Then there was the time in 1997, when I pulled into the car park beneath the Bournemouth International Centre prior to a Bob Dylan show, to find a lady having trouble with an uncooperative pay & display machine. The lady was PJ Harvey and by our combined efforts we managed to coax that pay & display machine back into action.
Finally, about 10 years ago, I attended the launch of a Sesame Street DVD at a small theatre in New York, with my cousin and her young children. The bash was for media personalities and their kids, my cousin was invited through a friend who worked in TV. The hundred or so assembled kids went bonkers when Ernie, Bert, Elmo and Big Bird appeared 'live' on stage before us, as part of the presentation. A couple of rows in front of where we were seated, presumably accompanying his own child, was Martin Scorsese, who stood several times to record the family event on a small, personal, hand-held digital camcorder, which he also panned around the entire audience, to capture the atmosphere. I can therefore boast, in all honesty, that I have appeared in a Martin Scorsese film!
.jpg)
10 comments:
Thats an interesting one TS...I have had a few little brushes which I have mentioned in Posts and have a couple more I may come back to...but nothing comares with Old Ma when she worked at the Information dest in Terminal 3 at Heathrow. A certain Bob Landy was ushered into the back room of the info desk and she had to entertain him and his friends for about 20 mins. She did not even get an autograph. Is that grounds for divorce.
Good post, The Swede. Can't say I've ever had many brushes with the high and mighty and I'm definitely envious of your car park encounter with PJ. Old Ma's brush with Mr. Landy is pretty untouchable, isn't it? Certainly grounds for divorce. All I can think to add to the pot is the time I 'crossed the road with Van Morrison' as we both waited, just me and him, at a pelican crossing in Bath and I was itching to shake his hand and gush how great I think he is and how I have all his albums and all that crap but then I remembered, 'This is Van Morrison' and kept it all to myself! We walked across the road together and The Man disappeared into a newsagents. I did have a couple of other close encounters with him but this is my, rather sad, favourite. Once appeared in bear suit on stage with The Flaming Lips but I guess that doesn't count.
Great post and I just love the image of PJ and you battling with a parking meter, it is sweetly abstract somehow!
Old Pa and Singing Bear - I love your brushes with the rich and famous too - SB, in a bear suit with the Flaming Lips? Intrigued! But who's Bob Landy? ;-)
Of course I now have to add my own: Waved and said 'hello' to Lemmy in the street, who was very friendly back bless 'im, and once served Michael Barrymore...
Does it count that I worked with Simon Le Bon's cousin for nine years? (No, I thought not, sorry!)
Old Pa. Your post on Muhammad Ali was partly the springboard for this. I have a handful more close calls to share as and when, but none to touch that one. Old Ma and Mr Landy? You're a remarkably forgiving man Old Pa.
SB. The Van Morrison story is priceless. Just think, if you actually had gone into meltdown and told him how much you liked him, you could now be boasting that Van Morrison once told you to 'F**k Off!' I agree with C, we need to hear the full Flaming Lips tale.
C. I've seen PJ in the audience at 2 or 3 Dylan gigs over the years, but this was my only close encounter! We had to swop each others £1 coins to get the damned machine to play ball - we went through about 10 of them before we got a couple to work.
There was a fruit machine next to the bar at Dingwalls in the mid-80's and Lemmy always seemed to be there, chucking money into it. Never summoned the courage to say hello though. Simon Le Bon's cousin? Any goss'?
All this talk of Simon Le Bon reminds me that an old mate of mine's sister once went out with John Taylor. Mrs. Bear doesn't believe this story but I can tell she is filled with envy. Can I add that Richey Edwards's sister once replaced me when I was transfered to another section in work? Did chat a few times - nice girl.
I love these stories - Richey Edward's sister and a John Taylor ex! No goss on S Le Bon though I'm afraid, although his cousin is very nice and rather good looking.
Talking of which, when I was 15 I briefly went out with a boy in our local punk crowd who went on to marry (and is still, I believe) Ramona, that very pretty singer from the Mo-dettes. He was far too good looking for the likes of me. Getting more tenuous now...!
Neneh Cherry and Andrea Oliver buying buns in a bakers whilst I sipped coffee at a nearby table. They were in full African Princess garb. Very tenuous but funny. Bristol? No - northernmost North Wales!
This is like our own tenuous version of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon! Brilliant.
I must have mentioned to you the time I bumped into Lee Scratch Perry at the airport, escorted by an unfathomably young and pretty lady. Of course I had to ask him for an autograph which he duly obliged, asking for my name. He signed a paper wishing me a Happy Birthday!?! I never said anything about that! My birthday is in May, it was November.
flycasual. Yes, you've mentioned that tale before, but believe me, it's one i'll never tire of hearing, just brilliant.
Post a Comment