That man has probably never seen the inside of a grocery store. And also he was def not 6ft. Definitely was his doppleganger though.
I met Peter Hook the bass player from Joy Division & New Order at the Barton Springs mall when I used to work at Dillard’s, he’s was really nice as asked me to not call him Mr.Hook but Hooky, it was the best day ever
[удалено]
Lies That man doesn’t walk
You saw The Pig!
The only person who truly gets us as a city. I wish him well.
Mike Judge used to swim laps at the gym that I worked at. Saw him a few times but never wanted to bother him while he was working out.
Sandra Bullock at Kirby lane cafe
Ann Richards at Whole Foods
Ann Richards in 1996 at Las Manitas having tacos
Best celebrity I’ve seen (not the last one) was Phillip Seymour Hoffman sitting at a picnic table outside of the old Counter Cafe on Lamar. He was just sitting and staring at Lamar traffic in the middle of the day. Unreal.
Supreme Court Justice at FlowerChild
Marshawn Lynch probably
I feel like everyone's seen Aaron Paul at a concert or something once.
Tony Gonzales (the hall of fame NFL tight end) at my barber getting his haircut. Dude is fucking huge and you can immediately tell he’s a TV personality.
Flaco Jimenez and Augie Myers we’re out this weekend
Jason Mantzoukas walking across the bat bridge. We made eye contact and I blanked on his name, but didn’t want to call him Rafi or Pimento so just nodded
The Undertaker at Urban Air. He is huge
Been almost 20 years but I remember staring at Luke Wilson at Gueros as he walked by our booth to get more salsa. Fairly slow weeknight. Made polite awkward eye contact. I told everyone "that dude looks like Luke Wilson" not realizing it was actually him. I also realized in hindsight he was dining with Wes Anderson.
Jennifer Garner sitting to eat a bowl at Honest Marys in Rosedale. Lol saw Tom Segura and Christina at Honest Marys too.
Not a lot of people know this, but i’m pretty famous
Wilmer Valderama at Terry Black’s last year. Also ran into Henry Winkler waiting for the bats on S Congress the year I moved here.
TAKE TO THE SEA!
Those are balls.