Thursday, 23 January 2025

In Memoriam

 

Ishmael Smith, 1950 to 23rd January 2020

Writer, Satirist and Blogger

Much missed.

"Call me Ishmael.... whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth and it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off - then I quietly take to the ship." 
Moby Dick, Herman Melville

Across the dark seas of night to the bright shores of morning, mr ishmael, with all your good boys: Harris, gentleman of Lanarkshire, Buster minal, Barney Look Who's Barking, the Emperor Rocky Woo and Frankie Sweetheart.

20 comments:

mongoose said...

Goodness me. 5 years already. Who knows where the time goes?

RIP, mr ishmael, Sir, and condolences to you, mrs i.

mrs ishmael said...

Thank you, mr mongoose, much appreciated.

Mike said...

Can't recall how or when I found Mr Ishmael. Maybe it dates back to the grubby Fawkes days?

But it was a great relief and much was learned along the way.

RIP Mr Ishmael. God knows how much acid he would need for his pen today.

cascadian said...

Such anniversaries during the cruel winter are hard to bear, but I take refuge in the following saying, seen on a nearby memorial park bench .

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened

When I first became aware of mr ishmael I thought he was too hard on politicians, celebrities and jumped up royals, I have come to see he was exactly right, perhaps even a little too generous to them in his commentary.

mrs ishmael said...

Aye, mr mike, it would have been on the Order-Order blog, writing as stanislav, the young Polish plumber - an avatar born in 2006 in the Inverness public library, when mr ishmael was confronted by a library application form in a totally impossible language that he immediately assumed to be Gaelic. The librarian gently corrected him - no, no, there's no call for the Gaelic, nobody speaks it. This is Polish. To assist all our many new Polish citizens. So mr ishmael immediately began riffing on being a stranger in a strange land.
I don't know when you first joined our commentariat, mr mike, but, over the years, you have been a much-needed corrective to the mainstream media propaganda channels. Thank you for keeping on keeping on.

mrs ishmael said...

Thank you for that thought, mr cascadian. Here in the UcK we are suffering from a bit of a wind. Something is raging and howling out there.

Anonymous said...

I seem to remember a website called housepricecrash, mr mike, where someone had reposted an order-order stanislav rant. And thank the Gods they did or I might never have known about him.
cheers
v./

mrs ishmael said...

And then we would never have had the Collected Works according to editor mr verge.

inmate said...

Perhaps the two greatest satirists of the blogosphere, Stanislav and Call me Ishmael. I was pointed in this direction by a ‘freeman on the land’ blog many years ago. mr Ishmael brightened my days recovering from two heart operations, laughter the best cure for any troubles, especially here in darkest Lancashire. He is much missed, condolences mrs I.

Jockroach said...

My best wishes Mrs I. I can't believe it's now 5 years since the passing of the great man. He would really be in his element with this current crock of Marxist shit.
Please keep posting always brightens a dreich Sunday in Tamworth

mrs ishmael said...

Thank you, mr inmate - I'm glad all that laughing didn't burst your stitches and that you survived the combined onslaught of Stanislav and ishmael. I think he was a genius, but then, I'm biased. He always used to say that he was channelling something outwith himself and that he would often be laughing himself, at the keyboard, as his amazing inventions just poured out of him. When I used to beg for more Stanislav - he would sadly say that Stanislav had gone and that he couldn't find him anymore.

mrs ishmael said...

He certainly would, mr jockroach -and he would have loved the Trump Cirque d'Inauguration. And I am so flattered and warmed by your kind encouragement to keep posting.

Bungalow Bill. said...

He was a fierce joy.

mrs ishmael said...

Indeed he was, mr bungalow bill, you never said a truer word. I like that - fierce joy.

Anonymous said...

I don't comment much but read this blog almost every day: thank you for all the wonderful posts.

Johnny said...

That was me, by the way. Bloody computers!

mrs ishmael said...

Wow, mr johnny, that's terrific of you to say so - I'm humbled and very pleased you enjoy the blog.

Anonymous said...

Came to Mr Ishmael via Fawkes then Old Holborn, Summer with Stan. I had insomnia, toothache and was out of work. My laughter might have been a bit hysterical. He made me see things from a different angle.

Anonymous said...

The above comment was from Yardarm.

mrs ishmael said...

He was good at that, mr yardarm - the different perspective. Helped us see beyond the stories we are told to keep us in line. editor mr verge has collected what he can from the sources you mention - but I'm pretty sure we don't have it all.
Thank you for staying with the blog. Many have come and gone over the years and it is not surprising that those commentators who loved to speak to Stan and Ishmael have moved on. But those who have stayed - they keep memory alive. Thank you - all of you.