Thread: Missing ken Board: All Saints / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by Organ Builder (# 12478) on :
 
The Facebook Memories feature blindsided me today, reminding me that ken died three years ago today.

When I was active on the Ship, ken was one of the most active posters. He was one of the few whose posts I would read on threads which otherwise held no interest. He was brilliant, witty, and sharp. If you disagreed with him, you needed to put your arguments on solid ground, because his counterarguments would be.

As with many Shipmates, I came to appreciate him even more once we became Facebook friends. The forum showed a softer, less edited side of a man whose insatiable curiosity continued unabated to the very end.

We never met in real life, but three years after his death his memory brings a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye.

We didn't share the same taste in beverages, but when I have my Friday ration of gin tonight I'll be thinking of the joy his mind gave me through the years and hoping he can still be raising his favorite pint.

The world sucks a lot more these last three years, ken.
 
Posted by Dafyd (# 5549) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Organ Builder:
When I was active on the Ship, ken was one of the most active posters. He was one of the few whose posts I would read on threads which otherwise held no interest. He was brilliant, witty, and sharp. If you disagreed with him, you needed to put your arguments on solid ground, because his counterarguments would be.

Agreed.
I miss him every time there's a UK politics thread.
 
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I hadn't realised it was three years to the day that he died. I was reminiscing about him to a work colleague this evening because the last time I was on the route we were travelling was visiting ken in hospital.
 
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :
 
R.I.P., Ken
[Votive]
 
Posted by welsh dragon (# 3249) on :
 
[Votive]
 
Posted by Qoheleth. (# 9265) on :
 
[Votive]
 
Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
Ken was brilliant.
 
Posted by Bishops Finger (# 5430) on :
 
Indeed.

I wonder what his take would be on Brexit, Trump, BoJo the Clown etc.? Worth reading, I bet.

RIPARIG.

[Votive]

IJ
 
Posted by Gracious rebel (# 3523) on :
 
Greatly missed. Due to various factors I have been spending less time on the Ship in the past couple of years ... and I am sure that one of the reasons is the lack of Ken's contributions - basically it just isn't the same without his wit and wisdom.
[Votive]
 
Posted by Spike (# 36) on :
 
Ken became a good RL friend over the years and I was honoured to be invited to present him with his blue scarf when he was licensed as a Reader.

I still miss him [Votive]
 
Posted by Bishops Finger (# 5430) on :
 
Ah yes, a Blue-Scarfed Menace par excellence...

[Snigger]

IJ
 
Posted by Organ Builder (# 12478) on :
 
It couldn't have been 4 months before his death he posted on Facebook about attending an American Shaped-Note Singing meeting. He had never been before, found it fascinating, and wanted to go again.

I found his post interesting because I had not realized Sacred Harp societies existed outside of the US. We had quite a nice conversation on the subject, totally out of the blue. He didn't post on Facebook nearly as much as he posted on the Ship, but that was the sort of thing that made his updates a lot more interesting than those whose posts consist of one stale meme after another.

The internet is an odd thing. Before its existence I would have thought it pathological to consider someone an acquaintance or a friend without actually meeting them or corresponding for years. I think ken touched more lives than he realized.
 
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
The mix of people at his funeral was amazing, they knew him through his many different interests: Labour party, computer groups, work, church, of the people I talked to, and I didn't talk to many, most had never met before.
 
Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on :
 
To me Towards a New Railway History of Middle Earth is ken at his best.
 
Posted by busyknitter (# 2501) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Eutychus:
To me Towards a New Railway History of Middle Earth is ken at his best.

Mild Cheddar is my favorite, but I've just checked his old Rant of the Month page on Cix and it's gone......
Just so happens I'm seeing Persephone Hazard tomorrow, I'm fairly sure she archived his writing.

Anniversaries don't really jog me into remembrance. But I could be watching the news, trying to identify a flower, or listening to a 90 year old folk singer warbling about the precise Brighton suburb we lived in as kids....and ken isn't there to share it [Frown]

FWIW I don't think he'd have been the slightest bit amused by the current political situation.
 
Posted by Adeodatus (# 4992) on :
 
Three years. Goodness me. I really do miss him.

Ken on the subject of Bach makes me smile even when I just remember it. When I read the original, I still laugh out loud:
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
And why do foolish people say Bach is emotionless or mathematical? He's a screaming world of stuff compared to Mozart's mild-mannered slightly snooty uber-cool not-quite-frivolity.

Mozart's music so often says "aren't I clever? Isn't the Kaiser a nice bloke? Aren't we all rather clever together for liking Me? Would anyone like to commission a quartet? What are you doing after the party? Oh, no-one goes there anymore Darling! Yes, tedious, isn't it?"


On the other hand Bach's music typically says: "Glory to God in the Highest! And Peace to his people on Earth! And Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive glory and honour and power! And isn't creation wonderful! And there is all this stuff going on in my head! Talking of which I've been up all night and could do with a coffee. No, make that a beer. In fact I want a double coffee AND a pint of lager. And shoot that bloody piano player. AND WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO PAY ME YOU TIGHT SAXON BASTARDS????"

Trust me, its all in there somewhere.


 
Posted by Erroneous Monk (# 10858) on :
 
I met Ken once for a pint. Which turned into about three pints each. He was great company. I remember him and miss him often.
 
Posted by Ian Climacus (# 944) on :
 
I met ken at a meet 9 or so years ago in London. Very fond memories of him. And of his posts.
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
After consultation upstairs, I'm moving this thread to a permanent home in Glory.

Piglet, AS host
 


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