Tenuous Claim To Fame

[paddy109]

When I first met my wife her claim to fame was 'I danced in front of Prince Andrew when she was at school'.

She doesn't mention it any more!!!

[chris_b]

Had a chat with Harry Secombe, in the green room at Midem, after he saw the sax player in my band tip a whole pint into his (the sax player's) lap. Very amusing guy. Harry Secombe, not the sax player!

[Benjamin Bassoon]

Apart from doing gigs where name musicians were also playing, I do have a couple of tenuous claims.

 

Many years ago, when The Bill was on TV I was on a training course at a hotel in Crawley. At the same time they were filming scenes from the Bill in the same hotel. 

 

During a break in the training I popped to the toilets, and as I was going in, a couple of actors were coming out of the stalls. One was the one that went on to do The Walking Dead and the other was the more heavily built fella.

 

Later on in my career, Vicky McClure was my point of contact at a company before she decided to go full time into acting. It was around the time between This is England 1 and 2. She had an aura about her at the time and was a lovely person to deal with. She even gave my company a signed letter of recommendation, sadly long lost.

 

Funny thing is that I actually don't rate her as an actor. Always seems wooden to me. She should have stayed in the world of business!! I'm sure that she regrets the career move.

[nekomatic]

Ha ha, great thread topic - I’ve thought of starting it but might have known someone else would have already. Although not all of them have aged well…

 

On 19/02/2008 at 15:14, R,5,R,5... said:

Had dinner 1.5 metres away from Kevin Spacey last Friday. He seemed like a nice guy.

Anyway, seeing Mel Blatt on that Celebrity Race Across The World reminds me that as a student I was in a jazz band with a sax player who mentioned that he’d been getting some part time work in a recording studio not far from Maida Vale where I was living at the time, on All Saints Road in fact. ‘Oh’ I said, ‘didn’t that band All Saints name themselves after the road where their first recording studio was?’ ‘I recorded their demo’ he replied. 

[MacDaddy]

22 hours ago, Dom in Dorset said:

I had to resurrect this thread after finding out  that Timmy Mallet had just ridden his bicycle past my friends house.

 

That is exactly the kind of post this thread was made for! 🤣

[Baloney Balderdash]

I once said "Hey Lou!" and waved to Lou Barlow outside of the venue where Sebadoh was playing as he was walking by, and he greeted back with a "Hey!", a wave and a smile.

 

I also had a poem of mine printed in an anthology otherwise filled with poems from famous Danish poets.

 

And I featured on a cover of a Mount Eerie (Phil Elverum) song on a record that also featured a Mount Eerie cover of a song I helped compose.

 

I also once had dinner with the sadly deceased famous Norwegian singer-songwriter St. Thomas (Thomas Hansen) and his band.

 

Edit!!!: Oh, and I completely forgot, I once had a song I co-wrote, sang backing vocals, and played lead guitar and bass on, added to the Danish national radio (DR) P3 channel's playlist (and obvious played ever so often for a while).

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Cliff Edge]

Teenage girlfriend of mine I was very close to, who will remain nameless, went on to have a number 1 record and made a couple of really good albums.  We lost touch with each other during that time. A fine actress and singer with a good reputation in the business, she didn’t want the fame and turned down some good opportunities. I have no idea where she is or what she is doing now.  Sometimes you have to kick yourself for not persevering with a relationship. 

[Gasman]

My vintage Selmer baritone sax was owned and played by Woolf Byrne on David Bowie’s first band’s (The Manish Boys) recording ‘I Pity The Fool’ in 1965. Is that too close a relationship?

[Jackroadkill]

Napalm Death came to my old band's first gig , which was in a tiny pub in rural Wales.  They weren't keen on the music but said we were very professional and did a great job.

[soulboy]

I recently discovered, whilst casually chatting to my brother, that my sister in law is Norman Watt Roy's niece.

[ezbass]

5 minutes ago, soulboy said:

I recently discovered, whilst casually chatting to my brother, that my sister in law is Norman Watt Roy's niece.

I don’t care how tenuous that is, it’s bass related and related to a proper bass star. If, by chance, you ever get to meet him, I understand from folk I know who have met him, that he is a thoroughly good egg and not at all rock starry.

[ezbass]

I was walking through Berkeley Square once, when I notice Billy Connolly walking towards me. He clocked me and could tell I’d recognised him and his face fell, he was clearly not in the mood to be sociable. We just passed each other, but as we passed, I just said, “Alright, Bill?” and kept moving. I always hoped that he appreciated my restraint.

[andytoad]

I once had Melvin Bragg call me a laughing Hyena. Miserable git.

[soulboy]

On 13/10/2023 at 18:38, Dom in Dorset said:

I had to resurrect this thread after finding out  that Timmy Mallet had just ridden his bicycle past my friends house.

you just reminded me that Nick Beggs rode his bicycle passed my house back in the 2000s. Not completely unexpected as we lived in the same town.

[ezbass]

On 13/10/2023 at 18:38, Dom in Dorset said:

I had to resurrect this thread after finding out  that Timmy Mallet had just ridden his bicycle past my friends house.

This has reminded me of my run in with him (for a value of run in). I was fixing some piece of office equipment at TV AM and he was lording it up around the offices, demeaning various staff members. He came over as a pompous, little prat and I was just hoping he would say something sarky to me, just so I could let him experience the sharp side of someone’s tongue, who didn’t need to be subservient to his ego. Sadly, this did not come to pass.

[paul_5]

1 hour ago, ezbass said:

This has reminded me of my run in with him (for a value of run in). I was fixing some piece of office equipment at TV AM and he was lording it up around the offices, demeaning various staff members. He came over as a pompous, little prat and I was just hoping he would say something sarky to me, just so I could let him experience the sharp side of someone’s tongue, who didn’t need to be subservient to his ego. Sadly, this did not come to pass.

...musn't pause, mustn't hesitate... 

[Tony macker]

in the 80,s played with lee mavers ( the la,s)...  in the  90s i supported the prodigy.. at santa pod race track,,  met ray davies(kinks) while recording in his studio.. played bass for neil finn.(crowded house) in liverpool   .. my flirtations with fame   :@)

Edited October 18, 2023 by Tony macker

[bassbiscuits]

I once bumped into Nicholas Parsons in a taxi queue in Birmingham.

 

When I was a student I used to work in a shop round the corner from Swansea Grand Theatre. At various times we were visited by Alvin Stardust, Catherine Zeta Jones and the bloke who played Nasty Nick Cotton on Eastenders.

 

Also in Swansea I once got chatting to Rod Hull in a pub toilet. Same pub as we spotted Marguerita Pracatan I believe.
 

[bassbiscuits]

Oh yeah I once made Neil Murray a cup of tea at Roland HQ in Swansea in the late 1990s. 

[EssexBuccaneer]

I worked for the British Boxing Board of Control for a wee while, was great to get ringside seats for any show I chose. Met loads of boxers including several world champions. 
 

Pete Waterman thanked me when he got off of the train i’d just driven to Paddington. Matthew Pinsent once asked me if I was the train driver and after replying in the affirmative, told me I had a cool job. (Well yeah, but it’s not as cool as being an Olympian, Matthew)

[ezbass]

I was once in Peter Jones on Sloane Square, where I was asked by another customer for help with some product or other, I forget what, I had to explain that I wasn’t a member of staff (I was respectable, in a short and tie, easy mistake to make), Jenny Agutter was very pleasant about it. I had a job that took me out and about, all over London and I came across quite a few celebrities, but this was the closest encounter, in that words were exchanged.
 

Probably the most famous person I encountered was when I was visiting Number 10. I was waiting in the hall, opposite the lift, which opened and out stepped the PM of the day, one Margaret Thatcher, she was incredibly short in stature. To think she was taller than the Queen, how short was she?

[bassace]

I was in a double bass shop with Ray Brown. We talked about E strings. Trouble was I didn’t know it was him until after he left.

[MacDaddy]

I once spoke to Jeffery Archer on the phone. I called his number (which had been printed in the Class War newspaper along with other public figures who had raised their ire) thinking he would have 'people' to answer it, but it was himself.

[tauzero]

I chatted with Philippa Forrester at Techno Games 2, and nearly got Jayne Middlemiss onto the back of my bike at Robot Wars.