Who would make me feel starstruck?

On one of the recent episodes of “Reconcilable Differences”, John Siracusa and Merlin Mann had an interesting conversation on who would make them feel starstruck. Especially they wondered -

Who do you wish you could meet and why? What would you say to Steve Jobs in an elevator or Bill Murray on a plane?

And of course, that sent my mind on a drive. Who would I want to meet? I think one big factor deciding that would be for whom meeting me will not be a burden. It clearly rules out all the musicians, tired of all the ad-hoc post-show crooning requests. It rules out most of the sports celebrities, already tired, looking out for relaxation. Film celebrities, a complete no.

I think people I would be most comfortable meeting would be the ones not too big of celebrities, but well respected in what they do — ones whom I admire for what they are and how they conduct themselves.

Podcasters, writers are of course high on that list. Anyway, here goes a short list, those I just want to convey I respect them.

• John Siracusa — I think the meet may make him awkward, but I admire him for his clarity of thought and his expertise to put that in words.
• Leo Laporte — One of the most fun, but equally knowledgable voices I listen to. I admire him for how effortlessly he hosts any topic of discussion. Experience does matter.
• Published writers to whom I just want to convey how unique and different perspective they have to the world around - Fredrik Backman, Christopher Moore, Khaled Hosseini
• Some creative writers I follow on Medium - Lizella Prescott, Nicole Willson
• And those I wish I just had even a selfie with - Roger Federer, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Jobs, Terry Pratchett.

I don’t think this is a complete list. Rather I believe it would be difficult to put such an extensive list out. Anyway, the least I would do if I ever run into any of the folks I respect is to not make them feel awkward.