On Celebrity

Though Intern Amelia and I are terribly famous ourselves, we had a real brush with fame the other day at lunch.

Running some errands in the neighborhood we stopped into Chanterelle’s and headed straight for the cafeteria-style line. I already knew what I wanted, so I was glancing around in line and did a double-take.

Sitting nearby was none other than Young Jeezy.

Some of you old folks may not be familiar with this thing called hip hop, but let me tell you, the kids love it. While it may not be particularly relevant to the Wren’s Nest, hip hop is terribly relevant to West End.

Plus, as I’ve touched on a little bit here before, many hip hop artists are inextricably linked with the trickster hero. For the most obvious homage, look no further than Eminem’s character in 8 Mile: B. Rabbit.

Or, really, look no further than Brer Rabbit’s big road on the plantation and B. Rabbit’s 8 Mile Road in Detroit.

While running into Young Jeezy at lunch may not be as relevant a celebrity encounter as, say, having Sir Salman Rushdie ask to have his picture taken with Brer Rabbit, it’s pretty sweet nonetheless.

By the way, who is the celebrity here?

Rushdie is great, but I’m pretty sure Brer Rabbit is the original gangsta in this case. Thanks to Steve Enniss for the photo.

Hey Profess – Sir Rushdie, wanna hang out at the Wren’s Nest when you get back in town?