Today I'm neither Angry nor Happy about....

[Prufrock]

Wrote to Clive James a couple of weeks ago. Got a response from his PA today saying that he appreciated my letter but due to his ill-health is no longer well enough to respond personally. Doesn't sound good

What did you write about?

I have similar concerns that I'm never going to get the Brian Sewell TV interview that I want...

The gist of it was that I wasn't originally going to write to him after reading him write in Cultural Amnesia about the weird experience of being famous and meeting people in the street who feel they know you and have a sense of expectation attached, then decided I would after re-watching the brilliant Paxman interview with (the at the time terminally ill) Hitch in which CH says he loved all the letters he got and looks down the camera saying "if you're considering writing to somebody, do it, it will mean a lot". Then wrote a bit about how much I loved Cultural Amnesia, how it added about 40 more books onto my reading list and that was me being picky, a couple of bits about how I totally agreed with his take on literary theory. Also wrote about listening to that Radio 4 programme you linked to and hearing him read his own poetry. + a bit of hoping he didn't mind me stealing some of his lines down the pub, and that I have a number of friends who think he's brilliant.

Response I got was:

"Dear Mr Pru,

Thank you for your recent letter to Clive James. Clive regrets that on account of his ill health he is unable to respond in person, but has asked me to do so on his behalf. Clive was touched by your letter and wanted to let you know that he was glad that, in spite of your misgivings*, you were moved to write and he sends thanks for taking the time to do so. Clive very much hopes that you continue to enjoy his work and sends his best wishes to you for the future.

Yours sincerely,

[Name of PA]"

*Referring to the bit where I said I wasn't sure whether to write because obviously I don't know him.

[bobo the clown]

You know that writing to someone you don't know is odd don't you ?

Especially on the topic of how famous people suffer from being seen as public property.

[Montreal Wanderer]

She was a Queen actually (married Malcolm III Canmore of Macbeth fame), but your logic would make George I English...

Don't you call yourself Canadian?

[TANGODANCER]

Went out this morning and sqeegeed the back lawns. It was supposed to be mowing them but they're so wet all I did was flatten the grass. Waste of time, energy and electricity.

[Worthy4England]

You know that writing to someone you don't know is odd don't you ?

Especially on the topic of how famous people suffer from being seen as public property.

Is it a bit like stalking?

[LeverEnd]

You know that writing to someone you don't know is odd don't you ?

Especially on the topic of how famous people suffer from being seen as public property.

Bolloocks! Fair play to Pru. easily ignored if not wanted. It's hardly like the Stan video by Eminem*

* (A1 style footnote for Bobo and his contemporaries.) Eminem is well known hip-hop artist also known as Slim Shady.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I've just discovered that Bill Cosby starred in the Cosby Show as Cliff Huxtable
WTF's that about... it's like I Love Lucy's Lucy being Amanda FFS.

[Montreal Wanderer]

I've just discovered that Bill Cosby starred in the Cosby Show as Cliff Huxtable
WTF's that about... it's like I Love Lucy's Lucy being Amanda FFS.

Would it help if you knew Cliff's first name was actually Heathcliff?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I've just discovered that Bill Cosby starred in the Cosby Show as Cliff Huxtable
WTF's that about... it's like I Love Lucy's Lucy being Amanda FFS.

Would it help if you knew Cliff's first name was actually Heathcliff?

To be precise: No.
Go on, I'm intrigued, why would that help?

[Montreal Wanderer]

I've just discovered that Bill Cosby starred in the Cosby Show as Cliff Huxtable
WTF's that about... it's like I Love Lucy's Lucy being Amanda FFS.

Would it help if you knew Cliff's first name was actually Heathcliff?

To be precise: No.
Go on, I'm intrigued, why would that help?

I was just adding to your recent discoveries though I cannot imagine why it might help. Did you know that in the Dick Van Dyke show, Van Dyke played a character called Rob Petrie? I don't suppose this helps either.

[Bijou Bob]

Today, I'm neither angry nor happy about BDSM. I'm just very confused and I thought I was a fairly well travelled, unshockable sort of bloke. Just returned from Hamburg and we followed the crowd on the Reeperbahn into a very large shop selling all sorts of weird stuff that falls within the range of what I would perhaps term 'normal'. Downstairs however was a completely different story. Latex face masks with (I kid you not) a bog brush attached, stainless steel an*s spreaders and corkscrews too large for a wine bottle for insertion into the urethra (Yup, my legs went at the knees when I saw that one). I just don't get it.

Now. Statistically, there must be at least one TWer who is into it. Care to explain??

[TANGODANCER]

Not angry, not happy and it happened yesterday. Just amazed at some folk's stupidity. Accidents happen, but....:

3-30 yesterday afternoon, pxssing down wet, traffic everywhere. Bloke ( Mr X) coming down Plodder Lane into Bradford Road goes through the red light on the tail end of the taxi in front. Bradford Road is chocka, taxi brakes, Mr X, probably inwardly smirking at getting through the lights, (which he will heartily wish he hadn't) sails right into the taxi's rear end with a bang. If he'd only obeyed the law he'd have saved himself a packet on insurance renewal and some inconvenience. I left them to it.

[Bruce Rioja]

Not angry, not happy and it happened yesterday. Just amazed at some folk's stupidity. Accidents happen, but....:

3-30 yesterday afternoon, pxssing down wet, traffic everywhere. Bloke ( Mr X) coming down Plodder Lane into Bradford Road goes through the red light on the tail end of the taxi in front. Bradford Road is chocka, taxi brakes, Mr X, probably inwardly smirking at getting through the lights, (which he will heartily wish he hadn't) sails right into the taxi's rear end with a bang. If he'd only obeyed the law he'd have saved himself a packet on insurance renewal and some inconvenience. I left them to it.

I did similar once. Thought the car in front was going to go through on amber and decided to follow it. It didn't. However, I was 17 and have never done it since.

[TANGODANCER]

Not angry, not happy and it happened yesterday. Just amazed at some folk's stupidity. Accidents happen, but....:

3-30 yesterday afternoon, pxssing down wet, traffic everywhere. Bloke ( Mr X) coming down Plodder Lane into Bradford Road goes through the red light on the tail end of the taxi in front. Bradford Road is chocka, taxi brakes, Mr X, probably inwardly smirking at getting through the lights, (which he will heartily wish he hadn't) sails right into the taxi's rear end with a bang. If he'd only obeyed the law he'd have saved himself a packet on insurance renewal and some inconvenience. I left them to it.

I did similar once. Thought the car in front was going to go through on amber and decided to follow it. It didn't. However, I was 17 and have never done it since.

Planet 17 is a different story (and I've done my share of daft strokes). This guy looked about fifty.

[Bijou Bob]

The above is the reason I've just shelled out twenty odd quid on a dashboard mounted camera. I'm hoping it never becomes money well spent.

[Hoboh]

The above is the reason I've just shelled out twenty odd quid on a dashboard mounted camera. I'm hoping it never becomes money well spent.

Yeah but surely if you jump the lights on Red or Amber the cam will get you convicted
Rocket launcher on the rear seat would be tons better, get within 2 car lengths and bosh!

[Bijou Bob]

The above is the reason I've just shelled out twenty odd quid on a dashboard mounted camera. I'm hoping it never becomes money well spent.

Yeah but surely if you jump the lights on Red or Amber the cam will get you convicted
Rocket launcher on the rear seat would be tons better, get within 2 car lengths and bosh!

Only if the rozzers snatch the memory card!

[Hoboh]

The above is the reason I've just shelled out twenty odd quid on a dashboard mounted camera. I'm hoping it never becomes money well spent.

Yeah but surely if you jump the lights on Red or Amber the cam will get you convicted
Rocket launcher on the rear seat would be tons better, get within 2 car lengths and bosh!

Only if the rozzers snatch the memory card!

Carry some mayonnaise in case you have to eat it

[Worthy4England]

If you've got it on the dashboard, will it catch someone running up yer arse end?

[jaffka]

aye, he needs a back door cam