STEPHEN FRY

Dan Thingy who wrote the Leonardo Code or whatever it was called, is fairly well known now but will be as unheard of as Rafael Sabatini or James Hilton in fifty years time (though they deserve more fame than he ever did).



Of course those for whom money is important will tell me that Dan Doodah is ‘laughing all the way to the bank’ and that his sales are all the approbation he needs. Well those who think money is any more reliable than fame as an index of worth are already beyond help. Eat shit, a trillion flies can’t be wrong.

Thankyou. I'm sick to death of seeing people rising to the defense of people like Paris Hilton and Victoria Beckham with "they're rich so I say go girl! Bring it!" The idea that someone being rich automatically makes them interesting or that a song being number 1 in the charts means it must be brilliant is just maddening.

On the one hand I am not slapped on the back or punched in the arm much, on the other I am not an object of sexual thrill or a youthful role-model in the way a footballer, musician or soap star might be.

Stephen really should have a browse through this forum sometime.

I’m sure there are many others. And now I’m sensing a certain amount of antagonism from some. How dare such valueless, vulgar, shallow little people with their adventitious so-called ‘celebrity’ develop a contemptuous slang for the decent, hard-working people who pay for these cheap weasels in the first place? Hm? Hm?????

I love reading his blogs you can really hear his voice in your head as you read it.

Famous people are not allowed to be in a bad mood in the way that everyone else is. ‘We made you, we paid you, you will therefore look cheerful and contented (but not smug) at all times.’ This is difficult to live up to.

That's true. It seems like famous people aren't allowed to just be people. You can't expect people whoever they are to stay in one state, one emotion all the time. They're not puppets who just exist to make everyone happy all the time. In my experience people don't seem to like anyone to show any other emotion than happiness. If you're feeling down and depressed it's not acceptable and you're made to feel bad and abnormal. That there's something wrong with you as a person.

Naturally there are plenty of questions that I don’t know the answer to, and this allows people to go off happy in the knowledge they have bested me and that I am not the font of all wisdom that I never said I was.

It doesn't surprise me.

You: Right, thought so. Do you remember your parents used to shop at a delicatessen in Norwich called Lambert’s?
Me: Er … yes, that rings a bell.
You: My girlfriend’s mum had a friend who worked there.
Me: Gosh, really?
You: Amazing, isn’t it?
Me: Astounding. Look, I really must …

X-D

then they’d biff off

How Bertieesque.

So you can almost forget everything I wrote above about people’s conversational gambits, because a conversation is a rarity these days. Today it’s the crushing embarrassment of standing in the street like a gibbon while a total stranger accosts other total strangers and asks them to take a photograph. Crowds gather, what could have been a quick anonymous chat has become a full-on photo-op. ‘Me too!’ ‘Hold still!’ ‘Oh, and can you do a General Melchett “Baaah!” so I can use it as a ring tone? Hang on, where’s the recording app?’ ‘Say hello to my girlfriend, she doesn’t believe I’m talking to you.’ ‘Could you say in a Jeeves voice, “this is Kevin’s phone, the master is out so would you please be kind enough to leave a message?” Blinder!’ etc.

Iki is... it's like... if one can allow it existence outside of Japan and specifically Shoganate Edo, then iki is a quality of effortlessness, transience, originality; in a person, it is unintentional, incisive, cool, un-selfconscious and unflashy. Johnny Depp is very iki. Hugh Laurie also, to an extent.

That's the one. Very difficult to tie down, even in 5,000 words. Done 3,500 or so thus far... what an essay.

I just bet. What's the angle of your essay?

It's all handed in now, and so is the one I had after that (archaeology) and now I've got another one (Edwin Landseer) and one more (Victorian sculpture) before exams start. Sigh.

I basically said that iki does explain the distinctive character of ukiyo-e to a certain extent.

But what the hell does one say about Edwin Landseer??

I have just spent two train journeys reading the blog posts. (I took the surjestion of reading on the go as at work I would have been screwed)

And I loved the fame one. I love his rants like this because he always has a brilliant argument for both half and it Stephen ranting so it prefect.

But Devices and Desire!!!!!!!!!

It was haven, my course at uni is all about GUI and appailcatons and modem media!!!! And it was pure haven!!!!!!!

(I am not going to use the very naughty analogy that I told my friends )

Yes I know that sounds wrong....... but Stephen talking about technology and techonlogy I love. was brilliant I only finished it this morning and I still have the smile on my face every one at work ultimately think I am insane this morning)

I thoroughly enjoying reading Mr Frys 'blessays', I eagerly look forward to more

Just a little advice to those who, like me, prefer to print out Stephen´s blog and, like me (or was it just me ?), found it impossible to do so with the new version of this site:
When you click on "single page" the blog will be displayed in its entirety, with comments following only at the very end of it, and can then be printed without problems!

Lieben Dank to Mr Fry for finding the time to arrange for his IT wizards to adapt the system to make his blogs printable now. And A big thank you to "Mr Fry´s Little Helpers"!