The Dead Cow

I wasn't overly familiar with her work but definitely know the name, very sad and shocking news. Along with Paul Ritter, that's two shock deaths within the past month of actors seemingly at the top of their game who have both appeared in Harry Potter and James Bond films. I don't believe in the law of threes, but it does make you wonder, who next?

DMX would be a shocker, and he's certainly a big name, though for me the most shocking death of the year (so far), and perhaps in my life, was that of SOPHIE. I wasn't a superfan or anything, though I enjoyed their work, but somehow their death just left me stunned in a way no other celebrity death, except for maybe Bowie, has.

Who could forget Ringo Starr's MS Paint masterpieces?

Dead

The Steve Brown who died two years ago seems to be a different record producer, who also worked with Elton John. Why are there so many fucking record producers called Steve Brown?

Hang on, I'm not sure this is the same Steve Brown. This Louder Than War obit has him best known for working with the Manic Street Preachers and The Cult, of which there is no mention on Steve Brown of Glenn Ponder fame's wiki. Seems to me that the latter is still alive. Anyone got evidence that they are the same person, or indeed otherwise.

Best known to me as the subject of a sacking in Knowing Me, Knowing You as bandleader Glenn Ponder Edit: In true Partridge style, it turns out that Steve Brown, who played Glenn Ponder, is in fact still alive. I ought to be a subject of a sacking myself.

LD Beghtol, best known for collaborating with The Magnetic Fields on their seminal triple album 69 Love Songs, has died at the age of 55. A sad one for me, as I'd easily rank that album in my top 10 of all time, and I love his vocals on the album. https://pitchfork.com/news/ld-beghtol-singer-songwriter-and-magnetic-fields-collaborator-dead-at-55/

I mean, he is the oldest. Cleese looks to me as he has done for years, maybe his voice is getting slightly more gravelly. His mother lived to 101 though, so I reckon he's got a few years left before he dies, departs, ceases to be, shuffles off this mortal coil, etc.

Terry Gilliam turned 80 recently and BFI did a thing for him, featuring a bunch of geriatric guests, including Jonathan Pryce who it seems hasn't fully recovered from his Covid bout, as his breathing sounds quite laboured. Terry's looking fine though, as are Cleese and Palin, Idle is absent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW0EWSzJiT0

For some reason, I thought he'd been dead for about 20 years, genuinely surprised to see he's still with us. Anyhow, I've just done a quick search and here's an interview with him from 2019, looks and sounds great for his age. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1oYTbF16g

As a zoomer, who is ashamed to only really know him for voicing a hat, I guess I'd be compelled to go with GRRYYFFFINNDEEAADD!!!

I'm listed twice as having won once. I'd like to combine my separate successes and ascend to the league of two-time champions, if I may.

I'm quite fond of Frans Hals' portraits; here's a painting of a bloke holding a skull.

Friday: 72