Tributes to Clive James & Jonathan Miller

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000bnc9
The deaths of two giants of the arts were announced today. The Australian poet, critic, broadcaster, poet, translator and essayist, Clive James, and the theatre and opera director, actor, author and medical doctor Sir Jonathan Miller. Shahidha Bari is joined by Ian McEwan, Eric Idle, Norman Lebrecht, Melvin Bragg and Pete Atkin to pay tribute.

Removed User 27 Nov 2019
In reply to Robin Montaigne:

I've always enjoyed Clive James gentle humour. One Christmas I bought my partner one of his poetry books. It's still a firm favourite of hers. 

 Tom Last 27 Nov 2019
In reply to Robin Montaigne:

Sad and beautiful poem of James’

http://www.ministryofwords.com/poems/2014/1/4/event-horizon-by-clive-james....

Post edited at 20:12
 climb41 28 Nov 2019
In reply to Robin Montaigne:

I remember in the early eighties being on a long train journey and reading Unreliable Memoirs by Clive James; embarrassed myself by laughing out loud uncontrollably many times. 
 

In fact, I must read it again having written this. 
 

Enjoyed all his books after that trip made me a firm fan. 

 john arran 28 Nov 2019
In reply to Robin Montaigne:

The two together:  youtube.com/watch?v=k4BUp4AylZE&

Very reminiscent of a Derek and Clive sketch, which is high praise indeed.

 mullermn 28 Nov 2019
In reply to climb41:

I don’t own many paper books these days, for reasons of space, but Unreliable Memoirs and it’s two sequels is one of the books I’ve kept. It’s held together with very yellowed sellotape from when the dog chewed it in my early teenage years. 

I was genuinely saddened to read about Clive James’ death, and then slipped further in to depression when I read the lengthy list of achievements on his self-written biography on his website. What have I been doing with my life? I’m half his age and my bio would fit on a mini post-it. 

 Hat Dude 28 Nov 2019
In reply to Robin Montaigne:

Clive James will be relieved that he's died at last, he'd recently written and spoken of how he felt a bit embarrassed about going on for so long after his terminal diagnosis.

A marvellous example of his self depreciating humour

Removed User 28 Nov 2019
In reply to Robin Montaigne:

Gary Rhodes dead too this week. Suicide by the looks of it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50570852

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 Dave Garnett 28 Nov 2019
In reply to Robin Montaigne:

Yes, very sad even if not unexpected.  Seeing Miller and James on television was an important part of my realisation that there was another world beyond the cultural desert of the suburban fringes of the West Midlands where I grew up.  I loved Miller's the Body in Question and the idea that it was possible to be good at more than one thing.  I was too young for Beyond the Fringe but I went back to it after the Secret Policeman's Ball - what a combination of talent!

James was a fixture as a witty presenter on TV in the 1980s but I became a real fan through reading his series of memoirs.  He was part of a stellar cast of Cambridge contemporaries (there's an Australian character in the Glittering Prizes who surely must be him) and it was in Cambridge that he finally settled. 

His poetry is touching and accessible and I guess we'll be hearing this more often from now on:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-28/clive-james-japanese-maple-lucy-fahe...    

And let's not forget Gary Rhodes too.  If you believed in that sort of thing there would be the makings of a very civilised afterlife dinner party somewhere.    

 Blue Straggler 28 Nov 2019
In reply to Removed User:

> Gary Rhodes dead too this week. Suicide by the looks of it.

Genuine question - what is the "coded language" that suggests suicide? Is it the "privacy requested by family"?

Removed User 28 Nov 2019
In reply to Blue Straggler:

There's no mention of the cause of death is usually a good indicator. Also he is in the prime demographic is he not, there aren't too many things people die of suddenly at that age outside of strokes/heart attacks (which one might expect to be stated) or accidents.

I could be entirely wrong of course.

Post edited at 10:43
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 Harry Jarvis 28 Nov 2019
In reply to Removed User:

> I could be entirely wrong of course.

According to the Daily Mail, you are.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7734819/Fit-healthy-chef-Gary-Rhod...

I never understand the need to ascribe a cause of death in the face of no facts whatsoever. 

Gone for good 28 Nov 2019
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

> According to the Daily Mail, you are.

> I never understand the need to ascribe a cause of death in the face of no facts whatsoever. 

In the absence of facts people are naturally inclined to produce assumptions based on best guesses. It's human nature.

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Removed User 28 Nov 2019
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

Ok - accident it was. I stand corrected.

 keith hal 30 Nov 2019
In reply to Robin Montaigne:

Part of my Higher English paper was an excerpt  from Clives Observer TV column. Brilliant stuff...descriptions of The Incredible Hulk with Lou Ferrigno...Where Eagles Dare( why have the German army been issued with blanks but Burton and Eastwood can shoot anything that moves?!) and my particular favourite  his description of Arnold Schwarzenegger as " a big Brown condom stuffed with walnuts"

Lots of muffled laughter heard round the hall.

Loved his books and Tv show. A wonderfully funny man.

 Paul Robertson 30 Nov 2019
In reply to keith hal:

Do you remember a piece on Everest? Clive was underwhelmed by a documentary on Messner's oxygen-free ascent.

Worth seeking out


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