| Fans line up in Toronto to have Bill Clinton autograph memoir My Life at 14:17 on August 5, 2004, EST. |
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Former American president Bill Clinton gets a hug from an admirer while autographing copies of his book My Life. (CP /Frank Gunn) TORONTO (CP) - A few female autograph seekers were reaching for hugs from Bill Clinton - and getting them - after lining up Thursday at a Toronto bookstore clutching copies of the former president's memoir My Life. A smiling and affable Clinton shook hands and said a few words with each customer, men and women alike, as he quickly signed books. Most exchanges lasted between five and 45 seconds. Valerie Lema, a 21-year-old student, said she kissed Clinton on the cheek because he's "hot." She said she walked up to the ex-president, said hi, asked if she could have a kiss. "I was just nervous, my heart stopped," she said. "His reaction was that he just smiled." Lima, who began camping outside the bookstore at around 11 p.m. Wednesday, said her only other experience lining up was for a Backstreet Boys concert a couple of years ago. Clinton descended on the Indigo store with a security detail befitting a former U.S. president and generating a fan reaction worthy of a pop culture icon. His arrival, almost an hour later than scheduled, didn't appear to dampen the enthusiasm of those who began queuing up on the sidewalk outside the store a day earlier. Cori Ferguson, 37, arrived at 4 p.m. Wednesday and was third in line to meet Clinton. "He thanked me for wearing my 'Democrats Abroad' button," she said. Her companion, David Dunkley, 33, noted they were not Democrats, but "we would be Democrats if we were living in the United States." Of his night outdoors, he described it as "very, very cold, very, very long and we met a lot of interesting people." Sarah Chubb, 31, of Toronto, said she was speechless when she was actually face-to-face with Clinton, who was wearing a navy suit, bright salmon-coloured tie and light blue dress shirt. "I couldn't think of anything to say." The former president said he hoped she had a good time, to which she managed to blurt back: "It was a pleasure to meet you." Fans arrived armed with the price of admission - hardcover copies of Clinton's weighty autobiography. Valerie Kuypers of Toronto was one of the lucky ones to be awarded a wristband allowing her an audience with Clinton. "When I heard about it, I thought it was the chance of a lifetime," Kuypers, who's in her 50s, said before the ex-president arrived. "I went to Pierre Trudeau's funeral. I camped out and actually got in the cathedral." "It's one of those things you want to do to say 'I was there."' Everyone faced strict rules governing their brief encounters with the former president - no presents, cameras, cellphones, or bags allowed. Nonetheless, fans were determined to meet the man who once helmed the world's most powerful nation while embroiled in one of the juiciest scandals of recent times. Heather Reisman, the chief executive of Indigo Books, said 1,000 fans were guaranteed the opportunity to have a book signed. "We're hoping if we can get him sufficiently energized he may even stay longer and we hope to get another 500 or so through this," she told CP24 television. Many people in the crowd sported buttons for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, and one woman was even parading along the street hoisting a Kerry sign. Leo O'Donnell, 73, an American citizen who's now living in Canada, was among the many hopefuls in line. He said the Monica Lewinsky scandal hadn't changed his opinion of Clinton. "It stained my opinion of the Republican Party," he said. "It was a shameful demonstration of dirty politics." Secret service agents worked in concert with RCMP and Toronto police to ensure the former president's safety during his visit to the city. Although it received less than glowing reviews, My Life sold 1.5 million copies in its first month of release and continues to top North American bestseller's lists. It's been reported that Clinton received $10 million from Knopf for his 957-page memoir. The former president's personal appearances in support of the book - he's been on tour since June 22 - routinely draw large, enthusiastic crowds. Last month in London, 1,000 fans packed Piccadilly Circus for a chance to meet him. On Thursday evening, Clinton was to board a private flight to whisk him to a prestigious annual retreat for Atlantic Canadian politicians, business people and academics at a Nova Scotia resort. He was to speak to about 250 people at the invitation-only gathering at the luxurious Fox Harb'r Golf Resort on the shores of the Northumberland Strait. Frank McKenna, the former Liberal premier of New Brunswick, said he expected Clinton's speech to focus on domestic issues, Canadian-U.S. relations, and his work in Africa. GREG BONNELL |
© The Canadian Press, 2003 |
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