Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Giving Jon Voight directions

I'm back. Finally. We've been in Los Angeles a week now but haven't been able to do any posts due to the fact that our "Pods" shipment was four days late. What a disaster. We were staying in a completely empty apartment for three full days. Toss in the fact the city screwed up our gas order and that means we had no hot water either. Pretty miserable. But, onward! Here's my first post as a Los Angeles resident and my first encounter with a bonafide celebrity: Jon Voight!

We live near the Farmer's Market and spent a lot of time there the first few days since we couldn't cook food at our apartment. There's lots of small restaurants in there and has kind of a retro '50s vibe to me. I've already found a couple of places I really like--for example, Gill's Old Fashioned Ice Cream in the photo to the right. The guy makes a mean limeade! I was making my way to the exit in the early evening when this tall, older man walks right up to me and asks me, "Do you know where the Wood Ranch BBQ is?"

I kind of pride myself on giving strangers directions no matter what city I'm in and whether I really know what I'm talking about. I've dosed out directions to locations I wasn't entirely sure were accurate on more than one occasion. This time there was added pressure due to the fact I recognized the lost man in front of me as Mr. Jon Voight, best known for roles in Midnight Cowboy or Deliverance or that particular Seinfeld episode about George's used car or for being Angelina Jolie's father. I paused for a few seconds thinking of where I'd seen the Wood Ranch.

 "I'm pretty sure I just saw it over in that direction," I told Voight and gave a vague point over my shoulder that might or might not be the correct area I saw it. I wanted to finish my sentence but was brusquely cut-off by Voight.

"I guess you don't really no where it is then?" He challenged me in kind of a curt tone.

Uhm, not really, but neither do you, I thought to myself a few minutes after the exchange. I couldn't waver on where I thought it was after Voight's confrontational tone and kept on talking to him.

"I'm pretty sure, but ask this man right here [referring to the guy selling keys at a kiosk who I happened to be talking to as he cut my keys] as he probably knows more certainly than I do."

Voight asked him and got the right directions. I was happy to find out it was in the exact spot I had told Voight it was at! Voight left to go have dinner and I was left with the key-cutter at his stall.

"Do you know who that was?" I asked him.
"No. Who was it?"
"That was Jon Voight. He's a famous actor, big in the 1970s. I bet you know who his daughter is though. Angelina Jolie."
"Oh, yes. I know Angelina Jolie," he replied.

16 comments:

Eva said...

Whew! Your honor was saved! :)

Joshua Blevins Peck said...

Ha. Sort of. I didn't really know where the place was...I just hate not giving good advice when it comes to directions.

The Dude said...

Thought any more about a formal "Celebrity Sightings" section?

Joshua Blevins Peck said...

Dude: Good idea! I might come up with something as a home page element. Let me tinker with that...

Joshua Blevins Peck said...

Would you like a recap post every so often of celebrity sightings or something like I put on the homepage, upper right?

The Dude said...

The box is perfect for scorekeeping and an occasional post like the John Voight one would be great.

Joshua Blevins Peck said...

I can do that. Let's hope I have some more run ins.

The Dude said...

I think there's a book here, non-fiction,of course. You can't make this kind of stuff up. MP suggests a title, "Eyes Wide Open.....With My Sunglasses On"

hidden staircase said...

i hear trader joes is big for sightings. that new section is going to grow like mad!

Joshua Blevins Peck said...

We have a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods near us...so far, Grove and Farmer's Market have where all four have been sighted.

The Dude said...

Is there an In and Out Burger near there? I think a lot of famous people go there.

Joshua Blevins Peck said...

Isn't the In and Out Burger on Camrose?

Guy Gadbois said...

Considering how bat-shit crazy right wing he is, I'm not surprised he was such an ass to you. I like when assholes live down to the expectations I have set for them. It's justifying.

Joshua Blevins Peck said...

I don't know his politics. I should have mentioned in the post that I hadn't showered for 4 days and was wearing the same t-shirt, pants and was working on a two month beard--yet, he asked me for directions despite the fact I looked homeless instead of the Hispanic key-cutter...right wing AND racist? Ha.

Guy Gadbois said...

The prepare to have your mind blown with this clip of Voight's crazy rant.

Joshua Blevins Peck said...

I wish I'd seen that before I gave him directions. It's sad that audience/host act like Voight has some kind experience in this topic--it's just ranting. From an actor.