msc

With David Crosby's death, Sabbath's original line up must be the most WTF 60s band to still have a full breathing quartet? I'm aware Ronnie Dio and Geoff Nichols are no more, but they weren't part of the classic line up.

He's always been shortlisted for my oldies theme team but has always been a safe pick for I'll Sleep when You're Dead. Only debuted on the DDP in 2020 though, I wrote his bio. Recovered swiftly from a heart attack in his late 80s so made of stern stuff as you'd expect.

I don't smoke (lung issues, it would be stupid) but my family tree is sobering. Can look right up the tree, and barring accidents/luck/cancers, the difference between smokers and non-smokers of the same generation can be well over thirty years. Insane.

58 A-ha – The Sun Always Shines On TV  46 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don’t Leave Me This Way 38 Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin 32 Madonna – La Isla Bonita 30 Rick Astley — Never Gonna Give You Up 29 Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) 28 Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now 27 Bee Gees - You Win Again +4 26 Falco – Rock Me Amadeus 21 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 21 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I Knew You Were Waiting For Me 19 Mel & Kim — Respectable 12 Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach 09 T’Pau – China In Your Hand 8 Berlin - Take My Breath Away -6 02 Wham – The Edge of Heaven 

Eddie Sharkey outlives another of his trainees.

57 A-ha – The Sun Always Shines On TV 42 Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin 34 Madonna – La Isla Bonita 32 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don’t Leave Me This Way 32 Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) 27 Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now 27 Rick Astley — Never Gonna Give You Up 26 Bee Gees - You Win Again +4 24 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 23 Mel & Kim – Respectable 21 Berlin – Take My Breath Away 21 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I Knew You Were Waiting For Me 21 T’Pau – China In Your Hand 18 Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach 17 Falco – Rock Me Amadeus 13 Wham – Edge of Heaven 7 George Michael – A Different Corner 6 Los Lobos - La Bamba -6 04 Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite

Dying Probably behind to Joe Moneypennys Dying Certainly, apparently.

Wrong fucking deletion. I swear Sundayafternoon turns every post into Iains...

53 A-ha – The Sun Always Shines On TV 44 Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin 40 Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) 34 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don’t Leave Me This Way 29 Bee Gees - You Win Again +4 29 Rick Astley — Never Gonna Give You Up 28 Madonna — La Isla Bonita 26 Falco – Rock Me Amadeus 25 Bee Gees – You Win Again 25 Mel & Kim – Respectable 22 Berlin – Take My Breath Away 21 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I Knew You Were Waiting For Me 19 Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now 18 T’Pau – China In Your Hand 17 Wham – Edge of Heaven 15 Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach 14 George Michael – A Different Corner 12 Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite 12 Los Lobos – La Bamba 09 Diana Ross – Chain Reaction  06 Ben E. King – Stand By Me 06 MARRS - Pump Up the Volume -6

Starmer Smith

Underestimate Deadsox at your peril. He's beaten many greats in this cup.

Also, nearly 6 years since @YoungWillz accidentally killed off Tugboat/Typhoon/The Shockmaster (he got better) Fred Ottman, he's still with us.

50 a-ha – The sun always shines on TV 42 Pet Shop Boys – It´s a sin 39 Rick Astley — Never gonna give you up 36 Whitney Houston – I wanna dance with somebody (who loves me) 36 Falco – Rock me Amadeus 32 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don´t leave me this way 28 Bee Gees - You Win Again +4 26 M/A/R/R/S - Pump up the volume 24 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 24 Madonna – La isla bonita 22 T´Pau – China in your hand 23 Starship – Nothing´s gonna stop us now 22 Berlin – Take my breath away 21 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I knew you wait’n (fo me) 21 Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite 21 Mel & Kim – Respectable 16 Wham - the edge of heaven 16 Madonna – Papa don´t preach 14 George Michael – A different corner 13 Ben E. King – Stand by me  10 Los Lobos - La Bamba -6 7 Madonna – True Blue 7 Diana Ross – Chain Reaction

More chance a high trender like Barker than most stars of actual BBC shows it seems!

Barker is like Trebek. Their shows didn't appear here, but they've shown up in enough American pop culture which did for folk of a certain age to know of them. Eg, Trebek was in the X-Files, Barker in Happy Gilmore. Both made WWE appearances. Trebek got a BBC obit and so will Barker.

Glanville has all but retired now so I don't think he's long for the world.

Tessa Jowell looked healthier in her last appearance. April tops imo.

Missed this if Last Word hadn't brought it up. Ralph Erhmann, former WW2 RAF pilot who became chairman of Airfix in 1959 and turned them into the megaselling toy company they were in the 60s/70s, has died aged 97.

I find Happy Valley a bit grim for me. Which is saying something. My suspension of disbelief can extend quite far (as you'd probably assume from a Dr Who fan) but it has its limits. For example, in Peter Jackson films the CGI is wonderful, yes, but there's moments, especially in his King Kong, when the sequence of events couldn't physically actually happen if it was a bunch of real life dinosaurs and a giant gorilla there. They can in the film, because its just computer graphics, but when I'm reminded it IS computer graphics it loses me. On the other hand, I can easily lose myself in Terminator or Jurassic Park. I know they're both Stan Winston models, hell, I've seen some of the model work, but you can just suspend your disbelief entirely and take in that T Rex or the robotic Terminator being bloody real. Police dramas I prefer stuff like Columbo or Taggart to your NCIS's and what not. One episode Taggart spends an episode in his office going over hours of witness statements and spots a lie which turns out crucial. Top work, but it shows why most of the time they just left that off screen.

Remember a few years ago when I said the idea of that theme teams year getting near my age of birth was disturbing. Well, more so now its younger than me.

Replied with my own editorial comments instead!

43 a-ha – The sun always shines on TV 37 Pet Shop Boys – It´s a sin 35 Whitney Houston – I wanna dance with somebody (who loves me) 32 Falco – Rock me Amadeus 32 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don´t leave me this way 29 Starship – Nothing´s gonna stop us now 28 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 26 Rick Astley — Never gonna give you up 25 Los Lobos – La Bamba 24 Bee Gees - You Win Again +4 24 MARRS - Pump up the volume 23 T´Pau – China in your hand 23 Madonna – Papa don´t preach 22 Berlin – Take my breath away 22 Madonna – La isla bonita 21 Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite 21 Mel & Kim – Respectable 19 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I knew you were waiting (for me) 19 Diana Ross – Chain Reaction 18 George Michael – A different corner 17 Ben E. King – Stand by me 14 Wham – The edge of heaven 12 The Housemartins – Caravan of love 09 Madonna – True Blue 09 Billy Ocean – When the going gets tough, the tough gets going 08 Steve ´Silk` Hurley – Jack your body 06 Boy George - Everything I Own -6

Really, Biblio, I had no idea, I thought Spitting Image was gripping documentary... If something is annoying, does it matter if its ironic annoying? Get rid. imo.

36 a-ha – The sun always shines on TV 35 Pet Shop Boys – It´s a sin 32 Rick Astley – Never gonna give you up 32 Falco – Rock me Amadeus 29 Whitney Houston – I wanna dance with somebody (who loves me ) 29 Starship – Nothing´s gonna stop us now 28 Communards & Sarah Jane Morris – Don´t leave me this way 26 T´Pau – China in your hand 26 Bee Gees - You Win Again +4 26 M/A/R/R/S – Pump up the volume 24 Los Lobos – La Bamba 24 George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I knew you were waiting (for me) 22 Pet Shop Boys — West End Girls 21 Madonna – Papa don´t preach 21 Jackie Wilson – Reet Petite 21 Mel & Kim – Respectable 21 Diana Ross – Chain Reaction 21 Berlin – Take my breath away 19 Madonna – La isla bonita 18 George Michael – A different corner 18 Steve ´Silk` Hurley – Jack your body 15 Ben E. King – Stand by me 15 Billy Ocean – When the going gets tough, the tough gets going 14 Europe – The Final Countdown 14 Wham – The edge of heaven 13 Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett – I just can´t stop loving you 12 Boy George – Everything I own 12 The Housemartins – Caravan of love 10 Madonna – True Blue 07 Spitting Imagine - that fucking Chicken Song -6 05 Boris Gardiner — I want to wake up with you

Just to add the obvious that gigantic/health issues tend to be linked to folk Giant Gonzalez size ie folk suffering from acromegaly, who wind up vast outliers. Just over 6 foot, which is the height of around 22 million Americans alone, isn't that far off average.