Martin Skidmore [RIP 2011]

You mean the tit who used to image bomb threads? No, that was I before I got here!

found ilxor via freaky trigger and always loved his contributions there

i have a folder called martin's party mix will be listening to this tonight

my party tape

RIP

That show unexpectedly turned out to be one of the most inspirationally brilliant of recent years, I'm glad he was able to catch it as it seemed like the kind of thing a longtime fan would have been waiting years to see.

Yeah, one of the others there was Carsmile Meg, who Martin had converted to WWE by showing her matches of the inked-up indie boy :) It was great and amazing to see a show where CM Punk just won and that's it. Like in comic books, actual endings rarely happen.

His openness and warmth were such an encouraging example on this board, and in the other online haunts where I'd see him from time to time. The world is poorer without him in it. Giving thanks today for your life in this world, Martin Skidmore.

Oh no! I remember it being mentioned he was sick. But I thought he was better. I had him on my twitter list and followed his tweets of course. I fondly remember meeting him (and, of course, Marcello) years ago. Ten years? Seems more. Seems less. I will treasure the memory even more.

RIP, Martin. And a big hug to all his friends.

RIP, a true gentleman, emphasis on the gentle.

Apart from his intelligence, I'll probably never forget Martin's lugubrious West Country voice; it was like something out of a Nick Park film and thus always amusing to reconcile with his many frank posts about sex and relationships. So I've built a little Aardman version of Martin in my head, and these imagined, reanimated monologues taken from old and fondly remembered posts are cheering me up right now.

Ha, yes, I can instantly recall his voice in my head

Some other tributes, courtesy links at FT, with a focus on his role in comics:

MJ Hibbett

Down the Tubes

Tom Murphy

RIP Martin, always enjoyed his posts and we had some fun email exchanges talking abt comics & arguiing abt bendis. You will be missed.

So sad. I knew from LJ that his time was short and was staggered that he continued to blog his enthusiams online throughout these difficult times (and the periods of depression before that). A guy who always wanted to learn more (cf. the funk thread linked above) but was always ready to share what he knew. And yes, a welcoming soul IRL to boot.

RIP, Martin

The last conversation I had with Martin was on Saturday afternoon (having not seen him much in the last couple of years) and from what he said I felt that he was spurred on to battle and suffer for the time he did because of his infinite gratitude for the support of so many people and his own vast enthusiasm and patience for others.

A few weeks before that he schooled me for a few hours about the history and culture of Japanese comics (to name but one of the many subjects he was an expert on) and rarely have I enjoyed a lesson so much (in spite of the circumstances). Thanks for the memories Martin.

Haven't posted here for many years, but hearing the news of Martin's passing, I wanted to leave a few words. I only met Martin a few times at London FAPs, but had some great (and intense!) conversations with him. I was 'new in town' at the time and the ILX posse made me feel instantly welcome, particularly Martin. He was such a refreshingly open and honest person to chat with, no matter what the subject matter - good or bad. Martin you were a good man and you will be missed by so many. Rest In Peace.

I think Martin would have been moved and astonished by all the affection he's inspired. I never found a way of telling him -- or anyway persuading him -- what a great writer he was, but I think he did get a sense of how very loved he was, over the last few days, with visitors to his bedside, and heartfelt best wishes pouring from colleagues old and new. Which I'm very glad about. Those who were close and saw him in recent weeks had sensed there was no good way out of this for a few months, perhaps, but even so we were taken by surprise at the sheer speed of these last few days, and how suddenly and vastly bereft we feel. Sleep well, Martin.

Such a huge part of ILX, and such a shock to hear about this. I don't know what to say except RIP. I always liked how genuine his enthusiasm was, how much he loved what he loved.

...And he also found new things to love all the time: a new writer/song/film.

I suspect those last few months are what I'll often think back to: that he summoned the strength to seemingly keep such a cool head to express and describe in detail the hard times he was going through, and then to keep on logging the books he was reading. I hated the title of that series, I didn't want to admit that I wouldn't see or read him ever again but was always looking forward to the next instalment.

Tom E. RT'd a link to one of Martin's finest efforts, a roundtable discussion from 1988 that ran in FA on Watchmen, with both Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons as participants.

http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/2006/06/24/watchmen/

I must only have spoken to Martin a couple of times privately but reading and talking with him here and elsewhere was such a massive influence/inspiration for me.

I came to ilx at about 19 as a p. clueless teenager and it was Martin's writing that got me into comics, when i just started getting into philosophy Martin's discussions/defences of postmodernism really blew me away. Even my screen name / internet monikers which i used to change on a weekly basis are down to him. I remember i posted it as an aim screename on here and he thought it was funny/good and i figured if Martin likes it i'd stick with it.

Later i often thought of emailing him telling him what a huge influence he'd been in developing my thoughts and interests but figured it might be a bit creepy and never got round to it, I wish i had now.

RIP, Martin.

lots of ppl have been sharing pics of martin today, this is a gd one taken by our friend Nigel Kitching in the mid-80s

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc497/WardFowler/Martin.jpg

I didn't know about this

with all my heart, RIP

Having been reading ILX for, what, 8 or 9 years, Martin was one of the first names I got used to seeing. Over the years, with usernames getting more and more obscure, my ability to actually keep up with who is who sometimes has fallen totally apart as I look and interact with ILX less and less. But Martin, along with a core other few, was one name that always stuck out for me, his comments always engaging, his thoughts and opinions always compelling, his personality reassuring. ILX became less interesting when he wasn't here as often, and now this. This is sad news, RIP Martin.

Man, what a great photo. Young Martin! I'm sad I never had the chance to know him then.

(I didn't mean to say the same thing as the poster right above me! but strange that we should all think the same thing. Martin's personality withstood the shifting ILX sands)

akm: yes; and now I also realize that to me, a certain part of that (which goes together with his candidness) is that he always used his real name, unless I remember wrongly?

(Obviously no dig intended at those who don't, such as, uh, myself. Still, hi Ned!)

Hi there!

Hey! Anthony! :-)

Nice comics oriented write-up by Tom Spurgeon (with a link to here):

Martin Skidmore, 1959-2011

I haven't posted here for 4yrs myself. My old login seemingly expired so had to make a new one. I wanted to express appreciation for all of these postings. Of the places I've looked at last couple days (obv I thought of here), ILX has easily inspired the biggest stream of reaction and affection, which I think says something.

Martin urged me here, probably late 2002. I'm shy & nervous so prolly didn't fit in. I'm also prone to depression (which Martin understood), and have a very BIG, defensive mouth which many interpret as me being a complete bitch. Anyhow, he thought here would bring me out of my shell. It didn't. It intimidated me, really (I will even dither about posting this, in fact). But the point is, he was being an incredibly nice guy, as ever. I guess it got too much for him too, when his depression was worse. It's nothing personal (on my part, either) -- innocuous things can get magnified unpleasantly.

We had a chance to get together last August when I was down in London, but Martin's depression thwarted him on the day. At the time it was just one missed chance... now, it upsets me much more as there were no other chances to meet up. I just found I still have his txt on my old fone: "I am afraid there is no way I will make it. Sorry, and have fun." :-(

Funny memory: Martin was the guy who, when faced with the 'post pics of yourself in underwear' thread, took it to the next level. Like wow. Balls of steel! And, as I remember it, he had NOTHING to be ashamed of down there. :b

One enduring trait to remember -- Martin was astonishingly non-judgemental. Me, I always manage to say the wrong things. Yet, he was the person least likely to judge someone for that. That's class. Pure. Unadulterated. Class.

Sorry for rambling. I mean well!

-Chrissie

Not a ramble at all -- read your blog tribute earlier today and loved it.

Great to see that Ditko cover again on The Comics Reporter obit - I conducted the Jim Shooter interview that's mentioned on the cover, and Martin and I also jointly interviewed Pat Mills for that issue. Both Martin and Pat were never at a loss for words, so it was one of the easiest interviews I've ever done.

Thanks, Ned. That made me nervous too. I mean, I knew Martin quite well for a decade (w/losing touch a while a couple times) and I was fearful of self-indulgence. Lots of people around knew him three decades, which is forever to me. They're lucky, IMO. So I wanted to put across some of Martin's great points without making myself look important or something. I prolly failed. I'm more upset than I even thought I'd be.

That issue of FA is the only one I still have today, sadly. I've sold lots of things over the years during various lean spells. I wish I could lie about it but I kept it for the Ditko cover. I imagine I'll grab some of them again if I see them anywhere.

Been looking at some of his old posts, refraining from linking any here because, you know, where to start where to end, but I think this one might be appropriate: Some days, you know how good you are at your job...

man all of the comics-related tributes have made me both happy and sad. happy to see martin's impact on the artform i treasure above all others and sad to realize that for a guy who shared the same virtual space with me for so many years i never had any idea til now (!) how much martin had a hand in the world of brit comics. i mean i always knew him as a deeply steeped and incredibly wise fan but its so weird (and wonderful) to me that he had a hand in (say) "st. swithins day," which i always remember as a g. morrison work i was immensely pleased to track down back when i was a middle schooler and the guy's work meant the world to me.

I was impressed when I realized that Martin had edited and published one of my favourite comic books, a work of which I have been very fond for over two decades now. We talked about this quite a few times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Swithin's_Day_(comics)

wow, i love that book; had no idea martin was involved with it

Martin was the editor, but not the publisher. The only other staff listed on the first issue is a G0rdon Nei1 as production manager and promotions officer, replaced by issue 4 with Nig3l Mackay as marketing manager.

Rest in Peace, Martin

I made a spotify playlist of Martin's party tape(s) as posted here my party tape

http://open.spotify.com/user/onimo/playlist/6Dbyt3MYfbdtwtJPxGtO7g

just need to find a spare 8 hours to play my way through it

onimo, that's wonderful, i'm gonna share the link with some of martin's non-ilx pals, they'll love it.

a chap called mark 0liv3r, who was in the british amateur press association w martin back in the day, got in touch w/ this:

"When I heard the news about Martin yesterday I went up in the loft and found the mixtape he sent me back in my early B-APA days (I'm guessing 1988). I've converted it to MP3 and uploaded it here:

https://rapidshare.com/files/1256012067/Skidmore_MixTape_1988.zip

It's a really eclectic mix, and a great listen. Feel free to share the link with anyone who might be interested. It's compressed with 7zip."

I should add that the sound quality is p ropey - martin s used to tape LOTS of stuff from the radio, mainly from peel and andy kershaw. Anyway, here's the tracklisting:

Boogie Woogie Like A Knife In The Back

Side 1: God Is Not A Stormtrooper

Clarence "Frogman" Henry - Ain't Got No Home
Bhundu Boys - Ndoita Sei
Killdozer - Hamburger Martyr
Victor Lundberg - Open Letter To My Teenage Son
James Carr - Pouring Water On A Drowning Man
Ronnie Dawson - Action Packed
Tom Waits - Yesterday Is Here
Salif Keita - Souareba
Wynona Carr - 'Till The Well Runs Dry
Eugene Chadbourne - Bo Diddley Is A Communist
Bo Diddley - Cops And Robbers
George Jones - Good Year For The Roses
The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet
Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens - Thokazile
Billy Ward & His Dominoes - The Bells (Clyde McPhatter on 'vocals')

Side 2: At The First Moment Turn Away From Unclean Thoughts - AT THE FIRST MOMENT

Stanley Winston - No More Ghettos In America
Frankie Ford - Sea Cruise
John Lee Hooker - TB Sheets
Eddie Fontaine - Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves On The Trees)
David Rudder - Madness
Amayenge - Minise Minise
Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up
Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Hear Voices
Merle Haggard - Today i started Loving You Again
The Four Brothers - Uchandifunga
LL Cool J - The Do Wop
Bob Rogers - The Teen Commandments
Esquerita - Esquerita & The Voola (World's greatest pianist)
Dan Pickett - 99 1/2 Won't Do

The Stanley Winston song that opens side two of the tape was def. one of martin's especial favourites, along w. James Carr's version of Dark end of the Street and a zillion others.

Hope to listen to the onimo playlist after the optimo playlist posted on another thread.

Is Dan Pickett different from Wilson Pickett?

re: dan pickett - yep

http://www.wirz.de/music/pickdfrm.htm

this is dreadfully sad

i remember his posts from back in the day and he seemed like a fine person and estimable polymath

condolences to all who knew him

At The First Moment Turn Away From Unclean Thoughts - AT THE FIRST MOMENT

<3

martin s interviewing dave sim at a uk comic convention, late 1980s (photo via frank pl0wright)

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc497/WardFowler/5991269711_70ac9d0d02.jpg

Great, great photo.

had sim gone bonkers yet? martin's expression suggests this was happening THEN AND THERE

had sim gone bonkers yet? martin's expression suggests this was happening THEN AND THERE

late 80s would have been the time of Church And State and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, so yah - Sim was just beginning to fray around the edges.

Depends how you rationalise Sim's bonkers-ness. I reckon this is pretty early into Jaka's Story, which in my exegesis is consistent with the later Jaka i.e. already into bonkers territory.

Even though I knew he was unwell, this was still a terrible blow. I loved reading him on here and at various places around the web, but also remember fondly the time I was in London and attended a FAP he was at. Would have been 7 or 8 years ago now. He chatted warmly with me about this and that as if he had known me for years, even though we'd just met and hadn't even really had any direct interactions on ILX. My heart goes out to his friends and family, online and off. Great guy, too soon, undeserved pain. RIP Martin.

I only knew him from his music posts here. RIP