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Meeting Michael Damian in Florida.Twice!!! ('89 -'90) I have met my share of celebrities in the past few years, including some favorites like Ricky Martin and countless others at shows and entertainment industry events in New York, but no one has been as memorable as Michael Damian!!! Not only is the man absolutely gorgeous and super talented, he is even more beautiful on the inside. Michael is by far the most down-to-earth and genuinely sweet celebrity I've ever met… always ready to share his brilliant smile and warmth. I was fifteen, a sophomore in high school, when I first met Michael. I'd gone to the Broward County Fair (in S. Florida) with my older sister. I was the usual cute but still rather insecure teenager just getting used to her growing body and caught in that awkward stage where I wanted to dress more grown up and sexy and my Mom still wanted me to wear frilly, girly things! By the way, Mom always won that argument. So here I was going to the fair to see Michael wearing a fuchsia and black polka-dot skirt-set with suspenders! And did I mention that the skirt was tiered... so two levels of polka dotted loveliness! My sister, who is five years older, was my absolute opposite that night. She wore her barely-there cutoff denim shorts with stockings and knee-high suede boots and a matching denim jacket. Hey it was '89 and I thought she looked damn cool! And so did many admirers that night... including one of Michael's band-mates, Kevin(?) (Young, African-American and Hot). We were absolutely in heaven as we watched Michael sing one of my favorite songs of all time: "Was It Nothing At All". That songs still holds a very special place in my heart!!! My Caribbean grandmother, now 80, who barely speaks English but was a huge fan of Y & R and Michael at the time, would tear up every time Michael got to the bridge of that song. ("... but if you don't find a way, I will dream of you tonight... Is there...?") And then as my 15 year old heart took in every breath of Michael's performance, my sister whispered to me that Kevin winked at her! "Please" I thought. I was totally at that awkward stage where I would get jealous if guys flirted with my sister... I also thought she was the bomb but I would always discount it to her if she mentioned that some hot guy was checking her out. And then even I could not deny it!!! He winked at her and waved... right before my eyes! I couldn't believe it. Near the end of Michael's set, Kevin motioned for my sister to wait for him! For the first time I wizened up and thought... well at least we might get to meet Michael. We had one big complication though, after Michael and the band left the stage, the entire audience was evacuated from the area. Now we thought our chance of meeting Michael (not to mention my sister's potential love connection with Kevin) was absolutely dead in the water. Then lo and behold... we ran into Kevin and another band-mate as we were walking though the crafts display area! He totally remembered my sister. He said he was in a rush though and he wanted my sister to call him at his hotel the next day or the day after that. Michael and the band were going to be in Florida for at least another couple of days because they were performing a show in Stuart, FL, a town a couple hours away, the next day (or the day after that... forgive me it's been a while!) I believe we saw Michael perform on the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving '89. Kevin could not remember the exact name of the hotel but he told us where it was. We drove by on the way home to get the name so we could call him that Wednesday and Thursday. He specifically said not to call that night though because they all had an early wake up call! He seemed really glad to have bumped into us… well… into my sister. The next day when we tried to call the hotel... we were told that Kevin was not a registered guest at the hotel! We even gave his last name and everything. The loyal hotel operator would neither confirm or deny that Michael and the band were staying there as he softly repeated that it was the hotel's policy not to give out that information. We were absolutely crushed! Had Kevin given us the run-around? It didn't make sense... he seemed genuinely interested in my sister and it is not like she had pursued him! We couldn't make any sense of it. My sister was ready to chalk it up as another weird experience in her exciting life. I could not let it go that easily... after all I was 15 and still not able to date or even take calls from boys. (Caribbean Mom... don't ask!) There was nothing else more exciting happening in my life! All my hopes for the long weekend were pinned squarely on the prospect of meeting Michael. So I called the Hotel and asked for Michael Damian... and was told that there was no guest by that name there. Waited until the shift changed and called again... this time the operator almost patched me thru to an extension, paused, whispered something to someone near her, and then reverted to the familiar line that there was no guest registered under that name. She'd made a mistake though and I'd caught it! I knew he was there now! It was just a matter of figuring out how to get a message to him. Thinking myself the cleverest person that ever walked this earth, I called the hotel and asked for "Michael Weir" this time and I was put through! I could not believe it! Michael was still out of town though so I left a message with the operator that went something like: "This is Tammy (my real nickname... used here because I remembered vaguely that one of the Weirs was named Tammy). I need to leave a semi-urgent message for Michael Weir (after all I didn't want to freak him out). I need him to call me ASAP at (305)___-____! It is a matter of life or... just tell him it is very important!" In my child's mind I actually thought I'd pulled off sounding professional. This was Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving. Evening comes... no phone call from anyone! And by now, the hotel is also saying that Michael Weir is not registered there either. Bummer! I am so disappointed... you have no idea. The next day is Thanksgiving. I have a great dinner with my family and I try to forget that my Michael Damian fantasy is not going to come true after all. My sister is wayyyy over it... she actually had a bona fide life to live! I am washing the dishes at 10PM or so... grumbling a bit about the task at hand and a little tired from the festivities. And then the phone rings... the conversation that followed went a little something like this: Me: Hello Male Voice (Smooth as Molasses): Hello... Is Tammy there? Me (flatly): This is she. Male Voice: This is Michael. I got your message. Me: Michael who? Male Voice: Michael Damian... you left me a message at the hotel. You said it was important. Me: Chad... I hate you! This is not funny. Did Balkys (my sister) put you up to this? (By the way Chad is one of my sister's best friends who is an absolute prankster and someone I happen to have had a huge crush on!!!) Male Voice: No. It's me Michael... really. I have no idea who Chad is. You did leave me a message didn't you. Me: OK. I'll play along. Yes I did. But I know you are not Michael... and I'm gonna prove it! Male Voice (amused): OK Me: What Soap Opera are you on? Male Voice (matter of fact tone): The Young & The Restless Me: Big deal. Anyone can know that. She told you. Male Voice (laughing): No one told me anything... it's really me. Me: Well I know she doesn't really watch the show that much so she wouldn't know to tell you this... it's a three part question... Male Voice (amused): I can't believe this! Ha ha ha. Me: I thought you'd back down. Male Voice: I'm not backing down... what's the question? Me (smart alec delivery): What is the full name of your character, who is his girlfriend on the show, and what is her character's given name? Male Voice: I play Danny Romalotti, my girlfriend on the show is Cricket, given name Christine, and is played by the lovely Lauralee Bell! Me: OMG!!!!!! Michael!!!!!!!!!!!
It's you!!!! I am soooo sorry. AHHHHH! Me (gasping for air): I am... on the phone... with Michael Damian... he called.... it's him... AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (My sister starts to scream too and runs away from the phone when I try to hand it to her! Finally I put the phone back in my ear.) Me: Michael? Are you still there? Michael (can hardly contain himself as he laughs into the phone): Yes... I'm still here! Are you ok over there? Me: Yes. I'm fine... OMG. I'm so sorry for making you think there was some emergency... I just wanted to meet you so badly.... I love your music... I'm so sorry... I'll never do it again... Is it really you Michael? OMG!!! Michael: Yes it's me and don't worry about it. I understand. It was not a good thing to do and I'm sure you'll never do it again… right? Me: Right! Michael: Good. Me: How long are you in town? When are you leaving? Michael: We're leaving for Japan first thing in the morning. Me: Oh no. I wanted to meet you so badly. I can't believe it. Michael: I'm so sorry. I'm going to bed in a couple of minutes though. Me: Michael we are only 15 minutes away by car. I can ask my mom if it is ok to go to your hotel to meet you. In the lobby or something, of course! She'll understand. Michael (giggling): I don't think that's a good idea. It is already so late... I have to be up really early... and I don't think your mom would think it was proper. Me: I swear we'll get there really quick. Won't interrupt your sleep at all... I'll ask my mom now! Michael: I don't know... Me: pleeeeeeeeeeeeez! If my mom thinks it's ok I don't see a problem. Plus it's me and my adult sister... she trusts us together. Can we come if she says yes? Michael: Fine. If she says yes, AND you can get here at a decent hour, I'll come to the lobby to say hello. Me: Thank you, thank you, thank you.... pause.... she said yes!!! We'll see you in a bit. Michael (laughing): OK. See you soon. I hung up the phone and started screaming!!!! Remember… I told Michael fifteen minutes.... but of course I couldn't go there looking shabby. I'd been washing Thanksgiving dishes for goodness sake! Of course I had to pick out a new outfit, shower, comb my hair, put on makeup and get cute. And of course so did my sister... how could she show up to see Michael looking like anything less than her best! Needless to say we took WAY LONGER than fifteen minutes to get ready. I think it was more like an hour or so plus the twenty minute ride over to the hotel! We got there at about midnight or so. We walked up to the front desk and asked the clerk to ring up Michael Weir. The front desk guy was totally checking out my sister... smiling... and then he told us that someone left a message for us. He read it (not verbatim but this is the gist): Sorry I missed your visit. I would have loved to meet you and your sister but I have an early flight in the morning. Hope you had a Great Thanksgiving. Love, Michael. I could feel the tears filling my eyes. How could we have messed up such a golden opportunity? We were so stupid. We wasted so much time getting ready and now we weren't even going to see him. And then I started crying and sniffling. My sister felt so bad for me because she knew how excited I'd been to meet Michael. She turned on her charms and asked the clerk if there was anything he could do for us. He said no. And that's when her eyes filled with tears too. That must have done it because seconds later... "Sparky" told us that he believed Michael had requested a 4:30 wake up call. If we wanted to, he'd let us stay in the lobby and then he'd ask Michael at 4:30 if he wanted to see us. We had to agree though that if Michael could not meet with us for any reason that we would leave right away... the most important thing was for the guest to be comfortable after all! We gave him our word and settled in for the night. We didn't even sleep... we ended up staying up all night chatting with Sparky (an aspiring musician and artist.) Four thirty happened so fast we hardly felt the wear and tear of losing a full night's sleep. As promised, Sparky called Michael for his wake up call at 4:30 and mentioned to Michael that we'd been absolutely delightful company and that we'd stayed all night in hopes of meeting him as he left the hotel. To our dismay, Michael laughed and said it would be great to meet us. He would be down in about a half hour! (It was actually more like an hour... but who cares?) After a half hour though, we started seeing different members of the band come down... we recognized his sister, brother, and the rest of the guys... conspicuously absent though was Kevin! We never did see him again that day. They all looked at us and said hello as they passed us in the tiny lobby... questioning what these two teenaged girls (dressed like they are going to a party ) were doing there at 5:30 in the morning! We were quite a sight! And then it happened. HE WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. Dressed in an off-white linen outfit and wearing movie star shades... he entered the lobby! I could hardly catch my breath. I was so nervous, I stayed seated. Basking in the wonder that is Mr. Damian…my Michael. I remember thinking he was even handsomer up close and taller than I thought he'd be. My sister, usually the picture of calm, was also speechless and frozen. We were absolutely stunned. Michael looked our way and smiled a little. He then walked over to the front desk and chatted with Sparky for a bit. He looked back at us and smiled after confirming that we were indeed the girls who'd waited all night to see him. He walked over to us... deliberate yet casual and confident steps. He asked which one of us was Tammy... I muttered me. He said hello. Nodded to my sister as he said hi to her too. And then told us he was going to get some orange juice and he would be right back to chat for a bit. I nodded and he was off to get the OJ. I could have killed myself... I'd been such a dork... and so had my "cool" sister. As we sat there criticizing our every move, we then heard Michael's sister and band-mates cracking up about our conversation. We'd forgotten they were so close. How embarrassing! Michael came back soon after, as promised, and sat on the couch NEXT TO ME. My sister was on a chair at a 90 degree angle from my perch. He couldn't believe we'd stayed all night. He said he was flattered. I told him all about how much I loved his music and how I thought he put on a great live show! It's all one big blur really because I was truly having an out of body experience. All I remember is that my sister hardly said a word... I could not keep my mouth shut and I made Michael laugh at least two times. It was a great conversation... I'd be lying now if I tried to say I remember specifics. And then… it was time for him to go! He got up and said his ride to the airport was there and that it had been a true pleasure to meet us! I was so happy. My sister and I got up and then she did the unthinkable... she extended her hand to him for a HANDSHAKE!!! After all we'd been through! I was horrified. Michael shook her hand and then looked at me. He could tell I didn't want to shake his hand. I smiled and put my body squarely in front of him. He was balancing a shoulder bag on one arm and holding the cup of OJ in the other. But that wasn't going to get in the way of me getting a hug and he knew it. He smiled and extended his arms to me. I jumped... perhaps too quickly... hitting his cup and sending some OJ spilling onto the floor and maybe an inch from his crisp linen clothes! I was mortified. He was sooooooo sweet about it. Michael said not too worry, it hadn't fallen on him and he once again took me in his arms for a warm hug. He then kissed me on my cheek as we separated! I was floating on cloud nine!! It was at that moment that my sister stepped up and said in a rather childlike way: "Can I have a hug too?" Michael said sure and scooped her into his arms. As they separated, Michael was going for her cheek to give her a kiss when she turned her face and got at least a third of his lips on hers! I was a bit jealous but so happy for my encounter that I could actually celebrate with her. A few moments later, Michael and the band were gone on their way to Japan!!! And we went home to face my mom who thought we were going to be out for less than an hour as we left the house in the middle of the night. The very next year I was lucky enough to have another close encounter with my Michael. He was performing at a charity event sponsored by the biggest radio station in the area, Y-100. The Wing-Ding is a very high profile yearly event that is part all-day concert, part arts & crafts display and part cook-off… with the winning restaurant walking away with the title of best wings in Florida. The local restaurants take it very seriously because winning has a huge effect on future profits and the event benefits the fight against drug abuse. Michael was headlining that night. My sister, friends and I got ourselves right in front of the stage… dead center… a couple of hours before the performance was set to start! We weren't going to miss a note of that show. Michael even sweat on us a few times!!! You can imagine how happy we were about that Being the calculating teen that I was... After seeing him perform the year before, I knew that Michael would bring people up from the audience to sing "Rock On" with him. There was no way in heck that I was going to miss that chance! I knew my charm would get him to pick me but I got some insurance... a beautiful bouquet of flowers. He he he!!! He performed a fantastic show that night and when he started picking people to come onstage with him... I pulled out my secret weapon! It took a while for him to notice... but once he did, it worked like a charm. Michael reached for the bouquet and bend down to give me a quick kiss thank you. I could hardly stand up after that but I was on a mission. As he tried to take the flowers from me... I held on to them a little tighter. He looked me in the eye and I motioned for him to come closer. He smiled while still singing and bent down... that's when I asked: "Can I sing with you?" He smiled and nodded. He handed the flowers to someone offstage and came back for me... he pulled me onto the stage with one hand... and I wasn't then and am no waif now! I could hardly believe it.... here I was with him again! My Michael. I'm dancing... singing : "Hey kids, rock and roll, rock on ooh my soul..." Having the time of my life! Then I look down at the crowd and see my sister glaring at me! If looks could kill... she was absolutely livid. She was gesticulating with her hands, obviously upset about something! Then I read her lips... "GET ME UP THERE!" I didn't know what to do but I knew I better do something if I expected a ride home so I did the unthinkable... As we "backup singers" sang our bit, Michael had moved to his post right in front of the stage again... he was jamming, swinging his hips, throwing the mike... just being very much into the moment and then... I TAPPED HIM ON THE SHOULDER! He could not believe it. He thought there was something wrong but being the pro he is he kept singing and dancing while trying to figure out what was wrong. When I motioned to my sister and my two best friends in the crowd he understood right away and grinned at me... they were in front of the crowd with their arms stretched up like babies needing to be picked up from their crib. It was hilarious. Michael motioned for someone offstage to help them. My sister and one of my friends came up, the other was too shy and opted to stay behind (go figure!) My joy was complete... I was on a stage with Michael Damian, my sister, and best friend singing "Rock On"! And he paid special attention to me… smiling at me, putting his mike in front of me and being an overall sweetheart. As we finished the song and he was rushing off the stage... I caught up with him for a split second. I asked him if he remembered me from the year before... I was one of the girls who stayed up in the hotel lobby to see him before he left for Japan. He grinned and said "Of course I do" as he bent down to kiss my cheek before being whisked away!!! I chose to believe that he really did... then again he is a great actor. In any case, Michael and his music hold a special place in my heart to this day. I hope to see him perform again someday. Michael if you read this... let me know if you still remember me and my sister at the hotel (two young and giddy African-American girls with stars in their eyes). Also, just wanted to let you know that "Was It Nothing At All" is still at the top of my list as one of the most touching ballads ever. I love your kindness, talent, and beauty. I Love You Always, |
