Rik Mayall has a shitty day

I was sad to wake up to a text from my editor today, telling me about Rik dying. The twat. That's not the editor (though he is) but Rik - comedy won't be the same without him.

 

I first 'fell in love' with him (in a non-gay way) as 'Kevin Turvey', an 'investigative reporter' in a sketch on 'A Kick up the 80's'....there was a Turvey special, 'Behind the Green Door' which is priceless, that I have on VHS back home. It's full of classic lines that even now, I still quote, like people often do with classic Monty Python lines (he was equally genius, certainly his characterisations).....

 

"How many fish would you say are in this river?" (stood next to someone fishing)

".....about.....7......"

 

and

 

"This is my bedroom....everything you can see in here is my bedroom.....including the bed. It's fantastic - it's in exactly the same place as I go to sleep, which is good, as otherwise, I'd bang my head on the floor everytime I wanted a bit of a kip...."

 

".....hello, baby Jesus....."

 

(All that probably makes no sense at all to you unless you are a fellow fan...but this is my blog, my tribute and it's keeping me out of trouble for a few minutes - watch it for yourself here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsiRknynMpo )

 

                                           

Of course, as Rick in 'The Young Ones' he became a household name. What a character that was - although I'm not sure I can forgive him for saying "What a BORING day....this is almost as boring as listening to GENESIS!!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FtWBcqjoBA (Mrs G says I'm just like him when I play Monopoly...)

 

The COMIC STRIP series was fab (if variable in quality) and 'Bad News' (a parody about a heavy metal band) was great ("We're heavier than the lead in Led Zeppelin") as was the truly classic 'Fistfull of Travellers Cheques"....the second photo I've put up shows him meeting the owner of Hotel Bastardo (not to be confused with Hotel Gayboy)

 

Watch them here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TCPeaj5Dlw and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5768vKkmpY

 

Funny, in a moment of boredom myself, I was reading about him on Wikipedia the other day.

 

Just goes to show.

 

As he once said in 'The Young Ones', "One day, people will gather round my grave & say "HE WAS THE PEOPLE'S POET!""

 

Maybe not quite, but he was bloody funny.

 

Life can be a bitch....and then you die.

 

Tough shit Rik....