The Eddie Van Halen One

Sometime late in the 1990's I stopped for gasoline at Coldwater and Ventura in the San Fernando Valley and there was a guy with a really nice maroon 60's VW van all fixed up nice, chatting with the guy who worked at the gas station. I made my octane selection and began to pump gas.

There was something familiar about that guy with the van. I knew him, but didn't; I hadn't seen him in a long time though. I searched my mental catalog... kind of a hippie lookin' guy. Ah - musta been one of the old customers at the health food store where I worked when I was a teenager. We shared a smile and a hello.

When the tank was full and I hung the handle back onto the pump I placed him: He was Eddie Van Halen. Ah yes, my old friend I'd never met, Eddie. I know part of him, he doesn't know me at all - world's greatest rock guitar player chatting with the gas station guy. This is one of the things I like about my hometown.

Later, I saw friends and said, "Guess who I saw at the gas station today?" Terri said, "somebody famous?" I said yes. Larry said, "musician?" I said yes. Larry said, "Eddie Van Halen."

Several years later I saw Andy Dick at Ikea ordering cabinets. That evening I asked the same friends to guess the day's celebrity sighting and on the first guess Terri said, "Andy Dick."

This is one of the things I love about my friends.

Sometime I'll tell you about the time Charleton Heston ran the four way stop sign.