Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Paul Kriwaczek

Historical writer and innovative television producer and director -- via the Guardian.

Lewis Binford

Archaeologist -- via The Hindu.

Lacy Gibson

Blues guitarist -- via Spinner.

Leslie Barringer

Street poet and former child actor -- via the Toronto Star.

Angela Scoular

Actress -- via the Telegraph.

Sachin Bhowmick

Screenwriter -- via Hindustan Times.

John Bottomley

Singer/songwriter -- via newswire.ca.

Ron Hickman

Designer and inventor -- via the Guardian. Two of his top creations are very different indeed -- the Lotus sports car and the Black & Decker Workmate!

Gerald A. Lawson

Video game pioneer -- via theroot.com. He invented the ROM game cartridge!

Peter Ruehl

Humor columnist -- via the Sydney Morning Herald.

Billy Bang aka William Vincent Walker

Jazz violinist and composer -- via NPR. One of the great exponents of free jazz.

Daniel Catan

Composer noted especially for his operas -- via the Bellingham Herald.

Adam Lusekelo

Journalist and humor columnist -- via ippmedia.

Murtaza Hassan aka Mastana

Comedic actor of stage and television -- via the Pakistan Times.

Don Merton

Conservationist -- via stuff.co.nz.

Stephen Watson

Poet -- via BOOK Southern Africa.

Donald Shanks

Bass-baritone -- via the Australian.

Pierre Gauvreau

Painter -- via Radio Canada.

Eddie Joost

Shortstop with the (Philadelphia) A's, Reds, Red Sox and the (Boston) Braves -- via philly.com. He was the oldest living player from a World Series-winning team, the 1940 Reds. He is mentioned in the famous, funny baseball jazz tune by Dave Frishberg, "Van Lingle Mungo."

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Peter Stelzer

Actor and producer -- via legacy.com.

Sir Geoffrey Chandler

A pioneering advocate of ethical business principles -- via the Guardian.

Jess Osuna

Actor -- via legacy.com.

Richard Earl Patterson

Drummer, singer, tap dancer and musical archivist -- via the Ottowa Citizen.

Arthur Lessac

Voice and speech teacher -- via legacy.com. His first work? On the musical revue "Pins and Needles" from 1937!

Hedda Sterne

Artist who defied classification -- via the New York Times.

Roger S. Nichols aka The Immortal

Sound engineer and producer -- via audioz.info. He was the one to capture the sound of perfectionists Steeley Dan; he also worked extensively with John Denver. Who else did he record? the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Crosby Stills & Nash, Roy Orbison, Placido Domingo, Rickie Lee Jones, Mark Knopfler and many others. He went to high school with Frank Zappa -- they goofed around and recorded Frank's early music together.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Skip O'Brien

Actor -- via voy.com.

Tal Herzberg

Sound engineer and producer -- via prosoundnews.com.

Gil Robbins

Folk singer -- via the New York Times.

L.J. Davis

Journalist, non-fiction writer and novelist -- via the New York Times. I HIGHLY recommend his novel "A Meaningful Life" -- hilarious and . . . meaningful.

Ellie Castillo


Performer -- via joemygod.blogspot.com.

Rolando Valdes-Blain

Classical guitarist -- via Yahoo News.

Sidney Lumet

Director -- via the New York Times. What a genius! He started in television and moved on to feature films. Listen to this very short list -- "12 Angry Men," the Robards staging of "The Iceman Cometh," the 1960 "Long Day's Journey into Night," "The Pawnbroker," "Fail-Safe," "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon," "Murder on the Orient Express," "Network," "Prince of the City," "The Verdict," "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead." One of the greats, especially when it came to exploring the dark corners of big cities and the human souls dwelling in those shadows.

ALL of those films influenced me profoundly. A personal anecdote: the first time "Network" was shown on network TV, I was living on New York City. During the famous "I'm mad as hell and I can't take it anymore!" scene, I opened my window and looked up Madison Avenue -- people were leaning out of every window, yelling out that phrase just as the characters in the film were. Hilarious, and an incredible tribute to Lumet's impact. We were all watching, Sidney, and it was brilliant. Thank you for everything!

Friday, April 8, 2011

The 'Salon of Death'

Elizabeth Pineau of Reuters describes an exhibit at the Louvre that illuminates the workings of the funeral industry.

Moulana Showkat Ahmad Shah

Religious leader -- via inewsone.com. He opposed violence, and was killed violently.

Muhabat Shah

Folk artist and cultural activist -- via the Pamir Times.

Edward Bigelow

Dancer and arts administrator -- via the New York Times.

Jean Jennings Bartik

Pioneering computer programmer -- via the New York Times.

Carla Grissmann

Writer and arts curator and preservationist -- via the Telegraph.

Roderic Fenwick Owen

Adventurer, travel writer and biographer -- via the Independent.

Bill Pitcock IV

Guitarist -- via News on 6.

Craig Thomas

Writer of thrillers, most notably "Firefox" -- via the BBC.

Mac McGann aka Michael McGann

This amazing portrait was shot by Branka Jukic.
Musician and graphic artist -- via the Independent. Really, a superlative obituary -- it's full of detail that makes its subject vivid. Read and learn, people!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Selwyn Goldsmith

Architect who focused on the concerns of the disabled -- via the Telegraph. He also worked hard to increase the ratio of public restrooms for women!

Ragnar Nygren

Early Swedish rocker -- via aftonbladet.se.

Thomas Proehl

Theater and arts manager -- via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Obituary Cliches -- A Compendium

Here's a lovely post from David Wheeler on his "Deadline Diaries" blog -- Jade Walker of the New York Times shared the Society of Professional Obituary Writers' top five obit-writing tips, as well as the top 30 obituary cliches (to be avoided, of course!).

Here are the odious phrases that can stink up an otherwise well-written memorialization:


"1. She touched many lives.
2. He was my knight in shining armor.
3. He lived life/enjoyed each day to the fullest.
4. He never met a stranger/never knew a stranger/never met anyone he didn't like.
5. He'll be remembered for his smile/He brightened a room with his smile.
6. He only saw the best in people.
7. He had a twinkle in his eye.
8. Her children were the most important thing to her/She lived for her family.
9. He was a people person.
10. She loved her grandchildren.
11. He was a jack-of-all-trades.
12. She was a consummate entertainer.
13. He was a man's man.
14. His true love was his family.
15. He was an icon.
16. There will never be another like him.
17. She was always learning new things/Her curiosity knew no bounds.
18. He was a world traveler.
19. She was a graduate of the School of Hard Knocks.
20. He was just getting his life together/She was turning her life around.
21. She was a role model for all of us.
22. He didn't talk much about himself.
23. He wasn't a churchgoer, but he was a very religious man.
24. They were married in their hearts.
25. Their marriage had a few bumps in the road.
26. He died peacefully with his family at his side.
27. She engaged us all with her witty conversation.
28. He left this life with no regrets.
29. She was a natural born teacher.
30. He would have wanted it that way."