What are your claims to fame?

[Gawen]

My great grandmother's (Belfast, Ireland) family was to come to America on HMS Titanic. If it weren't for her getting sick and her doctor telling her to take a later ship, I may not be writing this today. I have seen their White Star Lines itinerary, sadly now lost. Ironically, the ship they did take to come over here was Carpathia, Titanic's rescue ship. And the oddest fact is my great grandmothers son (a great uncle) was a ship fitter and worked on Titanic. I've contacted Harland and Wolff to see if I could get some sort of information about him (what work he actually did - how long he was employed, etc) but I was told that no records were really kept at the time. Pay packets were in cash and turnaround for employees was very large.

A great aunt of the same family was the wardrobe keeper for the Three Stooges.

Another great aunt of the same family married a Scot (clan Seton - many go by Seaton, which is what my uncle went by) who claims ancestry of a Belgian (Flanders) Knight named Seton that fought for William the Bruce sometime between 1295 and 1320 CE. The Setons had a fairly lustrous career from the early 1300's till 1745. George, 5th Lord Seton was Master of the Household of Seton Palace where Mary, Queen of Scots frequently lived.
Some time, probably relatively recent history (before or after 1745) the Setons married into the McLarens (clan Labhran). It was a MacLaren that mortally wounded Rob Roy MacGregor in a duel. Both clans fought for the Jacobites in the '45 on the losing side.


If you have a claim to fame, however remote, such as mine....what is it?

[Tank]

I stopped the tram being built in Leeds. I got on the TV, radio and local news papers. Does that count?

[Gawen]

I stopped the tram being built in Leeds. I got on the TV, radio and local news papers. Does that count?

Of course it counts even if local.

So...clue us in?

[Tank]

I stopped the tram being built in Leeds. I got on the TV, radio and local news papers. Does that count?

Of course it counts even if local.

So...clue us in?

Leeds City Council wanted to build a tram (small electric train). I ran the Anti Tram Action Committee (stop fucking laughing) and we got the council to stop the project. In addition we went on to change the use of land bylaws that prohibited houses being built on the East Leeds access route. So there isn't an East Leeds access route any more. 

It was an interesting insight into how to get things done in local politics that later aided in getting our local school rebuilt when the roof collapsed.

[Siz]

I've had dinner with Suggs from Madness several times back in the 80's (and got some signed stuff from him). My grandmother was a friend of his wife.

I've had a pooh on all of Jude Law's toilets. I surveyed both his houses. He has a photo of himself on the lid of his downstairs toilet in his London pad.

Chatted to Mark Owen (Take That) several times. I surveyed his kid's school and the place where he does pilates.

Surveyed John Cleese's london flat (didn't meet him).

My Grandfather, as a pilot for the (free) French Air force, flew Rudolf Hess to Nuremberg. He had been on secondment to help out the RAF in Egypt amongst other things. He got shot down but parachuted to safety. He's my hero!

[OldGit]

Nothing to boast about, I'm afraid.

Well, in my potholing youth I can probably claim to have made the fastest-ever blind drunk descent of Sidcot Swallet in Somerset.  15 minutes in and out, missing out the Lobster Pot.

And I managed to insert a paragraph about a Bull Terrier into a best-selling book on Depression After Childbirth.  (No, really.  I was proofreading the second edition.  It made it into print and into all subsequent editions.)

[Ildiko]

And I managed to insert a paragraph about a Bull Terrier into a best-selling book on Depression After Childbirth.  (No, really.  I was proofreading the second edition.  It made it into print and into all subsequent editions.)

With apologies to The Troggs, "Old Git, I think I love you"!

[xSilverPhinx]

I single handedly took on most of the Letters department of a local university Too bad that sort of thing can't go on my resumé, and it wouldn't be believed by most anyways...

As for more interesting claims to fame, nah, don't have any. I wonder what such a thing would do to my ego if I started boasting

[joeactor]

Hmmm...

Well, I'm from Cleveland, and made it out alive!

My mother's family history is in the library of congress.

I've traveled with an Elvis Impersonator, did stunts with a wild-west traveling show, and am a yodeling pickle.

During my time with Bell Labs, I was not allowed to visit the former Soviet Union (due to some algorithms I knew).

I (almost) stole Leonard Nimoy's pen as a youth, and got to hear Vincent Price read "The Raven" in person.

... and my day job is VO for video games (WoW, Mortal Kombat, CnC, etc), anime (Bleach, Durarara, Monster), commercials and other voicey stuff.  (have a peek at: http://www.soundsgoodtoyou.com ;-)

Bull Terriers, John Cleese and the Titanic... great thread!
JoeActor

[McQ]

Fun stuff here. This was a very good idea for a thread. Three Stooges, Drunken descents, local politics (scary), Cleveland (really scary). Love it.

[DeterminedJuliet]

I'm 26 years old and, including where I work now, I've had 20 different jobs at 20 different places.

[hismikeness]

Most of mine are sports related.

I have a Fiesta Bowl ring for beating Notre Dame in 2001. FND.
I held the all time sacks leader in the NCAA to only one against me (Terrell Suggs) and I had a sprained ankle. And it was the QB's fault.
I have seen no more than 4 pro bowl NFL players completely naked.

Non sports related: I once ripped a urinal off the wall of a bathroom because I was dared to.

[Asmodean]

Mad scientists, we operate from the shadows until the day comes when it is prudent to claim all the glory  

[Crow]

Not really that interesting but

- Had a very amusing conversation with a very drunk Quentin Tarantino.
- Served Stephen Graham when I worked in a bar (gangs of new york, this is england, boardwalk empire, snatch, ect).
- Asked to be in a porno.
- Got asked if I had any coke by the lead singer of the Zutons.
- Had a few drinks (well more than a few) with Manny from The Stone Roses.
- Use to live on a street that was used for movies, television and adverts almost weekly (and is highly annoying).

[Tank]

Not really that interesting but

- Had a very amusing conversation with a very drunk Quentin Tarantino.
- Served Stephen Graham when I worked in a bar (gangs of new york, this is england, boardwalk empire, snatch, ect).
- Asked to be in a porno.
- Got asked if I had any coke by the lead singer of the Zutons.
- Had a few drinks (well more than a few) with Manny from The Stone Roses.
- Use to live on a street that was used for movies, television and adverts almost weekly (and is highly annoying).

That's a little ambiguios! Did you ask to be in a porno or were you asked to appear in a porno by somebody else? If it was the later case did you accept or decline