Some of you have seen this picture before. It is the only one of me which you will find on the net by typing in my (real) name. I am the one on the left who is not showing his face, carving a lyre in stone for the original front of the Theatre Royal, Bath.
I said hello to Beryl Reid every morning for two weeks during this job (some of you will remember that as well). The ladder on the scaffold went straight past her dressing room and the first time she saw me climb down, she shouted, "Ooh look! A pair of legs!" We waved at each other every day after that. Come to think of it, I used to wave at Angela Carter as I went past her window every day too.
Beryl would arrive at the theatre at around 10 or 11 in the morning and place a full bottle of gin on her dressing room table. By the time I left at around 5, it would be almost empty. She was a very good actor. I recently re-watched 'Smiley's People' in which she plays a retired spy giving advice to Alec Guinness as George Smiley - a spy who has come out of retirement to solve the mole mystery.
They say that you should never meet your heroes for fear of disappointment. I have a friend who discovered that this is often true.
Some years ago, Van Morrison lived in Bath. He came into our pub and was spotted by one of his biggest fans, who went up to him and thanked him for giving him such pleasure over the years with all his wonderful music.
Van the Man's response was to tell him to fuck off and leave him alone. Van Morrison neatly falls into the category described in yesterday's post - you know, the one which covers about 90% of the world's population.
I could take or leave his music, but after I heard this account (and many similar ones besides) I cannot bear to listen to the fat dwarf.
Have you ever been disappointed by meeting someone who you admired?
I've been to two Van M concerts, on both occasions he just walked off stage at the end. It was a bit like saying "Fuck you lot". I now always refer to him as Ivan; his real name.
ReplyDeleteEven his fellow musicians can't stand him, I have heard.
DeleteA bit of name dropping !!! I used to pass David Niven every morning on my way to work ..... he was obviously out for an early morning constitutional when not many people were around and he used to touch his hat to me
ReplyDeleteand we would exchange ‘ good mornings ‘. A real gent.?John Entwhistle of The Who was our patient and he was one of the quietest men that I have ever met. Harry Saltzman who produced the Bond films was a pig .... I could go on. I’m also showing my age ! XXXX
Harry Saltzman sounds like a Hollywood villain.
DeleteYes. Always.
ReplyDeleteNo Tom. I am easily pleased.
ReplyDeleteI believe you too.
DeleteCan't think of anyone who would impress me. I'm not really impressed with money or status. I take that back. It would be the Queen. I love her.
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on the type of status. A friend of mine used to despise Henry Moore as a sculptor - until he met him.
DeleteOnly disappointed at not meeting Pete Seeger, who stood behind me chatting with my sister while I waited on customer after customer. As I turned around, he was leaving.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Joanne, but Pete Seeger represents everything I cannot abide about folk music. I am sure he is (was?) a nice man though.
DeletePaul Daniels used to frequent a bar that I drank in he was .... my response was that I switched of the TV whenever he was on.
ReplyDeleteDid you change bars? I saw Paul Daniels once, and couldn't get over the size of his head - literally.
DeleteI frequented that particular hostelry because of they served quality evening meals which was my primary reason for being there. I did though find an alternative bar to drink in after the meal, so yes.
DeleteI love VM's music, he writes a particularly poignant love song. However i had heard that he was an unimitigated c#nt to the women in his life which really took the shine off it for me. So this is not surprising. My husband's half sister used to work in Rye DIY - Rye is a hot bed of famous people and she served Paul McCartney, Marty Pellow, Tom Baker etc. Spike Milligan lived there before her time. When we were there we spotted Tom Baker across the road but he looked very shouty, so we didn't fan him. Then we watched as someone else did and he was very friendly and I was a bit gutted.
ReplyDeleteI was in a London pub with Tom Baker once, and he was as drunk as a fart. I was with a famous British sculptor who was star-struck by meeting Doctor Who, but Tom did not recognise him.
DeleteYes....years ago I asked Ann Bell for her autograph in York
ReplyDeleteShe brushed me aside rudely ( she was Marion Jefferson in Tenko)
Never heard of her! Mind you, I thought Tenko was so awful that I only ever saw 2 minutes of it. The only autographs I want from famous people are on cheques. Garry Lineker paid cash.
DeleteApparently this is a true story. Van Morrison was invited to a party in Bath but when a small fat grumpy man turned up at the door and simply said Morrison, the host turned around and shouted “Taxi here for Morrison!”, I do hope it is true, it was in The Times.
ReplyDeleteIt is true. A friend of mine opened the door. He genuinely thought he was a taxi driver. I heard that he took one look at him in his little leather hat and turned around shouting, "Anyone order a taxi?"
DeleteI was sitting on a bench in an expensive boutique in Bath while my wife was trying on clothes. A very pretty girl with a very old and tall man came in. They were obviously a couple, and a very strange one at that. The man looked at me furiously, as if to say don’t talk to me peasant, I had no idea who he was until he flounced out and I realised it was a fat and ancient John Cleese with his latest squeeze. If he had behaved like a normal human being I would never have noticed but my word what an unpleasant arrogant bit or work.
ReplyDeleteHe did the same to me once. He was walking along in a red baseball cap and I thought 'this man is too old for that hat'. I only recognised him after he glared at me. He must do it all the time.
DeleteI saw Elton John in concert - an outdoor venue and it happened to be pouring rain. We all sat through the entire show, soaked to the bone, and never once mentioned to his fans his thanks for our diligence for staying. He walked off the stage and never came back for encores or thank yous. Needless to say, that did it for me.
ReplyDelete