O’brien: Is Fame the Same as Famous?

I was volunteering at an elementary school last week and a fifth grade class found out that I worked at the radio station.  What came next was a barrage of questions that I tried really hard to answer.  One student stumped me though.  So much so that even today, I don’t really know if I can answer it.

“Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?” Wow.  Now being in radio for 24 years has its perks and I have met some great people.  I’ve also met some that were a waste of space.  But the actual question involves the ‘most’ famous person.  How do you measure that?  I suppose you have to gauge their level of fame at the time that you met them. For example, here’s a picture of me with Matt Scannell of the band Vertical Horizon.  I actually got to hang out with Matt and chat with him for a while, great guy.  At the time we met his band had a couple of big hits on the radio, so he was pretty famous. 

I’ve met country superstar Alan Jackson.  In country music, they don’t get much more famous; also a great guy.  I've met a ton of people from all genres of the music industry.  If I’d met Kim Kardashian, would she be more famous than say, a Survivor contestant?  Probably, but both are products of reality shows and I don’t consider that kind of fame to be worth anything at all. 

Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met?  Leave a comment on Facebook.