Meeting Your Idols and Being Disappointed

[strawberrisc]

Today I almost met somebody who has been a big figure in my life. It took ages to pluck up the courage to speak to them and I was totally dismissed. I wasn’t being a “gushing fan” and it was a setting that was laid back. Everyone else was lovely. Have tou ever met someone you admire and wish you hadn’t?

Blaze Bailey - really nice. DP has met Joey Belladonna (of Anthrax) and says he was nearly nice. David Gold - ever so friendly, whatever you think of him as a football chairman.

When I used to try and get autographs outside the Birmingham City ground a lot of the players hadn't used to stop, so my Mom actually asked Steve Bruce (which shows how long ago this was) to have words with them, and the next time we went they all stopped, so I think he did. Out of the ones that did stop Maik Taylor was probably the nicest - he gave free goalkeeping gloves out.

No bad experiences personally, but a colleague tells me he once had an argument with Tony Iommi. Someone I knew who lived by Dave Hill from Slade said they didn't like him.

A girl I went to school with lived next door to the football Lee naylor and he was apparently nice.

Oh and I forgot to mention a refereeing friend who absolutely idolizes Howard Webb certainly wasn't disappointed when he met him.

Oh yes, Judge Rinder was lovely and Jeremy Kyle does act like an idiot but is really funny!

I met Arnold Schwarzenegger a couple of years ago In Graz.He was staying in the same Hotel as myself and my teenage sons and husband who were all agog to get a photo with him.He was very friendly and obliged with a big smile.I don't idolise him at all but it was great to see him in real life even though he is way shorter than I expected him to be.

My mum sat next to Claire Bloom and Rod Stiger in a coffee shop in the 60s. There was nowhere else to sit. She was very cool about it. She also got to meet Cary Grant as she did promotional photos with him for Operation Petticoat at the premier as she was in the Wrens.

I'm lucky to have met lots as I worked in TV PR and then moved into theatre management. But if I had to narrow down my four favourites, they fall into the "legends" category:

Christopher Lee. He had a reputation for being overly serious, especially about himself. He was serious about his work but otherwise I think people mistook his often very dry sense of humour for seriousness, coupled with that deep voice and his height. I remember laughing an awful lot (and so did he, actually) he had the most fascinating and hilarious stories and once you set him off you'd not speak for half an hour. Probably the most well-read and intelligent man I've ever met.

Judi Dench. Never stops giggling, loves larking around, radiates calm all around her. Wicked sense of humour.

Angela Lansbury. A total and utter delight. Your favourite (slightly cheeky) aunt combined with your adored grandmother. Naughty sense of humour, loves rude jokes and dropping the f-bomb, and the energy of a woman 20 years younger.

Oh, and yes, Terry Wogan. The guvnor.

I've met loads though work but the ones who stand out are (deep breath!)

Russ abbot - got stuck in a lift with him! Really funny and very calm man.

Christopher Timothy - shared the last spoon of peas at work canteen!

Simon cowell - lovely.

Red hot chilli peppers - lovely, flea is adorable

Prince - very shy but funny, clever, intelligent and so beautiful r.i.p

I used to go to school with Amanda Holden. Vile. Amazing that she's much younger than me, when she is actually older...

Esther rantzen - vile.

Chris Evans - monumental dick.

HA @ mandy holden ageing backwards 😁

mydogishot

How old IS Amanda Holden in actuality?

I have met Sir Bradley Wiggins a few times, he's quite shy but very funny & witty.

@TheFreaksShallInheritTheEarth

I'm 50

mydogishot. I remember about 20 years ago Amanda Holden and I were the same age. Now I'm 49 and she's 47. 🤔

Amanda aka Benjamin Button. Saw a pic of her jogging sans makeup and she looked rough.

@Sheitgeist

Maybe she's Benjamin button.

We've been at the same 'do' before now and she'll avoid me because she knows I don't have an issue of telling people where we know each other from!
It's quite sad really (not for me).

www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/NINTCHDBPICT000449137795.jpg?strip=all&w=773

She is old.

Probably very outing but years ago I had to attend a meeting in Brent Cross with some store managers. I was in the car with two older store managers from Sheffield, and we got completely lost - we could see Brent Cross shopping centre but not how to get in.

We pulled into a garage and one of the ladies ran up to a guy filling up his black Range Rover, to ask if he knew how to get to Brent Cross car park.

We sat in the car and watched like this...as George Michael put this arm around the ladies shoulder to turn her round and point out the directions. She had no idea who he was and he looked like he was trying not to laugh.

She jumped back in the car saying what a nice man he was....

He waved us off absolutely whooping and howling in the car.

I had turquoise and black hair once, and was walking along the street when I heard a man in a car shout, “Sweetheart! Oi, sweetheart!”. Naturally I ignored it, then a taxi pulled up beside me and Gazza is hanging out the window, he said my hair was fab and asked me who’d done it.

DSHathaway, my dad went to Goodwood Festival of Speed every year for many, many years. He often saw Rowan Atkinson and said he was an utterly peculiar man; lots of nervous tics and seemed quite highly strung.

I used to work for the management company of a very famous German metal band, and ended up spending quite a lot of time with them during their tours. 5 out of 6 of them were absolute sweethearts (if a little hot-headed at times), but their lead guitarist was an unremitting arsehole. I loathed the bastard - I've lost count of the number of blazing arguments I had with the jumped-up, preening little tosser. Unfortunately, he was the one who gave the majority of the fangirls the fanny gallops.

Chris Evans - monumental dick.

Which one? Crossing all available fingers that you mean the radio guy and not Captain America.

@JustLetMeStapleTheVicar would you say he was a bit of a 'dick'?
Shame though, he is rather handsome.

@ghosty

I was going to say what a lovely man Tony Benn was. I met him several times, one of the LP members in my ward knew him quite well, and we had tea at the Commons with him one afternoon. He was always up for coming to speak at rallies and other events and was genuinely interested in how to help people.

Michael Foot was a lovely man too.

Denis Healey otoh was a grumpy bugger.

Adobe - ding ding ding! You got it in one Granted, he IS a good-looking chap, but Christ alive, doesn't he know it! He looks a lot older in the flesh though. He was an evil bastard to his ex-wife too.

@Igneococcus

Both.

Chris Pratt is aptly named too.

Sly Stallone was surprisingly lovely, I'd been told different!