Those No Longer In Need Of Season Tickets
Charles Exford writes:
Here’s the list of “curse of HMHB” victims in order of how long they outlived being mentioned on the records.
This list was compiled after many hours of work by Tony Blews on the HMHB Yahoo Group, with a little help from his friends on there, and we’ll try to keep it up here now.
Before suggesting anybody else, please do check when they died in relation to the earliest release of that particular song. It’s not much of a curse if they were already dead. And please don’t ask questions like “Is so-and-so dead?” in this thread. That would get very tedious too. Look them up yerself and make sure they are dead before suggesting. MAKE SURE THEY’RE DEAD. And don’t leave any evid… (sorry that bit was from another message I need to send).
Other rules: members of groups, teams or organisations mentioned do not count. Yes we know about 8 members of Buena Vista Social Club have died since that august company was mentioned, but it still doesn’t count ‘cos there have been dozens of them over the years. And that one out of Motley Crue died before they were mentioned anyway. Unfortunately.
Abandoned footy grounds, demolished gig venues, defunct companies or discontinued brands don’t count on this list either. Though do feel free to start your own list for those. Note that the list contains both a royal and a pontiff, and when Thatcher and/or Blair get theirs that’ll be a nice hat-trick of royal, pontiff and premier. Lech Walesa will one day add a president to the illustrious pantheon.
Talking of hat-tricks, I note that the list also contains the only Wembley FA Cup final hat-trick scorer, the only man to score 2 European Cup final hat-tricks, a man highly skilled in rabbit-from-a-hat tricks and the man who decided Brazil could keep the World Cup after their hat-trick. I’ve decided not to have Thatcher in the HMHB “death pool”. I’ll have Sven Hassel, ninety-three and a half years young, so I can celebrate if I win and/or when Thatcher dies as well. Actually somebody stormed off of the HMHB Yahoo Group after being called a tw*t in a row about “wishing people dead”, so maybe I’d better not go there, eh ?
Savile, Sir Jimmy
first mentioned 07/10/1985 – died 29/10/2011
outliving the curse by 26 years and 22 days
Ganley, Len
first mentioned 07/10/1985 – died 28/08/2011
25 years and 325 days
Titmus, Fred
07/10/1985 – 23/03/2011
25 years and 167 days
Bongo, Ali
07/10/1985 – 08/03/2009
23 years and 152 days
Kitt, Eartha
07/10/1985 – 25/12/2008
23 years and 79 days
Bastable, Tony
07/10/1985 – 25/05/2007
21 years and 230 days
Puskas, Ferenc
??/01/1986 – 17/11/2006
c.20 years and 300 days
Houston, Whitney
??/10/1991 – 11/02/2012
c.20 years and 120 days
Farm, George
??/01/1986 – 18/07/2004
c.19 years and 180 days
Quinn, Harry
??/10/1991 – 1/10/2009
c.18 years
Hird, Thora
07/10/1985 – 15/03/2003
17 years and 159 days
Mount, Peggy
07/10/1985 – 13/11/2001
16 years and 37 days
Wolstenholme, Kenneth
03/03/1986* – 25/03/2002
16 years and 22 days
Moore, Brian
08/09/1986* – 01/09/2001
14 years and 358 days
Roddick, Anita
25/10/1993 – 10/09/2007
13 years and 320 days
Vandross, Luther
??/10/1991 – 01/07/2005
c.13 years and 260 days
Hull, Rod
08/09/1986* – 17/03/1999
12 years and 190 days
Vine, David
02/02/1997 – 11/01/2009
11 years and 344 days
Spencer, Di
??/01/1986 – 31/08/1997
c.11 years and 230 days
Beefheart, Captain
25/04/2000 – 17/12/2010
10 years and 236 days
Most, Mickey
25/10/1993 – 30/05/2003
9 years and 217 days
Ball, Ernie
??/06(?)/1995 – 09/09/2004
c.9 years and 90 days
Rayner, Claire
04/08/2003 – 11/10/2010
7 years and 68 days
Todd, Bob
07/10/1985 – 21/10/1992
7 years and 14 days
Haley, Alex
03/03/1986* – 10/02/1992
5 years and 344 days
Mortensen, Stanley
??/01/1986 – 22/05/1991
c.5 years and 130 days
Jackson, Gordon
07/10/1985 – 15/01/1990
4 years and 100 days
Yashin, Lev
??/01/1986 – 20/03/1990
c.4 years and 60 days
Pope JP2
25/06/2001 – 02/04/2005
3 years and 281 days
Queen Mother, The
29/06/1998 – 30/03/2002
3 years and 274 days
Monopoly, Tony
??/10/1991 – 21/03/1995
c.3 years and 160 days
Gerulaitis, Vitas
??/10/1991 – 17/09/1994
c.2 years and 340 days
Dali, Salvador
08/09/1986* – 23/01/1989
2 years and 138 days
Savalas, Telly
??/10/1991 – 22/01/1994
c.2 years and 100 days
Lee, Arthur
26/09/2004 – 03/08/2006
1 year and 311 days
Warhol, Andy
07/10/1985 – 22/02/1987
1 year and 138 days
Rushton, Willie
05/08/1995* – 18/08/1996
1 year and 13 days
Moult, Ted
20/11/1985* – 03/09/1986
287 days
Rous, Stanley
??/01/1986 – 18/07/1986
c.180 days
*Peel session dates have been given, if these preceded the particular track going on sale.
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47 Letters Sent:
Matt
Based on the above, is it possible to produce a list of predictions of people’s deaths who are still alive and have been mentioned in HMHB songs?
I think this information is vital. Full statistical analysis please!
Oct 29th, 2010
John Anderson
T for Thatcher God willing.
Oct 29th, 2010
Chris The Siteowner
Major revision, Nov 2010: Claire Rayner added; dates recalculated to account for confirmed “Back In The DHSS” release date; some dates recalculated to use Peel session dates if these preceded the particular track going on sale; some manual recounts.
Nov 4th, 2010
Scott
No mention of Rob Fisher (Ballad of Climie Fisher)? I think he lasted about two weeks after Nigel had written the lyric. Someone should know the timelines involved.
Nov 8th, 2010
BrumBiscuit
@Scott: I thought that too, but did some research a while ago and discovered:
“Now, I could’ve sworn that (Rob) Fisher’s death was post-Trouble over Bridgwater, but disappointingly he shuffled off this mortal coil exactly eight months prior to that – 25/8/1999 and 25/4/2000 respectively.”
Wikipedia says he died following bowel surgery, which considering the shite he produced is very fitting.
Nov 8th, 2010
Bobby String
Alas, the curse of Blackwell strikes again!
“Avant-garde musician and visual artist Don Van Vliet, who performed under the name Captain Beefheart, has died aged 69. Van Vliet died of complications from multiple sclerosis at a hospital in Northern California, it was reported.”
Ô¿Ô
Dec 18th, 2010
Charles Exford
A Christmassy poem by Captain Beefheart
A Tin Peened Reindeer
A tin peened reindeer
Metalically hoofed on glass
Scorched cotton snowmen edged the corners
Flesh coloured powder mountains
Yellow lights melts cobwebbed articles
Vague wire tunnels resembling
Peeled flesh caterpillers
Housing very tiny red Christmas tree lights
The Nativity scene
Re-enacted in Ivory soap
A bone shade from age complete
With tiny straw manger
The Christ child its face replaced by an elephant’s head
Intricate lace cups each ear and bands the trunk
Dec 18th, 2010
Bobby String
10 years 236 days is not a bad innings compared to some who suffered the Biro of Blackwell (a sort of musical version of the Sword of Damocles). To my eternal shame (considering I was born in 1962 and therefore had plenty time) I never in my life heard a single Captain Beefheart track. Now I’ll have to go and find some and see what I was missing!
Ô¿Ô
Dec 18th, 2010
Bobby String
According to the duly added data in red he won’t die for at least another 10 years so that has to be some kind of record!
Yours sincerely
A.Nitpicking-Pedant
Ô¿Ô
Thanks – Ed
Dec 18th, 2010
Bobby String
Just a thought, Ed, but do you include band members in the above list? For instance, ELO get a mention in the same song as Captain Beefheart and I know at least one member of the band is brown bread, just can’t remember which one. Or do we have to wait for the whole band to die, perhaps in a Jim Reeves style plane crashing into a mountain scenario? Just wondered.
Ô¿Ô
Dec 21st, 2010
Chris The Siteowner
Before Charles sees that and writes anything so cutting it’ll saw teh interwebs in half, I’ll draw attention to paragraph 4, rule 1 above. And leave it right there.
Dec 21st, 2010
Bobby String
Yeah, good point, I should put my brain in gear before going anywhere near a keyboard!!! As a bit of a computer geek I often ask clients “Did you RTFM?” so maybe I should take my own advice now and again.
Mr. Exford, please feel free to let me have a full (Vatican) broadside if you wish, it will be thoroughly deserved!
Ô¿Ô
Dec 22nd, 2010
Bobby String
Whilst posting a thread on antoher music forum, asking for lists of non-HMHB songs that mention other bands / musicians, I discovered that Joe Strummer also had a Nigel-type premonition. ’1977′, the B-side of ‘White Riot’ contains the line “No Elvis, Beatles or The Rolling Stones in 1977″. It was released in March 1977, a full five months before the demise of the “burger-eating king of rock ‘n’ roll”. However, with the exception of Lennon and Harrison the others are, to the best of my knowledge, still alive and Strummer, of course, is dead, so his curse perhaps wasn’t as strong as Nigel’s!
Ô¿Ô
Feb 18th, 2011
Groucho Merckx
Conny Plank is now also deceased… he shall nevermore require a strobe.
Mar 1st, 2011
Charles Exford
Well he certainly was deceased 3½ years before his PBR, so I trust he still is.
The man, of course, who when Eno suggested a collaboration, refused to produce U2′s “The Joshua Tree” because “I can’t work with this singer”. Nuff respect
Mar 1st, 2011
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
I’m tempted to put in a claim.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12751227
But the prior trip around Katharine Hamnett’s warehouse, will probably tell us a different story.
In which case I will claim the pedant of the week award ‘cos that David Emanuel is a single ‘m’.
http://davidemanuel.com/home/
Whilst the recently deceased one is a double ‘m’.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smiley_Culture
So the lyrics of A Country Practice need to lose one letter or we need to acknowledge that Badmouth has struck again.
Mar 16th, 2011
murf
RIP Fred Titmuss
Mar 23rd, 2011
chedgzooy
Fuckin’ ell
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/9433563.stm
RIP Fred
Mar 23rd, 2011
Nick Howe
Fucking hell, it’s Fred Titmuss.
Mar 23rd, 2011
nigel, no not that one (n3to)
@Murf
“One ‘s’ in Titmus, there’s only one ‘s’ in Titmus…”
Mar 23rd, 2011
Ben
Rather randomly I once spotted the now late Fred Titmuss in Hemel Hempstead in 1981! I’m afraid I didn’t say “Fucking Hell – it’s Fred Titmuss” I think I may have uttered – “Ooh look, is that Fred Titmuss?” He was wearing his Middlesex CC v-neck pullover at the time, which helped to confirm the celebrity spot!
Anyway – RIP Mr Titmuss!
Mar 23rd, 2011
murf
F*ckin Ell there’s only one S in Titmus!
(although I had heard Abi likes a second one in there……)
PS Does Liz Taylor count as she starred in the film version of Who’s afraid Of Virginia Wade?????
Mar 23rd, 2011
TWO FAT FEET
That must put Fred top of the list? A momentous day, for maybe not the right reasons.
Mar 23rd, 2011
Toerag
Letter in today’s Guardian points out omission of HMHB track mention from Fred Titmus’ obituary. His family are no doubt relieved that the balance has been redressed. Apparently he was some kind of cricketer.
Mar 26th, 2011
Treadmore
Eddie Stobart (who’s been referenced live):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-12923203
Mar 31st, 2011
TWO FAT FEET
I know this one doesn’t count except as a tenuous footnote, but Sidney Lumet, the director of Equus [On The Buses], died the other day.
Apr 11th, 2011
Sawbo
As an incredibly pedantic man I feel compelled to point out that George Farm died at the relatively ripe old age of 80, not 19. (13/07/1924 – 18/07/2004)
Also the Oi! revival never eally took off….does that count?
Apr 20th, 2011
TWO FAT FEET
You could easily apply that to all the other entries on the list – it’s how long they outlived the curse, not how old they were when they died.
Apr 20th, 2011
SAWBO
That’s true but, like I said, I’m an incredibly pedantic man!
Apr 28th, 2011
Phillip Wright
Sadly, Len Ganley is no longer with us.
Aug 28th, 2011
2 Chevrons
Confirmation that Len is no longer in need of the white gloves…
Aug 28th, 2011
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
No no no no, no more Locomotion.
This puts Len top of the pile at 25 years and 325 days.
Aug 28th, 2011
2 Chevrons
With 90 Bisodol (Crimond) almost upon us, I bet there are a few people shitting themselves. Possibly a builder from Hackney among them.
Aug 29th, 2011
Charles Exford
Len Ganley, may he pass the long rest in peace, makes Back in the DHSS the first Biscuit album with a curse tally into double figures. Its surviving nominees can however at least comfort themselves that this album also now occupies all of the top 5 spots for post-curse longevity.
Aug 29th, 2011
Toerag
BBC news site records of Len..
“His cult status was officially confirmed when the Merseyside post-punk band Half Man Half Biscuit penned a song about him, The Len Ganley Stance.”
So its official!
Aug 29th, 2011
gordo
The Belfast Telegraph not only mentioned it, but put a YouTube link at the bottom of their article.
Aug 29th, 2011
TWO FAT FEET
It’s fair to say that anyone from the first album who cops it will automatically go to the top of the table. Those from later albums really need to cling on for at least a year or two after every last one of them has gone to see the great gig in the sky if they wish to take their place at the top.
Aug 30th, 2011
TWO FAT FEET
Looking forward to seeing Eric Hall in this list VERY VERY soon.
Sep 28th, 2011
waldron76
You seem to be missing Johnny Kwango, from Prag Vec At The Melkweg – he died January 19th, 1994. Also, would Maharishi Mahesh Yogi count from Ready Steady Goa? If so he died February 5th, 2008.
Oct 2nd, 2011
Alarming Svarc
Rather ironically I think you are missing Alex Haley from carry on cremating
Oct 11th, 2011
Charles Exford
Jimmy Saville always relished announcing a new entry at number one – 7/10/85 – 29/10/11 = 26 years and 22 days, fixed it for himself to go straight to the top.
Oct 29th, 2011
Steve Nicholls
St Peter: About this asterisk, Sir Jimmy….
Oct 29th, 2011
Charles Exford
Hmm. Not sure about adding any dodgy honorific titles not mentioned in the lyrics. Quite a few of the others on the list have been awarded, or inherited, such honorifics but this would not seem to be a band who approve of them or the institutions that confer them.
Oct 30th, 2011
John Anderson
Though not mentioned by name, Bob Holness has died. He’ll be missed more than the handclapping sequence. RI.
Jan 6th, 2012
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
Apparently Harry the Dog died several years ago.
http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=369&fid=180&sty=2&act=1&mid=2120774905
Stumbled on this devastating news today; it completely passed me by at the time. What time, I don’t know as all internet mentions I can find are a bit vague as to the when. Seems to have been a few years prior to 2007 but I’m not sure how you can use this temporal vagary to place him in the list.
BTW, this little Youtube clip shows a few seconds of the delightful chap from about 1:50. I thought he was the hardest man in the world when I was 14. That’s an ominous example of the power of TV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Eweccg4y8I
Jan 12th, 2012
Paul Rodgers (Crimond)
Whitney’s gone.
11 Feb 2012 American time I believe.
Houston no longer has a drug problem.
Feb 12th, 2012
STEVE NICHOLLS
The most distressing thing about Whitney’s death is, through this column, to have it confirmed that it is 20 Years since McIntyre, Treadmore and Davitt was released.
Feb 20th, 2012
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