Sometimes those of us living in Hawaii bump into celebrities and atheletes, either on or off the job. I've had the pleasure of talking to terrific people like Bette Midler, Kirk Hammett from Metallica, and an assortment of past sitcom stars. I've met stoned rock stars - all the Red Hot Chili Peppers - and plain weird rock stars like Michael Jackson. Then there are the atheletes. I've run into Ichiro Suzuki three times now, and can honestly say he's a class act. Cliff Robinson is cool; Gary Payton too. Unfortunately, there are a lot of jerk atheletes out there too. Case in point: A close friend of mine has a younger brother working his way through college as a room-service waiter at one of the best resorts here in the islands. He played football in high school and his idol was Jerry Rice. Well, one day during the Pro Bowl week, Rice and his wife check-in at the resort and order room service. My friend's brother is terribly excited because he's going to meet his idol. He knocks on the door, the door opens, and.............Jerry Rice and his wife immediately start yelling in his face about how long the food took (it wasn't long at all) and how terrible an indication this is of the service at this world-class resort, blah, blah, blah. Worst of all, Jerry Rice starts throwing in the "Do you know who I am?" phrase over and over. No tip, no thank you, just a get the hell out of here and a slamming door. Needless to say, he is no longer a Jerry Rice fan. Same resort: Deion Sanders shows up at the resort's finest restaurant without a reservation and a posse of buddies. (Keep in mind, now, this is the Ordained Minister Deion Sanders). They demand entry with the "Do you know who I am?" phrase, and the manager gives in. Well, Deion and Co. have brought their own bottles of alcohol, and spend several hours barking out orders to the wait staff for more ice and glasses, disturbing other patrons, being loud and obnoxious. They never ordered any food or other drinks, made a mess of their surroundings, and didn't tip a penny. When I was in Phoenix, Michael Jordan, prior to stepping into a limo, told the doorman who was holding the limo door open for him, "Hey man, when are you going to get a REAL job?" Vinny del Negro is so cheap he doesn't like to even pay the $3 valet charge around town, let alone tip. Scottie Pippen's nickname is No-tippin' Pippen. Tiger Woods shorts waitresses in Vegas. Thankfully, there are some genuinely nice guys in sports like Ichiro. Emmitt Smith also has a reputation in the islands as a terrific person. What is it with these jerk atheletes? Feel free to post your own experiences, good and bad.
I work in the golf industry, which means I have the priveledge of meeting a lot of characters, both good and bad. Among the people I have met include Bruce Crampton (my current boss), Bob Charles, Hugh Bioachi, Jim Dent and several other senior PGA players. I have never really come across one that was rude or ignorant. Generally, they treat us very professionally, the same way we want to treat them. However, occasionally we will get a rich guy that comes in or someone high up on some tondem poll that is a complete ass. I've learned to just let it ride, because whenever I feel myself getting pissed off, I just remind myself, "This guy thinks he's the shit. Arguing with him won't change his opinion of the world. It is futile and stupid to waste my energy on him -- therefore, let it ride." Assholes are up and down the social food-chain. When I was a lot younger, someone once told me that no matter how famous, rich or popular the person is, they still put on their pants one leg at a time like me. There is not one famous person that would make me go nuts over seeing, save for the Olsen twins or the Hilton sisters. Hot looks + money? Oh yeah ...
while in college i had the privlege to meet and hang with bono and the edge from u2. these guys were down to earth, nice and totally real. this was of course before the super stardom. henry rollins from black flag was also a great person and much fun to hang with. who knows what these dudes are like now. best, surfer
Off the top of my head, these come to mind: Kelly Slater Sunny Garcia Andy Irons Shane Dorian all of the Sudden Rush members David Robinson Ashely Lelie Jevon Kearse Bill Walton Nomar Garciaparra Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala Can't remember any bad ones..maybe we just blocked them out...
I spend time in the Forum here at ET and find that there are as many jerks per capita who post here as there are jerks who have obtained celebrity status.
Actually, I think that was a good point. Everyone is focussing on Celebrity a-holes, when in fact the world is full of them. Who is to say that Jerry Rice wasn't having a bad day; or maybe the service did suck and the food was late. I have heard the stories about Pippen and Jordan not tipping too well, but then again, these guys are under a microscope and everyone who does a damn thing wants a handout from these guys as they walk bye. I would figure if they were going to please everyone they would probably have to put about $200-300 dollars a day in singles and fives in their wallet. Instead of focussing on what alleged jag-offs these guys are supposed to be, lets just take a look at what a ridiculously high cost fame and celebrity carries with it. Guys who make similar money as, hypothetically speaking, traders, CEO's, top plastic surgeons, high priced defense attorneys, do not have to live by the "tip everyone you see" rules...
Henry Rollins?! You're my hero, surf I love that guy! I did manage to have a few beers with Steve Jones at the Rainbow in Hollywood some years back. Since it's more of a rocker joint, I don't think a lot of people new who he was. I think he was stoned but I was too drunk to tell. We were sitting outside on the rock wall and would just be mesmerized by the amount of honeys tramping in and out of there. Man, were those were the days... sigh
Thank you for that insight and sticking to the subject of the thread. p.s. The service didn't suck and the food was NOT late. The service at this resort is not allowed to suck and the food is not allowed to be late. The staff go out of their way to make their special guests the Pro Bowlers happy and are even more attentive to their needs than the average super-rich guest. And hey, maybe in your world having a bad day gives one the right is to bitch out hapless hotel staff or other innocents, what do I know? "Please everyone"? C'mon - noone should expect anybody to have to please everyone, but multimillionaires stiffing food service staff? PATHETIC!! "ridiculously high cost fame and celebrity carries with it"? Give me a break. The "cost" obviously isn't high enough for most of them to get out of the spotlight. I'm supposed to have sympathy for millionaire jerks who feel the rules don't apply to them and their status gives them carte blanche to treat others with contempt and derision? Uh-uh... And I don't know where you got the "tip everyone you see" idea. I hope you at least agree that it's not outrageous to expect celebrities to A) at least freakin' tip wait staff like most people do, and B) at least tip the accepted percentage.