Saw a fair bit of the BBC's documentary about her last night.
What's Love Got to Do With It was a big hit in 84, it helped to sum up that long hot summer (83 was also a scorcher but 85 fell a bit flat, I think the sun only came out for the day of Live Aid.) I recall sunbathing on Brighton beach when that song was playing, of course that was also the year of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's nine-week occupancy at No 1 with Two Tribes.
Tina's song had been turned down by Cliff Richard and Bucks Fizz had actually recorded it but it wasn't done in the same way, she took a while recording it to make it her own. She really didn't like it at first.
Her relationship history had passed me by at the time. One snag I think was that she didn't quite bring it into her song or career trajectory. I mean, she called Tina her first album in effect. She kind of landed as a mid-80s icon and stayed that way. I didn't get the sense she developed much beyond that sound or look. Other 60s star cemented their iconic status around the same time - Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Paul McCartney - and had a large back catalogue upon which to draw, songs that had evolved and complemented their new songs. Quickly though they found there wasn't much fun resting on laurels and just being an icon - the second half of the decade saw them adrift until they regrouped, sometimes literally, and took a more artistic direction. I'm not sure there was the nuance in Turner's songs we might have had, she stayed as an icon really though I Don't Want To Fight is a brilliant song mostly written by Lulu - that's another thing of course, I'm not sure Turner wrote her own songs ever, did she?
There's a clip of Shirley Bassey on YouTube doing I Am What I Am for a celebrity audience and she was just so good, you thought it was a missed opportunity to not have her back for a Brosnan Bond film, given the clip is 1996 and she looks so young. I think the song GoldenEye might have been a bit beneath her really but no question that Tina Turner was the bigger name then. The odd thing is, in terms of age there isn't much between them given that Turner was 83 when she died.
Cormac MacCarthy, author of modern classics such as "The Road" and "No country for old men" has died at the age of 89. Why he never got a Nobel prize is beyond me. RIP.
All The Pretty Horses, for me, the movie of which is being shown on a TV channel right now as I write. Strange coincidence. I didn't like The Road, but No Country For Old Men and its subsequent film are two of the outstanding pieces of recent art in their respective fields of literature and film.
Ah, that's sad. Almost best known for her comic sketch with Morecambe & Wise - up there with Andre Previn. But I enjoyed her tole in Sunday Bloody Sunday with Peter Finch. She did seem indomitable. I can't think of many others right now save Women in Love with Oliver Reed and Alan Bates which I never got around to seeing. Edit: Oh, A Touch of Class, the comedy with George Segal - that's great but for some reason it's never shown on telly.
She's got a film out with Michael Caine soon, it's about that nursing home fellow who absconded to attend the D-Day parade.
Marvel Comics artist best known for his long run on SpiderMan, taking over from creator Steve Ditko with issue 39 August 1966, and continuing til the early 1970s when he was promoted to Marvel's art director. He, along with John Buscema, largely defined what would become Marvel's house style.
here is my favourite cover by Romita, from Spectacular SpiderMan 2, November 1968 (and if you can find it, this whole issue is an awesome epic length story in large scale magazine format, in which the Green Goblin tortures SpiderMan with hallucinogenic pumpkin bombs)
Romita worked with Marvel as early as 1951, when he did a short lived revival of Captain America in his early style. He largely drew romance comics for DC and Marvel for the next decade, perfecting his ability to draw beautiful women. When he took over SpiderMan, the look of the series changed quickly. Ditko had drawn Peter Parker as a lonely nerd. Romita's Parker was a confident square jawed young man with a hot babe on each arm: Gwen Stacey and Mary Jane Watson, and this would become the definitive look of the series.
he also created the definitive look of the Black Widow, in SpiderMan 86, July 1971
and painted the covers of most of the Marvel Fireside trade paperbacks in the late70s, my favourite being Bring On The Bad Guys. The Fireside series are very expensive now, but if you can find them they compile a greatest hits of 1960s Marvel with introductions from Stan Lee, essential comics collections.
Angela Thorne, best known for the classic sitcom To the Manor Born, has died, aged 84.
It's sad, she was great in that. Only Penelope Keith left now. I had no idea Thorne was the mother of actor Rupert Penry-Jones, he of Spooks fame and The Thirty-Nine Steps, former Bond contender at one point.
Most people haven't heard of Sonja Melin, but she was the inspiration for the fictional Pippi Longstockings' look and personality. Author Astrid Lindgren was clear on this. Sonja died age 89 earlier this month.
Tony Bennett is a God of smooth jazz, lounge music, cocktail swing, easy listening, call it whst you will. I saw him performing live 3 times in the 1990s and early 2000s. It'scan awful thing to say but at the last show I thought his voice was shot. I've not been interested in a Bennett release since.
However, those classic singles and albums from 1950 onwards are a phenomenal body of work.
San Francisco, Just In Time, Something, Rags to Riches, I Wanna Be Around, Maybe this Time, If I Ruled The World, Stranger in Paradise, Put On A Happy Face,....
It is an endless list.
I've been on the lash tonight but when this bus drops me home, I will play His All Time Greatest Hits and shed a little tear.
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,697MI6 Agent
Saddened to hear of the death today of the veteran BBC newsreader and journalist George Alagiah at the age of 67. He had sadly been suffering from cancer for the last few years.
"The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
Saddened to hear Michael Parkinson has died aged 88, RIP.
Japanese proverb say, "Bird never make nest in bare tree".
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,697MI6 Agent
edited August 2023
Sad to hear of the death of one of the greats of TV interviewing, Sir Michael Parkinson, aged 88. As well as all of his TV work he was also the second presenter of BBC Radio 4's long-running [i]Desert Island Discs[/i] between 1986 and 1988. As something a bit different here he is interviewing Bond author Kingsley Amis on 9th November 1986 (in 4 parts):
Yes, he only turned 90 this week or so, it was in the Times. In The Great Escape, 633 Squadron too but The Man from Uncle was the big one. Others may prefer Sapphire and Steel, which I never quite got into.
Comments
Tina Simply the Best RIP
Saw a fair bit of the BBC's documentary about her last night.
What's Love Got to Do With It was a big hit in 84, it helped to sum up that long hot summer (83 was also a scorcher but 85 fell a bit flat, I think the sun only came out for the day of Live Aid.) I recall sunbathing on Brighton beach when that song was playing, of course that was also the year of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's nine-week occupancy at No 1 with Two Tribes.
Tina's song had been turned down by Cliff Richard and Bucks Fizz had actually recorded it but it wasn't done in the same way, she took a while recording it to make it her own. She really didn't like it at first.
Her relationship history had passed me by at the time. One snag I think was that she didn't quite bring it into her song or career trajectory. I mean, she called Tina her first album in effect. She kind of landed as a mid-80s icon and stayed that way. I didn't get the sense she developed much beyond that sound or look. Other 60s star cemented their iconic status around the same time - Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Paul McCartney - and had a large back catalogue upon which to draw, songs that had evolved and complemented their new songs. Quickly though they found there wasn't much fun resting on laurels and just being an icon - the second half of the decade saw them adrift until they regrouped, sometimes literally, and took a more artistic direction. I'm not sure there was the nuance in Turner's songs we might have had, she stayed as an icon really though I Don't Want To Fight is a brilliant song mostly written by Lulu - that's another thing of course, I'm not sure Turner wrote her own songs ever, did she?
There's a clip of Shirley Bassey on YouTube doing I Am What I Am for a celebrity audience and she was just so good, you thought it was a missed opportunity to not have her back for a Brosnan Bond film, given the clip is 1996 and she looks so young. I think the song GoldenEye might have been a bit beneath her really but no question that Tina Turner was the bigger name then. The odd thing is, in terms of age there isn't much between them given that Turner was 83 when she died.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Treat Williams, 71, has been killed in a motorcycle accident. I remember him in The Eagle Has Landed. RIP.
Watched him just last week in "Hair", one of the Bride's favourite movies.
Yes, me too with Larry Hagman as his superior officer if I recall. Saddened to hear about this, RIP.
Cormac MacCarthy, author of modern classics such as "The Road" and "No country for old men" has died at the age of 89. Why he never got a Nobel prize is beyond me. RIP.
He didn't ? Crikey. A Pulitzer though, surely?
All The Pretty Horses, for me, the movie of which is being shown on a TV channel right now as I write. Strange coincidence. I didn't like The Road, but No Country For Old Men and its subsequent film are two of the outstanding pieces of recent art in their respective fields of literature and film.
RIP.
Glenda Jackson has died aged 87, RIP. I was recently watching her in Elizabeth R.
Ah, that's sad. Almost best known for her comic sketch with Morecambe & Wise - up there with Andre Previn. But I enjoyed her tole in Sunday Bloody Sunday with Peter Finch. She did seem indomitable. I can't think of many others right now save Women in Love with Oliver Reed and Alan Bates which I never got around to seeing. Edit: Oh, A Touch of Class, the comedy with George Segal - that's great but for some reason it's never shown on telly.
She's got a film out with Michael Caine soon, it's about that nursing home fellow who absconded to attend the D-Day parade.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
RIP John Romita Sr
January 24, 1930 – June 12, 2023
Marvel Comics artist best known for his long run on SpiderMan, taking over from creator Steve Ditko with issue 39 August 1966, and continuing til the early 1970s when he was promoted to Marvel's art director. He, along with John Buscema, largely defined what would become Marvel's house style.
here is my favourite cover by Romita, from Spectacular SpiderMan 2, November 1968 (and if you can find it, this whole issue is an awesome epic length story in large scale magazine format, in which the Green Goblin tortures SpiderMan with hallucinogenic pumpkin bombs)
Romita worked with Marvel as early as 1951, when he did a short lived revival of Captain America in his early style. He largely drew romance comics for DC and Marvel for the next decade, perfecting his ability to draw beautiful women. When he took over SpiderMan, the look of the series changed quickly. Ditko had drawn Peter Parker as a lonely nerd. Romita's Parker was a confident square jawed young man with a hot babe on each arm: Gwen Stacey and Mary Jane Watson, and this would become the definitive look of the series.
he also created the definitive look of the Black Widow, in SpiderMan 86, July 1971
and painted the covers of most of the Marvel Fireside trade paperbacks in the late70s, my favourite being Bring On The Bad Guys. The Fireside series are very expensive now, but if you can find them they compile a greatest hits of 1960s Marvel with introductions from Stan Lee, essential comics collections.
Very sad to read about Glenda Jackson - a great actress by any stretch RIP
Angela Thorne, best known for the classic sitcom To the Manor Born, has died, aged 84.
It's sad, she was great in that. Only Penelope Keith left now. I had no idea Thorne was the mother of actor Rupert Penry-Jones, he of Spooks fame and The Thirty-Nine Steps, former Bond contender at one point.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Saddened to hear from the USA that remains found in California have been confirmed as Julian Sand’s, the long missing actor. RIP.
Yes.
Sad to hear that the brilliant Alan Arkin has left us aged 89, RIP.
Most people haven't heard of Sonja Melin, but she was the inspiration for the fictional Pippi Longstockings' look and personality. Author Astrid Lindgren was clear on this. Sonja died age 89 earlier this month.
The legendary singer Tony Bennett has died aged 96, RIP.
I had the great pleasure to see him in concert about 20 years ago. Truly one of the best.
that must be why theyve been playing him all day on my local jazz station! RIP Tony Bennett
Oh.
Dear.
I miss this until now.
Tony Bennett is a God of smooth jazz, lounge music, cocktail swing, easy listening, call it whst you will. I saw him performing live 3 times in the 1990s and early 2000s. It'scan awful thing to say but at the last show I thought his voice was shot. I've not been interested in a Bennett release since.
However, those classic singles and albums from 1950 onwards are a phenomenal body of work.
San Francisco, Just In Time, Something, Rags to Riches, I Wanna Be Around, Maybe this Time, If I Ruled The World, Stranger in Paradise, Put On A Happy Face,....
It is an endless list.
I've been on the lash tonight but when this bus drops me home, I will play His All Time Greatest Hits and shed a little tear.
Saddened to hear of the death today of the veteran BBC newsreader and journalist George Alagiah at the age of 67. He had sadly been suffering from cancer for the last few years.
Yes RIP to George Alagiah, a true professional.
Also saddened to hear that Britain’s first £1 million player Trevor Francis has passed away aged 69, RIP.
RIP Sinéad O'Connor
those first two albums were perfect and unique sounding when they came out. I have the next couple she made but dont remember so much off them.
RIP Sinéad o'Connor. Thanks for the great songs.
William Friedkin director of The French Connection, The Exorcist and Sorceror has died aged 87, RIP.
I see Robbie Robertson, founder member of The Band passed away.
Saddened to hear Michael Parkinson has died aged 88, RIP.
Sad to hear of the death of one of the greats of TV interviewing, Sir Michael Parkinson, aged 88. As well as all of his TV work he was also the second presenter of BBC Radio 4's long-running [i]Desert Island Discs[/i] between 1986 and 1988. As something a bit different here he is interviewing Bond author Kingsley Amis on 9th November 1986 (in 4 parts):
Saddened to hear of the death of David McCallum, Ilya Kuryakin himself, aged 90, RIP
Yes, he only turned 90 this week or so, it was in the Times. In The Great Escape, 633 Squadron too but The Man from Uncle was the big one. Others may prefer Sapphire and Steel, which I never quite got into.
https://news.sky.com/story/the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e-star-david-mccallum-dies-aged-90-12970054
Roger Moore 1927-2017