Home > Pulpwood Queen Blog > Archives > 2006 > July > 25 > Entry
Take it to the Limit!
I never know who is going to walk into my Beauty and the Book. One time I was visited by a couple of the guys in the cowboy musical group “Riders in the Sky�. They stayed for hours while we talked about Ranger Doug’s book “Singing in the Saddle: The History of the Singing Cowboy. His real name in case you want to purchase the book is Doug B. Green. Another book written about their group is “It’s the Cowboy Way: The Amazing True Adventures of Riders in the Sky� by Don Cusic. They loved the shop and I told them I grew up in my grandparents store, Maloney’s Shoe and Saddle Shop, which was a western store that specialized in boot and shoe repair. A very interesting group of musical artists, who I love, had a great interest in reading and books. Sometimes we forget that the “stars� so to speak have regular lives too. Check out their website at www.ridersinthesky.com and read about how Joey wrote some of the music for the new Disney film “Cars�.
Since spring, my doors have been graced by some of the film people from Shreveport, mostly from the Kevin Costner film. First Kevin’s wardrobe assistant was in for a pedicure then his director of photography wandered in for a haircut. Amazingly enough, we mostly talk about books, not the movies.
Then just as I was finishing a haircut on my good friend David Ham, a man stuck his head in the door looking for my fellow used bookseller, Fred McKenzie. As he ducked back out, I looked up at David as I rang up his haircut on my register and told him, “David that was Don Henley.�
“No way, how could that be him. He looked so normal.�
“David, I assure you that was Don Henley.�
About ten minutes before a woman that I recognized from Music City Texas and come in to my shop to ask me a question. Now I recognized her right off the bat, as she is always the volunteer who works the door, though I have forgotten her name. She had not forgotten mine.
“Kathy, I bet you could tell me where I could get a double boiler.�
Now in all my days of taking calls for weird requests and information, this one had me stumped. Evidently, double boilers are not even available at Wal-mart anymore. I told her I got mine at The Pampered Chef but maybe some of the antique stores that carry second hand cookware might have one.
She was on a mission to cook homemade custard.
My daughter then called, could I run her her swimming suit. I poked my head in Fred’s shop and told him I would be right back, Madeleine needed her swimming suit. That is when Don Henley turned around and smiled. In the shop with him was the woman from Music City and evidently they were shopping together. A ha, I thought. Don wants some homemade custard. Fred started to introduce me to Don but I interrupted him by telling him, that I would know Don Henley anywhere. Hadn’t I sat in the nosebleed section of the outdoor amphitheatre in Kansas City with binoculars watching Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley of The Eagles and Dan Folgleberg in concert. Hadn’t I stood in line at the Walden Books even though at the time I worked for Barron’s Books to meet Don Henley and get his book signed? Hadn’t I gone with 13 of the Pulpwood Queens to see Don Henley in concert at Music City Texas where we took up the whole 8th row? I recognized those freckles, twinkly eyes, and persona instantly.
The woman then mentioned that, “Remember, Kathy is the one that shared the stage with you Don at Richard Bowden’s birthday party?�
Now David Ham was right behind me taking this all in and blurts out, “What? Kathy, you did what?�
Then very much to my embarrassment had to explain that I opened Richard Bowden’s 60th birthday party dressed as Marilyn Monroe and sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President� to Richard who also is the President of Music City Texas. Don seemed to get a kick out of me squirming telling the story. Richard and Don also grew up together in Linden and were instrumental in getting Music City Texas going as a not-for-profit and bringing in name acts to East Texas.
Don Henley had closed the birthday roast and brought the house down with his tales of growing up with Richard in Linden, Texas. I especially loved the story about blowing up frogs with firecrackers. Hadn’t all boys done cruel things like that as kids? But Don Henley and Richard Bowden? I had to laugh.
Don Henley was buying some books on Caddo Lake and purchasing Fred’s books, “Hickory Hill� and “Avinger, Texas, U.S.A.� Fred had mentioned Don’s dad in the books and Don wanted to read of the history and genealogy of our area covered in Fred’s books.
I slipped out the door to take Madeleine her suit.
When I got back, Don Henley and his friend were gone. Fred and I had a nice long chat about the visit. If someone had told me that in my life I would get to meet people that I had looked up to and revered, I would have gone, “NO WAY�. I loved The Eagles. My friends and I in college, after a night in Aggieville at Kansas State University, would walk back to our dorms singing The Eagles tune “Take it to the Limit! Take it to the Limit, one more time.� My parents to this day say everytime they here an Eagles song they think of me as I played their 8- Track tapes over and over on my Dyno-mite player. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever think that I would meet Don Henley in person or have a conversation.
I am telling you reading and books take you wonderful places. I lived in California for some time and never met a celebrity in person which reminds me of their song “Hotel California�. Shoot, part of the reason I moved to California was that song. It was so cool.
I have lived in Jefferson now almost twenty years and I meet celebrities every month, sometimes weekly and daily. The one thing that I have found to be true about each and every experience is that books can be a bridge. Next week you will get to read about my tale doing Art Garfunkal’s hair and makeup for his concert that will be this coming Saturday night. Let us just hope it won’t be a “bridge over troubled water�. Sorry, but I could not resist. So for more on that story check this blog site at www.marshallnewsmessenger.com
I also would love to hear from all of you. Have you had a celebrity experience? I would love to hear your story so please post a comment.
Until next time singing, “All alone at the end of the evening, though the bright lights have faded away….�
Kathy L. Patrick
Hairdresser to the Authors and “STARS�!
Comments
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By Nelson Collier
July 29, 2006 1:36 AM | Link to this
Kathy, I like you have had a few celebrity experiences, growing up near Nashville, Tennessee, and being in the salon profession for the past fifteen years. I will start with my most disappointing celebrity experience. When I was in college, I worked in chain steakhouse part-time, not five minutes from the Opryland Theme Park. We had our share of country music stars, but one Saturday in the spring of 1990, in walks Jeanie C. Riley. As a kid, one of my favorite songs and movies, for reasons unknown, was “Harper Valley PTA”. I had the privaledge of waiting on Ms. Riley that day, as she was taking a break from autographing her cookbook at Opryland. All I remember was that she was such a witch and could hardly believe that she had a fan base at all, by the she treated me that day. Needless to say, I have meet more positive and focus forward celebrities since then.I meet Rickey Scaggs and his wife Sharon White in Florida one time. They were so geniue and non-pretentious. In the salon industry, I have meet John Paul DeJoria, the CEO/President of John Paul Mitchell Systems. He is the guy with the pony tail that everyone thinks is “Paul Mitchell”. He has to be the most down to earth, easy going, guy next door that I have ever meet, not to mention celebrity type.
By Kathy L. Patrick
August 1, 2006 9:53 PM | Link to this
I once Nelson got off the airplane in Austin, Texas as I was going to Willie Nelson’s supposedly then LAST picnic and became completely surrounded by cameras. A very Forrest Gump moment as I was standing between two of the ugliest guys with British accents that I had ever seen. I found out later they were Peter Townsand and Roger Daltry of “The Who”. I went the who? Later that same trip I passed Kenny Rogers in the Dallas airport and was interviewed by the Rocky Mountain News out of Denver on my concert experience. Nestled on a blanket between a Kentucky fraternity house and a tent hell bent on free love for who ever fell in from too much alcohol and drugs, my 20 year old eyes were forever wide open on concert experience. Call me pronto as I have big news. Love, kat