When I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, I saw guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke play in Chapel Hill, NC. I got to meet him after I told his manager that I'd paid a buddy to cover guard duty for me so I could see the show. Nice guy, very cool to talk to.

My Army roommate was from a wealthy family in DC. His father was a big supporter of the National Symphony, and Mstislav Rostropovich, lead cellist and National Symphony musical director at the time, played a private concert for his 75th birthday at their house. The cello he played was the Duport Stradivarius, which has a dent in the side from the time that Napoleon Bonaparte straddled it while wearing spurs. He insisted that everyone call him "Slava," and he brought bread and salt to bless the house because it was a Russian tradition. Also nice and approachable, but he'd hug you at the drop of a hat.

I also met Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, after I wrote several websites for them. He liked my work, so we were introduced formally a couple of times. I also body-checked him on a stairwell by accident once time, which was like running into an apartment building. Very nice guy, a blue-collar kid from the projects who made good.

I also used to work with SmithNut.


Okie John