Sunday, December 9, 2012

RIP Patrick Moore

        A former colleague. I can't say I really liked him—he was too crusty and opinionated to be likable—but any TV producer has got to have a soft spot for someone to whom you could say "Patrick, we need 3 min 15 sec on Lunakhod. Ready? 3 - 2 - 1 - CUE HIM" and off he'd go.

18 comments:

Chris Lopes said...

Just finished reading the wikipedia article on him. I'm sorry I had to wait for his death to learn of his existence, as he seemed quite the character. As to opinionated, anyone who can be against both fox hunting (hunting something you don't intend to eat is just plain stupid) and the EU (pretending several countries with separate histories, cultures, and languages are really the same people is also pretty stupid) can't be all bad.

Tara Jordan said...

Honorable Expat.I want you to write my eulogy. "She was too arrogant and opinionated to be likable".

expat said...

Oh he was a character all right, no question.

Another of our former colleagues has reminded me that Patrick was one of the few people to have actually met the first man to fly, the first man in space and the first man on the Moon.

Jiminy Oddbird said...

Never heard of him, but I'll just come right out and say it: I liked him.

_________________________________


http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/05/08/patrick-moore-blows-it-big-time/#.UMUAn5h8ors


British TV standards are deteriorating because the BBC is “run by women”, astronomer Sir Patrick Moore has said.

[...]

The presenter said: “The trouble is the BBC now is run by women and it shows soap operas, cooking, quizzes, kitchen-sink plays. You wouldn’t have had that in the golden days.”

[...]

“I used to watch Doctor Who and Star Trek, but they went PC – making women commanders, that kind of thing. I stopped watching.”

Mulvaney said...

Moore is said to be responsible for the 1954 book "Flying Saucer from Mars." The book was reputed to be Cedric Allingham's "eyewitness account of the landing of the Martian."

Allingham was an elusive man who was once said to be touring the United States and planning to meet George Adamski, before mysteriously disappearing. In 1986, two journalists (Christopher Allan and Steuart Campbell) found several links between Allingham and Moore, but Moore never acknowledged any role with the book.

I have a certain interest in the Golden Age of contactees and always enjoyed the Allingham book. If Moore was responsible for it, it would be fun to know more about it. But I will join in toasting his memory tonight.

http://www.answers.com/topic/cedric-allingham

Unknown said...

I've known Patrick Moore since I was a child and was always a big fan. I didn't know of his political beliefs until today.
While I may not agree with him, his views are typical for a British public school boy from the 1940s. He represents a time when you could rant on tv or radio without worrying about political correctness or offending anyone.
What I really find refreshing is that his opinions are genuinely his own and that he's not just following what his party tells him to. He's not unconditionally Tory or Labour, nor Republican nor Democrat. He agrees with them on some things but rejects others. That's the sign of a truly educated man, so different from almost all of today's politicians.

Again, that doesn't mean that I agree with his views. I think he's a man I could sit down and have a grown up debate with and not worry about who I'm offending. (Better wish he doesn't challenge me to a duel. I'm a lousy shot).

expat said...

I spent some time with him -- in fact, we traveled together for professional purposes. I absolutely, strictly, avoided all political topics of conversation. The fact that he was an admirer of Enoch Powell (Americans will need to google that name) told me that we'd likely come to blows if views were exchanged honestly.

Unknown said...

http://enterprisemission.com/images/Kukulkan-beam-banner.jpg

Hoagie's latest discovery. Sign up for the Mayan Galactic Alignment cruise to find out more. Visa and Mastercard accepted.

expat said...

Stuart Robbins has blogged that.

Trekker said...

My childhood interest in astronomy was due, in large part, to Patrick Moore's books. I read as many as I could, especially his books on the Moon.

His 'The Sky at Night' programme always aired very late at night on the BBC, but once a month, when it was on, my parents allowed me to get out of bed to come downstairs to watch it. It's hard to believe, that it's still going strong, fifty years later!

I'm sure he'll be much missed, in amateur astronomy circles.

expat said...

Here's a frag of Patrick in action, in the Apollo 8 studio, Christmas 1968. I might have been a junior assistant on that show, I honestly can't remember.

FlightSuit said...

Ms. Emma Peel, your arrogance and opinionated nature are part of why I like you!

Tara Jordan said...

Thank you Flighsuit, I am confident Expat also shares your opinion ;)

Tara Jordan said...

Mike Bara - 18 hours ago: Ancient Aliens on the Moon, An awesome Christmas gift, plus you can help me buy a Porsche! — at Lea Hill, Washington.

Tar and feathers.....

Unknown said...

For anyone who is interested:

I have just written my latest gut-wrenching Interpose Mission post on Richard C. Hoagland... the topic is: "The Message of Cydonia."

http://interposemission.blogspot.com/2012/12/hoaglands-martian-missive.html

HT: Stuart Robbins, Phil Plait, Expat and Dr. Greenberg (UW).

Tara Jordan said...

Crossing the Nausea Threshhold with Mike Bara:
http://news-from-the-atrocities-industry.blogspot.jp/

FlightSuit said...

Bara's mystical force of love that binds us all together is confirmed by the Newtown school massacre?

That's all well and good, but what I really want to know is whether the shooting spree is STUNNING CONFIRMATION of hyperdimensional physics.

FlightSuit said...

Big news, folks. After many decades, Dick Tracy is finally returning to the moon. It looks like they're about to discover an arcology or a shard or apartments!

http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2012/12/24