Most FAMOUS machinist - ooh, that's likely to be a tricky one.
So tricky, in fact, that I feel an anecdote coming on. . .
Here it goes:
Every so often I’m “challenged” by a prospective customer who insists that i produce a list of celebrity musicians for whom I’ve worked, presumably because that would “establish credentials,” or something.
My first response is to tell him (they really are always men, you know) that our shop does not particularly cater to high profile professional musicians for a number of reasons. We’re not in a major recording or performance venue area, so we simply don’t see that kind of traffic as do our friends in Nashville, Los Angeles, Austin, or wherever. And, we truly don’t believe that a celebrity musician is likely to be any more demanding or knowledgeable than many of the dedicated amateurs for whom we work regularly.
Often, that’s enough to defuse the situation, but now and again there’s the fellow who simply must throw down the proverbial gauntlet to provoke combat.
Simply by accident I hit upon a routine that drives these guys absolutely nuts. It goes something like this:
“So, what you’re saying is that nobody important ever comes in here. Otherwise you’d have a name for me.”
“No, what I’m saying is that celebrity is not an issue here.”
“Right. That means you don’t have any important clients.”
“Well, if you insist, the most famous person we’ve sold an instrument to is so much better known than anybody you’re thinking of, it’s not even worth discussing.”
(Oops, looks as though I just threw gasoline on the fire, yes?)
“Oh, yeah? So WHO IS THAT?”
“Well, not so long ago SHIRLEY TEMPLE bought a guitar here.”
(Neener, neener, neener. . .)
OK, if you've managed to make it this far, here's my suggestion:
Leonardo da Vinci