Death announcements for persons of note

Cpt.Jericho · Post by **Cpt.Jericho** » Sun, 20. Aug 17, 20:43

Legendary entertainer and comedian Jerry Lewis died aged 91.

RIP Jerry and thanks for all the laughter.

Morkonan · Post by **Morkonan** » Sun, 20. Aug 17, 21:59

Damn... Jerry brought so much laughter to people. That being said, on the bright side, there's probably going to be some great old Jerry Lewis movies on tv in memorium!

RIP Jerry, and thanks for the laughs.

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Mon, 21. Aug 17, 19:05

The SF author Brian Aldiss has died:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41003085

I have his Helliconia series somewhere on my bookshelves--the guy knew how to write!

mrbadger · Post by **mrbadger** » Mon, 21. Aug 17, 19:46

Shame

I liked his science fiction, but lately I've appreciated his history of science fiction more, it's great work, used as a textbook a the US apparently.

My collection of Aldiss work is extensive, but more covering his short story work than his novels, I tend to prefer his shorter works.

Morkonan · Post by **Morkonan** » Tue, 22. Aug 17, 02:11

pjknibbs wrote:The SF author Brian Aldiss has died:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41003085

I have his Helliconia series somewhere on my bookshelves--the guy knew how to write!

Damn... He was an icon, a true master. He's not someone that casual sci-fans might know, but he's someone that really made a huge impact on science-fiction. I've heard his named mentioned in reverence many times by various science-fiction gurus, writers, critics, etc.

Damn, who's going to replace all the dying heroes? Maybe it's just me, but I can't seem to find the "new masters", the genre-defining writers that take science-fiction to its next level. IMO, and likely a singular one, many seem to be targeting the waves of the masses swimming in a continually shrinking pool of ideas. True, there's publisher and practical influences there, but where are the breakout writers that really inspire the next critically acclaimed "wave?"

Godspeed, Aldiss.

On shortstories: Does anyone else notice that it's usually the short-stories and novellas that seem to have had the most impact on science-fiction? Sure, the big Hard Science Fiction epics get a lot of attention, but it's the well-crafted short-stories, novellas, "little" bits of work that seem to ignite things. (All hail PKD) Is it something intrinsic to the format, perhaps? Something that only science-fiction does when writing for that format? Just a thought... (Some of it due to the old pulp science-fiction formats, to be sure. But, there's something "else" going on here, under the hood, in my opinion. It's... like there's more "story" there than in longer formats, likely due to the necessity of storytelling, itself, rather than a strict definition of writing science-fiction.)

Usenko · Post by **Usenko** » Tue, 22. Aug 17, 09:35

I'm not sure, but I have noted in the past that a short story is a better fit for being made into a movie than a Full-Length Novel (because to adapt a novel you have to leave an awful lot out).

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Tue, 22. Aug 17, 13:28

Usenko wrote:I'm not sure, but I have noted in the past that a short story is a better fit for being made into a movie than a Full-Length Novel (because to adapt a novel you have to leave an awful lot out).

Or, on the other hand, you can expand a 300-odd page novel into three three-hour movies and have to add in a load of irrelevant filler. (Yes, I *am* talking about the Hobbit movies, how did you guess?

).

Morkonan · Post by **Morkonan** » Tue, 22. Aug 17, 17:34

Usenko wrote:I'm not sure, but I have noted in the past that a short story is a better fit for being made into a movie than a Full-Length Novel (because to adapt a novel you have to leave an awful lot out).

There's no room for error in a short story. If you "don't do it right", there's nothing to distract the reader from the failure.

As pjknibbs points out, you can expand a short story. Or, bloat the heck out of it... And, as you point out, trying to contract or slim down what was originally a long-format epic tale might not work well, either.

There are some things that are written that are just plain "elegant." IMO, most of them happen to be short stories. Maybe that's because the author didn't have enough pages to take advantage of the opportunity to piss me off?

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Sun, 27. Aug 17, 16:55

Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre director) has died:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41065552

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Mon, 11. Sep 17, 12:57

And so has Jerry Pournelle, the SF author:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/09/11 ... pournelle/

Morkonan · Post by **Morkonan** » Mon, 11. Sep 17, 17:15

pjknibbs wrote:And so has Jerry Pournelle, the SF author:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/09/11 ... pournelle/

Oh no....

Wow.

I'm really sad about this one. I loved Pournelle, especially his work with long-time collaborate, Niven. Damn... Totally devastated.

But, he's immortal now, as much as we can be. His stories will live on - Print doesn't die.

"Footfall" is a must-read for anyone. (A goodly number of forum members have probably read that, too.)

But, my personal favorites are the two books in the "Legacy of Heorot" series. They're a must-reads for science-fiction fans. They are very important works, in my opinion, and shouldn't be underestimated. The themes that pour through them are just darn magical, no mistake about it. (Seriously, the Heorot books are just that darn great and the magic is there, woven into every little bit of the stories.)

Damn, damn, damn... Definitely one of my favorite authors.

Godspeed, Jerry.

muppetts · Post by **muppetts** » Sat, 16. Sep 17, 08:42

Harry Dean Stanton, loved you in Alien and beyond, you drank, smoked and lived up until a ripe old 91!

birdtable · Post by **birdtable** » Sat, 16. Sep 17, 09:04

Harry Dean Stanton ... love the picture, lived his life his way ..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41288546

berth · Post by **berth** » Tue, 19. Sep 17, 14:05

The man responsible for us still being here has died: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41314948

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Tue, 26. Sep 17, 13:41

Couple for fans of Coronation Street--Liz Dawn and Tony Booth have both died:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41397413
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41400441

muppetts · Post by **muppetts** » Thu, 28. Sep 17, 07:46

Hugh of the Red Smoking Jacket and the Playboy Mansion has passed on at 91, he died with 6 girls in his bed and a smile on his face (in my world anyhoo)

The man who made old men exploiting young girls fashionable, well not really it was always pretty yuuuugh but his life story about setting up the magazine is pretty interesting.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/hugh-hefner- ... 14304.html

Now we get to see the real fun, the public cat fight that is about to erupt over his estate!

Morkonan · Post by **Morkonan** » Fri, 29. Sep 17, 00:14

Hef's almost single-handedly, pun intended, responsible for more clutter underneath beds and shoved onto closet shelves than almost anyone before him..

I find myself respecting his accomplishments and, yet, not a bit mildly concerned with their cultural impact. I don't think there's any doubt he created a life that he felt was worth living, but I think it would have been a bit better if he had chosen a different route.

Oh well, he's gone and all deaths leave us poorer in one way or another. At least I can be thankful for Hef for introducing me to some of my favorite things...

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Fri, 29. Sep 17, 08:50

It's not like Hugh Hefner *created* pornography, though, so I'm not sure things would have turned out all that differently if he hadn't created Playboy--somebody else would have probably hit upon that idea.

Usenko · Post by **Usenko** » Fri, 29. Sep 17, 10:31

pjknibbs wrote:It's not like Hugh Hefner *created* pornography, though, so I'm not sure things would have turned out all that differently if he hadn't created Playboy--somebody else would have probably hit upon that idea.

I would agree, yet I'd still consider Hefner's impact to be mostly negative.

Morkonan · Post by **Morkonan** » Fri, 29. Sep 17, 16:52

pjknibbs wrote:It's not like Hugh Hefner *created* pornography, though, so I'm not sure things would have turned out all that differently if he hadn't created Playboy--somebody else would have probably hit upon that idea.

Of course. Porn has been around for as long as culturally modern human beings.

But, and here's the credit to his particular genius, before "Playboy", porn was "smut." It was sitting in the back room, in seedy little shops. Heffner, somehow, made it "fashionable." He successfully paired his magazine with a refined, sometimes even cerebral, and "cultured" image.

This is what made things like a series of fashionable "Playboy" gentlemen's bars fashionable. The magic in what he did by taking "smut" and, in one specific instance, his magazine and IP, turning it into an image of grandeur, desirable lifestyle and even cultural value can't be understated. It's just darn uncanny.

He had a pocket full of magic pixie dust. That's the only explanation.

I'd like to add that Playboy was/is the most "refined" form of simple porn. Also, it wasn't just cover-to-cover smut - There were, indeed, worthy articles and Playboy even had/has a reputation for at least some decent journalistic standards.

Maybe that's what did it? Larry Flynt turned his empire into a brash political statement that is simply "not afraid of itself." It revels in its own debauchery and challenges the limits of "Freedom of the Press."

Heffner painted smut with a cultured brush and got people to admire it.

On a personal note, I'm fairly neutral on "porn." I understand the fascination and I am burdened with being a man, too.

But, it's too powerful a beast to be let loose indiscriminately without challenge.

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Death announcements for persons of note