Oliver Reed

[SteK]

As a massive fan, and as I am working in Dublin for the foreseeable, I took a trip down to where he ended his days down in North Co. Cork, Churchtown, near Buttevant of Soupy Norman Fame, and near (ish) Mallow, of Can't Cope, Won't Cope Fame.

What a desolate place, saw the bar Ollie used to frequent, just looked so grim and sad I couldn't go in.

Visited his grave, usual crap surrounding it, empty beer cans, bottles etc, looked like it had not been tended for a long time, have pics, not sure they're worth showing.

Certainly no village idyll, but if he was happy there why not.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Visited his grave, usual crap surrounding it, empty beer cans, bottles etc, looked like it had not been tended for a long time, have pics, not sure they're worth showing.

I'd be really interested in seeing them.

[grassbath]

Get the impression he was probably a bit of an arsehole, but also an incredibly charismatic and compelling man. One of those people who just naturally speaks in something approximating poetry.

I love this clip, random lines from it pop into my head at times.

'I'm known in the business as the "whispering giant"' - sounds like luvvie bullshit but he sells it totally.

[idunnosomename]

Mark Steel's bit on his death in his recent Malta "...'s in town" was pretty evocative

[thecuriousorange]

I was at the bar in Malta that served the drink that killed him.

[thecuriousorange]

Or so it proudly claimed for some reason.

[Bennett Brauer]

Get the impression he was probably a bit of an arsehole, but also an incredibly charismatic and compelling man.

I know what you mean, although a lot of an arsehole would probably be nearer the truth. Keith Moon was similar. If they were your pal for the night they'd be brilliant company, but they could also be horrible twats and turn on you for being boring or saying the wrong thing. Remember Reed with Kate Millett on After Dark, and Moon with Norman Gunston. Now ask me how many times I met them. Punch me in the stomach as hard as you can. Go on.

[SteK]

I'd be really interested in seeing them.

Here's a few, didn't take that many, not much to see really!

[maett]

Utterly gorgeous in Curse of the Werewolf

[Small Man Big Horse]

Here's a few, didn't take that many, not much to see really!

Thanks for that, I found them fascinating as such a much loved star is buried somewhere so dilapidated.

As for favourite Reed performances, I love him in The Devils. But then I love everyone in that deranged masterpiece.

[SteK]

Thanks for that, I found them fascinating as such a much loved star is buried somewhere so dilapidated.

As for favourite Reed performances, I love him in The Devils. But then I love everyone in that deranged masterpiece.

I don't know but I'd imagine his (much younger) wife would have moved away thing she was about 30 years younger than him. Not much for a young widow to do in Churchtown. Certainly no family there so perhaps the locals occasionally do a bit hence it's not totally overgrown.

His biography ('Evil Spirits' I think) was brilliant, I lent it someone and haven't seen it since....

[Brundle-Fly]

Recently, I was speaking to an actor who knew Oliver Reed and he said that Olly never drank on any acting job. Even if he'd been out on the lash the night before, he'd always be on set first thing at 7am, ready to go, word perfect. This is because not only was he a professional and loved the job but realised it was his bread and butter. No work, meant no ale. No way.

[SteK]

Recently, I was speaking to an actor who knew Oliver Reed and he said that Olly never drank on any acting job. Even if he'd been out on the lash the night before, he'd always be on set first thing at 7am, ready to go, word perfect. This is because not only was he a professional and loved the job but realised it was his bread and butter. No work, meant no ale. No way.

A lot of people have said that including the guy who wrote his bio. I kind of believe it because he's too good a drunk, and on Aspel where he came on with his shirt hanging out and a huge jug or vodka and orange (probs just orange) and suddenly launched into The Wild One with band joining in seamlessly. George Best was on Russell Harty once obviously arseholed and fucking retarded, giggling like a schoolboy and just unfunny.

On the hand, Reed certainly did seem pissed on After Hours, saying to noted Lesbian Kate Millett, 'give us a kiss, big tits!' Maybe better acting?

The bit that made me piss (cos I saw it live and remember) was when he said to this military-looking gentlemen with a large moustache "So what do you think, 'tache?". Me and my bro pissed ourselves, still do at the mention of it....

[idunnosomename]

I was at the bar in Malta that served the drink that killed him.

it's called "the pub"

Quite a lot of bars in Valletta, huh

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

As others have said, being in the company of larger-than-life celebrity alcoholics such as Oliver Reed and Keith Moon must've been exhausting. Both funny men, yes, but once they got into the utterly reckless blotto zone, you'd make your excuses and leave.

Even Pete Townshend, who adored Moon, has said that he was a fucking pain in the arse at times. You're having a fun night of boozy frolics, then your attention-seeking alcoholic friend decides to jump out the window or set fire to the bathroom 'for a laugh'. Sod that.

However, unlike Moon, who was probably quite a sweet soul underneath it all, I do think Reed was an actual arsehole. He was a boorish bully who enjoyed winding people up, whereas Moon was basically a pissed-up clown who wanted to entertain people.

Mind you, I haven't read the aforementioned book about Reed. I may be doing him a disservice.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

The bit that made me piss (cos I saw it live and remember) was when he said to this military-looking gentlemen with a large moustache "So what do you think, 'tache?". Me and my bro pissed ourselves, still do at the mention of it....

That made me laugh too.

[SteK]

As others have said, being in the company of larger-than-life celebrity alcoholics such as Oliver Reed and Keith Moon must've been exhausting. Both funny men, yes, but once they got into the utterly reckless blotto zone, you'd make your excuses and leave.

Even Pete Townshend, who adored Moon, has said that he was a fucking pain in the arse at times. You're having a fun night of boozy frolics, then your attention-seeking alcoholic friend decides to jump out the window or set fire to the bathroom 'for a laugh'. Sod that.

However, unlike Moon, who was probably quite a sweet soul underneath it all, I do think Reed was an actual arsehole. He was a boorish bully who enjoyed winding people up, whereas Moon was basically a pissed-up clown who wanted to entertain people.

Mind you, I haven't read the aforementioned book about Reed. I may be doing him a disservice.

Read the book! Still might be an arsehole to you or anybody but a cracking read!

His daughter got engaged to a German guy and they came to visit (Broom Hall) and Ollie decorated the whole house with St. Georges Crosses and model Lancaster Bombers to deliberately put the gut ill at ease. Arsehole? Probably!

Another: During the filming of Hannibal Heyes in Austria in some town, no idea now he deliberately got up early one morning/night and took down all the Austrian flags and replaced then with Union Jacks. Arsehole? Maybe!

And the best one I remember from the book relating to earlier days, after his army service and becoming an actor, he either became a Scout Master or was involved with Scouts not in a Jimmy Savile way, and paraded them through the village he was living in at the time, these 10 yo kids, marched them to the village green where the followed him resolutely, and into the village green pond, 4 foot deep, where they still followed him in and out the other end. Arsehole? No way!!!

Fucking A1 guy!! He had 'it', whatever 'it' is.....

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I'll definitely read that book at some point.

The anecdotes you quoted neatly illustrate the fact that someone like Reed could be horrible but also harmlessly daft. People are complicated, especially when they're raging alcoholics.

As Brundle said, though, I do find it quite impressive that a man who basically devoted half his life to getting pissed could still turn up and do a professional job when required. You have to graft to maintain that lifestyle. I also subscribe to the "Wasn't really pissed on the Aspel show" theory. He was playing up to the legend, giving the people what they wanted.

He was fucked as all arseholes on The Word, though, that wasn't acting. It's sad, I don't find that appearance funny in the slightest.

[idunnosomename]

Townshend was a real cunt about his deceased bandmates in a recent Rolling Stone interview btw. I know Moon was a fucking crap drummer to play with but it seems pretty cruel to him and particularly Entwistle to say you're glad you're not playing with them anymore

*cough* research

[SteK]

I'll definitely read that book at some point.

The anecdotes you quoted neatly illustrate the fact that someone like Reed could be horrible but also harmlessly daft. People are complicated, especially when they're raging alcoholics.

As Brundle said, though, I do find it quite impressive that a man who basically devoted half his life to getting pissed could still turn up and do a professional job when required. You have to graft to maintain that lifestyle. I also subscribe to the "Wasn't really pissed on the Aspel show" theory. He was playing up to the legend, giving the people what they wanted.

He was fucked as all arseholes on The Word, though, that wasn't acting. It's sad, I don't find that appearance funny in the slightest.

Oddly enough in the book the Word episode was cited as it was just orange no voddy but I've never seen it myself and how much of the book is heresy or reality?

[Mister Six]

Visited his grave, usual crap surrounding it, empty beer cans, bottles etc,

Tributes?

[idunnosomename]

Picnic

[Noodle Lizard]

I think Richard Harris is a better shout if you want amusing alkie-luvvie anecdotes from an otherwise mostly alright person. Some of the stories he told on late night shows in the 80s and 90s are incredibly funny. If I remember correctly, he didn't get on well with Oliver Reed himself, and one anecdote seems to involve him deliberately sabotaging Reed's performance of Hamlet, in which he played the doctor who announces Ophelia's death, by responding "Oh she's fine! She'll be down in a minute!"

That said, even if Reed was almost certainly a bit of a nightmare, he was very entertaining. Everyone focuses on his "big tits" lechery in that infamous After Dark appearance, but the rest of it is incredibly funny trolling these pretentious bores. You'd almost think it was character comedy - maybe it was, to an extent.

"Ee I said to ma missus I'll put me plonker on the table and I won't take it off unless you give me my mushy peas!"

[SteK]

I think Richard Harris is a better shout if you want amusing alkie-luvvie anecdotes from an otherwise mostly alright person. Some of the stories he told on late night shows in the 80s and 90s are incredibly funny. If I remember correctly, he didn't get on well with Oliver Reed himself, and one anecdote seems to involve him deliberately sabotaging Reed's performance of Hamlet, in which he played the doctor who announces Ophelia's death, by responding "Oh she's fine! She'll be down in a minute!"

That said, even if Reed was almost certainly a bit of a nightmare, he was very entertaining. Everyone focuses on his "big tits" lechery in that infamous After Dark appearance, but the rest of it is incredibly funny trolling these pretentious bores. You'd almost think it was character comedy - maybe it was, to an extent.

"Ee I said to ma missus I'll put me plonker on the table and I won't take it off unless you give me my mushy peas!"

That mushy peas was class!!

I loved This Sporting Life with Harris, he was a real bad boy, a lot of it filmed at Wakey Trinity and in Wakey city centre, great movie, Wakefield is a bit of a dump now TBF...