Rik Mayall is gone. And I'm having a hard time accepting it. Sure, there were more important people out there whose deaths were a far bigger loss than Rik's, but you have to understand, Rik Mayall was a major influence in my life. He and his mate Ade Edmondson were greatly responsible for the development of my twisted sense of humour. I didn't get the famous british sense of humour when I was a kid. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because it was too sophisticated for a child, or maybe it was a question of culture, or more likely, it just didn't speak to me. I mean, Benny Hill? Really? That's what was being shown around here back then. And if there was anything else, it obviously didn't make much of an impression because I just don't remember it. Cue The Young Ones. Now that spoke to me. That I got. There was nothing subtle about them. They were rude, loud, violent and sooo funny! That was my type of humour. I love those characters to this day.
So, I became and fan of Rik Mayall and friends. I would watch anything with them in it, which back then, around here, wasn't that much. Bear in mind it was the 80s and 90s. No Youtube. There were a couple of episodes of Comic Strip Presents and Bottom got me through the 90s.
Eventually, in the very late 90s, we got cable and I managed to see a lot more of Rik thanks to what was then BBC Prime. More Comic Strip, more Bottom, Filthy Rich and Catflap, which I did not know...
And there was this little gem, which I only found out about recently: Bad News. They did it before Spinal Tap!
Ah, Colin... you sucked, but you were great just the same.
He also did more serious work, guest appearances in series like Jonathan Creek and Midsomer Murders, he did movies, theater... Here's a bit of Bottom, the live show.
In all, it's been 30 years of laughs curtesy of Rik Mayall and now he is gone. How do you get your head around that? He shaped my sense of humour, he was, is and always will be my point of reference when it comes to comedy. Sure, there's plenty of funny people out there, but are they Rik Mayall funny?
Goodbye Rik and thanks for the laughs.
Rik Mayall, March 7, 1958 - June 9, 2014
P.S.- May you live a long and happy life, Ade Edmondson, my other comedy god.
