Not my idols (bar Chas Hodges), but I've met a lot of people as I work in the media with music.
I’ve been surprised both in a good way and bad way.
Here’s some I recall:
Finley Quaye
Nice as pie in the interview, but an absolute tool when the camera stopped rolling. He believed he was much bigger and talented than he actually was. He was demanding, rude, arrogant and full of himself. He kept disappearing off stage mid show to ‘go to the toilet’, leaving the session musicians still playing onstage looking bemused. He also smoked a joint onstage, soooo rock and roll!
Scouting for Girls
An interviewer’s dream. They were funny, charming, chatty, really lovely and down to earth. Even offered me gin from their rider!
The Wurzels
Interviewed them year before last, they were adorable, very cheeky, offered us food and drink from their rider (we politely declined) and they even randomly made a joke onstage that my boyfriend had proposed to me! No idea why, but our mates fell for it too!
Stereophonics
I interviewed them before they were big, Stuart the drummer (RIP) was a total sweetheart, but Kelly the lead singer, completely up his own backside and very arrogant, rude and acted like he was above us.
Jim Davidson
I appeared on Big Break, aged 19. In the bumph from the production team, there was a stipulation that female contestants MUST wear a dress or skirt! When Jim came to sit by me for the intros he made comments about my “nice legs”, then looked me up and down and turned around to the other female contestant and male contestant and said “She’s won, not you!” pointing at me. He then slid off his chair in a ‘comedy’ fashion and you see my crossing my legs so he didn’t see up my skirt from the floor, this was all aired.
After the show (which I did win BTW!) we were all in the green room for a buffet, drinks and to mingle with everyone, Jim and John Virgo included. John was a total diamond, incredibly sweet and down to earth, a really lovely man.
I couldn’t stay, as I had to be at a gig in Camden and the BBC had put on a car for me to get there, so I went up to Jim for a photo before I left and he said he was really tired after filming all day and if I wanted a photo, I would have to sit on his lap, as he wasn’t getting up. So I somewhere have a pic of me gingerly perched on his knee, looking slightly worried!
Howard Marks
Really warm, engaging. Intelligent and funny. The second time I met him, he remembered me too.
Chas and Dave
Consummate professionals, talented, charming, funny and gracious. Great story tellers. Just adorable and humble.
Chris Moyles
I worked with him before he was famous and he was so arrogant and full of himself back then, acted like God’s gift around women. I am talking 25 years ago too! Put me right off him after that.
Manic Street Preachers
I have met all of the Manics a few times, Including Richey, he was so sweet, softly spoken and had time for all the fans. Nicky has seemed aloof on the occasions I have met him, but not unpleasant, just wasn’t that interested in chatting to people.
Sean is really sweet and chatty and James I’ve sat up drinking with him and the Super Furry Animals and tour crew on a Manics tour and that particular night he seemed agitated and was being quite short with people, sort of like he was there socialising in body but really not in the mood in mind. I was gutted as he was my hero, however, I have met him other times and he seemed very sweet, so must have been a bad day!
Johnny Borrrell (Razorlight)
I was interviewing bands at a festival and was told Razorlight weren’t doing press. So as I had just done my last interview, I hit the bar to play catch up with my friends. However, I hit the bar too hard and got VERY drunk during Razorlight’s headline set.
Just as the set was ending. My phone rang, it was a PR person for the band, saying Johnny would give me a 5 minute interview. I was so drunk, I could barely stand, let alone speak, I was slurring, kept repeating myself and the questions, Johnny looked bemused, but was very patient and didn’t react, bless him.
I can’t bring myself to ever listen to the interview, it’s cringe worthy, I edited down so that you only hear me slur one question, then Johnny talks for four minutes! Hahaha!
Chris Jericho (Wrestler and lead singer of Fozzy)
Pleasant enough, but a tinge of arrogance and talking about his band like they were the bloody Rolling Stones.
Paddy Considine (Peaky Blinders etc.)
Charming, softly spoken and friendly.
Dick and Dom
So funny, really nice and chatty, vile PR person though.
Oh and my friend worked for Katie Price years ago and said she had absolutely zero redeeming features in her personality. She was demanding, rude, arrogant, didn’t have the words please and thank you in her vocabulary.