Mediocre claims to fame

I had a job as a valet in a restaurant in Houston for a few months. One of the regular visitors whose car I used to park was Billy Gibbons.

He often used to stop for a brief chat & on my last day he gave me a copy of the Afterburner album and a key fob with the ZZ motif.

A real gent.
 
Sat opposite Mark from TOWIE on a plane, he was talking very loudly and braggy about how so-and-so from TOWIE had just got some big brand deal or some nonsense like that. Then he played a racing game on his (at the time) fancy iPad. Then the plane took off and I'd swear he **** himself most of the way.
But then he went and married Michelle Keegan so he probably doesn't think about that flight very often.
 
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My son went to the same primary school as David Bradley (Filch in Harry Potter) sent his kids. Met him a few times, nice down to earth guy.
 
DJMK4 said:
I dont know, i was quite young, i didnt know he had the hand


i did actually visit his grave in london near highgate cemetary randomly whilst looking around
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Died quite young. Looks quite an impressive headstone on his grave.
 
A few things that i can remember are :-

1. In the late 80s / early 90s I 'appeared' on MacGregor Across Scotland in the background of a piece where Jimmie Macgregor was talking about the steam railway in Brechin along with one of my mates. Those fleeting seconds on TV gave me the hunger for fame!

2. Got on a packed train in Edinburgh Waverly and there was a woman about a foot away from me as we were both standing just inside the doors. I caught myself a few times looking puzzled at her cos i knew i recognised her but couldn't think from where. We exchanged smiles but I'm sure she wondered why the creepy looking (puzzled) bloke was looking at her! It turns out it was Dawn Steele who played Lexi in Monarch of the Glen. I'm sure she got off the train at Haymarket!

3. Took photos of a few 'famous' footballers, mainly lower league Scottish football over 13yrs when i was club photographer for Brechin but as a result I've been pitchside at about 2/3rds of all Scottish Grounds. Most well known player who played for Brechin would probably have been Garry Brady who started out in his career at Spurs, Norwich (on loan) and Portsmouth. Needless to say his two years with us were in the twighlight of his career!

4. As a result of the above, I've been on telly pitchside on BBC Alba in the challenge cup when our opposition was Rangers after they'd been relegated to the bottom division following their financial anomolies. Equally I was on Sky Sports when Brechin were away to St Johnstone in the Quarters of the Scottish Cup following a Celtic match cancellation (European cup clash of fixtures if i remember correctly) we got given the Sky Sports slot and part of the way through the match i was asked to move back about a metre or so cos i was in the sky camera view a bit too much! :cry:

5. Also as a result of the above I had some photos on the BBC Alba website in the prelude to the Rangers match and the team headshots that i took appeared in the game Football Manager 2014.
 
I asked a random guy in a pub garden in London for a light (almost 20 years ago).

He lit my cigarette.

The girls I were with when I walked back to them looked in shock at me. Turned out it was Jude Law.

Best I’ve got. I don’t see many.
 
Derek W said:
2. Got on a packed train in Edinburgh Waverly and there was a woman about a foot away from me as we were both standing just inside the doors. I caught myself a few times looking puzzled at her cos i knew i recognised her but couldn't think from where. We exchanged smiles but I'm sure she wondered why the creepy looking (puzzled) bloke was looking at her! It turns out it was Dawn Steele who played Lexi in Monarch of the Glen. I'm sure she got off the train at Haymarket!
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That is a top drawer claim to fame. As an avid Glenner, I think I'd have a fit of the vapours if I ever came face to face with Lexi IRL.
 
Had my photo in the paper with the late Sir Bobby Robson and then met him again years later in Ireland with the national football team

Played golf with Neil Lennon

Had my photo taken with Shakey Byrne at a BSB round at Croft circuit
 
Back in '06, I spent a year travelling and my final stop was Los Angeles. On the first night, after checking in to our hostel, my friend suggested we head out for some food. We ended up strolling down Sunset Strip, nearby. On the way back, encountered a bunch of paparazzi outside of a club. It turned out to be Britney Spears' 25th birthday party. A few recognisable celebs turned up - Chris Rock, Hilton sisters and Stephen Dorff were some I remember - before Britney arrived in her black stretch hummer. The paps rushed in, jostling with her entourage, and she breezed past about 3ft from two faintly bemused British lads!

Funny moment - the actor who played Nick Cartwright Smith in Home and Away arrived with a blonde on his arm, clearly trying to blag entry, and was turned away.

In my first job after returning, I worked in an airport setting for a while. Crossed paths with quite a few musicians, footballers and minor TV celebrities; from Robert Plant and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, to John Torode, Danny Dyer and Stuart 'the Brand' Baggs. Two of the most pleasant were Skin (Skunk Anansie) and Kara Tointon. Zero interest in 'celebrity' but it's often amusing watching other people reacting to someone they recognise.

Another mediocre claim to fame: I have the same first name and surname as a very famous guitarist.
 
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I once accidentally stood on Bill Oddie's foot whilst serving in a pub.

He went off like a rocket & turned the air blue - I was totally shocked - I'd only ever seen him doing birding programmes on TV & thought he's be really sweet!
 
While out on the town one night for someone's birthday sat back to back with Katie Price (Jordan) in a pub once (she had been doing some book launch or something in town that day) - didn't have a clue who it was until I saw the local news next day though wondered why she was getting a lot of attention - she wasn't made up like you see her in the news, etc.

Gary Lineker sometimes used to visit my dad's lab, which I worked in for a bit, he was doing a bit of stuff involving development of footwear and gloves for sports.

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(Blurred my dad out as he isn't big on his picture being posted online).

Once flew from Amsterdam to Bristol using KLM on an early morning flight with just myself and one other person the only passengers on the entire aircraft, full compliment of stewardesses and the Dutch king was our pilot.

My ancestors have a couple of connections somewhat of note including Mary Sidney sister of the more famous Sir Philip Sidney (she is sometimes considered to be the actual author of some of Shakespeare's works) and Captain Daniel Bolt of the Harbinger.
 
A couple of other thoroughly mediocre ones:

I went to the same secondary school as Ant McPartlin, and lived a couple of mins walk from Dec's. I think there was a 1-2 year gap between leaving and joining though.

Once sat behind Jade Goody and partner at a Mecca bingo in Harlow. That was a low point.
 
Two months ago I spotted Jeremy Wade off River Monsters sitting in a cafe I was in. I'm not usually that side of town, but went over to buy a fishing permit from a nearby tackle shop

He was a nice chap and allowed me to get a selfie with him.
 
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