General Chat

We went to dinner at my friends last night and the conversation got round to our “claim to fame”. We spent the next couple of hours exchanging our famous (or infamous claims). I had three claims to fame.

Noddy Holder (Slade) Dad cleaned my Mother windows.
Andy Leek (Dexys Midnight Runners) Dad cleaned my windows
My best claim was I once had dinner with Luciano Pavarotti

One friend once travelled in a lift with Roger Moore.
My friends daughter now age 41 said with much pride her claim to fame was she was once one of Ken Dodds Diddy men in a pantomime.
One friend said Adam Faith once mistook him for someone else, but he did not discover who it was.

I would love to hear your “Claim to fame”

:-D :-D :-D :-D

I got accidently 'floored; by David Bowie :-D
He jumped off his coach (behind the';Mayflower' Southampton) just as I was passing by - he was very apologietic :-D

I knew the plumber who did the plumbing for Suzie Quatro

Buster Bloodvessel & I had a conversation over the garden fence :-D

Used to live near Trevor Wiffen - 'Clever Trevor' in the song by Ian Drury

Drank in the same pub 'Boys of theLoch' (who? say you) used to play in. In fact was regularly escorted to my taxi (complete with shopping) on more than one occasion by one or more (depending on how many bags of 'messages' I had) members of the band :-S

I think Hywell Bennett mistook me for somebody else (did a double take) not one of my better days either, just leaving the dentist with my leg in bandage from a vein op (not by the dentist) mind you I had been stuck in a lift with him and Kathy McGowan years before - Photographic memory perhaps ;-)

Messages!! Maggie I haven't heard that since I flat shared with 3 Glaswegian sisters :-D

:-D Lolly - and in the messages were the 'half loaf' and 'sliced sausage' :-D

lol :-D

My Dad was postman to Noelle Gordon (from Crossroads)

Walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey with Michael Howard when he was Home Secretary.
Got mistaken for Lord Cecil Parkinson on several occasions.
Worked for years with a lady (now in her 40s) who was the baby in the advert for soap with Sandra Howard when she was modelling as Sandra Paul before she married Michael.

When Take That were first famous when they first came on the scene,
my sister, and her 2 daughters were trapped in a restaurant with Take That. It was my nieces 18th birthday and Take That came in for a meal.
Some fans discovered where they were and tried to get in, so the restaurant owners locked the doors! They started talking to my sister and nieces and apologised for what was happening. My sister said they were very nice and friendly, talking away to them.

One of my contacts has Henry VIII in his tree plus his (Henry's) ancestors and one of his poor wives. (Not really a claim to fame, I know!)

In the summer I went to a function also attended by Des Lynham. My friend (who'd had a couple) went up to him and told him that he needed a good haircut and she could recommend an excellent barber. He retorted . . . ' and you need to wear more make-up madam!' I was very glad I didn't say it to him, even though I thought it! :-D

My Daughter & I took part in a children's programme back in 1976.

I knew Tom Chaplin & Tim Rice Oxley (Keane) when they were just boys at the boarding School where I worked.

My son used to ply golf with Tom on the school grounds.

I used to serve The Werzels (spelling)in a cafe where I worked before they were famous and before the M4 was opened.

Wend, Lyneham's less than gentlemany reply reminds me of the time i 'encountered' Acker Bilk.
It was a college (where I worked) party. I had lost my husband and friends (I had a 'power nap' in the basement - 2 young children & many sleepless nights :-D) So I picked up the 2 bottles of wine we'd bought and went upstairs where I came face to face with him.

I just said 'excuse me' - he said something on the lines of a 'p*ssed up tart set for the evening'. I said something like 'How dare you make assumptions'. Bilk then said something really crude.
Fortunately a colleague was stood behind him, heard him, and second-guessed my next move.
I went to slap him - forgetting I had a bottle in my hand :-S Colleague grabbed the bottle. I told Bilk what a mysogynistic &!&& and dirty old man he was (he was older than my dad). also how lucky he'd been that my friend (a special constable. :-0) had grabbed the bottle, as I would have been even more furious if it had been wasted on him.

.....clap clap clap @ Maggie.

I used to play piano in a Manchester Jazz Band in late 50/60s.we played at the Cavern in Liverpool when it was a jazz club and the new Mersey beat bands filled in when we had an interval.
I remember when Ringo asked our drummer if he could sit in on his drums and he wasn't well pleased when this little scruff of a lad was going to use his very expensive cymbal that cost so much an inch and his pride and joy.
Wish I'd got their autographs.I have a 1960 programme of an all night festival that we are featured in and they are just on the last page.
Did a concert with Acker Bilk at Free Trade Hall Manchester and knew loads of well known jazz musicians.
Went on the TV in a programme called ....People and Places with Bill Grundy and Gay Byrne...black and white TV and had to have gold dust sprayed in hair to show it up.
Did radio programmes with Geoffrey and Peter Wheeler and Syd Lawrence of Northern Dance Orchestra.
Those were the days....and I have just been in touch with 2 musicians from over 50 years ago,due to the Internet and modern technology....magic!

Nothing Special, except that I,m My Fathers Son and proud to be.Few other things but they remain private. Happy Christmas Everyone.**M**.

Maggie,I agree about Ackers behaviour .He was always drunk.
Went on a riverboat shuffle with him from Liverpool to the Isle of Man and he was less than a gentleman.We had to push him on stage once.
Another was George Melly...he was so smarmy ,played with them when he was with Mick Mulligans band.

Well, Maggie, what a story! I always thought (when I was young, I admit), that Acker Bilk was such a mild, gentle man who just played the clarinet beautifully (which he did, of course.) Good on you for standing up to him - shame he probably didn't even notice because he was so drunk (lucky your friend took the bottle out of your hand though, ha ha! :-( Brenda, your story about him is interesting too.

I think my friend probably deserved it - she was very rude to Des. She cringed about it the next day (as some probably do when they've had a skinful! Me? - I wouldn't know :-0 :-S :-D )

I used to enjoy watching Melly perform, Brenda, but not sure I'd have liked to met him.

My mum liked Acker Bilk - I never did, even before I met him!!

Had a dance with Paul Jones (from Manfred Man) in 1967. Chatted to Sandie Shaw , and shook hands with Gene Pitney. All happened at the Fiesta Club in Stockton on Tees. Those were the days! :-)

I met Billy Connolly.

It was when had the trouble with the banana boots in Brisbane :-D Late 1970s if my memory is right.

I told him that Queenslanders are known as "banana benders" so they may have not appreciated his footwear.

No, he didn't swear! He was very nice. :-D

And....... I had coffee with Margot Fontaine & Mikael Barishnikov (well, we were in the same coffee shop :-) )