The wonderful Rik Mayall – comedian, actor, writer – has died. He was in Drop Dead Fred, Bottom, Alan B’Stard in The New Statesman, Lord Flashheart in a brilliantly memorable Blackadder cameo, but for me (and lots of others) Rik in The Young Ones was his finest creation. I loved anarcho-socialist Trotsky-loving people’s poet-student Rick. His shouts of Sexist!, Fascist!, and chronic uncoolness made me laugh through the 80s and bey0nd. Heck, I still have my dog-eared, falling apart copy of Bachelor Boys with its sections of Rick’s poetry.
Here’s the finale of “Rick’s teen anguish poem”:
could it be
that I’m going to grow up
to be a great poet and thinker, and all those other
wankers in my class are going to have to work
in factories or go on the dole?
yes, I think it could.
Youtube has clips of Rik in action as Rick – poetasting like a champion (poet Ashleigh Young picked this one on Twitter):
I didn’t know he had written an autobiography – Bigger than Hitler, Better than Christ (ahem) – so am keen to read more about Rik. Because he was ACE.
- Search the catalogue for Rik Mayall
- Rik Mayall, star of The Young Ones, dies aged 56 BBC
Poetasting? I didn’t realise poetaster had a verbal form!
Ha, it probably doesn’t. But I reckon it suits his poetic style!