I've no idea who Black Panther is and, whilst I have heard of Iron Man never seen any featured film, comic or similar.
I've no idea who Black Panther is and, whilst I have heard of Iron Man never seen any featured film, comic or similar.
I launched a bit of software that pretty much everyone in the UK has used.
I didn't write it a lot of it (every ex-employee says they made it) but I did launch and run the thing for years.
I also launched and wrote a whole load more of it's predecessor and turned off the predecessor to that which only those over 30 will have used. That even made the news.
Have we had a Queen one yet ?? not the band 'Her Majesty'
So back in 1995 my phone rang and a gent said "As a key disability fundraiser you have been invited to attend a celebration of Motability event in Crowthorne in Berkshire where you will be introduced to Her Majesty" after I laughed and said @£$%! thinking it was one of the lads winding me up from another branch, the gent said "We will write to you to confirm have I got the right address?"
for context (One of my Motability customers Ron had asked me to assist in raising funds to donate to disabled customers who needed vehicle adaptations but struggled to meet the cost, I went into overdrive getting donations and Ron became one of the highest fundraisers in the U.K. a fabulous man who overcame incredible personal adversity).
Fast forward a few weeks and the seemingly longest drive in my life 230 miles in a Frontera 2.3D LWB I got there, a fabulous day and quite surreal for a 26 year old from Liverpool, Her Majesty 'ma'am' was fabulous she took time to speak to each of us in a long line and tailored each conversation to each person, as she approaches the person next to you then the next the tension builds and then she shakes your hand in the white gloves and says 'so what do you do' ? and I think I just rattled off what I had rehearsed in my head for the whole 230 mile trip, I remember then being introduced to Peter Lilley who wore a tiny Black Casio to be fair he was an MP of the old school charming and direct.
I shall miss her when she's gone.
I think my sense of humour doesn't come across too well in writing (or possibly at all...). The Iron Man thing is a bit of an inside joke as my father in law thought I was wasting my (and his daughter's) lives until I was on the BBC to talk about Iron Man about 10 years ago. So it's a bit of a jokey trump card for me now.
He actually got a OBE from the Queen and his father was a very high ranking general, so as a broke artist I was a total puzzle to him.
Last edited by adigra; 9th August 2022 at 15:59.
#176
She's quite a conversationalist.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
In 1997 i was asked by Roy Sturgess (Who? You may ask!) to photograph the exhibits in the annual Peterborough Arts Society Exhibition in Peterborough Museum. I did not realise what I was taking on as there were hundreds of exhibits covering all types of media. The exhibition was organised and curated by Roy who was a founder member of Chris Barber’s Jazz Band in the late 1940s /early 1950s; Roy was the band’s original pianist but also a life assurance professional with Pearl Assurance and a multi-media artist.
https://www.chrisbarber.net/programm...tm#liverpool50
Long story short, the exhibition took me 3 days to photograph using the museum’s excellent natural light and my reflectors / gobos using a tripod mounted Canon F1n film camera. Roy was very happy with the photos and ordered 12 sets - all printed by a local professional D&P lab. Roy then mentioned it was the 50th anniversary of the formation of the original Chris Barber Jazz Band and asked me, “Could you copy all my 1940s / 50s Chris Barber Band photos? I’d like to give copies to all surviving band members including our banjo player Lonnie Donegan!” I copied maybe a hundred mainly black and white prints of all sizes using my Canon F1n on a copy stand. Roy was pleased with the results and ordered ten sets of prints. At this time Roy was terminally ill with prostate cancer and he had great difficulty in officiating at the art exhibition’s opening — but he somehow overcame his discomfort. I photographed Roy and Peter Boizot (P'bor United FC owner) presenting awards to the commended artists. I was intrigued that Lonnie Donegan was a friend of Roy because in 1966/67/68 I played trombone in Peter Buchanan’s ‘Great Yarmouth Powerhouse Stompers’ big band; Peter was Lonnie Donegan's business manager. The ‘big band’ led by PB on baritone sax, comprised many of the local musicians who played professionally in the Gt Yarmouth theatres, holiday camps, dance halls, pubs etc during the summer season; they could only meet as a big band of up to 30 ish members during the slack autumn / winter months when there few regular gigs available. Peter Buchanan was a well known Gt Yarmouth based, hotelier, impresario, TV and radio script writer, musicals writer / librettist, arranger, brilliant baritone saxophonist, and very successful song writer. I’d never met such a multi-talented man. My playing was nowhere near the standard of the full time pros - but the band needed trombones - and PB was happy for me to play the ‘easier parts’. I got to know Peter Buchanan quite well. PB helped Lonnie commence his early skiffle group career and also wrote / co-wrote many of Lonnie’s hit songs including ‘My Old Man’s A Dustman’. I learnt so much via my involvement with PB’s ‘big band’ and witnessed several band members' gradual inebriations as the band night progressed into the early hours — including the double bassist dancing as he pirouetted his instrument — before eventually being ‘too far gone’ to continue playing. Peter Buchanan often talked about Lonnie and his successful career which owed much to PB’s ‘steering’ and management. Lonnie Donegan’s ‘joke sessions’ during his performances were Peter Buchanan’s idea and were included to give Lonnie a ‘breather’ — because Lonnie risked heart condition respiratory problems if he put too much effort into his performances. PB wrote most of Lonnie’s jokes … he was a brilliant writer. PB mentioned that one difficult aspect of managing Lonnie Donegan was persuading him to get out of bed in the mornings. Roy Sturgess, had lots of Chris Barber Band anecdotes including:"When our singer George Melly went 'missing', he would likely be discovered shagging one of the theatre's stage hands!"
BW, dunk
Last edited by sundial; 9th August 2022 at 16:49.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
I took up astrophotography this year as my son was also interested and therefore was granted permission by the missus to spend some money on a scope, mount, camera etc.
He got interested after I dragged the family to the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition at the National Maritime Museum.
It's pretty complex, but I got the kit working nicely and was able to create a workflow he could follow. He then picked a target, took hours of photographs and spent time processing them into a single picture that been shortlisted this year. It'll be in the exhibition this next month I think.
Proud of the wee fella.
As a finance executive in my mid-30s, I bought one of the first IBM PCs when it was unveiled in 1981, mastering Visicalc, SuperCalc, Lotus 1-2-3, and finally Excel. I used to buy the burgeoning "PC Magazine" when it set records for the number of advertising pages and nearly rivaled The Oxford Dictionary of the English Language in size.
(Yeah, this is pretty lame, I know, but still overshadows several other posts )
There was no fanfare as I've been a member of this forum a very long time and have talked about my work here with many members quite a bit over the last decade or so, so there was nothing to build up to, except for you I guess. But if it makes some of you feel better to claim you haven't heard of something, who am I to stop you? Knock yourself out! Or, you can look up Black Panther and see why it was a hugely important cultural phenomenon which gave millions of people something to be proud of, a black hero, Afro-futurism and optimism, three Oscars... And that the star of the film has since died and is considered a big African-American icon and inspiration.
Or not, I guess, as ignorance is apparently something to be proud of.
No pride - simple fact.
I designed Iron Man of the comic book/film fame................. "oh wow! that's something"
I have a pretty realistic claim that most people you know in your life (maybe under the age of 75 and over 8) will know my work. "Na-a-a ............... that's the bloke who builds satellites"
Had a beer with John Cleese in Istanbul airport lounge. Nice fella, down to earth, just normal.
Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk
Hah!
I worked for the guy that turned down Steve Jobs!!
It was a Graphic Supply company in the heart of Soho that supplied everything needed by ad agency’s, graphic designers, publishing houses etc.
In the early 80’s my boss, whose claim to fame was he’d shared a flat in the 60’s with Terence Stamp & Michael Caine ( met them both whilst working there)!
One day he said that this American guy was coming in for a meeting , afterwards he came out to tell us that he’s been offered the exclusive U.K. reseller rights for Apple’s new Macintosh computer system and he’d declined as he couldn’t see the benefits
At the time we were selling shit loads of letraset and PMT cameras/ wax machines, light boxes and sheets of Pantone colour to do page mock-ups.
Within 2 years the business had gone from 3 shops and a luxury West End Showroom (which I managed), to one small shop which limped along for another few years, before folding
Last edited by markrlondon; 9th August 2022 at 19:30.
Nothing to do with cottaging but was having a Gypsy's in one of the on course loos on the course during a ahem, British open when Ian woodsman came in stood next to me and said hello. Forearms like my thighs.
Also used to drink in the same working man’s club as Emlyn Hughes and his brothers. He was really loud, you always knew when he was in the club always Center of attention nice guy to me though.
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Coming back to the Royal vein, whilst she was out walking the corgis, the Queen made a beeline towards me to talk about some greenhouses I was near the end of restoring at Windsor Castle. She told me it was great to see them coming back into use, what a splendid job I'd done, and that as children Princess Margaret and her used to play hide and seek in them before the war. When I started the job I was fully briefed about what to do and how to address her if she ever stopped to talk. A year or so later saw I her pass by where I was doing another job, this time at Buckingham Palace, and felt sure she'd recognize me and come over for a chat. Bizarrely she didn't, I reckon she couldn't have spotted me otherwise she'd have definitely come over for a catch up! Fergie once made me a cup of tea whilst I was doing some work at the house that was loaned to her and Andy (shortly after they were married) by King Hussein of Jordan. This was long before Sunninghill Park (Southfork) had even been thought of. A week or so later, before the job ended, I also chatted with Phil the greek when he, Lizzie and the rest of the kids came over for a visit, I won't repeat what he said but he was very amusing!
My Bro in law used to run the Curragh. Went to a race meeting there and had an executive box. The balconies were separated by low glass screens. On one side I had Bono and on the other side Robert De Niro. Shared a beer with both and both were great
to chat with and really good laugh and a great day out.
I was once the youngest person in Ireland to ever have their tonsils out, oddly enough they had to arrange for a doctor from England to fly over and perform the operation
- - - Updated - - -
I was once the youngest person in Ireland to ever have their tonsils out, oddly enough they had to arrange for a doctor from England to fly over and perform the operation
My dad was shortlisted for a sales job in the 60s and met one of the other applicants. Happily my dad got the job as the other guy was John Lennon who appears to have subsequently focussed on his fledgling music career.
I'm really impressed by some of your stories and just a little jealous, for my part I can't think of a single "claim to fame" unless this counts..
https://youtu.be/zxKJ-REbUlI
Taken to the cleaner's twice
Last edited by number2; 11th August 2022 at 07:07.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I've beaten Sir Chris Hoy in competitive races (although he wasn't a Sir at that point)
I talked with the Queen and Prince Philip about the historical development of watches (Philip was surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject)
Use to collect weekly from Ching the foodies salad business, east London.
A good few years back we had some of my ex-wife's friends to stay for the weekend, and had arranged to take them out for dinner. They asked if we minded if they invited a few other friends along too. When we got to the restaurant we discovered that these friends were Dave Gorman, Ross Noble and Adam Hills! It was a very funny night!
Characters based on me have met grizzly ends in books by two different authors, the first band I was in was with a friend who recently sold out a run of nights at the Royal Albert Hall, the last band I was in was supported by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and my legs have appeared in a Luc Besson film.
"A man of little significance"
I played against Ian Botham at football when I was at Sexeys School Bruton and he was at Bucklers Mead, Yeovil.
He is almost 3 years younger than I am but was a great footballer too.
scooter
As in designed their look in the movies. I originally illustrated a comic called Iron Man Extremis, which served as an inspiration for all three of the IM movies, and established the overall look. I then worked on the designs of many of the IM, War Machine, Iron Monger, etc. suits over the last 15 years along with the Marvel Visual Development team. I am in the credits usually as a Concept Designer, or something along those lines.
I designed the Black Panther suit in that movie as well, which was also used in Infinity War and Endgame (which I also did a bunch of other designs for).
I tend to do a lot of keyframe illustrations to designs scenes, mostly battle scenes, etc., so half of my job is character design, the other half making scenes look exciting.
I think I've worked on 10 MCU films and three TV shows, but it's not my main interest, it's just what most people recognise the most.
Last edited by adigra; 14th August 2022 at 00:57.