When you finally get to meet your fave, it’s a terrifying experience. All of a sudden, you have to remain upright (it just wouldn’t be cool if you fainted, like you really want to), you have to think of something to say (you can’t just stand there and whisper “Oh Wow!” over and over again), and you’ve got to resist the urge to fling yourself around your fave and yell, “Now I’ve got you. You’ll never get away!”
Really, any sort of thing like that would just be super uncool. So to keep from being super uncool, here’s a handy guide to how to act when you meet your fave (and it does happen, even after all those letters and all those phone calls and all that wishing).
Ways to react Permalink
Like the song says, act naturally. Despite how you meet your favorite person, do not scream, yell, run around in circles, pass out or get sick. Just stand there calmly, smile pleasantly and pretend you meet people like him every day. Say “Hi, how are you?” or “Hi, what’s happening?” The secret to meeting your fave is to say something that he can answer. Do not say, “Hey, my name is Nancy Smith and I’ve always wanted to meet you, ever since I saw you playing and eating a carrot on television when I was home sick with the mumps.” How would—or could—a fave answer that?
Instead, try asking something that your fave would really want to answer because it gives him something to say. Stick to questions like these:
“How do you like this city compared to your home?”
“Where will you play after this concert?”
“How do you like the new Beatles song?”
“Who are some of your favorite performers today?”
Once you get him talking—or trapped, as the case may be—but shouldn’t—remember not to ask for an autograph. That’s a drag for any fave, especially since if you get the nerve to ask eight thousand other people will probably run up with their pencils out. You might connive him into signing an autograph by asking him if a word you’ve written is spelled correctly or if you’ve drawn a peace symbol right (you haven’t—you’ve purposely drawn it upside down so he can correct it). But remember that faves don’t always like to take pen in hand, so plan to rely on your memory, not your autograph book, to mark this occasion.
What to talk about Permalink
Once you get past the “Hi, how are you?” stage, you’re invariably left with a blank tongue. It happens all the time to people who win free visits to a filming or dinner with a star or are just lucky enough to run into a fave on the street or sit next to them on a plane. Sometimes, it even happens to a reporter, so don’t feel bad! Instead, prepare! Do some research into their likes, dislikes and favorite topics of conversation.
Just in case you need help, here’s a list of stars and their interests:
Davy Jones—horses, Broadway, pool, clothes, boutiques
Peter Tork—philosophies (he loves to explain them), politics, books, Greenwich Village, meditation
Micky Dolenz—gyrocopters, submarines, current events, UFO’s
Mike Nesmith—trends in music, other groups, jeeps, ranching, his family
Dino Martin—cars, speed limits, pool, girls, television
Freddy Weller—chocolate cake, the South, clothes, Hawaii
Joe Jr.—the South, hunting, sports, cars
Charlie Coe—telescopes, astronomy, music, Idaho, Howard Roberts
Paul Revere—groups, being a Raider leader, money, family, cars
Mark Lindsay—cars, the Northwest, wild ideas for songs, astronomy, clothes
Dino Danelli—art, antiques, New York, being a Paul McCartney lookalike
Jim Morrison—poetry, obscenity in pop lyrics, war, violence, politics
Donovan—drugs, poetry, writers, the sea, meditation, the Maharishi
Any Cowsill—clothes, hair, families, music
Sajid—girls, India, art, school, America, food (he cooks)
Desi Arnaz, Jr.—his new TV series, school, Hawaii, surfing, Mexico
Billy Hinsche—his new Marcos, his sister Annie, the Beach Boys, college plans
Barry Gibb—women’s fashions, guns, his music, London
How to exit gracefully Permalink
When it comes time to say goodbye, don’t cry all over his shoulder, ruining his brand new Indian silk shirt. Don’t threaten to kill yourself if you can’t see him again and don’t try to write your name and address on his wrist with an ink pen. Once again, be cool.
The best thing to do when your time draws to a close is ask him if there’s an address where you can write to him and he’ll be certain to get your letter. Or ask him if you can drop him a thank you card or note to the hotel where he’ll be staying in the next city he visits. If he lives in your town, just ask for an address where you can write him—don’t ask for an address where he stays because he might think you plan to hold a 24 hour vigil on his front door step.
Also, you might discreetly ask if he has time to answer fan mail. He just might want to take time to answer yours. Sometimes, a fave will give you the name and address of a friend or manager who you can write to find out where he is and what he’s doing. But that doesn’t always happen, so don’t count on it. Once in awhile, a star’s mother or family might like to answer fan mail and he could give you their address. You might ask him about this but once again, don’t count on it. Mrs. George Harrisons aren’t easy to find.
After that, say “Goodbye” and leave. Don’t hang around waiting for just one more smile or one more word. He’s already taken time for you—now give him time for himself and his other friends.
If you follow all the above advice, you can’t help but be a fave with your fave and that’s pretty great!
