Meeting the Manics - who's "done it"?

[Rammstein]

Originally Posted by starfucker

I met James very briefly after sneaking into a soundcheck at Brighton Dome. Saw him do Black Flowers and Yes on acoustic guitar from the side of the stage. Then when the soundcheck was finished the sound engineer assumed me and my mate were the support band and said, "Alright lads, we'll do yours in half an hour." Without thinking, "Ok, we'll just go and chat to the Manics for a bit" came out of my mouth and we ended up in their dressing room. I was just talking to James about how Yes has always been my favourite Manics song and asking him if he was going to play it that evening when security got wise and kicked me and my mate out. Lovely chap, really friendly and looked very apologetic when we got chucked out.

That's a great story, I can somewhat picture the apologetic James face as well!! How on earth did you just manage to sneak in!!

I first met James and Nicky at Bristol on the PPF tour. We parked in the multi-story car park over the road and I got my collection signed by both at the end of the gig. Nicky seemed quite amused going through all the items "which one is this?" "I thought I'd already signed Lifeblood?" I was appreciative he signed everything though, not many people would have done. I tried to get a picture with James but the random person didn't know how to control the Camera and had to settle with the third take with James pointing at the camera with a "did that take?" moment, picture long gone mind

The second time walking home from work I saw James walking out of Cardiff market so decided to go over and introduced myself with an embarrassing Alan Partridge sounding "Mr James Dean Bradfield!!" followed by the cringeworthy "your my favourite band" we spoke about the American tour and he wished me a merry Christmas.

Third time was meeting James at the Cardiff City stadium watching Cardiff v the Blunts. This was a few days after the Postcards album launch show in London. I asked him how it went and he replied "the crowd were great, I was not so good" he was then ushered away by his wife. My mate who I went to the game with thought he was a friend!

The final time was the HMV signing in Cardiff for the NT signings and the first time I met Sean, again doing the embarrassing Alan Partridge sounding "the elusive Sean Moore" Nicky refused to shake my hand just saying "cheers" (which was a bit embarrassing with me holding out my hand) and I informed James Lifeblood is probably my favourite album to which he replied I was probably the only person who thought so.

Apologies for the essay.

[Littlesue]

I've mentioned it a few times on here but the first time I met James was at the Kerrang gig he did for his solo album, he came round the audience after and spoke to us, I said that I had been waiting 15 years to meet him and grabbed him and gave him a kiss to which he replied "I would have had a shave for you if I realised this"

[LadyWoodbee]

Been wondering... Would the "average British person" (people who don't necessarily care too much about music, bands, politics, whatever) recognize the Manics if they saw them in the street? I remember seeing a picture of James on the Tube and thinking that surely he must get people walking up to him all the time, asking for an autograph or a photograph or something; or even just people staring at him? Living in Germany, I'm finding it hard to assess how "famous" the Manics are in the UK. Over here, he could probably ride the subway all day long and not be spoken to once.

Originally Posted by Rammstein

That's a great story, I can somewhat picture the apologetic James face as well!! How on earth did you just manage to sneak in!!

I first met James and Nicky at Bristol on the PPF tour. We parked in the multi-story car park over the road and I got my collection signed by both at the end of the gig. Nicky seemed quite amused going through all the items "which one is this?" "I thought I'd already signed Lifeblood?" I was appreciative he signed everything though, not many people would have done. I tried to get a picture with James but the random person didn't know how to control the Camera and had to settle with the third take with James pointing at the camera with a "did that take?" moment, picture long gone mind

The second time walking home from work I saw James walking out of Cardiff market so decided to go over and introduced myself with an embarrassing Alan Partridge sounding "Mr James Dean Bradfield!!" followed by the cringeworthy "your my favourite band" we spoke about the American tour and he wished me a merry Christmas.

Third time was meeting James at the Cardiff City stadium watching Cardiff v the Blunts. This was a few days after the Postcards album launch show in London. I asked him how it went and he replied "the crowd were great, I was not so good" he was then ushered away by his wife. My mate who I went to the game with thought he was a friend!

The final time was the HMV signing in Cardiff for the NT signings and the first time I met Sean, again doing the embarrassing Alan Partridge sounding "the elusive Sean Moore" Nicky refused to shake my hand just saying "cheers" (which was a bit embarrassing with me holding out my hand) and I informed James Lifeblood is probably my favourite album to which he replied I was probably the only person who thought so.

Apologies for the essay.

I love essays, especially when they're as entertaining to read as yours. And suddenly Cardiff seems like a very attractive holiday destination to me, haha!

Originally Posted by Littlesue

I've mentioned it a few times on here but the first time I met James was at the Kerrang gig he did for his solo album, he came round the audience after and spoke to us, I said that I had been waiting 15 years to meet him and grabbed him and gave him a kiss to which he replied "I would have had a shave for you if I realised this"

Awwwww, bless! Although I gotta say I prefer stubbly James.

[hummingbird]

Originally Posted by LadyWoodbee

Been wondering... Would the "average British person" (people who don't necessarily care too much about music, bands, politics, whatever) recognize the Manics if they saw them in the street? I remember seeing a picture of James on the Tube and thinking that surely he must get people walking up to him all the time, asking for an autograph or a photograph or something; or even just people staring at him? Living in Germany, I'm finding it hard to assess how "famous" the Manics are in the UK. Over here, he could probably ride the subway all day long and not be spoken to once.

I think he goes about fairly un-bothered. If he's prepared to use public transport then he can't get harrassed too much. Think i read somewhere he gets on a local bus to their studio

[LadyWoodbee]

Originally Posted by Littlesue

I've mentioned it a few times on here but the first time I met James was at the Kerrang gig he did for his solo album, he came round the audience after and spoke to us, I said that I had been waiting 15 years to meet him and grabbed him and gave him a kiss to which he replied "I would have had a shave for you if I realised this"

Littlesue, just watched this old interview with James at V2006, and that annoying host pretty much rape-hugs him (I know this is not a word, but you get the idea; James didn't seem too thrilled in any case). And even then he apologizes: "Sorry, I should have shaved." Kinda made me giggle, like.

[Littlesue]

Originally Posted by LadyWoodbee

Littlesue, just watched this old interview with James at V2006, and that annoying host pretty much rape-hugs him (I know this is not a word, but you get the idea; James didn't seem too thrilled in any case). And even then he apologizes: "Sorry, I should have shaved." Kinda made me giggle, like.

lol, that was a couple of weeks after I had met him.

[UEF]

Originally Posted by LadyWoodbee

Been wondering... Would the "average British person" (people who don't necessarily care too much about music, bands, politics, whatever) recognize the Manics if they saw them in the street?

They'd go pretty much unrecognised. Maybe someone who was really, really into music might recognise Nicky just because he looks more distinctive and does Sunday cooking shows etc the other 2 just look too unremarkable really.

[LadyWoodbee]

Originally Posted by UEF

They'd go pretty much unrecognised. Maybe someone who was really, really into music might recognise Nicky just because he looks more distinctive and does Sunday cooking shows etc the other 2 just look too unremarkable really.

Oh yeah, of course. It's just that they seem to be doing so much TV, and from what I can gather a lot of that is actually "mainstream"/daytime telly (or Sunday cooking shows like you said, haha) which led me to believe they're a bit of an institution in Britain. In the broad public, I mean, not just the obsessed cult following. ;-)

I was watching this video of James walking around Berlin in 2006 (where the hell was I on that day??? It's at Potsdamer Platz - AGAIN, the Manics seem to have a thing for it! Or maybe they're jsut too lazy to walk very far, as I'm assuming they stay in the Hyatt when they're in town, and that's the direction James is coming from in the video. And I'm at Potsdamer Platz and I walk past the Hyatt about five times a week, twice every day.

Anyway, that video made me wonder how I would react to him if I didn't know who he was and saw him as a normal passerby. Whether I would notice him, thinking: "Handsome guy, just my type!" Or not at all. As it is, I just kept thinking that all those people who must have been around (you don't actually see any in the video, if I remember correctly) didn't appreciate how lucky they were to be in the presence of the mighty Bradders! Shame on you, people!

Originally Posted by Littlesue

lol, that was a couple of weeks after I had met him.

Haha! Sloppy James, never shaves! Tut-tut!!!

[Rammstein]

I think in Wales they are still pretty well noticed. I've seen many friends facebook comments with people providing updates such as "just seen James Dean Bradfield walking down St Marys Street"

I think as people stated the rest of the UK probably wouldn't recognise them. As a band name they are still well known and people could probably sing you Tolerate or Design for Life but your average person wouldn't pick them out of a crowd.

[rock-fun]

I bet there are not many people who would recognise in the London tube Philip Selway (Radiohead's drummer) or Chris Edwards (Kasabian's bassist). If you are not in the glossy magazines or the gossip websites/ tabloid publications you're not recognisible.

[hummingbird]

Originally Posted by rock-fun

I bet there are not many people who would recognise in the London tube Philip Selway (Radiohead's drummer) or Chris Edwards (Kasabian's bassist). If you are not in the glossy magazines or the gossip websites/ tabloid publications you're not recognisible.

yea there's a ton of bands i like but i probably wouldn't recognise the majority of the members

[Futurologist]

I think they all get on with their daily lives pretty much unbothered.

I have met all three of them, once after a gig and the last time was at Rough Trade. Managed to have a bit of a chat with Nicky, and he did shake my hand. Bless. I also shook Sean's hand, very firm. Approve.

[relic]

I reckon they go about unrecognised by and large. After all, I could walk right past the winner of Big Brother or Strictly Come Dancing, the entire England football team, the world's top models or a member of the latest boy band without having a clue who they were, but have madly fan girled in the library because I randomly met a young writer of flash fiction who I'd seen at a spoken word event. It all depends what you are interested in.

Hell, I got stopped at a cat show once by a woman who absolutely gushed about meeting me because she'd heard me on the radio talking about cats. Fame is an odd, and very relative thing.

[LadyWoodbee]

Oh yeah, of course, fame's a relative thing, but then there are people who would probably be recognized all over the world, regardless of interests or age, such as... well... Bono. And the Pope (which sometimes amounts to the same thing). On the other hand, there are those celebs almost everyone would recognize in a specific country, but who would be completely anonymous in another, like Take That in the US. Trying to remember that EU politician no one in Europe who isn't interested in politics would know, but who's a huge success in Japan because he's so "cute". Think it was Verheugen. Who isn't cute at all, of course, but butt ugly (sorry).

So basically I was just wondering whether the Manics, in the UK, had about the same status as the Pope. They have in my mind.

[hummingbird]

no not the same status as the pope Apart from *boy about town* James in the 90s they never really did the celebrity circuit and that's how everyone gets to know your face