Friday 20 May 2005

Oneupmanship

(the title is a link to a browsable book at Amazon: please, go browse)

You know those conversations, usually inspired by some rock god or other's current tour, where everyone frantically scrambles to top everybody else's Most Righteous Concert Anecdote? I have 'won' a surprising number of these of recent years - though competing with students 10-15 years younger than me, to whom Nirvana are only a dim, glorious legend, is perhaps not competing on a very level playing field. But today I got well and truly served, as they say: during a break from proofreading Mansfield Park (we have done 14 chapters out of 52) I heard somebody say this:

"Germaine Greer and I saw The Beatles play at Sydney Showground in 1964."

Can you top this?

12 comments:

Zoe said...

Um - Iota gave me a big cuddle last weekend?

Didn't think so, mind you I'm pretty happy with my lot.

Ampersand Duck said...

I nearly ran over the lead singer of Misex in Townsville in 1981? Nah, I'm with Zoe on this one.
Do you find the proofreading saps you of your love for the book? Or can you hold on to the magic in a small back corner of your brain? Will you ever read it again recreationally?

BwcaBrownie said...

I was at Festival Hall (1966?) when Dylan 'went electric' and the Folkies walked out; at the first West Coast concert by Springsteen Santa Monica Civic 1976 when he supported Dr John, and was taken to a party in France (1976) and George Harrison and Richard Branson were deep in conversation on a couch; I was at the Bondi Lifesaver in 1978 when Angus Young walked out onto the (jampacked) crowd with his radiomike; and once I got the chance to ask a (suddenly) Really Rich and Really Famous person how his life had changed since he became that, and he said " I don't have to see people I don't want to see".

Anonymous said...

OK now I have followed the link and got an idea of that book - I think our http://fluffyasacat.blogspot.com/ needs it before she has another interview at her work (read her post on the failure of her previous interview).

and I just remembered that I have danced with the late Sir Robert Helpmann. in 1968 at a big big sydney party, his PA came to me to broker the deal (maybe they had that book). It was only because my appearance was very extreme and he was probably just photo-hooring.

Liz Miller said...

I personally know (am/have been friends with kids of, had for a teacher in high school, met through my parents) a pulitzer winner, two emmy winners, an academy award winner and two (three?) grammy winners.

Anonymous said...

Hi Laura,

I just found your blog from a link at sushipop.net - I am on the same stitch n bitch list as Katy.

Your handbags look really fabulous and I have just ordered one, I can't wait for it to arrive.

I make handbags too but only in a beginner sewer kind of way so can't wait to check this one out - it looks like it has a bit of pleat action in it two which I have yet to attempt.

Would love to see more so let me know when you update the store with new bags.

And, totally agree on the ridiculously low prices!

Cheers

Lee

Anonymous said...

Oops. I meant too, not two, there. Anal, Pedantic, etc, but I just don't want to look like a person who can't spell!

lucy tartan said...

Shaking hands with Vanessa, I find that impressive as hell Susoz. At a party no less. Shirley Bassey asked Dorian the way to the toilet once, but he was at work at the time, so the social element is lacking there I guess. Still I'm sure she would have said it very fabulously.

Hi Lee, thank you for your purchase, and also for your pedantry. As far as I know, everyone who comes to this blog is a pedant - I certainly am - so you're in perfect company.
I had a peek at your very pretty blog and the bag with the topstitching is really nice. Very far from amateur, IMO.

R.H. said...

Predant am I? Well thanks very much! Right. Well just for that, I won't be buying a bag!

See how you like that!

Ben.H said...

I once rode in a cab in Brisbane that was driven by the uncle of the bass player in Pseudo Echo. That's about it.

Anonymous said...

Kind of you to say. The twin needle is a winner, makes it look as though I actually sewed straight. Looking forward to my arrival and going to use it as a gym bag. To aid me in, er, being pedantic, at a higher heart rate.

Anonymous said...

my brush with fame:

I went to a dead kennedy's concert (Aug 1983) at the ANU, after drinking several jugs of cider through a straw (it was the fashion at the time). Emboldened by this, and burning with the desire to impress a gurl, I fought my way through the throng of punx and skinheads to the front of the stage, just as the band came back on for an encore.

As my sloppy joe was being torn from my back and my head was being pummeled from all sides, I shouted, "jello biafra!" several times, until the Great Man leant down and asked what I wanted.

"I want to sing a song!", I yelled. He shoved the mike in my face and I belted out my (now) famous song, "My cat caught its tail in the toaster", while the band amusedly picked out some sort of backing tune.

After the concert, as me and me mates were standing ankle-deep in muddy beer, I spied a sodden dollar note (yeah it was a long time ago), and the gurl told me that she thought my singing was cute. We stared into each others eyes. She said she had a cold, and I said "I don't care". We snogged right there, and every1 was surprised, especially me.

The next day I got sick too.

the end.