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.