Ringo Starr Thinks I'm an Idiot

OK, so I was in New York in 1998 with a client and coworker, let's call her Courtney cuz that was/is her name, and I saw Ringo Starr was signing his new CD, so I INSISTED we see him. We arrived at Tower Records near Columbus on the Upper West Side and didn't want to stand in the LONG line, so we told the doorman we were going in to shop, which, hey, we were.

We saw about 30 photogs around a table where Ringo was going to sign the CD. (By the way, I remember watching Ringo on Ed Sullivan's show when the Beatles first came to the US. I was 5; my dad said the Beatles looked like hippies jumping around like they had ants in their pants. I feared Dad, but I determined to be a lifelong fan.) Courtney, our client went up the escalator to the 2nd floor & Courtney pushed her way to the ledge overlooking Ringo's table.

I said, "Courtney, what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to get a good shot for you--hey, I think that's HIM!" she said.
I turned around and RINGO & band were walking 5 feet from me. I said, "Wait here!" and I followed behind them to see Ringo before he went down the elevator. Around the corner, I stood just 10 feet from him and his band in the elevator. We all stared at each other. FOUR feet away! I couldn't say a word (how stupid!), so I just raised my right hand and waved.

They all looked about me like, "What a stupid man" but Ringo looked over his shades, slanted his head and flashed me the peace sign. I thought, "HOW COOL! Ringo Starr just gave me the peace sign!" The elevators shut but then someone hit the wrong button and the elevator doors suddenly opened back up!

I was shocked and frozen. They, too, were surprised that 1. the doors opened; and 2. I was still standing there. By this time, the blood had TOTALLY drained from my head, and I couldn't think. So for SOME reason, I raised my left hand and actually said, "WAVE with the OTHER hand!" I thought, "Stupid, Stupid Stupid!!" But I couldn't stop waving and everything was in tortuous SLOW motion. Ringo just looked about me like and shrugged his shoulders, like "You're an idiot." Which I WAS. But I couldn't stop waving. And they just stood there for what felt like an HOUR.

When the doors FINALLY closed, I walked back to Courtney at the ledge waiting for Ringo to walk to the table on the 1st floor. She looked at me, who was white as a sheet, and said, "WHAT happened to YOU??" I said, "I just did the MOST EMBARRASSING thing of my life!" I think she said, "What an IDIOT," which, you know, I was.

That same night, Ringo, in his same purple getup, was on Letterman and I could hardly stand to watch cuz, well, you know . . .

I'm often asked at parties to share this story. You got anything embarrassing?