Seeing Stars

                Most people have one or more stories of personal encounters with celebrities.  I’ve had a few over the years.  Living in a city like Nashville, I also know plenty of folks who can share numerous tales because they live or work in the right areas.  Granted, these days, there is some debate over who counts as a celebrity.  But, it is always fun to interact with someone that you consider “famous” or at least well accomplished and publicly recognizable.  Since I last posted some of my favorite recordings by Ray Stevens, I wanted to write more in detail about the day I met him last year and the unexpected experience that day also yielded. 

                Last June, prior to the release of his book, I learned that the King of Country Comedy had partnered with the Nashville Public Library to launch “Ray Stevens’ Nashville” with a special event at the downtown library.  It was to be a Sunday afternoon during a weekend that Joey would not be with me.  So, Krista joined me as I put on my celebrity stalker cap for the day.  The book release event would consist of Ray being interviewed by the legendary Ralph Emery, followed by the opportunity to purchase copies of Ray’s book before meeting him for autographs and photos.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the music and comedy of Ray Stevens.  He has always made real life in the South shine in all of its hilarious glory and, sometimes, made it even funnier than most of us can imagine.  Beyond comedy, he is a musical genius of great magnitude.  Needless to say, I was excited by the chance to meet him.

                The event was scheduled to begin 30 minutes after the library opened, so I made sure that Krista and I were there when the doors opened so as to access the auditorium as soon as possible.  On that very warm afternoon, I had another star sighting before the doors were unlocked.  Standing outside the library’s large entrance among at least two dozen of us “average patrons,” I spotted a very familiar face from my childhood and DVD collection.  It was Bill Byrge, a Nashville native who appeared in a few of Ray Stevens’ music videos, most prominently “Sittin’ Up With the Dead.”  He also worked alongside Jim Varney’s standard company of actors, appearing in the little-known film “Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam” (which preceded any Ernest films) as well as Varney’s “Hey, Vern! It’s Ernest” Saturday morning kids’ show and four of the “Ernest” films.  I had actually seen him at the nearby Walgreen’s downtown a few years earlier when I worked at the Capitol.  Between the fact that I didn’t feel it appropriate to be a stranger approaching someone in a pharmacy and I had to go back to my office, I considered those good excuses to “mind my Nashville manners,” and I didn’t directly encounter him that day.  This time was different, and I was already turning my mind gears to figure out how to meet him. 

                I started paying attention to Mr. Byrge’s presence there.  He was out there like any other fan, just looking forward to hearing what Ray had to say about his life and book.  Soon after I spotted him, the doors opened and I noticed a lady join him who had likely already been inside the library (it made sense that he would have “friends on the inside,” since Mr. Byrge had worked for the Nashville Public Library for over 20 years before focusing on acting).  It never looked like he was pursuing any type of VIP treatment.  He stood in line outside the auditorium like the rest of us to await a good seat and, inside, he was greeted by a couple of the members of Ray Stevens’ entourage who were mingling before the event began.  They treated him like a welcomed guest and an old friend.  No one really flocked to him, and he did nothing to draw attention to himself.  He was there for Ray.  Meanwhile, Krista and I sat near the middle of the auditorium where I was like a kid waiting to see Santa Claus in hopes of meeting “Bobby” (Bill Byrge’s character from his work with Ernest) as well as Ray Stevens.  I had assumed I might enjoy a double celebrity encounter due to the presence of Ralph Emery, but I never expected it to go beyond that. 

                After remarks from some of the library’s leadership, Ralph Emery took over and introduced one of my favorite writer/performers – Ray Stevens.  Hearing the two of them reminisce about Ray’s career and the evolution of “Music City” was fascinating and made me feel like I was at a live taping of “Nashville Now” on TNN (which Mama and Daddy took Dusty and me to enjoy once when we were kids).  It made all of us in the room eager to buy Ray’s book.  (You should, too. It’s a great read.)  The stage interview lasted about an hour and included a few momentary excerpts from Ray’s collection of songs (Ralph interviewed him sitting at a piano) as well as from his book.  When the structured program was over, Ray stationed himself down the hall from the auditorium and they opened the line to purchase his book before meeting him.  I had told Krista that meeting Ralph Emery would be great, but my primary goal before seeing Ray Stevens was to meet Bill Byrge.  The auditorium quickly began to clear out as most everyone there made their way to see Ray, and most stopped to buy the book first.  One or two of the folks were still near the stage chatting with Bill Byrge while Ralph Emery was on the stage chatting with some others.  I handed my camera to Krista and slowly worked my way down.  After he was finished speaking with the folks from Ray Stevens’ group, I approached Mr. Byrge and introduced myself.  He was one of the friendliest people I had ever met.  I thanked him for doing such

great work, both with Jim Varney and Ray Stevens, and told him that I grew up watching him.  I also told him that his influence was not a fleeting thing in my home, as my (then) 2-year-old son had grown to love watching Ernest, particularly through his commercials and kids’ show, and that Joey would be thrilled to hear that I met one of Ernest’s friends.  Mr. Byrge was very appreciative and let Krista take a couple pictures of us.  Since on TV, in some commercials, and in two of his film appearances, Bill Byrge’s “Bobby” was paired with his brother “Chuck” (played by the talented Gailard Sartain), I realized that Krista had taken a shot of the “new” Chuck and Bobby.  I didn’t have anything for him to autograph, but being around a celebrity who was that much of a “normal” and friendly and humble person made it seem unnecessary and almost out of place anyway.  His last statement to me before I stepped toward the hallway was, “Please give my best to your son.”  I hope Joey can meet him one day, too.  It was a rare and amazing few minutes.  A married couple from southern Middle Tennessee had also noticed Mr. Byrge in the audience and were taking the same approach that I had.  I headed for the table where Ray’s book was on sale after noticing that Ralph Emery had left during the time I was speaking with Bill Byrge. 

                The time the four of us had taken to meet Mr. Byrge also put Krista and me and the other couple at the end of the line to meet Ray Stevens.  We all slowly moved up the hallway chatting about our favorite Ray Stevens songs and Jim Varney films.  It was a lot of fun.  Ray was very accommodating to his fans and guests, so none of us were at risk of missing the chance to meet him.  By the time the line got us into visual range of Mr. Stevens, I noticed that someone had escorted Bill Byrge to his table to speak with Ray without such a long wait.  I guess I slowed him down a bit.  Haha!  I watched the two interact with great interest and almost wanted to stir a flashmob singing the chorus to “Sittin’ Up With the Dead.”  Again, as before, Mr. Byrge was treated as a welcomed guest and an old friend.  He had come equipped with a photo album that he was showing to Ray and some of the others - I assume containing pictures from his work with them.  The only thing I could clearly hear was Ray saying, “We sure had a lot of fun, didn’t we?”  After a brief visit with Ray, Mr. Byrge stepped back to chat with some more of his old friends and acquaintances there.  By the time I met Ray, I didn’t see Bill Byrge anymore, but I assumed he might’ve been speaking with some of the Stevens camp or even some old colleagues from the library. 

                Though I am not normally star-struck when encountering a celebrity (my 2002 meeting with Dixie Carter being the biggest exception – I actually went numb and speechless), I had somewhat prepared myself for the risk of getting tongue-tied and nervous when meeting Ray Stevens himself.  Basically, I was afraid I might unintentionally act goofy enough to be mistaken for a character in one of his music videos.  Maybe I’m just more in control at this age, or maybe my very down-to-Earth encounter with Bill Byrge had my nerves at just the right spot.  Fortunately, I didn’t embarrass myself, and Ray seemed as pleased to see me and sign my fresh copy of his book as he surely was for the first five people in line (I was one of the last five).  Krista noticed how much I glowed when it was my turn to step up to Ray’s table.  We had a nice chat for 2 or 3 minutes, and I got to thank him for many years of laughs and great entertainment.  I told him that his albums, particularly “The Streak,” sold numerous copies at my grandparents’ music store back in its day, and that my uncle had the pleasure of interviewing him during his years as an entertainment journalist.  Mr. Stevens was kind enough to autograph an 8x10 photo of himself as a memento for Uncle Larry.  As when meeting Bill Byrge, Krista stepped back and took a few pictures of me with Ray Stevens.  I ended our encounter by thanking him again for making himself available to his fans that day and wishing him the best in his forthcoming new projects.  It had certainly been a treat.

                As Krista and I left the library, I felt like a kid walking out of an amusement park.  My son, Joey, always brings out the kid in me (like nothing else can), and it is so fun for me to see him enjoy some of the same toys and movies and TV shows and books that I did growing up.  But there is something different about directly encountering the people and things that are a big part of some of those original memories, and it reminds me why it is so special to share them.  That’s what makes a celebrity encounter a real experience – touching those memories that are special and fun or reminding us of the parts of certain characters or stories that we wish could be a part of ourselves, if only for a minute.  Someday, Joey may think he has outgrown some of his childhood interests.  But, being my son, I doubt that will come easily.  At 31 years old, I haven’t found many that I like to think I should outgrow.  Thanks to guys like Ray Stevens and Bill Byrge and the great entertaining they have done in my life, that’s quite alright with me.  Boogity! Boogity!