RIP Rik

I know this is a music blog, but I felt the need to post this...

Rik Mayall passed away yesterday. He was 56. He was a huuuuuuuuuuuge fave in TheRobster household and we're all pretty gutted about it. Pretty much anyone who grew up in the UK during the 80s will know Rik Mayall, thanks mainly to his brilliant character Rik in the Young Ones. But he had a string of equally brilliant characters: Kevin Turvey, Richie Rich, Richard Richard, Lord Flashheart, Alan B'stard MP, Drop Dead Fred, Colin Grigson, etc.

Rick Mayall as: Rik, Richard Richard, Colin Grigson, Alan B'stard, Lord Flashheart, himself

I was once mistaken for Rik Mayall. Only for a second or two, but it counts. At the end of Oasis' mammoth show at Knebworth in 1996, MrsRobster and I were heading back towards the car park when a young lady pointed at me and exclaimed: "Bloody hell, it's Rick May... oh, no its not..." and off she went, disappointed.

Some years ago, MrsRobster bought Drop Dead Fred on DVD. The Sprogsters loved it, quoting t endlessly. Since then I got them into the Young Ones (call me irresponsible if you like, but in my opinion a few rude words and slapstick violence is nothing compared to what most kids are exposed to these days. Besides, it's still bloody hilarious!). We often have conversations where a Young Ones quote is dropped in at random. I call that good parenting!

I'm not going to write an obituary or a career summary of the man, there's loads of those out there. Instead here's a few links to You Tube. For those of you who know and love him, it never hurts to see these again. And again. For everyone else, well maybe you won't get some of the humour, but be in no doubt Rick Mayall was one of the funniest people this country ever produced. It's so sad to be talking of him in the past tense.

As Rik in The Young Ones: "It's my room!"  Motorhead  "Best bits"
As Lord Flasheart in Blackadder II and Blackadder Goes Forth
As Alan B'stard in The New Statesman
As Richard Richard in Bottom: live onstage (fecking hilarious, this); "Best bits"
As Colin Grigson, bassist in Bad News, the world's worst heavy metal band[1]; on Wogan!
And, of course, as Drop Dead Fred.
Oh, and Webby posted this on Football and Music yesterday... A fitting way to end.

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[1] The original Bad News Tour mockumentary was broadcast a year before the Spinal Tap movie was released.