Carolyn Bryant Donham has died. For those who are scratching their heads about who the heck she was, this opening paragraph is how most of her obituaries are likely to memorialize her.
The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of whistling at and accosting her in Mississippi in 1955 — causing his lynching, which galvanized a generation of activists to rise up in the Civil Rights Movement — has died at 88.
Not the world's Best Epitaph Ever, whatever the case involved.
Re Jerry Springer - I once watched one of his *shows*, in fascinated horror that such utter dross was classed as entertainment...
Re Jerry Springer - I once watched one of his *shows*, in fascinated horror that such utter dross was classed as entertainment...
Well, I'm not sure what else you would classify it as. Pretty sure it wouldn't qualify as hard-news.
Never saw Jerry Springer: The Opera, but I've just been reading up on it via wiki. Apparently, it caused more controversy in the UK than I remembered, though probably concentrated among a few loud-mouth Christian churches and groups. Christian Voice apparently bullied a cancer-charity into refusing a donation from the show. (Odd CV could have that sort of influence, given that I've heard the group dismissed as just Stephen Green and a small handful of his toadies.)
It was back in February, but I’ve just seen the Church Times obituary of the Revd Prof Anthony Thiselton. A remarkable intellect and a lovely unassuming man.
It was more an oratorio really. Bit of a mess, in our opinion, largely written to show how ‘edgy’ the writers were. It didn’t deserve all the fuss.
Some great people in the cast who we’ve since seen in other things.
Yeah, from a non-watcher's perspective, it always struck me as somewhat sophmoric. Springer has to be the lowest hanging fruit there ìs for satire, since the whole selling-point of the original TV show was that it's a freak-show.
But I guess it was also going after religion, which CAN be edgy, but often ends up just flattering urban sophisticates for being secular enough to find it funny, whereas anybody who would be offended, ie. the kind of person who NEEDS to see religion criticized, would just stay away.
Act 1 was a standard show (as far as I know, since I never saw one) except that there are interjections from (IIRC) a ‘personal Valkyrie’ or something, to comment on the action and give the ‘opera’ theme.
At the end of Act 1 Jerry is shot. He hallucinates a version of the show where the outrageous characters are Jesus, Mary, God and the Devil.
It all goes pretty South Park, as you can imagine. Only without the wit.
(Incidentally, though I don’t care for South Park, the same writers’ ‘Book of Mormon’ has been running for years without comment. In fact the Mormons even took out adverts in the programmes!
@stetsonJerry Springer : The Opera? A musical, not an opera. I found it bizarre and a tad tedious. One of the ear-worms I have (could be misremembered) is So dip me in chocolate and throw me to the lesbians, which gives a taste ...
(Incidentally, though I don’t care for South Park, the same writers’ ‘Book of Mormon’ has been running for years without comment. In fact the Mormons even took out adverts in the programmes!
The Book of Mormon is a great show. I think the LDS Church leadership figured they’d come out ahead in the long run if they embraced it rather than denounce it.
To expand on that a bit, "...father of former Massachusetts governor-now-Utah-senator Mitt."
There can't be that many families where father and son have between them held three different top-tier political positions in three different states in three geographically disparate regions of the country.
I noticed in the Church Times that George Verwer, the founder of Operation Mobilisation, died back in April.
He spoke at one of our Christian Union meetings at University 40 years ago. He spoke for an hour and was so riveting that we wanted more. Two of our church friends spent time on the Doulos.
Gordon Lightfoot, folk singer of Canada, has died. Age 84 of natural causes. His family was by his bedside. Mrs Gramps and I went to his concerts. Mrs Gramps, twice. Me once.
Gordon Lightfoot, folk singer of Canada, has died. Age 84 of natural causes. His family was by his bedside. Mrs Gramps and I went to his concerts. Mrs Gramps, twice. Me once.
Wow. I'm gonna guess that, even just counting Mrs. Gramps alone, her number of attendances is more than any Canadian Shipmate's.
How did Lightfoot get onto your radar? Did his songs get alot of airplay in the US? The two songs I alluded to here, BDIJ and TWOTEF, portray events that happened at least partly in America.
Those two, and "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Beautiful" (which still gets a lot of play at weddings). I have a bunch of his albums and there are a ton of songs he wrote that didn't get a lot of airplay but are just wonderful. Exhibit 1: Fine As Fine Can Be. Exhibit 2: Sit Down Young Stranger.
One more comment on Gordon Lightfoot. I think this Wikipedia entry about the Mariners' Church in Detroit fairly describes it:
Established to serve mariners, the church holds a Blessing of the Fleet every March for those going to sea, and a Great Lakes Memorial Service every November for those who have lost their lives at sea.
The church's bell tolled 29 times in November 1975 to mourn the loss of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald; once for each of her 29 crew members. The church continued to hold an annual memorial, reading the names of the crewmen and ringing the church bell until 2006.
The church is mentioned in Gordon Lightfoot's song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", which goes: "In a musty old hall in Detroit, they prayed in the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral. The church bell chimed 'til it rang 29 times for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald." In 1985, Lightfoot performed the ballad at the tenth memorial service for the Edmund Fitzgerald. After viewing the sanctuary, Lightfoot proclaimed to the congregation that he wrote the song under a false impression and would in future performances refer to the church as a "...rustic old hall..." On May 2, 2023, the day after Gordon Lightfoot's death, the church's bell tolled 30 times, once for each of the Edmund Fitzgerald's 29 crew members and once in memory of Gordon Lightfoot.
On May 2, 2023, the day after Gordon Lightfoot's death, the church's bell tolled 30 times, once for each of the Edmund Fitzgerald's 29 crew members and once in memory of Gordon Lightfoot.
Wow.
And it makes sense that he would change the lyrics after seeing the church himself. In that song, at least, he evinces a very strong sense of "place", if you get what I'm saying.
Absolutely. Much of the haunting quality of the song is the sense of place:
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin'
"Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya"
At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in, he said
"Fellas, it's been good t'know ya"
On May 2, 2023, the day after Gordon Lightfoot's death, the church's bell tolled 30 times, once for each of the Edmund Fitzgerald's 29 crew members and once in memory of Gordon Lightfoot.
Wow.
And it makes sense that he would change the lyrics after seeing the church himself. In that song, at least, he evinces a very strong sense of "place", if you get what I'm saying.
I was born in the mid-1960s. It is only as I've been reading the recent outpouring of stories about Lightfoot that I've realized what a chronicler of current events he was. My Lightfoot listening years were (mostly) late enough in my life, and my sense of history poor enough that I didn't realize that he wasn't singing about history, but about the present.
As a complete aside - I doubt I'm the only one who misheard "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" as "The Wreck of the Ella Fitzgerald". My 10 year old brain was totally mystified.
One more comment on Gordon Lightfoot. I think this Wikipedia entry about the Mariners' Church in Detroit fairly describes it:
<snip> On May 2, 2023, the day after Gordon Lightfoot's death, the church's bell tolled 30 times, once for each of the Edmund Fitzgerald's 29 crew members and once in memory of Gordon Lightfoot.
Thank you for this, Hedgehog. I didn't know about that tribute. It's so fitting it brings me to tears.
East of Ipswich was broadcast on BBC4 yesterday evening, a great televisions drama, by the way, one of the best but I think you have to be old enough to remember the mid 1950s really to get it. It was preceded by a sad announcement that the BBC sympathised with the Palin family in their loss. I gasped. Surely Michael Palin had not died? I did a quick check and discovered that his wife had died either yesterday or the day before.
I rather seem to remember reading somewhere that they had met when they were about 16 in a setting and circumstances very much like Southwold in the film and been together ever since.
What a sad but fitting coincidence that this should coincide with the film's being shown.
Hoping that Lily Savage and Dame Edna will ensure the heavenly piano is tuned for the dear lady. There's going to be one heck of a show up there shortly.
Actor Ray Stevenson has died at the age of 58. He was never going to be an academy award winner but he was perfect as Titus Pullo in the two Rome series.
I can’t take pleasure in the death of anyone, not even someone so vile. But I am glad he can no longer do any damage, and I pray his victims will find some degree of closure.
I can’t take pleasure in the death of anyone, not even someone so vile. But I am glad he can no longer do any damage, and I pray his victims will find some degree of closure.
Hear, hear.
I feel sorry for his family, too, given the memories they have of him.
I can’t take pleasure in the death of anyone, not even someone so vile. But I am glad he can no longer do any damage, and I pray his victims will find some degree of closure.
Carlton "Sam" Young has died. He was a composer and leader in worship and music studies.
Sam was commissioned to write an anthem for 1st UMC Kissimmee while I was an alternate organist there. Since a good proportion of the congregation were Disney employees, he added a snippet of 'Whistle While You Work' to the original version of the anthem. When it was published, that snippet was gone, of course! That anthem was also condensed into a hymn which was included in the 1989 UMC hymnal. I still have that original piece of music...somewhere in the house!
Comments
Not the world's Best Epitaph Ever, whatever the case involved.
Re Jerry Springer - I once watched one of his *shows*, in fascinated horror that such utter dross was classed as entertainment...
Well, I'm not sure what else you would classify it as. Pretty sure it wouldn't qualify as hard-news.
Never saw Jerry Springer: The Opera, but I've just been reading up on it via wiki. Apparently, it caused more controversy in the UK than I remembered, though probably concentrated among a few loud-mouth Christian churches and groups. Christian Voice apparently bullied a cancer-charity into refusing a donation from the show. (Odd CV could have that sort of influence, given that I've heard the group dismissed as just Stephen Green and a small handful of his toadies.)
Sorry. No idea how that happened. The actual poster was @Bishops Finger.
How did you like the opera? Was it enjoyable without having seen the TV show? And is it an actual opera, or just a musical with a spoof title?
Some great people in the cast who we’ve since seen in other things.
Yeah, from a non-watcher's perspective, it always struck me as somewhat sophmoric. Springer has to be the lowest hanging fruit there ìs for satire, since the whole selling-point of the original TV show was that it's a freak-show.
But I guess it was also going after religion, which CAN be edgy, but often ends up just flattering urban sophisticates for being secular enough to find it funny, whereas anybody who would be offended, ie. the kind of person who NEEDS to see religion criticized, would just stay away.
In what way was it grosser than the TV show? Not doubting you at all, just curious.
(If details would be epiphanic, please decline to answer.)
At the end of Act 1 Jerry is shot. He hallucinates a version of the show where the outrageous characters are Jesus, Mary, God and the Devil.
It all goes pretty South Park, as you can imagine. Only without the wit.
/back to Jerry Springer.
Gordon Lightfoot
Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the wind turns the minutes to hours?
The end of an era
BLACK DAY IN JULY is a kick-ass song, musically and politically.
Why can't we all by brothers
Why can't we live in peace?
But the hands of the have-nots
Keep fallin' out of reach
Bonus question...
Which governor's office was beset by all the uncertainty?
To expand on that a bit, "...father of former Massachusetts governor-now-Utah-senator Mitt."
There can't be that many families where father and son have between them held three different top-tier political positions in three different states in three geographically disparate regions of the country.
He spoke at one of our Christian Union meetings at University 40 years ago. He spoke for an hour and was so riveting that we wanted more. Two of our church friends spent time on the Doulos.
NBC Report
Wow. I'm gonna guess that, even just counting Mrs. Gramps alone, her number of attendances is more than any Canadian Shipmate's.
How did Lightfoot get onto your radar? Did his songs get alot of airplay in the US? The two songs I alluded to here, BDIJ and TWOTEF, portray events that happened at least partly in America.
Lightfoot was also known to sing in smaller venues, from coffee houses to high school gyms to stadiums.
Wow.
And it makes sense that he would change the lyrics after seeing the church himself. In that song, at least, he evinces a very strong sense of "place", if you get what I'm saying.
I was born in the mid-1960s. It is only as I've been reading the recent outpouring of stories about Lightfoot that I've realized what a chronicler of current events he was. My Lightfoot listening years were (mostly) late enough in my life, and my sense of history poor enough that I didn't realize that he wasn't singing about history, but about the present.
As a complete aside - I doubt I'm the only one who misheard "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" as "The Wreck of the Ella Fitzgerald". My 10 year old brain was totally mystified.
Thank you for this, Hedgehog. I didn't know about that tribute. It's so fitting it brings me to tears.
I rather seem to remember reading somewhere that they had met when they were about 16 in a setting and circumstances very much like Southwold in the film and been together ever since.
What a sad but fitting coincidence that this should coincide with the film's being shown.
Oh my. Reading some of his short stories at the mo. R.I.P.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/23/rolf-harris-entertainer-and-convicted-sex-offender-dies
Hear, hear.
I feel sorry for his family, too, given the memories they have of him.
A very good way to put it.
Sam was commissioned to write an anthem for 1st UMC Kissimmee while I was an alternate organist there. Since a good proportion of the congregation were Disney employees, he added a snippet of 'Whistle While You Work' to the original version of the anthem. When it was published, that snippet was gone, of course! That anthem was also condensed into a hymn which was included in the 1989 UMC hymnal. I still have that original piece of music...somewhere in the house!