Rest in peace Leonard Nimoy

Today is a sad day, and I know that some might think differently - a select few.

I should be doing FAWM stuff now really, but I just can't get this out of my mind.

It is a funny thing that there is very little I remember about my childhood years, but I seem to remember television programmes, especially the original series of Star Trek, which me and both of my older brothers watched together (we watched Buck Rogers as well, but that's different...

I know people who dis the original series of Star Trek for it's shaky sets, using the same places a lot as alien lands, and that sort of thing.  But the thing is that none of that matters really, because with that sort of show you lose yourself in there, just like people lose themselves in Star Wars, a soap opera on TV, or anything - it takes you to a place where you don't really see the stuff that isn't perfect in these programmes, but you let the story take you somewhere!

Star Trek - The Original Series

As a child, and as an adult now since I am still an avid fan that watches it and will continue to, Star Trek was the show that did that for me.  Also, to add to that, I absolutely loved (and still love) the Mission Impossible series, which Leonard was also one of the stars of.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Star Trek was, as he has admitted a lot of times himself, a very big part of his life.  He couldn't escape that fact even if he wanted to!  It's like Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr telling you to forget that they were in The Beatles, that Mick Jagger is in The Rolling Stones, that John Lydon was Johnny Rotten in The Sex Pistols - it ain't gonna happen!

But, at the same time, it must be remembered that he was more than just "the guy who played Spock!"

Mission Impossible (pre-Cruise)

The list of acting credits for Mr Nimoy is an incredibly long and exhaustive list!  Just look on IMDb or wikipedia - 134 acting credits, 12 director credits, and 150 credits where he has played himself in things (The Simpsons, Futurama, etc)...  An incredible body of work!

Me and Louise saw him in an episode of Columbo recently, and he was really good in that!  Not at all like Spock in Star Trek, because he was an actor.

Now, I won't profess to having seen everything that Leonard was in, but I've seen a few things.

The Big Bang Theory

I remember him very well in the Mission Impossible television series and, in fact, before Star Trek finished, both series were filmed in the same studios and used a lot of the same sets, as well as the same extras and guest casts!  Both series came from the Desilu Productions company, which was owned by Lucille Ball, after originally being formed by herself and her previous husband Desi Arnaz Sr (Desi-Lu you see).

"Doe, a deer, a female deer..."

As I've mentioned, me and Louise saw him in that episode of Columbo, and he also played the recurring character of William Bell in that incredible television series Fringe!

If you're a fan or not, then just looking at the list of credits is amazing to see.  I won't list them all on here, but I will just leave you to decide if you want to follow those links.

But, he wasn't just an actor, director (yes, including two Star Trek films as well as Three Men & A Baby), producer, and in fact singer (Ballad of Bilbo Baggins anyone?), but he was an incredible humanitarian and charity worker, having raised money and awareness of many causes.

I was shocked to hear of his death, but then I knew that he was ill from a news report last week.

He leaves behind a loving family, and an incredible legacy.  Our thoughts and prayers should be with his family at this difficult time.

"hahahaha"

I could quote Star Trek a lot, and there are a few quotes that are incredibly fitting.  "Of all the souls I have ever encountered, his was the most human" comes to mind.

However, I really like some of the tributes left by people who have worked with him...

"hahahaha"

William Shatner -

"I loved him like a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent, and his capacity to love."

George Takei - "Today, the world lost a great man, and I lost a great friend. We return you now to the stars, Leonard. You taught us to Live Long And Prosper, and you indeed did, friend. I shall miss you in so many, many ways."

John Noble - "My friend and colleague Leonard Nimoy passed today. A true legend, and a wonderful human being. Sadly missed."

"hahahaha"

Anyway, I will leave it there, albeit for me to say what I said in my own message earlier... A beautiful soul has moved on. Rest in peace Leonard Nimoy.

FAWM FAWM FAWM

FAWM, what is it?

http://www.fawm.org not com! <-- a little FAWM community humour

Well, FAWM is February Album Writing Month, a month where a whole load of people all over the world (perhaps some extra terrestrials too?) gather together online and each tried to write approximately 14, which is given as the average album size.

I believe the story goes that the wonderful Burr Settles and his friends needed an album of material writing ready for recording said album, so over four weeks one February they set about writing the material for it.

Since then it's become a relative online phenomenon-enon-enon...  There are 2359 taking part this year.

There are other parts to it such as forums, inspirational suggestions and all that. It's fun, and people of varying skills take part!

I believe that now in my third year it's done me a lot of good! I have instruments that I actually play now as opposed to "own". I also have an absolute shed-load of songs too!

In the last three years I have written about 250 songs at a guess!

The first two FAWM's I wrote over 60 songs each time, and then there's something called 5090 that happens each year for three months over summer where the first year I wrote about 110 songs, and then last summer about 40 (I didn't reach the hallowed 50).

So actually, it's probably closer to 300 songs in three years.

Anyway, this FAWM then?

Well, it's not going as I would like! That's putting it mildly!

Today is the nineteenth of February, and it says 15 songs I think on my page. Woohoo?

Well, actually that includes two songs that are both shown twice - my own entry and my collaborators' entries! Why? Because I thought I might try and do something with them!

That had now changed though!

Tammy Carlson has put words to an instrumental I wrote at the beginning. I actually think that that has now served it's purpose because Tammy's words and vocals are perfect to my mind!

So that shows up as the original instrumental, but also as that collaboration with Tammy under another name! It can get complicated.

Then there is the song Hell's For Sale...

One if the other participants, Stuart Benbow, posted a picture on his Facebook page of a for sale sign in the hamlet of Hell in Michigan, so naturally I wrote a set of lyrics.

I offered up the lyrics saying that I'd anyone wanted to set then to music that it would be great. The wonderful Tim Fatchen did just that with his wonderful cigar box guitar work and Midnight Oil styled vocals.

So, that shows up twice. Why? Because I thought I might like to give it a go...  Now that I've heard it though, I think it is perfect and in a way don't want to work music myself, because Tim's writing there is great!

So really it's just 13 songs do far, except that two of those are quick songs (13 seconds and 21 seconds), one of which could be expanded on with that great wasted riff on the mandolin!

Another is a "corpse piece" - where it's a piece made of different sections, each written by different people, that have to link with each other - we get the last ten seconds of the preceding participant's piece and have to write around a minute based on that, and then pass that on.

So, it's 12 really then?

Well, that depends! I have a few that are just words, so not complete songs. 

Also, work and home life is getting in the way of checking other people's work out and leaving comments, like do many have with mine. That's more irritating than anything.  It bugs me because they're kind enough to offer the same for me.

I'm crossing my fingers that I will get that sorted.

Wish me luck - http://www.fawm.org/fawmers/marvsmooth

Thank you for reading. Take care.

February 19th 2025 (44 years, 2 months, and 23 days old).

PS - I wrote this on Wednesday night, but it didn't publish for some reason.  I have since added another collaboration to my list of songs on the FAWM site.  Thank you to the wonderful lyricist that is Cindy Prince, I wrote music to the song Anger Showcase.  I've hardly ever had the pieces come to me as quickly as I did that!  It was there in my head as I read the words!