Body & Soul1 min ago
What’S Your Claim To Fame?
109 Answers
What’s your claim to fame? I don’t just mean getting a selfie with a celeb, or their autograph. Maybe you lived next door to a star, dated one, cut their hair, served them in a shop, were an extra in a movie or pop video, inspired a hit song....you get the picture
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forgot..dined with Billy Connelly when he was staying in same hotel when on a residential course..he joined our group as he was travelling alone... and met loads of Golfers on the circuit...Langer..Seve..Jacklin..trevino...azinger etc etc..played a few pro ams that Bruce..Tarbuck, Corbett..Henry Cooper etc etc played in..also played with Nat king cole's brother and a few big names from Rock gone by..golfing partner was public relations at Decca and would bring ageing hippy types to the course to play..was only mid way or after I discovered who they were !
I've had the (dis)pleasure of meeting a surprisingly high number of people who are now movers and shakers in Labour. I got into an argument with Seamus Milne about something at a book signing when he was just a lowly journalist, and we chatted for about 15 minutes afterwards. I've met Owen Jones too, but more fleetingly. Both of them were quite disappointing experiences.
I met and briefly interviewed Vadim Gagloev, who until recently was head of the Russian state circus organisation. I also interviewed a magician who teaches in Moscow, a reasonably famous Russian tapdancer, and some clowns who are well-known over there. There's probably legal/data protection implications for naming them on here, so I won't risk it. None of these people really count as properly "famous" I suppose, but it was a privilege to meet them and speak to them properly (at least to the best of my ability!) and they were experiences I treasure.
As for properly "famous", my best claim is probably a 5-minute conversation I had with Ian McKellen when I was about 17. I had only recently come out at the time, was absolutely terrified (and probably extremely annoying), but he was very gracious and supportive to me. I have his autograph tucked away somewhere.
I met and briefly interviewed Vadim Gagloev, who until recently was head of the Russian state circus organisation. I also interviewed a magician who teaches in Moscow, a reasonably famous Russian tapdancer, and some clowns who are well-known over there. There's probably legal/data protection implications for naming them on here, so I won't risk it. None of these people really count as properly "famous" I suppose, but it was a privilege to meet them and speak to them properly (at least to the best of my ability!) and they were experiences I treasure.
As for properly "famous", my best claim is probably a 5-minute conversation I had with Ian McKellen when I was about 17. I had only recently come out at the time, was absolutely terrified (and probably extremely annoying), but he was very gracious and supportive to me. I have his autograph tucked away somewhere.
I was the only Western journalist in Red Square, Moscow, when a young West German pilot somehow avoided all Soviet air defences and landed his Cessner right in front of the Kremlin on May 27, 1987. I sold the pictures within an hour for £13,000 to an American news agency and bought my first new car, a 316 Beamer, for £12,995, and had a fiver change.
lol Nailit xx I locked Mo Johnston's car in the office car park overnight just after he'd moved to Watford FC... he wisnae pleased when I wouldn't return after hours on Friday night to release it..had to come back on Monday, after I'd put a big sticky "you are parked illegally " label on his windscreen !!
I once asked a person hiding behind their newspaper on a train to move their bag off the next seat so I could sit down, only to find out it was Boris Johnson!
We used to live next door to the son of Sir Tom Finney, so saw him regularly. Apart from that, I pulled over to ask directions years ago in a little village from a little old man walking his dog, and it was Roald Dahl.
My aunt was in the same class at primary school in Liverpool as John Lennon- "dirty smelly little boy" she used to say, sniffily :)
We used to live next door to the son of Sir Tom Finney, so saw him regularly. Apart from that, I pulled over to ask directions years ago in a little village from a little old man walking his dog, and it was Roald Dahl.
My aunt was in the same class at primary school in Liverpool as John Lennon- "dirty smelly little boy" she used to say, sniffily :)
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