Brushes With Greatness

John Oates, enigma that he is, can be a tough guy to pin down. Yes, Jen and I have been fortunate enough to do so on one crisp Denver evening in 2007:

But in talking with random folks through the years it turns out we are not the only ones. The guy seems to have a lot going on: he's a ski bum, owns a llama farm, still tours with Daryl and does solo shows. However, what I've come to find out is that more people have had Oates encounters than you might think. Either that or they are smart asses mocking me for my somewhat unusual interest and I take their bait quicker than a pug to pizza. Regardless, below are my three favorite tales of random Oates encounters:

1. Seattle, WA: I'm wearing my H&O t-shirt and a couple at a bar. We get to talking and the man tells me that John Oates is his wife's uncle by marriage. He never knew this until he went back to watch the video of their wedding and he saw a wee slip of a man find a seat in a church pew prior to there wedding. "Honey, there's someone that looks like the short guy from Hall and Oates at our Wedding!" "Oh yeah, that's Uncle John, he's married to Aunt Aimiee." I guess Oates ducked out of the reception line or something. Why can't this sort of thing happen to me? Other random facts: The wedding took place in Bourbonnais, IL (my sister lives there) and the couple spotted us earlier in the day on the street after we had just purchased a garden gnome and I had it tucked under my arm. I believe this story because it would be too weird and cruel to make up. Believability Index: 8 of a possible 10

2. Austin, TX: Enjoying a pizza at Homeslice on South Congress in Austin and drawing H&O on their coloring book (see earlier post) We are chatting with our waiter about what big fans we are of Daryl and John and he casually mentions that he once saw Oates. "I was driving down the Oklahoma Turnpike and I stopped at this giant McDonald's. I was walking in and John Oates was walking out. I wasn't entirely sure it was him (you know, no mustache) but then he got into his car. It was a red Lamborghini and the license plate said Oates." I tried to find out if Oates really does have a Lamborghini or an Oates license plate... can't find anything. Believability Index 3 of a possible 10

Austin TX: Having dinner with some friends, again I'm wearing H&O shirt. My new friend, Todd, who is a musician mentions that he once played in a band that opened for Hall and Oates in Dallas. It was a last minute thing and he had actually had dental surgery earlier in the day and was still numb. (I hope to have a more detailed account of this, Q&A style, in the near future.) Believability Index 9.5 out of 10

Are these accounts true? Can you help me discredit or corroborate them? Do you have a story to tell?