h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have been thinking that "Brushes With Fame" would make an interesting guide entry. I haven't had much luck finding existing accounts on H2G2 of such encounters. Where should I post a request for submissions? Or is this just not a good idea...

--Zmrzlina

Do you mean brushes with 'I'm famous' or brushes with famous people.

I met Sonia!! (Liverpudlian popstar about 8/9 years back, I think she was a Eurovision songstress)

SallyM

That's EXACTLY what I mean. Brushes with "famous" people. So how did you come to meet Sonia?

I'll bite...

Shirley Jones is famous for playing Mrs. Partridge on the terrible '70's sitcom 'The Partridge Family.' Anyway, she lives right up the hill in Big Bear, California, and she was booked to do a Christmas concert in my hometown. I was in high school at the time, and the choir group I was a part of had quite a reputation, so we were chosen to be the opening act. We also learned a piece to perform as backup to her, which was going to be the closing number. The day of the big show, we rehearsed it with her a couple of times, then saw her at the show, obviously. She was kinda terse and business-like, and really seemed to go out of her way to avoid us. She did give one of our sopranos a word of encouragement when she had a question on the music during rehearsal. She wanted to go over a certain part again, and Shirley said something like "That's alright, sister. We'll go over it as much as you need so we'll get it right." She's obviously quite an actress, though, since no interview or part she's ever played has revealed her pronounced Brooklyn accent, peppered with '30's or '40's slang.

Still in high school, the next year they booked Patti Page (famous singer from days of yore, her best-known tune is "How Much is That Doggy in the Window") to do the Christmas concert at the same venue, and we were automatically selected as the opening act by virtue of our outstanding performance the year before (most people who attended told us we outshone the star). We also did a number with her, as in the year previous. She was a very sweet lady who took extra time out to meet with all of us, and she put on an outstanding show.

Saw Bob Saget (star of lameassed sitcom 'Full House' and former host of 'America's Funniest Home Videos') and what I assume was his family at LAX at the Hawaiian Airlines terminal. I was waiting to check in, and I heard a familiar voice over at the first-class counter. Didn't bother to approach him or anything, but I suppose it qualifies as a 'brush.'

Alright! Two and half brushes in one post! I think there should be a guideline that the brush has to include actual interaction, even if not one-on-one.

I have no idea how to go about making this entry, but since we have a few here and my own...I think I can get a start on it. Perhaps not until a bit later in the week, though. Check back on my homepage next weekend and if I haven't started this project, give me a shake.

And more people need to bite!

Thank-you!
--Zmrzlina

I was at a radio 1 roadshow at Tatton Park, Knutsford, ages ago.
I went with my Mum, Grandma, Aunt, Sister and her best mate Katie. Me and Katie decided to go behind the stage to have a nose. Sonia was just getting ready to go backstage and was walking towards me. As I was in her was she stopped and I said Hi. She moved me out of the way to go backstage. Katie got her autograph for me, my sister and herself.

Unfortunatly me and Katie were backstage a while so when we got back to my mum everyone else had wandered along to the car boot sale and we spent the rest of the day trying to find them.

Not really a great brush with the famous, but I'm going to Marbaya (spain type area) for my hols so I might meet someone there. Apparently Sean Connery has a house there.

SallyM

Ohhh....Sean Connery...no matter how old he gets, he is still sexy. And he'll always be the only Bond for me.

I am going to show my ignorance here...who is Sonia? Please forgive me...I am American and also not real up-to-date on celebrities.

And I'll enjoy an imaginary vicarious brush with fame while you are in Marbaya

Well I've had a quick look and the only thing I can find out about here is this article in a teen mag we have in the UK

http://www.cafe80s.freeserve.co.uk/saw/artists/son02.htm

Entitled 'Is Sonia a Turkey?'

I think you get the idea

SallyM

P.S. Yes most of my mates think he is the sexyist 'older bloke' around

When my dad was young he went into some motorway service station toilets. Also in the WC were a number of strangely dressed people. Not until he got back in the car and they drove of in a limo did his sister tell him they were The Who

Ohhhh! This is fun! I can put the Sonia brush with The Who brush and we will have an inside joke

--Zmrzlina

Okay, I'm only reporting this one, it is not my own. My friend Roz ( who incidentally is also part of the h2g2 comunity under the name of Eris ). Her brother accidently tripped up Terry Prattchet at a Discworld convention. He apparently received the reply:
" You alright there mate ?", from Terry. So I guess that counts.

Yup! It counts in the brother-of-friend-who-had-a-brush-with-fame category

Now, would Eris be the Eris at http://www.h2g2.com/U110315 or the Eris at http://www.h2g2.com/U114307? Would want to give her credit since she would get a mention in the sister-of-a-brother-who-had-a-brush-with-fame category.

I'm not sure, I can try asking her next Tuesday. ( I won't see her until then. ) Alternativley, If you pop over to my homepage, you will see a forum entry called " Mondays not quite as bad as thursday's but....." In that you will find a link to Eris's homepage and you can ask her yourself if she would like the credit.

Hang on! it just dawned on me that one of those links that you've posted is highlighted in red. So THAT is probably the one The link is http://www.h2g2.com/U110315. Her homepage should be called " Breaking new ground ".

Clive

If you're looking for vicarious stories, then I can offer up a few more:

A very close friend of mine was in college when she had the opportunity to study abroad in Strausburg, Austria. She didn't think she could afford it, but I talked her into taking a risk, and off she went, along with several other music students from her university. Smashing Pumpkins did a concert in Vienna, and they all attended, and in their number was one typically ditzy California chick who thought she could get them backstage to meet the band. Off they went. Anyway, just as the bouncer was about to kick them out, the band realized they had actual Americans outside, and were so happy to find this that they invited the lot of them backstage. She says they basically just hung out and talked, and they were all nice and fairly normal, even Billy Corgan.

I saw the band Goldfinger in concert with some friends, and in my company was a dude who also fits the ditzy-Californian mentality, and off he goes on his own to try to meet the band. No one else was back there, really, and they invited him backstage and gave him a sandwich. He talked with them for a few minutes, then excused himself to bring his friends in. He hunted us down, gave us the story, and was completely dismayed when we turned him down. Another dude and I had chicks to meet at the club, and we were already running late.

Marilyn Manson was seen getting hammered every day for a week before his big show at my favorite club, so I heard about it from several acquaintances and friends. He (she/it?) drank until he couldn't stand up, and at 130 lbs, that happens rather fast. It was no suprise that, at his show (I really didn't want to go, but all my friends wanted to, and it was Friday night, so what was I going to do, hang out by myself for a few hours? Half wanted to see him because they liked his music, the rest just wanted to see if he'd do something freaky.), he managed to get through 4 songs before picking up a stage light (it was laying on the ground, pointed up at him through the use of a sheet-metal cone) whipping it aroung like an idiot, and cutting his hand. The lights went out, he disappeared, and was whisked away in an ambulance. This is a pattern for him, so I advise everyone who has a chance to see him in concert to pass it up. He's a pussy, and he owes me twenty bucks.

I met Ali G in a Dublin nightclub and spent a hliarious (for me) 10 minutes telling him how he looked just like someone off the telly .
In my defence this was before he was particularily famous.

These are great! I will begin work on the entry Friday so pop on over to my homepage and take a peek this weekend.

Thanks guys!

I've got Patrick Moore's signature. He gave a Christmas lecture in my home town. In real life he's just like a large, friendly garden gnome.

Rather than re-type it I refer you to a conversation at:

http://www.h2g2.com/forumframe.cgi?forum=31776&thread=36619

Brush 1) Euston station while waiting to go home Kenny Daglish then manager of Blackburn Rovers, and my childhood hero stood beside me not once but twice, me I couldn't open my mouth.

Brush 2) Whilst working in H. Samuel's Hammersmith there was a campaign to raise funds for the Hammersmith Lyric, so various celebs came into the shops to help raise funds. I taught Lionel Blair to use the till after he helped close an engagement ring sale.

Brush 3) Served Boy George and Lily Savage (sans drag) in H. Samuel Picadilly Circus.

Brush 4) The Late Screaming Lord Sutch came to H. Samuel Picadilly to lauch a Sekonda premotion I was in charge of rearranging the display window for his visit.

Brush 5) Pumped into Billy Connelly at one of my local bars a few months ago in Cultra, Northern Ireland and ended up talking with the Big Yin for about a hour.