Celeb spotting new level !

stickyfiddle

If we’re doing “bumped intos” then... 

Phil Jupitus on the tube. Amazing leopard print shoes
Marc Lamaar outside a theatre waiting for Bill Bailey.
Dan Hawkins in Norwich doing Christmas shopping at the height of their initial rise. Possibly the same week their Xmas song hit the charts
Justin Hawkins in Harrods a couple of year later, at the height of his coke-egotism.
Nathaniel Rateliff in Gruhn’s guitars. He looked a little the worse for wear. At 3 in the afternoon  

Kebabkid

We used to score these 'Star/Celeb Spots' at work when our then offices were  off Oxford St/Goodge St (Fitzrovia) and we called them 'Nordens' as Dennis Norden lived around there and he was the most spotted. In that time, mid-80s to 2014, there were too many to mention but these are the ones I recall but other colleagues got some big hitters, such as Madonna and Brad Pitt:-

I was nearly run over by 'Jesus' in a little Fiat (Robert Powell)

Mike Stern (jazz-fusion guitarist)
Felicity Kendall - you could tell she'd had work done but she looked fantastic, if a little cat-like
Cat Deeley in her biking leathers
Lots of newscasters as Channel 4 and ITN news were just around the corner
Chris Eubank & Goldie (setting off on the Gumball Rally from across the road at the Sandersons Hotel)
Simon Callow
Gary Kemp
Viggo Mortensen (he's short)
Janet McTeer (she's tall)
Hugh Grant
John Hurt (RIP)
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
Tommy Vance (RIP - DJ, Friday Night Rock Show)

At work, Terence Trent D'arby (another tall fella), Elliot Randall (guitarist on Steely Dan's Reelin in the Years), Joey Tempest of Europe and Brian Johnson from AC/DC, who was an absolute scream and loudly broke wind in our echo-y marble-floored reception, which went down about as well as poo sandwich with our humourless Receptionist!

Peter Bonnetti, Alan Houseman and Peter Osgood used to come to my uncle's restaurant as well as numerous wrestlers from the 70s (Catweazle, Rollerball Rocco, Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy - I mentioned these in another thread a while back).

Ade Edmondson & Jennifer Saunders ( I was Best Man to Ade's brother)
 
I once saw Norman Wisdom (RIP) at a car showroom in Epsom and  casually said "Hello Norman" and he replied "Hello. A bit parky, isn't it?"

I once sat behind Victor Spinetti (RIP) at an Archaos show (Cirque du soleil type thing) and he turned around and offered me a Polo Mint.

Now, if Jeff Beck still lived in his family home, he'd be 3 doors down from me in sunny Wallington, Surrey!

My cousin reckons Muswell Hill is a good place for actor start spots

thumpingrug

I think Ive posted these before but,

Roland Gift, late 80s in a health food shop in Hull, he bought the last loaf of Rye bread, that I had my eye on.  he lived a few doors down from me so saw him a bit.

The Housemartins drank in the same pub as me in Hull, a good bunch.

Paul Shane from Hi De Hi, in another pub that was just behind one of the theatres in Hull that i used to drink in after work.  I said "hi" as i was on the way to the bar and he said, "Im having my tea, push off".  

Princess Ann is patron of the charity I work for so Ive met her a couple fo times.  She does her homework before a visit and sounds very interested.   Martin Lewis (money saving expert) is also involved and Ive met him as well.  I was less impressed.

Teresa May spoke at one of our annual conferences, many years ago when they were in opposition.   She wore ridiculous shoes.

Oh and i had lunch with the Queen and Prince Phil a few years ago.  There were 60 of us. It was good grub.

grungebob

On various holidays to the US I’ve stood on the tram at Chicago ohare airport next to Robert De Niro ( I gave him the British smile and nod combo) and I relaxed on a sun lounger for several hours next to Jodi Marsh. 
She was very polite and didn’t try to chat me up with the mrs near by. 

FatPete

Johnny Vaughan scrounged a roll up from me outside the Albert Hall and chatted for a while. He was quite intense.

I used to work in a (more than slightly un-hip) music shop. We had quite a few slebs in over the years - just the A listers, obviously. A few highlights:

Sold a capo to Isla St Clair

Got a telling-off from the boss for being rude to some, or possibly all, of The Barron Knights. I think they actually rang to complain about me. In later years Butch and one of the others used to be quite chatty.

Also pissed off Paul Daniels by blanking some gag, or maybe a trick, he did for me and a colleague.

Disgusted Adam Woodyatt when he overheard a conversation I was having on the phone.

Was disgusted by the filthy jokes that Mick Abrahams used to tell. (Actually a top chap.)

Bowks

Joe Lycett lives next door to me.

Dopesick

I hardly bump into any where I live (although Hertfordshire is a celeb hang out) but years ago when Enter Shikari were still a small local band in these parts - I'm talking 2005 or so - they played one of the local dives and it was quite packed. Lo and behold for reasons which I still can't fathom - sat in the corner was none other than Dot Cotton. THE Dot Cotton. No idea what June Brown was doing at a gig full of young adults but she seemed to be enjoying herself.

rlw

In Lewisham Tesco's doing a bit of shopping a scruffy little old lady dropped her fags on the floor.  Thinking that she's never manage to pick them up herself, I picked them up and gave the packet to.....Glenda Jackson.  Bloody Hell.

NelsonP

guitargeek62 said:

I had a lovely chat with Kate Winslet a couple of months back, we were both on the same ferry and queuing for tea. I assume she knew that I knew, but I played it cool and decided that it probably would be best if I didn’t dash her husband’s holiday (or my fiancée’s for that matter) by turning on the charm too much and having to find the nearest car in the hold!

proggy

Although I've met loads of celebrities over the years, the one that will always stay in my memory is Sarah Greene's dad, Harry Greene (RIP), the first ever celebrity DIY man. What a top geezer he really was, and he drew my portrait on a piece of wood, which I've still got, of course.

iain.reverb

Took Flava Flav from Public Enemy for a haircut

KKJale

I once took Vernon Reid camera shopping. 

breakstuff

Saw Guy Martin biking to work one morning (he works at a truck garage round the corner from my workplace).Saw him again at the local burger van.You can take the man out of Grimsby etc.....

Saw Thomas Turgoose walking out of the local Aldi.

Not that many hugely famous people round here.

grungebob

breakstuff said:

Saw Guy Martin biking to work one morning (he works at a truck garage round the corner from my workplace).Saw him again at the local burger van.You can take the man out of Grimsby etc.....

Saw Thomas Turgoose walking out of the local Aldi.

Not that many hugely famous people round here.

Oh yeah I sat at the next table from Guy at caistor lakes a few weeks back. 

munckee

Only celebs from near me are Roger Black and Manfred Mann.  Although when my daughter was at primary school there was an actor from downton who's kids went there, I never saw it so had no idea who he was.

viz

miserneil said:

I had a piddle next to Ian McCaskell in a Welcome Break services once...

Heavy downpour or just a light shower?

ESBlonde

lasermonkey said:

ESBlonde said:

Outside of work/professional connections, a friend of mine had a small village pub up near the minsmere bird reserve many years ago, a few famous faces came in from time to time. Most memorable was Bill Nighy. Stood having a beer and chinwag with him, he has that strange slightly slow delivery in real life too, nice guy though.

Eel's Foot, Eastbridge?

Theberton Lion. Anywhere near Aldeburgh has the possibility celebs in practice, it's a shortish drive from that London and a world away.

vale

CHRISB50 said:

I saw Annie, the bassist from Elastica in Bodyshop down Carnaby Street a long time ago. She was buying face scrub. 

Annie! (god i'm so old). i'm pretty sure she lived in brighton (or had family there, so visited constantly) around the time elastica were a thing (1995ish). during my summer holidays (secondary) i used to see her quite a lot around the usual places (then) waterstones, gak, wax factor/plastic passion/jubliee shopping. brighton was like a small town then, feeling-wise.

in truth, i thought them a disposable 'blurs little sisters' act (same clothes, music, pr). but i did like Annie because (this is a terrible thing to say) she always looked liked she wasn't actually that bothered about the band either. so i could relate to her.

the others were the manic zebedee ones, but Annie seemed cool and apart, kind of 'hey, i'm not busy and it's more fun than working in wasterstones or uni'.
she was gothier too. big black jumpers, tons of mascara, huge bed hair while the others were into their babymod parklife thing. she seemed a fellow goth trying to survive that 'mods in tracksuits' panto, so i always had a soft spot for Annie. and her growly bass lines were the most interesting thing about them.

KKJale said:

A few months ago... Ms Siouxsie Sioux popping to the shops in South London, looking very chic and Parisienne and rather damn fine in a long dark green coat and boots. She definitely gave off a I'd-rather-you-didn't-obviously-clock-me-thanks-very-much aura, and I meekly obeyed. 

57Deluxe said:

I came back from Belgium on the Eurostar and sitting in adjacent seats were Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie... both reading and discussing some poncy french highbrow books... She was wearing a ushanka and a grey military trench style coat - no thigh boots sadly...

speechless with jealousy. staring is crude but it must be a nice feeling to share a space with her and know she is around and feels free to be herself. she seems kind of cat-like like that. she defines her space and terms and she will respect yours if you respect hers.

and obvs she has zero time for celebrity anything. she's always seemed to look down upon that 'untouchable icon' thing as others peoples' baggage, not hers. her sole enduring criteria for judging merit being 'interesting or boring' ('charming or tedious' as the wilde quote runs).

lucky you!

@57Deluxe
Siouxsie's father was belgian (french-belgian), her mother a bilingual (french-english) secretary, and Siouxsie has had a house in the south-west (often shared with Budgie) since the early 1990s...
so long eurostar hours engrossed in 'poncy french high brow books' is quite fair enough.

impmann

My wife went to school with Paul McCartney's son. She tells of Macca sat in the school hall on parents evenings/days and him wandering around the Summer Fayres etc.

Plus her dad sold Macca a cow... a bovine one, not a one-legged one. The story goes that the cow had escaped from the farm her dad ran. The bovine had found itself on a lane just outside Peasmarsh (where McCartney has his Sussex pad) and her dad was trying to chase it back into the field. Macca drives up in his Merc with Lynda complaining about my wife's dad scaring and tormenting the animal and that he should be ashamed of himself. With that, her dad turned around and said, "well, if you think you can fucking do any better why don't you buy the bloody thing and save me the bother". Fair play to Sir-Thumbs-Aloft, he produced his cheque book and paid the full going rate for the animal on the spot... Apparently the parting shot from my wife's dad was "OK, its your fucking problem now..."

As for Siouxsie... well, I used to work at Chislehurst Caves. And before my time, a certain Mr Severin worked there as a tour guide. After work, he used to meet Siouxsie and the rest of the gang... and visit a local Chinese eatery called... yes, really... Hong Kong Garden. Honestly, honestly, honestly. One of the guides that I worked with used to hang about with them... and with another guy called Max.

Max. Max Splodge. As in Splodgenessabounds. Max's big hit, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please, was written following a trip to the Tiger's Head in Chislehurst. My mate, the tour guide, was the packet of crisps. Oh and to bring that full circle, during one of his... "fallow" periods from the music business... Max used to crash on my wife's sofa, when she lived with her ex in Hastings...

Its a small world.

EricTheWeary

impmann said:

My wife went to school with Paul McCartney's son. She tells of Macca sat in the school hall on parents evenings/days and him wandering around the Summer Fayres etc.

Plus her dad sold Macca a cow... a bovine one, not a one-legged one. The story goes that the cow had escaped from the farm her dad ran. The bovine had found itself on a lane just outside Peasmarsh (where McCartney has his Sussex pad) and her dad was trying to chase it back into the field. Macca drives up in his Merc with Lynda complaining about my wife's dad scaring and tormenting the animal and that he should be ashamed of himself. With that, her dad turned around and said, "well, if you think you can fucking do any better why don't you buy the bloody thing and save me the bother". Fair play to Sir-Thumbs-Aloft, he produced his cheque book and paid the full going rate for the animal on the spot... Apparently the parting shot from my wife's dad was "OK, its your fucking problem now..."

As for Siouxsie... well, I used to work at Chislehurst Caves. And before my time, a certain Mr Severin worked there as a tour guide. After work, he used to meet Siouxsie and the rest of the gang... and visit a local Chinese eatery called... yes, really... Hong Kong Garden. Honestly, honestly, honestly. One of the guides that I worked with used to hang about with them... and with another guy called Max.

Max. Max Splodge. As in Splodgenessabounds. Max's big hit, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please, was written following a trip to the Tiger's Head in Chislehurst. My mate, the tour guide, was the packet of crisps. Oh and to bring that full circle, during one of his... fallow periods from the music business... Max used to crash on my wife's sofa, when she lived with her ex in Hastings...

Its a small world.

Isn't it Chiselhurst caves where EMF played a gig? I can then  back reference this to my earlier post about their bassist   .