17 January 2022

I’ve been COVID-tining. That means that since Wednesday afternoon when our school nurse caught me with a fever while I was rapid testing for the vid, I’ve been down.  Not down in a good way.  DOWN.

That means I’ve spent too much time scrolling through Instagram and Facebook along with too much time watching TV. (By TV, I mean Netflix and HBO Max.) In my defense, until today my eyes were scratchy and it was hard to focus. Yep.  I’m rationalizing the wasted time I spent on my sofa.

Yesterday, Jim posted a question on his Facebook page:  Who is the most famous person you’ve ever spoken to?

I didn’t reply. But, I thought about it.

Robert Redford? No.  There was that unfortunate conversation when he thought I was married to the neighbor, Bobby. I explained, “I’m Julie HOOKER.  I’m Dwight’s wife.”  Bob looked puzzled. When I told Dwight about it, Dwight said, “Bob’s eyes aren’t very good.”

Jonny Depp? No.  Everyone spoke to him when we filmed Pirates of the Caribbean on Grand Bahama Island.

Oh, Pierce Brosnan’s hair stylist?  That was funny. And, no. I don’t remember his name, but I do remember him talking about his box rental. (I never understood how a hair dryer made as much in box rental as a semi truck trailer filled with special effects equipment.) I asked. He explained, “You have no idea how difficult it is to go from a wet scene to a dry scene.” Yeah. . .that’s rough.  Thank God for Conair.  I mean, seriously, during a 6-week shoot, you wouldn’t even need a haircut.

Dennis Hopper?  No. We didn’t actually speak. He just saw me naked in the window.  That’s another chapter.

Today, while I spun on my recumbent bicycle to rehab my knee, I watched “Somebody Somewhere.” Near the end, the protagonist belts out a Peter Gabriel song.

Peter Gabriel?  Yes.

Peter Gabriel is the most famous person I’ve spoken to.  

Peter Gabriel’s daughter had a private art exhibit at Sundance. I was working in Mountain Operations running the kids’ camp. That meant my office was in the bike shop. It must’ve been in the early 2000’s (which still seems like yesterday) because I used a VHS tape to record the legs of The Tour de France each day and we’d play them on the TV.

The boys in the bike shop were fabulous.  They did everything for me from changing my flats to catching and releasing mice. 

Late one afternoon, I mentioned I was going to the exhibit. Brian, kinda’ a chunky patroller, asked me with wide eyes, “will Peter Gabriel be there?”

“I think so,” I replied.  I’d met Peter the night before at a dinner party.

“Can I please go with you?”

Brian, Dwight and I went to the exhibit.  Brian played guitar and wanted more than anything to meet Peter Gabriel.
When I introduced them, I said, “This is Brian. He plays guitar and is on the bike patrol here.”

Brian started asking questions about music, but Peter Gabriel changed the subject. He said, “Tell me about bike patrol.  What do you do?”

I was charmed.  To have someone so famous switch the focus from his accomplishments to a fan was magic.