Getting Recognized

[Munga]

Ceej was telling me about a time he was recognized in the grocery store as "that comedy guy" (or something like that). It got me wondering who else has been recognized in public. Any stories?

[mpbrockman]

It's only happened to me a few times in Austin (once recently by a clerk in a Valero). My favorite story, though, dates back to Memphis around 1993 or so. I'd been playing for a couple of years at O'Sullivan's on Beale and I started getting recognized around town fairly regularly.

Then one day my (then) new wife and I went to a mall. Some folks in the food court recognized me and came up to talk to me, and then I suddenly got more or less mobbed by folks asking for autographs. To this day I don't know how many of them actually knew who I was (although a surprising number of people called me by name), and how many of them were sheep following the crowd and figuring I was somebody actually famous.

My wife was rather taken aback by the whole affair. Her comment - "Is it going to get to be like this all the time?" While I was, of course, flattered - I got the briefest glimpse of what real celebrity must be like - and I must say, a full-time diet of that kind of reaction would wear thin on me quickly.

[Aden]

I've been recognized as being a member of Girls Girls Girls several times by employees at grocery stores, restaurants and Old Navy. Occasionally someone will recognize me from another show, but it's a little more rare as I often costume up for shows like Start Trekkin' or the Andersons.

When I was in High School in Oregon working with Cygnet Theater Productions, my favorite actress at the time Annette O'Toole (Superman III, It, Smallville) happened to come see our Christmas show with her youngest daughter. I was all kinds of star struck...but her daughter wanted my autograph. They came up and talked to ME after the show so she could get MY autograph!! That was amazing.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

i remember a few of us were hanging out at Antone's back in the Jury days (i THINK it was me, Jon and James) and this girl came up and said "aren't you guys in Well Hung Jury?" we answered with slight hesitation, half expecting it was someone we knew pranking us and half expecting someone wanted to kick our ass. "Oh my god, i LOVE you guys!" so that was nice.

earlier this year, i went to Freebirds and as the girl was making my burrito she asked, "so have you won any more Maestros lately?" it was so out of context i didn't know how to answer for a few seconds. lol!

the oddest one was a friend of a friend of mine who recognized me from the Valentine's Day striptease video i did for Jib Jab...odd both because my head was cut out of that video and because i had all my clothes on at the time. :p

[Chuy!]

I have been recognized a lot over the years. Especially in San Antonio bars (The Oxymorons), but one of my favorite of all time just happened recently in Dallas. I was at a Dallas Cowboys game and was standing on the concourse waiting for a buddy when this guy says, "Hey! You're Chuy, right? I used to come see you all the time in San Antonio!" 100,000 people at the stadium and this guy runs into (and remembers) me. That made me feel very gushy inside...

[Roy Janik]

It happens every so often, usually at grocery stores or restaurants.

I love the quiz that inevitably follows, because of how curious I am.

"Hey! I saw you in that show. It was great."

"Thanks! Which show?"

"You played a rabbit, and..."

"Were there games, and points?"

"no..."

"Was it like a Dickens story?"

"Uhh...

[kbadr]

I get recognized once in a while, though it hasn't happened lately.

My favorite instance of this was in Chicago last year, though. First, I walked up to the box office at The Second City Skybox and Alan Metoski was in the box office. I don't really know him very well, and the only time I'd seen him perform was behind masks as "The Three Actorteers" so I was taken aback when he looked up at us and said "Hey...you're PGraph..."

Then later that night, after we rushed to put our Farce makeup on in the bathroom of the mall, we ran outside to catch a cab to get to our show, and a couple girls recognized us as PGraph from Austin. Weird and random.

[jillybee72]

My favorite was a time I drove Ronald McDonald to a pumpkin carving contest. Ronald McDonald cannot drive himself, you see, because if you're in a car crash with Ronald McDonald, you will never be the same inside. Anyway. I'm standing next to Ronald McDonald, the most recognizable figure in the world, and a girl says to me, "Hey. You performed at my friend Rachel's bat mitzvah." I was really tickled by that.

My other favorite time, I was at Second City in Chicago. I'd been in Chicago for six months and was ready to come home. A woman said, "Hey - you're from Comedysportz Twin Cities" & I said "YES I AM" almost in tears.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

My favorite was a time I drove Ronald McDonald to a pumpkin carving contest. Ronald McDonald cannot drive himself, you see, because if you're in a car crash with Ronald McDonald, you will never be the same inside. Anyway. I'm standing next to Ronald McDonald, the most recognizable figure in the world, and a girl says to me, "Hey. You performed at my friend Rachel's bat mitzvah." I was really tickled by that.

this should be a short film.

[Justin D.]

I've been recognized a few times. When someone recognizes me in Austin Books and Comics, it's almost always for being in Ka-Baam.

There was this one girl who recognized me and then I ran into her three or four more times where she gushed each time. It was a bit weird, and then she moved to Africa. I was sad my only pseudo-stalker moved away.

The 2009 Fantastic Fest closing night party took place in the Longhorn Caverns with Bill Murray. With Murray about 20 feet away, some guy said my name and said he recognized me from seeing improv shows I was in. I got a kick out of getting recognized, especially for being funny, while in the presences of Bill Murray.

I also faked getting recognized once in college when I was a waiter at a 50s rock themed diner. At the time, I also had really long blond hair (picture on Facebook if you're so inclined). As I was taking the order of a table with a couple and their nine-year-old daughter, she asked if I was one of the Hanson brothers from "Mmmbop" fame. I said yes and signed an autograph as "J. Hanson", which the parents thought was cute and funny. Two weeks later, there was a child's birthday party at the restaurant, and that same girl found me again. She was still clutching my autograph and showing me off to her friends she brought over from the party area. I think I signed a couple more "J. Hanson" autographs that day.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

When someone recognizes me in Austin Books and Comics, it's almost always for being in Ka-Baam.

it could be worse...when someone recognizes ME in Austin Books, it's almost always for being in Austin Books.

[Justin D.]

When someone recognizes me in Austin Books and Comics, it's almost always for being in Ka-Baam.

it could be worse...when someone recognizes ME in Austin Books, it's almost always for being in Austin Books.

Well, I meant recognizes me as a performer. Sadly, I can't afford to go to the store as much as I'd like to get recognized more often as just a customer.

[Brad Hawkins]

I was recognized once after having performed some stand-up at Capitol City's open mic. The girl who recognized me was like "I think I saw you at Capitol City..." and then there was a pause where the customary "You were really good" would normally go. Poor girl couldn't bring herself to lie to be polite.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

When someone recognizes me in Austin Books and Comics, it's almost always for being in Ka-Baam.

it could be worse...when someone recognizes ME in Austin Books, it's almost always for being in Austin Books.

Well, I meant recognizes me as a performer.

i figured as much.

[kaci_beeler]

I seem to bump into a few people every month. Mostly in restaurants, but sometimes walking down the street, in the grocery store, or while shopping. It always takes me aback for a second.
One time I was crossing the street and a group of young drunk people yelled, "Woooo improv!" at me, I turned around and they said, "Yeah! You! You're our favorite, we love you!" I was kinda shocked and just sort of waved back and then said, "Oh, thank you!"

I've been in the waiting room for auditions and had other actors say, "You're Kaci, right? I've seen your improv shows, they're hilarious!" Which, isn't a bad thing to hear before you're about to be judged.

Yeah, it's definitely weird when they know your name and you've never formally met them. But also people in Austin are just plain nice.

A few years ago my brother Brett's friend called him over to watch a funny youtube video on his laptop (they were both in college at Cal State Fullerton at the time). He then played the 'Tarantulas On A Hovercraft' video, which, Brett actually has a few cameos in. Brett said, "This is my sister's improv troupe, and I'm in this video!" The dude didn't even recognize Brett.

Also, earlier this year, Brett, on the UCLA campus, overheard a friend talking about an awesome improv show she had seen in...Portland, I think. Turns out, she was in the audience for our Parallelogramophonograph Portland show earlier this year. Which, actually didn't have a very big audience...

I think Kareem has another "small world" story, about a friend of his from high school in Long Island being pointed to our myspace page by a friend who was in Austin for a trip and saw one of our Thursday shows.

Cool and weird.