Log> People> Playing bodyguard for David Hasselhoff

A bit earlier this week, I was in a certain European capital and was about to attend festivities taking place later in the evening of that day. I missed the coach that was supposed to take me there in the first place, so I called a friend who I knew could sort something out. I met him for a quick snack in the lobby of the hotel we were staying at and inquired as to what my options were.

"So, Vish. How do I get to the party?" I asked him.

"Well, there's two ways, mate", he said. "You can either take the later coach taking some of the crew there, or you can pick up David Hasselhoff from the Ritz with me."

"Oh", I said, "I guess I'll have to come with you then."

We arrived at the Ritz a bit after 7 pm and met with the bodyguards, two Danish fellows, one big and bulky, the other slim and wiry. Both funny guys. We were waiting for The Hoff to get ready for the gig later, hanging out in the posh room next door while the master himself was singing in the shower on the other side of the wall.

When the time came, I made my way down with one of the bodyguards, trying to get a bit more details of how they operated, with who and the kinds of tricks they had up their sleeve for different situations with clients (there were plenty). When The Hoff finally saw it fit to descend, we made our way to the vehicles, and I even got a taste of crowd control. Well, alright, there were like 10 people out there waiting for him and nobody was any trouble. I didn't even punch anyone. The Hoff was in a really good mood too, signing a couple of photos and we drove off with him having the window open, waving to people passing by with the biggest smile on his face.

The Hoff's good mood continued in the backstage and finally getting up on stage and he took the ecstatic crowd like the seasoned pro he is. We were rewarded with both Hooked on a Feeling and I've Been Looking For Freedom. And while he took the party from the stage into the crowd below, I took the opportunity of getting photographed in The Hoff's sunglasses. The Hoff himself can be seen in the crowd in the background. Even after the gig he hung around for a while in the backstage, getting photos taken and getting on the phone with people's relatives.

It's always elevating to be in the presence of greatness, and playing a bodyguard for The Hoff was probably the cheesiest experience of my life.