gcreptile

Bowie is my favorite musician. The 1971-1980 decade is almost without flaw. Just like everyone of the really big superstars, his career probably lasted a bit longer than it should have, but I still occasionally find something that interests me in the new stuff. And thankfully, he had a decade-long break from 2004 to 2014 which probably spared us some forgettable material.

William Macdonald, a serial killer also known as 'The Mutilator' has died at 90: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2015-05-13/the-mutilator-sydney-serial-killer-william-macdonald-dies-as-nsws-oldest-longestserving-prisoner/1447138 He was Australias first recognized serial killer and earned his nickname by "slicing off his victim's genitals". After a couple of decades in prison, he was declared sane enough to return into osciety but decided to stay in prison instead.

North Korean general Hyon Yong-Chol is dead at 66: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32716749 He was executed after committing lèse majesté by falling asleep during a speech of the glorious leader. He was executed by, of course, anti-aircraft fire.

Did Kim kill his aunt? http://www.ibtimes.com/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-ordered-his-aunt-kim-kyong-hui-be-poisoned-report-1917846 Back in March, I thought that she might be a brilliant unique pick and I wondered why nobody chose her. But now I see that she was reported dead back then already. Officially, she's still alive: http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk01500&num=13177 But then nobody outside of North Korea really knows...

Now he's suffered facial injuries after a shooting: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/george-zimmerman-lake-mary-shooting He's a real mess. Apparently it was part of an "ongoing dispute" Eventually, the gun became the final argument in that dispute...

Now he's suffered facial injuries after a shooting: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/george-zimmerman-lake-mary-shooting He's a real mess.

The day has come: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rob-ford-having-cancer-surgery-today-at-toronto-hospital-1.3069013 The recovery is expected to take several months.

The king leaves the hospital for a coastal palace: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-11/thai-king-leaves-bangkok-hospital-for-coastal-palace/6459062 Does he want to die there??? Also, his daughter is coming with him. The official crown prince is really, really, REALLY unpopular (he was divorced three times, and is probably unfit to rule) In fact, there are plans to let that daughter succeed the king. I think this scenario is being prepared there. I predicted a friend of mine, who is married to a thai woman, that the king would die during their 6-week holidays at her family. They left for Thailand yesterday.

Performance artist Chris Burden is dead at 69 because of malignant melanoma: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-chris-burden-dies-20150510-story.html#page=1 Of special relevance to me because his most famous art performance, nailing himself to a Volkswagen, inspired a line in David Bowie's great song "Joe the Lion" ("Nail me to my car, and I'll tell you who you are").

North Korean general Kim Kyok-sik is dead at 77 after respiratory failure: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/12/world/asia/kim-kyok-sik-hard-line-north-korean-general-dies-at-77.html?_r=1 He was the likely mastermind behind a couple of attacks on south korean ships in recent years.

Dutch pianist Ton Hartsuiker is dead at 81: http://slippedisc.com/2015/05/dutch-pianist-dies/

The wife sells his plane and a chalet, because "he will never use them again": http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/michael-schumachers-wife-sells-25m-5665398 Probably bed-ridden, or even in a vegetative state, for the rest of his life, I guess...

Labour Party stalwart Ray Davies dead at 85: http://www.campaignseries.co.uk/news/12941220.Labour_party_stalwart_and____one_off____Ray_Davies_has_died_aged_85/ Not really a famous guy, but posted to ask the question "DID THE ELECTION KILL HIM?" He was still campaigning just two weeks ago...

"Major down under composer" Jack Body now a dead body decomposing down underground (that should cover it): http://slippedisc.com/2015/05/major-down-under-composer-has-died/

Queen, personally I'm not convinced the current line up is owt but a touring cash machine. Though I'm fairly biased cos I always thought them something of a pantomime. Zep, fair point, nobody struggled to accept the one off reunion to promote the Mothership compilation and by common consent, they still had enough of the original magic to qualify as legends. That lead singer for Queen if I'm not mistaken is some creep (no relation) that came from American Idol I think, I don't even think he won. I pay these incarnations no heed. Ah! I had forgotten about Adam Lambert. I remember they once toured with ... no, I'm mistaken again! I thought they toured with the singer of one-hit wonder Stilskin, but no, that was Genesis! That said, before Adam Lambert, there was Paul Rodgers. Also George Michael for one concert. I saw Yes at the Royal Albert Hall a few years ago wherein four members of Yes over the years, three from the classic line ups plus Geoff (Buggles) Downes, who joined later on, were fronted by a fortysomething Jon Anderson clone. Great gig, really good sound, but I didn't even consider them for this classic discussion. Another similar case: Kraftwerk, who are still occasionally touring. In fact, they're more involved in retrospectives of their work than making new music, but then, this has been going on since 1985 or so. The current line up of the band only contains one original member, cycling nut Ralf Hütter. There are only two original members, him and Florian Schneider, but the classic albums from Autobahn to Computer World were created mostly by four people, Hütter, Schneider, Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flür. There's no artistic reason why the band should still exist, the last new album came out in 2003, 18 years after the last one (and there was a remix album in 1991). I don't know why people still would want to watch the band, considering it's not really the band anymore.

Queen, personally I'm not convinced the current line up is owt but a touring cash machine. Though I'm fairly biased cos I always thought them something of a pantomime. Zep, fair point, nobody struggled to accept the one off reunion to promote the Mothership compilation and by common consent, they still had enough of the original magic to qualify as legends. That lead singer for Queen if I'm not mistaken is some creep (no relation) that came from American Idol I think, I don't even think he won. I pay these incarnations no heed. Ah! I had forgotten about Adam Lambert. I remember they once toured with ... no, I'm mistaken again! I thought they toured with the singer of one-hit wonder Stilskin, but no, that was Genesis! That said, before Adam Lambert, there was Paul Rodgers. Also George Michael for one concert.

Is Queen still touring with a replacement for Freddie Mercury? The surviving members of Led Zeppelin would also qualify as legends, but Page and Plant are still quite active. So, John Paul Jones? I guess they did the next best thing by replacing John Bonham with his son that one time.

Canadian sitcom actor, radio showmaster and comedic writer Mike O'Brien has stage four cancer: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-actor-with-terminal-cancer-plans-to-die-laughing-mike-obrien He's obviously going to die soon, but his fame is probably non-existent outside of Canada.

Sentenced to 3 years in prison: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/150509102401084.html That means, it's faking bad health time!

Happened in Germany as well in 2013. Our liberal party (the FDP) failed to clear the 5% threshhold and was kicked out of parliament while being the coalition partner of Merkel's CDU who gained massively. However the CDU missed the absolute seat majority and were forced into a major coalition with the social democrats who could actually form a government of their own with the Greens and the Socialists if only they really wanted it. Another parallel in ideological terms is that your UKIP is our AfD whose surge might have caused the drop of the FDP below the threshhold. In 2009, the SPD was also in a coalition with Merkel and lost heavily. Merkel has the unusual talent to spell death to her allies. Sometimes she gets called "a black widow" for that.

Jon Huntsman Sr., big player in Utah politics and father of former Utah governor and presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr., as well as being a huge philantropist and funder of cancer research, 'wants to give all his money away before he dies'. He has already beaten the prognosis of 'polymyalgia rheumatic' by a couple of years. http://fox13now.com/2015/05/07/philanthropy-politics-and-battling-cancer-the-legacy-of-jon-huntsman-senior/ His obitability in Britain is not guaranteed though, I guess.

While we're at it: Another 'oversized whale' being fed to death, Angel Parrish, 42: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/watch-forty-stone-woman-being-5655386 She's also featured in the TLC show "My 600lb Life".

Children's books illustrator Marcia Brown is dead at 96: http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-caldecott-winning-illustrator-marcia-brown-dies-20150507-story.html

I hope Winton survives. Now that I've lost this competition with zero points, I want it to stay that way. If I lose, I want to lose really, really badly.

Claude Durand, french writer, but also, and mainly, translator of spanish literature into french, has died at 76: http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/claude-durand-has-died/103100