Tom’s post about Tony Bennett and the Kennedy Center Honors reminded me that Mr. Bennett is my only bona-fide brush with celebrity in DC. Well, that’s not entirely true – I’ve also in my time bumped into Bob Dole as he entered the Four Seasons, spotted Clinton as he exited the church on 16th street, saw both Tony Williams and Eleanor Holmes Norton at Eastern Market, oh, and then there was the time I watched Marion Barry hold court at the YMCA. But none of these were remotely exciting, really. They’re all political sightings, which any number of us can have on any given day of the week in DC. Ho-hum. But Mr. Tony Bennett, now that’s something.
I was having lunch in a little cafe near the Kennedy Center back in ’96. My back was to the room, so I could do my usual daydream drill of staring out the window thinking “some day I’m going…” whatever it was that day. I began to be aware of an electric charge in the room, the way people were talking was changing, and I heard someone begin the dance of deference. “Hmmm.. someone important is here,” I thought, “who cares?”
I was just drifting back into my lunchtime reverie when a strong, craggy yet impossibly smooth voice made itself known. It was like hearing a beloved uncle, unexpectedly, laden down with presents just for you. I sat straight up. That voice! It was, no, could it be? “Fly me to the moon…”
Of course once I figured out it was him, sitting down having his lunch and being schmoozed by the cafe owner, I had to force myself not to turn around and morph into a giggling schoolgirl. The man is a god, definitely, but he should have his privacy. So I only snuck a glance when I was done and busing my tray to the counter. He was holding court with aplomb, in a tweedy jacket, collar open, silver-haired, those eyebrows, just as you’d imagine him and ready it seemed to start crooning any minute. I dashed out and called my dad to tell him I had just seen, “Tony! Bennett! The! Tony! Bennett!”
That’s it. My best brush with celebrity (while living in DC, that is. The best one in my life was the divine Alan Rickman, but that’s a non sequitur here. Besides, you might start accusing me of being a crazed celebrity hound. No!)
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.
