Rolling Obituary Thread: 2019

:(

great story-teller as well as a songwriter whose pastiches i often prefer to the original

RIP, but at least he’ll live on in the form of all the money Eric Idle ripped him off for over the decades

Oh fuck, what a way to end the year.

RIP Neil ;_; The Rutles are only the band the Beatles could have been.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lplGAiqgPwQ

RIP Neil ;_; The Rutles are only the band the Beatles could have been.

Sad news, he could probably have been a successful mainstream singer-songwriter if he'd so chosen, instead of being fleeced by the least popular member of Monty Python. Still, maybe Eric Idle could chip in for the funeral costs?

Horrible news. The Rutles yes, but he was brilliant in the Bonzos too. RIP.

F Eric Idle forever. I bet Innes never outed himself as a Tory either.

Is this where I mention his "Silver Jubilee" single?

Apparently, it was someone else's idea...

Seeing reports that legendary industrial artist/designer and film designer Syd Mead (BLADE RUNNER, TRON, ALIENS) has died but no confirmation.

I read there's confirmation on his Facebook but I can't see it

News was first reported by John McElroy, the publisher of Autoline, who has interviewed Mead on his webcast in the past. pic.twitter.com/e0ymc3SQzX

— cartoonbrew.com (@cartoonbrew) December 30, 2019

Jazz guitarist Vic Juris.

Norma Tanega

Wow, I like her music. I'd only heard the song from the tv show before. Definitely up there with E-40 among the great artists from Vallejo CA.

Former NBA commissioner David Stern

I made a new one.

Rolling Obituary Thread: 2020

https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/music/article_b3410680-2677-11ea-a4a7-e3253f3bf2f5.html

Obit for Haitian vodou percussionist Daman FanFan Louis who died earlier in December. He lived in Haiti, then NYC, and for the past 8 years in New Orleans. He received a second line sendoff.

listening to david klion and others discussing norman podhoretz's MAKING IT (1967) on their stitcher podcast know your enemy and looking up to check when norman p died (he didn't yet, he's 90!), when midge decter died (ditto, she's 92!!), when gertrude himmelfarb died (30 dec 2019 aged 97, hence relevant to this thread's interests if not ilx's politics)

if you want to live for nearly ten decades be a neocon :0

By coincidence, I too had cause to Google Norman Podhoretz recently. after reading Janet Malcolm's piece about the MAKING IT reissue, excerpted here https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/03/22/norman-podhoretz-making-it/

I do like this review Malcolm quotes (by 'Wilfred Sheed, a prominent critic and novelist of the time'):

In this mixture of complacency and agitation, he has written a book of no literary distinction whatever, pockmarked by clichés and little mock modesties and a woefully pedestrian tone…. Mediocrities from coast to coast will no doubt take Making It to their hearts and will use it for their own justification…. In the present condition of our society and the world, I cannot imagine a more feckless, silly book.

Besides seeing Podhoretz's name in things like MAD magazine, I had no idea who or what he was (maybe a figure like Lionel Trilling, who seems equally obscure in the UK?) so the right wing politics were something of a surprise.

the podcast is good and even (very briefly) mentions lionel trilling

I only know about Podhoretz, Decter, and Himmelfarb from reading Gore Vidal.

Does this mean John Podhoretz and William Kristol are going to be around another 30 years? Greeeeaaaaaat.

N Podhoretz's rag Commentary was skewered regularly in Woody Allen films