[tomtom]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/08/chuck-yeager-obituary

Anyone pick this up? Redefines the word bold. Uberwad, still flying supersonic in his 90s.

Have you read the Right Stuff? If not I thoroughly recommend it....

[SA Chris]

Yep, and seen the film several times, which spookily is being made into a series, and started on Disney+

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Right_Stuff_(TV_series)

[gollum]

Yep, and seen the film several times, which spookily is being made into a series, and started on Disney+

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Right_Stuff_(TV_series)

The series oddly completely misses Yeager out of the story and is poorer for it.

The book is brilliant, recounting how he became an ace in a day, shot down a jet fighter in a propellered aircraft etc, etc.

A truly iconic figure.

[tomtom]

Book is superb. Tom Wolfe isn’t it? Iirc he has another iconic book about 80’s NYC that I’ve forgotten the name of.

[Yossarian]

Bonfire of the Vanities. And (the unfairly maligned) A Man in Full.

[tomtom]

Bonfire of the Vanities. And (the unfairly maligned) A Man in Full.

Thank you - superb. Has a memorable rendition of what the worst hangover experienced feels like...

On the Chuck Yaeger theme - his twitter feed over the last 2-3 years has been great to read. along the lines of

"Jim from TX here: Whats the most dangerous bail out you every had"
"A: Well, the time I was on fire, ejected at 60 000 ft and blacked out for five min, to wake up at 5000ft and pull the emergency chute was fairly close" etc...

Very deadpan, matter of fact etc..

[Catcheemonkey]

Bonfire of the Vanities. And (the unfairly maligned) A Man in Full.

I enjoyed both of those books. The horse mating scene in A Man In Full will always be scarred in my mind.

[Fultonius]

A veteran journalist on twitter - can’t remember who - said Fisk was steeped in the 1970s newsroom culture of embellishing stories. I thought the obit was a little catty but excusing war crimes is a big, big deal.

Sean, where was he excusing war crimes?

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/douma-syria-opcw-chemical-weapons-chlorine-gas-video-conspiracy-theory-russia-a8927116.html

Pretty sure he accuses the assed regime of war crimes here, amongst other things.

[al]

Harold Budd

his music has been a big help this year (and most others) rip

[SA Chris]

The series oddly completely misses Yeager out of the story and is poorer for it.

Disappointing. I was looking forward to an updated version of the story.

[mrjonathanr]

John le Carré

[sxrxg]

Gerard Houllier.

Was Liverpool manager during my teenage years, so have some great memories of some great nights/days watching matches with my dad and grandad (both who are no  longer with us as well) especially in the 2001 treble season.

[mrjonathanr]

Gerard will be very missed on Merseyside. By some of us, anyway.

[Andy F]

Houllier had a massive impact at my club. In the 2001 season we played every game possible, winning 3 trophies in that time, a feat never before or since achieved by any English club.
A gentleman, scholar and revolutionary.

[cowboyhat]

I don’t want to be the one to call it, keep hoping it’s just a rebrand like ziggy stardust or some shit. But a lot of outlets saying that

DOOM has died.

Wether it’s true or not I just want to say that after I got into MF I gradually stopped listening to any other rappers. Maybe one or two here and there still make it on now and then. Some will say I’m missing out. I doubt it. All else pale.

There is only DOOM.

[jwi]

I don’t want to be the one to call it, keep hoping it’s just a rebrand like ziggy stardust or some shit. But a lot of outlets saying that

DOOM has died.

Wether it’s true or not I just want to say that after I got into MF I gradually stopped listening to any other rappers. Maybe one or two here and there still make it on now and then. Some will say I’m missing out. I doubt it. All else pale.

There is only DOOM.

😢

[Falling Down]

Another one bites the dust. At 49, way too young.  I read he died in October but the family kept it under wraps to mourn before announcing yesterday.

One of a kind.

[nic mullin]

DOOM has died.

One of the all-time dopest. RIP.

Obit here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jan/01/mf-doom-a-hip-hop-genius-who-built-his-own-universe-of-poetry

[andy popp]

George Whitmore, who was on the first ascent of the Nose. Interesting obit in the NYT (paywalled but they allow a certain number of free articles I think):

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/16/sports/george-whitmore-dead-coronavirus.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

[andy popp]

Phil Spector - genius and monster.

[andy popp]

Cesare Maestri

https://www.corriere.it/cronache/21_gennaio_19/morto-cesare-maestri-ragno-dolomiti-aveva-91-anni-0bb04672-5a67-11eb-89c7-29891efac2a7.shtml

[jwi]

Phil Spector - genius and monster.

I agree that Spector was a monster, but I take umbrage with calling Spector a genius. As a songwriter he wrote possibly one song that has stood the test of time and has partial cowriting credits on maybe two songs of similar quality. His fabled wall-of-sound arrangements are of kindergarten levels compared to Beethoven's orchestrations, or Sir Duke's for that matter. His only innovation was to bring them to pop, but he would never have been able to record his arrangements without help of his audio engineer Larry Levine who actually knew how large scale recording worked.

Spector was as reasonably successful record producer and a great self promoter but far from a genius.

[Nibile]

Cesare Maestri

https://www.corriere.it/cronache/21_gennaio_19/morto-cesare-maestri-ragno-dolomiti-aveva-91-anni-0bb04672-5a67-11eb-89c7-29891efac2a7.shtml

[Potash]

Cesare Maestri's death is closing a massive chapter of mountaineering.

Id assume that as he has told the same story about what happened in 1959 there was no deathbed confession.

[andy popp]

Phil Spector - genius and monster.

I agree that Spector was a monster, but I take umbrage with calling Spector a genius.

Fair enough, some unnecessary hyperbole.