joe_b

I got the poster signed by Savini this weekend, but I can't say I actually met the man. He refused to look up from his table and straight-up ignored any attempts at small talk. No wonder he didn't have a line. All the stories I'd read were true. Tom seems to have utter contempt for his fans... especially if they're paying for an autograph.

Which was right on the money... but at least she was pleasant (and still a total knockout).

TomOpus

I wonder if you mentioned going to his effects school he might've perked up.

joe_b

I read some of his students even think he's a jerk. I suspect the only thing that would've made him perk up is if I happened to be a hot chick with double Ds.

JimRochester

I guess crime pays for Traci Lords. At one point she was getting $40 to give some guy a hummer. Now she gets it just for signing her name.

joe_b

And her line was mostly women, surprisingly. I grew up in the '90s and was a fan of hers from Cry-Baby and Roseanne. I think she's a competent actress and was great as the mother in "Excision". I wasn't even aware of the underage porn scandal until I saw her E! True Hollywood Story.

TheBang

For me, $150 was worth it just for the soundcheck and backstage access alone. Meeting the band for pictures and autographs was icing on the cake, as well as running into every member of the band (besides Reznor) one-on-one backstage after NIN's part of the show.

Mikael79

Funny you mention Cry Baby, because I got to meet John Waters this past weekend, and got his signature on one of his books.

EddieMoney

I don't charge a dime. I sign for free. Always nice to meet a new non geriatric fan.

devilshalo

I'm sure you've seen this recent article...

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/liv...entions-933062

andicus

^Best part of that article is that Andrew Lincoln gives his proceeds to charity.

sinned

Daym! Was this at the AVN Expo at Vegas?

majorjoe23

Weird, I met Savini in 1999 or 2000. He was doing a signing at a haunted house, my friends and I didn't know he would be there, but I was wearing a NOTLD shirt. He said "Nice shirt" and we chatted for a minute. He seemed nice at the time.

joe_b

I guess it's a crapshoot. Everyone has an off day now and then -- but if you read his board on IMDb (the "This guy is a jerk..." thread), it seems people at conventions thought he acted distant or arrogant toward them at least half the time. There are stories going back nearly 20 years.

He was sitting by himself and looked sort of angry before I ever approached him. Our interaction (or lack thereof) just confirmed he was in that kind of mood. On the flip side, I meet a guy like John Kassir (voice of the Cryptkeeper) who seemed happy to chat with anyone who came up to him. Every person left his table with a handshake and a smile. If you're going to charge fans for your autograph, that's a more decent way to go about it.


I would love to meet him one day... hopefully at a book signing where you don't have to pay for the autograph. The guy does a great one-man show. Really hope he gets another film project off the ground eventually.

majorjoe23

I would love for Netflix or Amazon to let Waters do a TV series. I would watch the hell out of that.

cultshock

Yeah, I met him at a show around six or seven years ago and he was fine. I've heard that his attitude depends on if he's had a few drinks first, they help cheer him up (or so I was told by a convention veteran who has seen him at many shows).

Oh yeah, that would be awesome!

Shoveler

I attended the Chicago ComicCon back in the early 80s, brought boxes and boxes of stuff, John Byrne and Mike Grell were both there. I've been to SDCC more recently, this Chicago event was nothing compared to a more modern convention. Both Byrne and Grell were extremely nice (despite stories I'd heard about Byrne), chatted with me extensively while they signed whatever I put before them, they only asked that I unbag and handle the comics, which made perfect sense. Byrne even did a Kitty Pryde head sketch in the last issue of X-Men from his run. Grell did all of his Warlords up to that point, I kicked myself later for forgetting to bring the 1st Issue Special with Warlord. No charge for any of those autographs. I did offer to run to the vending machine for Byrne, he asked for a Sprite.

Hazel Motes

The only 2 autographs I've obtained as an adult.

Tommy Wiseau at a screening of The Room. During the Q&A I got on the microphone and asked him "Whats the worst thing a woman has ever done to you?" He was doing the Q&A, autograph signing and photo op's all at the same time so he could hurry off to a bar and tie one on I assume. So after a few seconds of distraction with a photo op he responded to me on the mic by saying "awwww don't treat da woman bad". That answer met and exceeded my expectations.

The other time. I was on my break at HMV in downtown Vancouver. I bought Jim Jarmusch's "Down By Law" Criterion dvd as it had just come out. 5 minutes later I was back on my shift when I asked a customer if he needed help finding anything. His response "Uhh yeah, is that Tom Waits?", me: "Tom Waits?!?" Tom Waits: *raises hands* "ya caught me!". I talked to him for about 5 minutes and explained how I'd just bought Down By Law on my break. He graciously signed it for me and told me what a great time he had making it. Then I helped him find a dvd of "Step Up" the Channing Tatum street dance movie, which he bought.

I'm not sure which one I treasure more.

Jason

Celebrity autographs don't mean a whole lot, but I have a few from shows where I could get something signed. I have a Dwezzil Zappa concert flyer signed on stage after a show, a CD signed by Frank Vignola (super nice guy and a fun performer) and a poster signed by Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu who are currently touring as The Mads, doing a MST3K style live show. Also very nice guys. All of these were free apart from the event ticket.

I've got at least one book signed by John Varley, a CD cover signed by Joe Satriani, and a Christy Canyon 8x10 that I received as a birthday present. That one is not displayed for... certain reasons

TomOpus

Christy Canyon....had her sign her book (yes, she wrote a book) and got her photo holding the "hot magenta" crayon that I received during the crayon thread. Good times.

Norm de Plume

Autograph-seeking is an enigma to me, other than as a tawdry money-making venture. I guess it's all part of this unfortunate culture of celebrity idolatry. I don't want to come off as superior; I just don't understand wanting to possess someone's signature.

Troy Stiffler

I'm not big on autographs. But I'd totally ask and/or take an autograph in this case. Tom Waits is one of my very favorite entertainers.

Love that he bought Step Up.

Mike86

I kind of agree. Although I've never had the chance to meet a celebrity or have ever gone to a convention. I suppose the experience would be cool but I can't imagine paying much to obtain most signatures.

JimRochester

Most of those meet and greets where you have 3 seconds with some famous person is that way for me. An autograph is a way of documenting the memory however fast it may have been. I would never wait in line to meet someone who has no interest in meeting except for the $20 I'm going to give them to sign a piece of paper.

When I started my limousine service people would mention autographs and I had no interest in them. Then it became a mini-competition among the limos in town as to who drove the most or more important celebrities so I started to collect them. The big difference for me was that I actually got to spend hours and hours with the people. Plus I didn't have to pay for the autograph. I always had them sign the trip sheet. Bill Cosby noticed the newspaper article about him coming to town and as soon as I woke up he gave me my pants back and offered to autograph it for me. j/k. Nice guy to me the whole day. Rush Limbaugh also signed the newspaper for my dad. He too was an exceptionally nice person to those around him. I met him at a VIP reception but my father drove him around.

Other than that, the people coming to Rochester are the ones you'd find on DWTS, B-listers. Kirk Cameron and Chelsea Noble, Debra Shelton who remembered me by name when I drove her two years in a row, Kim Cattrall, Alexandra Paul, Joe Regalbuto, Darlanne Pflugel, plus a crapload of athletes and soap stars. During the Bill's glory years I watched TV on Thurman Thomas' TV.

Somewhere in the basement I have a box of musty papers with some pretty cool signatures.

Hazel Motes

yeah it was pretty surreal. Just about every other day someone famous walked into that store. 3 days after I met Tom Waits, I met Brian Johnson of ACDC. I helped him look for a few things and talked with him for a bit, ACDC was recording their "Black Ice" album in Vancouver. They recorded a few albums here. He told me that he hated Vancouver because of the weather, but that Angus and Malcolm loved Vancouver so he had no choice. My manager told me that Brian was in a few days earlier and was hitting on her. She didn't even realize until he left and someone told her he was the lead singer of ACDC. Their bassist Cliff Williams came in a bunch of times too.

I also witnessed Isiah Washington get kicked out by security for being super drunk. This was less than a month after he was fired from Grey's Anatomy.

Hazel Motes

It's only as big of a deal as you make it. When I was a kid I met a bunch of wrestlers and was THRILLED to meet them get an autograph and take a picture. At my old job, I must have met or seen more than 100 famous people in the span of a year. If it was someone I was a fan of, I was happy just to have a small conversation with them. As an adult getting an autograph isn't a life changing occurence for me. People who go insane over autographs, yeah I can see that. But having a record or a dvd or something signed after sharing a few words with someone who inspires you can still be a pretty fun way to commemorate a memorable encounter. In my case, if nothing else, the autographs are the jumping off points for telling memorable stories. My 2 cents anyhow.