Austin may be small compared to big cities like Los Angeles or New York, but we get our share of celebrities. What I mean by celebrities is anybody who’s more in the public eye than you are. From professional athletes and actors to personalities and artists, you see them roam the streets of Austin every once in a while, especially during SXSW. I’ve been within a few feet from people like Ray J, Tony Parker, Raekwon The Chef, Perez Hilton, and many more. I just got to meet one of the Original Kings of Comedy, Cedric The Entertainer at our last event (check the video on the right). But one thing I always ask myself is how do people approach him/her without sounding too cliche and more importantly why do they feel the need to do that?

If you want to meet him/her, you must come correct. In other words, you don’t want to be that guy/girl who does the following (and I’ve seen this):

• Holler their name over and over to get their attention.
• Put a pen in their face to get an autograph.
• Plug your business hoping they’ll hook you up somehow, whether it’s a demo tape or just a business card.
• Constantly touch and kiss him. I say him because female celebrities are WAY harder to approach because of the security.
• Hover around him/her way too long in order to blend in the entourage and find out where the after-party is.
• Have a full on photoshoot with him/her right in the VIP booth.
• Try to spark a conversation that you hope will last longer than 20 seconds.
• Buy a buncha drinks to gain their sympathy.

These are just observations. But I think saying something like “(oh my god) I’m a big fan” is something they probably hear all the time, even if it’s not true. You won’t necessarily stand out from everybody else but it’s good enough. Your behavior may vary depending on the celebrity you’re dealing with. To some, a handshake and a “nice to meet you, I love your work” is plenty of a compliment. Others may have inflated egos and want you to praise and throw flowers at them the whole time. You’re used to seeing them on TV and sometimes you forget that they may be different in person. Just remember that if you spot them out in the club, they’re out to have a good time with their people just like you so be careful with your approach and don’t get in the way.

As soon as someone “important” walks in the club, heads turn, people start talking, and some feel the need to work their way to that VIP booth. But why is that?

• Maybe you’re a genuine fan and just want to show your appreciation. Give him/her a pound or a hug, take a picture and be on your way.
• Maybe you do it for the story so you can tell your friends “guess who I hung out with last night?” And before you even give your friend a chance to answer, you say “Ray J!!“. Even if all you did was take a picture with him, stand next to their private booth or meet someone in the entourage, or even wave at him from a distance, you’ll still say you got to hang out with him.
• Maybe you want to get with him/her. Some girls just want to add a celebrity to their sex resume. It is a reality and they are out there.
• Maybe all of the above.

On a deeper level, I think people behave like that around celebrities because being around someone special make them special by association. It is a status thing: everybody wants to be special. It’s the same reason why people want to be VIP, skip a long line outside a club, get a hook up at the bar, or be acknowledged by the staff and random people as they walk in. According to Dictionary.com, a celebrity is “a well-known or famous person” and such a status comes with certain perks. Therefore if enjoy these privileges, you can safely consider yourself somewhat of a celebrity, a local celebrity but a celebrity nonetheless. There’s nothing wrong with that. I am just making an observation and honestly people may look at me and claim that I have achieved that status in Austin over the years. I ain’t mad at that. I just don’t sign autographs yet.

What about you? How do you approach famous people in the club? What are some of the crazy things you’ve seen people do to get close to them? Are you a local celebrity yourself? How do you know?