Topic: famous encounters
Have you ever met someone or encountered someome famous but at the time you didnt realise who they were?
This is my tale.
Back in the mid seventies (circa75-76) when hair was long and trousers wide. I use to do schoolboy motor-cross with my brother. I was 13 years old and my brother Richard a couple of years younger.
Every Sunday our Mum and Dad would take us to organised races and we would race our 80cc motor bikes that our Dad had made out of old road bikes, around muddy tracks. Mum would bring sandwiches and stuff and we would be out all day in all weather. Happy days.
One of the clubs we raced at was "The Warley Eagles schoolboy moto- cross club" which was based around Cradley Heath in England.
Race day was a very social event and everyone was very friendly and there was always someone comeing around your van for a chat and such.
One of the guys my brother raced against was a kid called Jason. Now Jason had a Dad ( John ) who to us kids was just like any another Dad long dark hair and a big beard. He was always very jolly and would tease all the kids. I remember one sunday he turned up late to the race meeting in a brand new Range Rover 4x4 car with a big red bow on the roof. it was a surprise present for his wifes birthday I think.
At the end of the raceing year we would have our anual prize giving and trophies would be handed out to all the kids who had raced that year.This particular year was no diferent.
We all assembled in this damp and cold village hall which was a long room with a stage at one end. The room was set out with several rows of fold up tables and those metal and plastic stac-o-chairs. On each table was a plate of fish paste sandwiches a bowel of crisps and a large potato cut in half covered in tin foil with cheese and pinapple chunks on cocktail sticks tuck into the spud. The classic seventies party hedgehog. At the far end of the room in front of the stage was a table laiden with trophies.
One by one all of us kids were called to the front to collect our silver ware for the years toil. The thing that I found strange ,at the time was Jasons Dad, John was presenting the trophies to all us kids and poseing for a picture with each and everyone of us.
After, when we had all got our trophies and were sat down fiddling with the leftover, now dry and curled, fish paste sandwiches a man suddenly appeared from behind the curtain on the stage and coughed into a michrophone, which whistle loadly.
"ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls..." he said. At which point the room was overtaken by a hush and all the kids sat up
" we have a very special treat to finish things off tonight.." he continued. There were strange noises comeing from behind the curtain. I hoped it wasn't Father Christmas like the year before as I felt I was getting too old for that sort of thing and anyway it was only the begining of November.
" without anymore ado I give to you ,for one night only..." as the guy was sayining this the curtains on the stage opened. I am sure he said his name but I never heard it. There was such a blanket of sound booming through, the whole room shakeing the tables. Everyone was standing up and cheering so I stood on my chair to try and see what was makeing this enormous noise. The curtains pulled back to reveil a most gigantic drum kit of which the bass was reverberating in my chest, and the man beating the living daylights out of all these drums was....
Jasons Dad !!???
I was gob smacked. Jasons Dad played what seemed ,to a kid of 13,an age and then young Jason got up to have a go. It was quite a surreal moment.
I didnt really Know who Jasons Dad was till several years latter when I got into music.
That lovely guy who beat the life into those drums was the late great " John Bonham"
Now when I tell my kids this story they dont even know who "Led Zepplin" are !!!!
If only you could go back.
