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A favourite band of an Australian chum who says it takes him straight back to his first visit to England in the late 1960s and 1970s. Each to his own certainly, but they were a bit of light relief!


The Wurzels drummer John Morgan dies aged 80 after contracting Covid on tour

Known as 'Morgy', the musician provided backing vocals and rhythm for The Wurzels across five decades
By Robbie Griffiths 18 December 2021 • 12:34pm


The Wurzels drummer John Morgan has died at the age of 80 after contracting Covid-19 on tour.

He was part of the West Country band for more than 40 years after joining the line-up in 1981.

Mr Morgan, from Lydney, Glos, was taken ill with Covid after The Wurzels played at Manchester Academy earlier this month. He passed away surrounded by his family in hospital in Gloucester on Friday.

Known as 'Morgy', the musician provided backing vocals and rhythm for The Wurzels across five decades, joining Pete Budd and Tommy Banner after the group had their hits with "The Combine Harvester" and "I Am A Cider Drinker" in the 1970s.

My local pub in 70-71 was the Royal Oak in Nailsea, Somerset, where Adge Cutler and The Wurzels started off. Great fun - I saw them perform there a couple of times.

Surprised that no one else has put this one up.

Ray Illingworth has played his final innings, out for 89.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/52021920

Desmond Tutu: Nobel Peace Prize-winning archbishop dies aged 90

While he was abhorred and maligned by the right wing, Desmond Tutu was a brave, thoroughly decent man who became as big a thorn in the ANC's side as he had been to the Apartheid government's!

More than a meddling churchman, Tutu was a good mensch!


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 82405.html

A fine man.

T Mark Taylor, artist and toy designer for the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe franchise as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, has died of heart failure at his home in southern California. He was 80.

He-Man was the muscled frontman for toy manufacturer Mattel’s Masters of the Universe franchise, which would later spawn an animated series that became a staple for children.

He-Man might have been known as a hulking superhero warrior but also became renowned within the LGBTQ+ community, who saw parallels in the secret life of Prince Adam, He-Man’s alter ego.

As in the case of many creative endeavours, many hands shaped the franchise. Taylor has said the prototypes date back to his own childhood as he fantasised about being “the next hero”. He said he based the concept of He-Man on his vision of Cro-Magnon men, as well as Vikings.

Mattel sold more than 70m action figures from its Masters of the Universe collection within 30 months of it hitting stores nearly 40 years ago, according to The New York Times.

Taylor began his career with California-based Mattel in 1976 as a packaging designer, his family said.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise – featuring pizza-loving Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo – launched a long-running animated series, live-action movies and a catchphrase: cowabunga!

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... es-aged-80

Desmond Tutu was one of rather few good Sarth Effrigans.

Missed this one,
Wanda Young, singer in the Motown doo-wop girl group The Marvelettes, died earlier this month outside of Detroit.
Young, 78, died Dec. 15 of complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, her daughter Meta Ventress told The New York Times Saturday.

Anybody who ever listened to BBC Radio1 will be sad to hear of the death of Janice Long at the tender age of 66!

Janice Long, the first woman to have her own daily show on the BBC’s Radio 1, died at home on Christmas Day. She was 66 and had what was described as a “short illness,” according to reports.

Long has hosted BBC Radio Wales‘ evening show since 2017. Her five-decade career was instrumental in championing the early careers of some of pop music’s biggest stars, including Amy Weinhouse, whom Long granted her first radio session. Long was also the first regular female host of the TV show Top of the Pops, and was one of the main presenters of the Live Aid charity concert in 1985.

BBC director general Tim Davie described her as a “stellar presenter” who was loved across the industry.

Long’s career included hosting shows across BBC stations, as well as the breakfast show on Greater London Radio and XFM.

Lorna Clarke, controller of pop music at the BBC, was among those paying tribute.

“Everyone in pop radio was saddened to hear of the passing of Janice Long. She was long admired for her role as a talent spotter and new music champion, giving Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Amy Winehouse their first radio sessions, as well as lighting the way for female radio and TV presenters throughout the industry. We send our deepest condolences to her family and friends at this sad time.”

Musicians ranging from Midge Ure to New Order’s Peter Hook and Tim Burgess of the Charlatan’s also posted Twitter tributes to Long.

Long was a Liverpool native, the older sister of the late entertainer Keith Chegwin. She started her broadcasting career as a station assistant at BBC Radio Merseyside in Liverpool in 1979.

She became well-known after joining Radio 1 in 1983, becoming the first female to have her own daily show on the station.

She worked as cabin crew for Laker Airlines for a while.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/janice-long-d ... EdJRHEgurU

Richard Marcinko, first commanding officer of Navy SEAL Team 6, dies at 81

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ri ... -rcna10046

Richard “Dick” Marcinko, the first commanding officer of Navy SEAL Team 6, the group of highly trained warriors that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011, died on Christmas Day at the age of 81, according to his family.

Kathy Ritchie, Marcinko's daughter, confirmed the retired commander and Vietnam War veteran's death to NBC News on Monday morning.

She did not disclose any details of her father's death.

The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, remembered Marcinko in a Facebook post, saying he “played a very unique part in SEAL history, leaving a legacy like no other.”

Marcinko enlisted in the Navy in 1958 and eventually worked his way up to the rank of commander. In addition to developing SEAL Team 6, he also created Red Cell, another prominent counterterrorist unit within the military, according to NavySeals.com.

Marcinko was a two-time Vietnam War veteran, who also served in Cambodia, and Iran, according to the museum.

He was part of a Joint Chiefs of Staff task force known as the Terrorist Action Team (TAT) during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, where Iranian protesters raided the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held Americans hostage. TAT’s work led to Operation Eagle Claw, the failed 1980 attempt to rescue the hostages, the museum wrote in its post. The 52 U.S. captives were eventually released Jan. 20, 1981.

“After this tragic operation, the Navy recognized a need for a full-time dedicated counter-terrorist team and tasked Marcinko with its design and development,” the museum stated.

Marcinko was selected as the first commanding officer of the new unit. Though the Navy only had two SEAL teams at the time, he named the unit “SEAL Team 6” to “fool other nations, notably the Soviet Union,” into believing the United States had more teams that they didn’t know about, according to the museum.

He commanded SEAL Team 6 from August 1980 to July 1983.

In addition to his military career, he wrote several books including an autobiography titled “Rogue Warrior.”

PP

For the Dan Air people amongst us, Phil Siddons of Manchester Ops has progressed to a finer Ops Office, natural causes, he was 93.

Harry Reid, a longtime US senator from Nevada and former Democratic leader, dies at 82

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/28/politics ... index.html

Legendary NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden has died at age 85

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/28/sport/nf ... index.html

These seem to come in threes.

Who's next?

PP

Jack Hedley is worthy of a mention in these dispatches.

In the BBC Colditz series he was quite brilliant in the role of the SBO, Lt Col Preston. Just enough gravitas without coming across as a stuffed shirt; and without getting too 'familiar' with either the men or the captors. Finely judged performances, every time.

I see from his Obit in the Daily Telegraph that he was, in an earlier life, a former Royal Marines officer. For that alone, he would have had my personal respect. That ability of his perhaps explains his apparent ease with which he portrays an officer who shows command presence in awkward circumstances.

Here's his theatrical character's introduction episode in that series. Magnificently played by him.







In a later episode of that series he brilliantly portrayed the human side of his office:

Just in under the wire, Betty White has died at 99.

https://www.tmz.com/2021/12/31/betty-wh ... den-girls/