There are people in this world who have influenced me greatly. They may be great, they may be small, but they have all had a positive effect on my life through their deeds or writings.
This page is dedicated to them by way of saying "thank you" for enriching my life..
Spike Milligan is best described as an eccentric.
Born in India to a military family he fought in World War II where he began his showbiz career playing trumpet in a dance band that he and his battery comrades formed.
On his demobilisation he entered the entertainment industry where he created "The Goon Show" which starred himself, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, and (originally) Michael Bentine.
Later creations included his "Q" series of TV shows, many off-the-wall books, his "... according to Spike Milligan" reworkings of classics (including the Old Testament), and his war memoirs.
Spike has also campaigned tirelessly for many good causes, embracing ecological issues back when such things weren't even popular.
Spike's war memoirs (as mentioned earlier) are wonderful works. At first glance they are merely tales of his adventures while serving as a gunner in the Army - but they go far beyond this.
The things that affected me most were the glimpses into the attitudes and social mores of the 40s. In particular the relationships between men and women.
The books opened up for me the human side of a portion of history that fascinates most English schoolboys but which is only learnt about through the distorting medium of popular films.
They are only available in paperback these days. The titles are:
Terry Pratchett is probably sane. Very, very sane.
His view of the world is reflected in his DiscWorld books - and it is the view of a man puzzled, perturbed, and amused by the supposedly "normal" life going on around him.
Terry started off working as a journalist for regional newspapers and progressed through being the PR liaision for a nuclear power station before finding his true vocation as a full-time answerer of fan emails. He writes books in the pitiful amount of time available to him when his modem overheats...
As you may have guessed, he is the most accessible of authors and spends quality time with his readers. I used to enjoy attending his signings until I saw him resting his aching wrist on (of all things!) a bag of frozen peas. This shamed me and I now refuse to have my Pratchett books signed. (Mind you. If ever he again nags me about taking up too much of his time - when it's me who's trying to edge away and it's he who keeps the conversation going - I shall challenge him to a fish slapping dance at the canal lock of his choice.)
Terry's main creation is the DiscWorld, a world where magic is normal, even workaday, and where technology is looked at askance.
Although they are humorous books, they do hold a mirror up to contemporary culture and, often, he admonishes that culture.
In a world where the media glamourises both violence and antisocial behaviour it is most welcome to find intelligent, thoughtful, and responsible stories becoming popular.
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