DesertFox
Well-Known Member
This is something of a "random" one, to use the vernacular, but it's quite a nice story.
Several years ago I met a new friend here in Tucson, a Londoner who'd just moved here. A while later I spent some time with his family when they came to visit, especially his dad, who's a lovely old bloke, an actor. At the end of a day in the mountains my friend Harvey said, so, do you recognise my dad yet? He was so familiar, but I couldn't place him.
If you were a teenager in the late 80s like I was, you might, if you're very sad, recall a character from Brookside called David "Bing" Crosby, the comedic posh old southerner amongst the scallies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KedAKb1O0LE). That's him, John Burgess, my mate Harvey's dad. He's been acting for ever - he started in I Claudius - but other than six years on Brooky he did mostly stage stuff with occasional appearances on Casualty and the like. He's genuinely one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.
Very sadly John has terminal pancreatic cancer, but he's been going a lot longer than everyone thought and he's in fine form. He's here in Tucson with Harvey, and I'm going to spend a morning with him on Harvey's patio, drinking tea, smoking, swearing, talking football and cricket and telling him what all the birds are called. He's old and dying but the man is an absolute inspiration.
Let's hear it for Bing
Several years ago I met a new friend here in Tucson, a Londoner who'd just moved here. A while later I spent some time with his family when they came to visit, especially his dad, who's a lovely old bloke, an actor. At the end of a day in the mountains my friend Harvey said, so, do you recognise my dad yet? He was so familiar, but I couldn't place him.
If you were a teenager in the late 80s like I was, you might, if you're very sad, recall a character from Brookside called David "Bing" Crosby, the comedic posh old southerner amongst the scallies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KedAKb1O0LE). That's him, John Burgess, my mate Harvey's dad. He's been acting for ever - he started in I Claudius - but other than six years on Brooky he did mostly stage stuff with occasional appearances on Casualty and the like. He's genuinely one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.
Very sadly John has terminal pancreatic cancer, but he's been going a lot longer than everyone thought and he's in fine form. He's here in Tucson with Harvey, and I'm going to spend a morning with him on Harvey's patio, drinking tea, smoking, swearing, talking football and cricket and telling him what all the birds are called. He's old and dying but the man is an absolute inspiration.
Let's hear it for Bing
