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Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Ken Campbell
Ken Campbell has died. I remember seeing him being interviewed on TV in the 70s. He said something like "Anything that doesn't have some humour doesn't have any truth." Made a big impression on me.
His least wacky piece of work - and arguably his most worthwhile achievement (things like Illuminatus!" haven't aged at all well - was his role as an ethically challenged solicitor (see under "well dodgy brief") in G.F. Newman's magnificent Law and Order.
Sheridan MacMillan-Thayer, now an LA-based producer on the US TV series Monk, made a feature-length documentary on Ken, "Antic Visionary", in 2004. It was shown once, and has never been made commercially available. Now Ken is dead, Mr Thayer owes it to Ken's memory, and those of his fans, to do something with this long sat-on retrospective. I have long-since lost Thayer's email address. If anyone can contact him, maybe they can help rectify this demand/supply situation.
Rumour has it that the film 'Antic Visionary' will be screened at the Riverside Theatre in February as a tribute to Ken. The world is a much less interesting place without him.
I met Ken a couple of times when I worked on Fortean Times. He was a fascinating man, funny, friendly and slightly disturbing too.
ReplyDeleteI believed he coined the term "jokeoid" something which has all the elements of a joke but with the funny parts removed.
ReplyDeleteHis least wacky piece of work - and arguably his most worthwhile achievement (things like Illuminatus!" haven't aged at all well - was his role as an ethically challenged solicitor (see under "well dodgy brief") in G.F. Newman's magnificent Law and Order.
ReplyDeleteAnother good egg gone.
I always loved his performance in 'The Anniversary', one of my favourite and the most farcical episode of Fawlty Towers.
ReplyDeleteSheridan MacMillan-Thayer, now an LA-based producer on the US TV series Monk, made a feature-length documentary on Ken, "Antic Visionary", in 2004. It was shown once, and has never been made commercially available. Now Ken is dead, Mr Thayer owes it to Ken's memory, and those of his fans, to do something with this long sat-on retrospective. I have long-since lost Thayer's email address. If anyone can contact him, maybe they can help rectify this demand/supply situation.
ReplyDeleteRumour has it that the film 'Antic Visionary' will be screened at the Riverside Theatre in February as a tribute to Ken.
ReplyDeleteThe world is a much less interesting place without him.