Finally - news on my dinner with Famous Guy
We went to The Stokehouse (skip the intro, choose upstairs, find the food menu and check out the 360 deg view). Ian, if you haven't been, go - but take your credit card, or someone else to pay!
My first impressions? "Geez, this guy looks like my boss, but more drunk!" All dressed up in a suit and tie, he was looking very much the business guy, except for a kind of man-bag he had with him. He was half way into a bottle of white wine of some description when I got there, but I'm sure there'd been more consumed before that. Despite this, he was pretty nice and a very interesting person.
I'd had hayfever all weekend and managed to have a complete sneezing fit in my car just as I pulled into the carpark - and of course, I'd forgotten my tissues. To say that I was embarrassed to be sniffing and wiping my nose all night, would not begin to explain it. I'm sure he thought I had some sort of bad bladder problem, because I kept excusing myself to go to the bathroom just to blow my nose - and sticking toilet paper up my sleeve was not an option. This was inbetween distracting him and making him look out the window so I could use my serviette! Yes, it was horrid and I wanted to slip quietly under the table!
He drank wine, I drank vodka. The conversation kicked off well and we forgot to look at the menus, much to the frustration of the waitresses. When we finally ordered, I was coerced into ordering an entree (I really only wanted a main), so I chose a dish of scallops with fennel and what was called 'blood orange' and just looked like mandarins to me. Well, 4 tiny scallops and a few slithers of fennel cost $21!! He ordered natural oysters. The waitress convinced him to take the dozen - at $3.50 each! After this, I just chose to ignore the prices altogether and not feel guilty.
Figuring my diet was not going to be affected by having an actual main course at this stage, because I don't think my body even registered that it had ingested something, I ordered some Whiting fillets. Three decent sized fillets and some potato that I couldn't eat, thanks to Dr Fun-Killer. I did have one piece and it was soooo nice, so I just looked forlornly at the rest till Famous Guy decided he'd reach over and eat them off my plate (well he asked first, but still...!). Famous Guy had ordered a pork fillet. And that's pretty much what was on his plate. It was huge, but that was it. There was something else in a little pile on the plate beside it, but I couldn't work out what it was - and you can't ask these questions sometimes.
After the main, I was manipulated (well, a little) into ordering a dessert, so I chose the smallest, healthiest sounding thing I could find, which turned out to be like a kind of raspberry icecream with a marshmallow squished flat into the top of it.
So....Famous Guy is a character. Very politically incorrect, says what he thinks, likes to push buttons and be a little difficult, and thinks he's incredibly funny. I found his wit humorous, but it was at a level that would go over average Joe's head and just appear to be arrogance. He used to be a lead singer/songwriter in a band in the 70s and has kept his hand in the industry in some way since. He also ran for local Government in the last election as an independent. I didn't ask him who won his seat.
He was telling me of all his world travels and the women he'd met in Paris and Barcelona, among other places. I discovered he had his own stalker until recently. I can't really picture this, but I suppose each person appears attractive to at least one other, so it's possible. It sounds like she was a groupie who just got a tad carried away.
Apparently, he's been to Libya 7 or so times and is friends with Yasser Arafat. Famous Guy had lots of stories to tell and I think I got to hear most of them over the course of 4 hours. He also invited me to his property on an island in the bay - then qualified it by saying I could bring along Chris (or anyone I liked) as a chaperone. I was offered to audition to sing with a local band he's put together. I don't know if that was just the alcohol talking though, so I'll wait and see if he brings it up again sober.
At the end of the night, he said that Chris would just want to pin me up in his butterfly collection. Not quite sure what he meant by that. Could be he's very astute, or that he got his nose out of joint because I'd told him I was going to see Chris after we'd finished dinner, or both.
Either way, I ended up driving him home (well to somewhere he said he was sleeping that night), because it was on my way home anyway. And I got a rather odd pat on the head for my troubles, which amused me greatly.
I had a great time and I certainly got to meet an interesting character - albeit he turned out to be a little bit more keen on me than I anticipated. I don't think I'd go somewhere with him again, just the two of us - I don't want anything resembling anything like a date happening. But it might be cool to go check out the scene on his island property and I can take Chris with me so it could be a nice adventure.
I didn't get his autograph, but he said he's going to send me some cds of his music. Can't complain about that.
My first impressions? "Geez, this guy looks like my boss, but more drunk!" All dressed up in a suit and tie, he was looking very much the business guy, except for a kind of man-bag he had with him. He was half way into a bottle of white wine of some description when I got there, but I'm sure there'd been more consumed before that. Despite this, he was pretty nice and a very interesting person.
I'd had hayfever all weekend and managed to have a complete sneezing fit in my car just as I pulled into the carpark - and of course, I'd forgotten my tissues. To say that I was embarrassed to be sniffing and wiping my nose all night, would not begin to explain it. I'm sure he thought I had some sort of bad bladder problem, because I kept excusing myself to go to the bathroom just to blow my nose - and sticking toilet paper up my sleeve was not an option. This was inbetween distracting him and making him look out the window so I could use my serviette! Yes, it was horrid and I wanted to slip quietly under the table!
He drank wine, I drank vodka. The conversation kicked off well and we forgot to look at the menus, much to the frustration of the waitresses. When we finally ordered, I was coerced into ordering an entree (I really only wanted a main), so I chose a dish of scallops with fennel and what was called 'blood orange' and just looked like mandarins to me. Well, 4 tiny scallops and a few slithers of fennel cost $21!! He ordered natural oysters. The waitress convinced him to take the dozen - at $3.50 each! After this, I just chose to ignore the prices altogether and not feel guilty.
Figuring my diet was not going to be affected by having an actual main course at this stage, because I don't think my body even registered that it had ingested something, I ordered some Whiting fillets. Three decent sized fillets and some potato that I couldn't eat, thanks to Dr Fun-Killer. I did have one piece and it was soooo nice, so I just looked forlornly at the rest till Famous Guy decided he'd reach over and eat them off my plate (well he asked first, but still...!). Famous Guy had ordered a pork fillet. And that's pretty much what was on his plate. It was huge, but that was it. There was something else in a little pile on the plate beside it, but I couldn't work out what it was - and you can't ask these questions sometimes.
After the main, I was manipulated (well, a little) into ordering a dessert, so I chose the smallest, healthiest sounding thing I could find, which turned out to be like a kind of raspberry icecream with a marshmallow squished flat into the top of it.
So....Famous Guy is a character. Very politically incorrect, says what he thinks, likes to push buttons and be a little difficult, and thinks he's incredibly funny. I found his wit humorous, but it was at a level that would go over average Joe's head and just appear to be arrogance. He used to be a lead singer/songwriter in a band in the 70s and has kept his hand in the industry in some way since. He also ran for local Government in the last election as an independent. I didn't ask him who won his seat.
He was telling me of all his world travels and the women he'd met in Paris and Barcelona, among other places. I discovered he had his own stalker until recently. I can't really picture this, but I suppose each person appears attractive to at least one other, so it's possible. It sounds like she was a groupie who just got a tad carried away.
Apparently, he's been to Libya 7 or so times and is friends with Yasser Arafat. Famous Guy had lots of stories to tell and I think I got to hear most of them over the course of 4 hours. He also invited me to his property on an island in the bay - then qualified it by saying I could bring along Chris (or anyone I liked) as a chaperone. I was offered to audition to sing with a local band he's put together. I don't know if that was just the alcohol talking though, so I'll wait and see if he brings it up again sober.
At the end of the night, he said that Chris would just want to pin me up in his butterfly collection. Not quite sure what he meant by that. Could be he's very astute, or that he got his nose out of joint because I'd told him I was going to see Chris after we'd finished dinner, or both.
Either way, I ended up driving him home (well to somewhere he said he was sleeping that night), because it was on my way home anyway. And I got a rather odd pat on the head for my troubles, which amused me greatly.
I had a great time and I certainly got to meet an interesting character - albeit he turned out to be a little bit more keen on me than I anticipated. I don't think I'd go somewhere with him again, just the two of us - I don't want anything resembling anything like a date happening. But it might be cool to go check out the scene on his island property and I can take Chris with me so it could be a nice adventure.
I didn't get his autograph, but he said he's going to send me some cds of his music. Can't complain about that.
posted by E in Oz at 7:17 pm
these thoughts escaped my brain at 7:17 pm
3 Comments:
It was Red Simmons, wasn't it?
LOL no it wasn't, but I can tell you, he doesn't like him very much!
who IS it, dammit!???
you didn't tell me last time, either!
who is it?????
hmph!
~anonymous G
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