Celebrities: have you met any and what were they like?

Was at Berlin airport, each of the gates have their own duty free booth. Decided to have a quick look. Turned to leave and right in front of me was some guy who kind of looked quizzically at me (probably because he was wondering if I knew who he was) but I didn't twig.

Sat down, and then he joined a couple of his mates seated across from me. For a while I didn't recognise him. In fact the first inkling I got was a vague recollection of the tall greying fellow next to him in a long leather jacket - had a feeling they were musicians. The penny then dropped, the fellow in the middle (who was in the duty free booth) was Chris Rhea.

Noticed that he took a quick look at a letter (from a fan?), chucked it, then kept the accompanying CD (!!!).

On the plane, the stewardesses where gossiping with each other (e.g. "is it him?").

Andrew

quote:

Originally posted by Yo-yo Master:
Would anyone be willing to relate their experiences with celebrities?

The only celebrities I have met were the members of Yes in Sydney a few years ago at an autograph signing session.

Jon Anderson was kind and respectful to his fans.

Chris Squire looked like he had just fallen out of bed and was hardly coherent.

Steve Howe was aloof. Not impolite, just distant.

The revelation was Rick Wakeman. A genuinely nice and friendly person who made me feel like a friend in a chat that lasted no more than 30 seconds. He smiled, looked me in the eye, shook my hand, and talked to me about golf!

Steve

PS Alan White wasn't at the session.

Yeah, Rick Wakeman is cool. Met a guy who is a MAJOR autograph hunter (attends premieres and stuff), and chatted about all the celebs he's met and encounters and things. Distinctly remember him saying that Rick Wakeman does a lot of charity events and is someone who respects his fans greatly.

Andrew

I work for a well known airline, in charge of the crew. I've met loads of famous people. Royalty/film/tv stars/musicians/sportsmen. At the end of the day, they are just people, like anyone else.They have good days & bad days, so you can't judge on one encounter, I think. Some are talented, some just lucky--right place, right time, etc.Sometimes, the people that you are most looking forward to meeting turn out to be major disappointments, others pleasant surprises.
The late James Hunt was on one of my aircraft once, & he had a dreadful reputation amongst the crew. In turn for being allowed in the cockpit for take-off, he later sat next to a lad who had broken his leg & was in plaster, & a lot of pain. The kids face was a picture, as this famous racing driver gave him autographs, caps,& other momentos, & told stories of racing cars.What a nice guy he was. Just goes to show.
matt.

Yes. Normal people, just like everyone else. It's just a job, maybe slightly diffrent from yours or mine, but not much.

Many years ago I met Rod Stewart in a pub near Shepperton, nice bloke - asked me if I was west Ham fan as I was wearing a claret and blue scarf - I said of course not I'm a Villa fan!
(they were good then!)

Ones I can remember.

I've worked with:

Steve Redgrave - very nice bloke.
Laurence.L.Bowen - intellient & very nice.
Shane Richie - very, very nice bloke.
"Ken Barlow" - twat.
Natasha Kaplinski - ok.
Judith Chalmers - hated her.
Razor Ruddock - the worst.
Jamie Redknap - a gent.
Alex Ferguson - very kind & patient.
Marti Pellow - bit of a jerk
Oasis - no idea
Sian Lloyd (who?) lovely
Ian Rush - bit thick

met:

Nick Mason
Chris Rea
Alain Prost
Niki Lauda
John Toshack
Jack Nicklaus
Nick Faldo
Kenny Dalglish - came round for dinner!
John McEnroe - twice - he's the only one I've been scared of.

Some z-listers up there, but there you go.

Chaps

I met many politicians when I worked for the Post Office.

The cleverest and least trustworthy was Cecil Parkinson. A very sharp brain but strictly out for number one.

Clare Short ... a total fruitcake. She actually suggested to me that mail in London should be delivered by horse. She really did mean it.

Cyril Smith .. his bufoon image was an act. A very sharp operator indeed.

Edward Leigh (prominant back bencher but sits on all the committees and a very useful contact. Again razor sharp.

John Prescott, cleverer than what his image projects. A total workhorse.

Michael Heseltine. Again very clever but also manipulative.

Antony Beaumont Dark...again a backbencher who sat on all the committees and a very good contact to open doors.

Roy Hattersley..clever but full of himself.

I worked at Williams Grandprix after leaving the Post Office and met Frank Williams. He was obsessed with racing and nothing else.

Montoya .. not a nice man.

Freddie Mercury..I used to park my car outside his house whilst I popped over to Earls Court for a drink. Met him a few times and he was charming.

Met the Pet Shop boys at a marketing jaunt .. not very nice at all, really full of themselves.

Had a drink with Judith Durham of the Seekers a couple of years ago. A truely lovely lady.

Had many drinks with Alex Higgins on the train. He was a regular on the late train out of Paddington. He actually recognised me a few times. He could certainly out drink me. Everytime I left him I was plastered.

Sat next to Samantha Fox at a Charity do. She certainly had a liberal volcabrary. Very small in height but what a magnificent bosom.

Regards

Mick

I am very modest and quite approachable.

The only autograph i want is your.

Princess Diana - Presenting new Colours to the Regiment. She was a charming flirt and loved all the attention.

John Williams the guitarist - rather boring. I was forced to share a table with him in Brown's restaurant, Brighton when he was playing with SKY who I had just seen in concert. My girlfriend and I were sitting at a table for four when in walks Williams with another chap. As there were no other seats available the waitress asked me if I would mind if we shared, I said I didnt mind and that we just seen him in concert to which Williams replied 'Oh' and that was the end of the conversation.

Robert Powell the actor - sat next to him on a flight. We chatted about Russia. Seemed nice enough.

Leo Sayer - small pop star - met at a party in the late 70s - unbearable cocky little sh1t. He tried to pull my girlfriend right in front of me. When she turned him down he said 'but I'm really famous'. She said 'yes, but you are a little twat' and he said '......but I'm really famous' she said 'yes, but......'

Greta Scacchi - Film actress. Met at a dinner party circa 1992. Thats all on that one folks.

Peter Sellars - distantly related. He was rather unkind to my mother who said he was generally unkind to most people.

Just people like any other. Nothing special.

quote:

Sat next to Samantha Fox at a Charity do. She certainly had a liberal volcabrary. Very small in height but what a magnificent bosom.

I've met a few politicians and I agree it is never wise to underestimate just how bloody sharp they are.

As for Sam Fox I met her by a swimming pool just outside Marbella, Spain and did not recognise her at first. I saw her in a bikini and I thought 'jeeeez look at the tits on that' but she is absolutely tiny. No more than 5 feet tall? We had a bit of a laugh about the people doing pool aerobics. She's as common as muck and bats for the other side so I didnt waste any time chatting her up but I did enjoy the view.

Rokingdog When the two were kicked out it was all over the papers with much speculation regarding the guy, the circumstances and the drugs, I can't even think of his name now but I have not breached any confidentiality. However I will concede I have seriously breached confidentiality buy saying Paula thought I made a good pavalova .

It was a good pavalova mind.

My MP, Nicholas Winterton. Very sharp. Saw him at the hustings once go from tentative probing of his audience to see where they stood on race to ending up shouting 'Who's country is it anyway?'. Very frightening to see someone manipulate an audience like that.

I served Linford Christie in a shop not long after he had won his Olympic Gold in Barcelona. he seemed pleasant enough, albeit a bit shy.

Also Janet Ellis of Blue Peter fame, who was lovely, with a very young Sophie Ellis Bextor in 1992.

Mark

Kenneth E. Iverson. Almost a God in the field in which I worked. I met him two or three times in the early 80s and once we chatted at some length about the merits of various BC Ferry routes.

I shook hands with the the Captain - he was in the queue when I was at university trying to get in to the same Damned concert as me.

We (plebs in the queue) explained to the great man that he didn't need to queue being the star at the top of the bill.

What a great guy - Mr and Mrs Sensible must be very proud parents.

I met Dennis Healy once, but he was idiot (sorry I mean Member of Parliament) and I don't consider him to be in the same league as the Captain.

Met Paul and Linda McCartney on a train from Dover to London with one of their infant kids (Not sure which one) in 1977. I was part of a big group of young lads, and our minders organised for us to go up and meet them in their carriage, the old 6/8 person slam door type, in groups of three or four. I have to say they were brilliant, and hapilly chatted and signed autographs, which I still have.

By total contrast, my favourite was bumping into Johnny Rotten at a New Order gig in the Peppermint Lounge, New York in 1980.

At the time we were looking for Mick Jones and Topper Headon of The Clash, who were meant to be there, when I saw Rotten sitting at the bar. I asked him if he had seen them and he said "no mate", "what are you two doing in New York, sit down and have a drink".

He introduced us to his entourage, described them all as wankers, and totally ignored them for the next few hours, while my friend and I got pissed with him.

Fantastically funny, very sharp, and the most incredibly piercing eyes I have ever seen. Top bloke.

Nic

Depends what you call a celebtity, I suppose.

I have been sworn at by HRH The Princess Anne, but she is way more than a celeb! I have met several rather eminent musicians, who I would not expect to remember me, but they are far too unfamous, and far too talented to call celebs either.

I knew Arnold Darlington as a friend for several years before his death, but I doubt if anyone still knows what he did. He was an inspiration to a school aged boy.

No I don't really think I have met a fully fledged celeb, though, in that case...

I have yet to meet Adam, but I am not sure I would call him a celeb, at all!

Fredrik

Omar Shariff gave me a cigarette once. A real charmer. Then he comprehensively thrashed us at cards.
I don't smoke any more.

Joanna Lovely is Lumley, too.

Endal, the dog of the Millenium - I often meet him
he is very clever - can use a Pin and Chip machine and an ATM.

Captain Birds Eye bought me an ouzo in Greece once.

Eric Scothorn:

quote:

Princess Diana - Presenting new Colours to the Regiment. She was a charming flirt and loved all the attention.

Eric you should be ashamed of yourself!

It's Lady Diana, Princess of Wales. Not Princess Diana.

Tsk.

quote:

Originally posted by Roy T:
Kenneth E. Iverson. Almost a God in the field in which I worked.

A great language, although mostly all Greek to me. I was involved in an APL consultancy at one time. Do you still work in that field? Does anyone?

Regards
Steve

PS: I had a long chat with Steve Davis at the bar during the Heathrow High Fidelity show a few weeks ago. Nice guy.

When visiting my sister in LA -93, I sort of meet Lemmy from Motorhead in Rainbow bar Hollywood. That was a great moment.
Shortly after (at Rainbow), I was approached by a man in the mens room... he asked me if I wanted some Coke, I replied " No I drink Beer".

Oh, how innocent I were...

Regards
Rickard

quote:

Originally posted by 7V:

quote:

Originally posted by Roy T:
Kenneth E. Iverson. Almost a God in the field in which I worked.

A great language, although mostly all Greek to me. I was involved in an APL consultancy at one time. Do you still work in that field? Does anyone?


Regards
Steve

PS: I had a long chat with Steve Davis at the bar during the Heathrow High Fidelity show a few weeks ago. Nice guy.

No Steve, I gave it up towards the end of the 80s when complex financial models and such were moved on to 123 spread sheets!! I shaved off my full beard, no longer wore sandals, managed some old code for a bank and then managed people. I would rather have stuck to hardcore APL, APL2 or ISAPL, I still think in APL but not a quickly as I once did


Brings it all flooding back.