Fun Thread , Have You Ever Been Asked For Your Autograph ?

[Bluewine]

There must be some funny stories to tell. Share your story.

 

Blue

[Happy Jack]

Not since they brought in Chip and PIN ...

[Bluewine]

I'll start. It's happened to me about 2 times in the last 10 years.

 

I've always felt incredibly sorry for anyone asking me for an autograph.

 

Blue 

[Cat Burrito]

It happens quite a lot on tour around the merch tables. Posing for selfies too. I don't think it happened until my mid 30s but i would say I get asked dozens of times every year for the last 12yrs or so.  

 

I'm realistic in that it doesn't mean anything. I have no delusions. The funniest thing I remember was a few years ago at a festival gig, I was with my old singer and a girl came up and asked him to sign one of our LPs. He did and without thinking he then handed it to me. I'd played on it too and was one of the main band members. I signed it and handed it back to her. She looked at it and said, "Oh, you've signed it too!" She was okay about it (I think she just came across badly) but it was pretty funny and teaches you to stay humble. Thankfully everyone else who's asked for an autograph has always chased me around venues and festivals with sharpies. People are funny about musicians. We're just people with the same boring lives as everybody else. 

[Steve Browning]

While riding on the coat tails of the Pretty Things earlier success, I was asked to sign a female left breast. Yes it was attached before any clever richard asks!

[Waddo Soqable]

Yep, I was wearing dark glasses and a tatty overcoat, someone was convinced I was Jarvis Cocker 🤣

[BassTractor]

Two stories:
 

1) Yes, as  a 17yo or so, and by classmates. They'd made a fan club dedicated to me, and asked for my autograph.
I axed them the question:
"WHY? You don't know my music and probably wouldn't like it. So WHY?"
Answer:
"But you're gonna be a famous musician, and then WE will have the low club member numbers!..."

That taught me all I need to know about fandom.

2) No, not asked, but still funny:
When some famous jazz dudes visited our city, I was allowed to play with them as part of my training ... but was warned beforehand: "Don't behave like a fanboi; they don't like that."
So I meticulously ripped some dirty pieces of paper into particularly rough shapes, and equipped those with my autograph. Handed them out the moment I entered the room where these folks were, and just waited for the obvious question:
"What's this?"
Me, innocently: "Oh, that's my autograph; I thought you probably were dying to get yer hands on it."

Laughter broke out, ice was broken, and no awkwardness ensued.
That taught me something about jazz musicians.

 

 

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by BassTractor

[Linus27]

Yes lots of times when signed many moons ago. What's weirder is when you are with other people. My girlfriend at the time and my wife find it really weird that people would ask for my autograph or recognise me in the street. I'm just normal me to them so they find it a bit weird, a bit cool and a bit unbelievable that someone wants my autograph, photo or to talk to me.

Edited January 15, 2023 by Linus27

[Trueno]

I’ve been asked twice… and found it weird. I’m sure on one occasion they thought I was someone else…

[Lozz196]

Plenty of times in my last band, and posing for pics etc. Given I was late 40s/early 50s it seemed a bit strange but it’s just part of the whole music thing on the original’s circuit.

[taunton-hobbit]

Couple of times, years ago close to where I lived.

 

😎

[TheGreek]

"White Light" a programme aimed at teenagers was filmed locally when I was in the 6th form - we used to bunk off school on Thursday afternoon when it was recorded and watch it on TV on Monday evening when it aired. On Tuesday there would be kids in the lower years who would ask for autographs. 

 

A couple of the dogs in the pack were on The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies. They're happy to give their "pawtographs" - normally when they've been in muddy puddles.

 

 

[Newfoundfreedom]

Only by the bailiffs. 

[BigRedX]

Yes, quite a lot over the past 25 years, something which always bemuses me. If the bands in question were signed to a record label and appeared regularly on national TV and/or radio I could understand it, but we're just another indie band with a CD or record that we've put out ourselves.

 

As a punter I've never asked for anything I've bought from the merch table to be signed, and the one time in the early 80s I received a rather hard to get single that I had to order direct from the band in question and wait for a couple of months for it to turn up, I was most disappointed to find that the cover had been defaced with band signatures.

[Horizontalste]

Only to get my possessions back after my last sleepover at the local cop-shop. 

[peteb]

2 hours ago, Bluewine said:

I'll start. It's happened to me about 2 times in the last 10 years.

 

I've always felt incredibly sorry for anyone asking me for an autograph.

 

 

1 hour ago, Cat Burrito said:

I'm realistic in that it doesn't mean anything. I have no delusions.

 

These days only occasionally, as well as the odd request for a selfie. Back in the 80s - many, many times! It occasionally amuses me to think that somewhere there is a woman in her mid 50s going through a shoebox of souvenirs when she's moving house, wondering why on earth she asked for my autograph and trying to remember who the hell I am...! 

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by peteb

[gafbass02]

Many times in the mid 00s when I was having a lucky spell with a band I was in. We got to do the whole all standing behind the merch stand at some big venues with a long queue of folks each wanting to say hello and to get each of us to sign their albums. It was all very surreal. Some would still be waiting around the loading bay gates when it was time to leave, or would follow us from gig to gig in their T-shirts. I was stopped in public a few times too. Cool, and a life experience that I’m grateful for. But still, very surreal. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by gafbass02

[floFC]

Not my story, but a friend of mine deputised in a KISS tribute band recently (where they do the full makeup thing and all) and after the show a punter asked for his autograph. He was rather baffled and asked what do you mean? You want my autograph? … Or Gene Simmons’?

I’ll let you guess the response.

[Nail Soup]

2 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

I was asked to sign a female left breast. 

Reminds me of this from David Mitchell 

 

 

[Bassfinger]

I was once mistaken for Sean Connery and asked for an autograph. She was a bit tipsy, but I hammed up the accent and played along.

[Steve Browning]

12 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

I was once mistaken for Sean Connery and asked for an autograph. She was a bit tipsy, but I hammed up the accent and played along.

And did you shine?

[MacDaddy]

Not me, my Dad.

I've told this story elsewhere on Basschat so I'll make it brief.

He was out with a band called The Applejacks, who featured in the Hit Parade of the time. When fans were asking for the bands' autographs they also asked my Dad. He looked at the singer, who said 'just sign them!'

So there must have been Applejacks fans looking at their autograph books later thinking "who the hell is that? Probably thought he was the bass player...

Edited January 15, 2023 by MacDaddy

[chris_b]

Over the years I've been asked to sign programs, albums and CD's in a few bands.

 

Once, early in 1969, I was asked to sign a girl's boob. The guitarist signed the other one.

[LukeFRC]

the weird thing is... the bands that teenage and early 20s had posters all over my walls and was super into possibly have bass players on here, that I've spoken too and I just know you as "oh that bloke, alright guy, sold that nice jazz bass last year, complains about barefaced handles every 6 months... but there you go"

[KiOgon]

Yes, but only because I share my name with that bassy bloke from Dire Straights 😂