Although I don't brag about it, it should be no surprise to anyone that, being the Internet's most beloved blogger and podcaster, I hobnob with the high-profile and influential all the time, particularly when I can ambush them in an autograph line where they can't get away. I got to shake hands with a couple of stars that way lately, including the legendary comedian, Emo Philips.

Back when I was about 13, I had a friend tape an hour or so of the Playboy Channel for me. Where the movie ran out, there was the remainder of a HBO or Showtime special from Emo Philips. It was the first time I had ever heard of Emo, and his off-the-wall one-liners were way up my alley. I may have actually forgotten about the pornography, even (how many people can say they found Emo Philips by way of Ginger Lynn?).

I had never gotten to see Emo live,but he was appearing at a comedy club downtown called the Laughing Skull. The club only holds 75 people, and I was attending a Thursday night show (I like to catch these guys away from the weekend crowd, fresh off the plane).

Emo Philips entertained the crap out of us, which made a big mess for the janitor, and then he reappeared through the curtain to meet his public. As I went to shake his hand, he would have been happy to know that I've washed my hands several times since first seeing him on that Playboy Channel tape when I was 13. "I just want to brag to a friend of mine in Minneapolis that I got to shake your hand," I said, extending my clean hand. He gave me a nice shake.

Philips had also very tentatively edged into political humor, but clearly had misgivings. I had seen "Bobcat" Goldthwait and Marc Maron in this same venue recently, and they also veered into political humor, but seemed to believe that since they were in the Southeast, they must be standing before a crowd of hostile, far-right Republicans. I hated seeing these guys, for one, stereotype us Southerners, and also hated seeing them feel uptight when there was really nothing to worry about. So I told Emo, "Please tell the other comedians, we're not all on the far right down here! Don't be afraid to do political humor!"

Emo said, "Downtown, maybe." Yes, downtown Atlanta is a lefty enclave, and the further you go out into the suburbs and beyond, the redder it gets, generally speaking.

"Yeah, that's true," I said. "I don't know what happened. We used to all be Democrats. But we're working on it."

He asked, "Is there an Occupy Atlanta?" I said yes, there was, but then felt embarrassed that I didn't know whatever happened to it. The last I had heard about it, the mayor was giving a curfew for the 10th time for the demonstrators to get out of Piedmont Park (or was it Woodruff?). It hadn't been on the news for weeks, though, and for all I knew, Occupy Atlanta had given up. "Maybe when the weather gets warmer," Emo said, and I laughed.

From there, I shook his hand again with Emo saying, "Keep up the good work," and I departed, aware I had probably become that guy who overstays his welcome in the autograph line. Very nice man, though, that Emo.

By the way, I hope I'm not giving anything away that Emo seems to favor the Left.

I've also got a Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction) story, but I'll save that for next time.

EPILOGUE: I have still never met Ginger Lynn.