The Crafty Cockney Checks Out

April 6, 2018 2:57 AM

RIP Eric Bristow five times world darts champion. Always supremely confident/arrogant and controversial, he dominated the sport in the 80s (including being one of the leading players involved in the darts split) until 'dartitis' laid him low and he was overtaken by his mentee Phil 'The Power' Taylor. Bristow died from heart attack whilst working hospitality at a darts championship.

The documentary Arrows by John Samson follows Bristow during 1979 at the cusp of his mega-fame. It originally went out as the accompanying short to The Long Good Friday.
Sporting Heroes Eric Bristow

posted by fearfulsymmetry (13 comments total)

There's also a good documentary called House of Flying Arrows with the rivalry between Bristow and Bobby George explained. It may be a little slow for the non-fan but it gives a good sense of the drama of the big tournies and a look at some of the legends. (And it's Phil 'The Power'Taylor, the player with the most titles in professional darts history who was mentored by Bristow). RIP Eric, he went at the oche and, like my daughter said, he's throwing 180's on the other side now.
posted by alltomorrowsparties at 3:25 AM on April 6, 2018

And it's Phil 'The Power'Taylor

Can one of the mods change that... (I've got a bad eye at the moment so my proofreading skills are worst that usual)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:33 AM on April 6, 2018

Can't mention Eric Bristow without recalling the commentator Sid Waddell's extraordinary remark on one of his landmark victories. “When Alexander the Great was 33 he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer,” Waddell declared. “Bristow is only 27.”
posted by Paul Slade at 4:02 AM on April 6, 2018 [13 favorites]

Mod note: Name fixed!
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane (staff) at 4:15 AM on April 6, 2018

He had some unfortunate things to say about gays and people who were sexually abused as children by football coaches.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 4:26 AM on April 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

“When Alexander the Great was 33 he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer,” Waddell declared. “Bristow is only 27.”

I imagine that Keith Talent was deeply moved by this.
posted by thelonius at 5:40 AM on April 6, 2018 [3 favorites]

Jocky Wilson Says I'm in Heaven In When You Smile

.
posted by jonp72 at 6:06 AM on April 6, 2018

I came into the sport after Bristow's era and only know him through the history and shadow he left behind. It's not a reach to say the modern sport exists because of his early fame and the risks he took when starting the WDC(PDC). The best corollary of Bristow to an American sportsman would probably be Joe Namath.

Nice to see we have a few darts fans here. Any players?
posted by ShakeyJake at 7:11 AM on April 6, 2018

Thing I love about that Jocky Wilson TOTP clip is that everyone involved must have seen the mistake and thought "Sod it, let's tape/broadcast the thing anyway".
posted by Paul Slade at 7:14 AM on April 6, 2018

From Popbitch: As his soul passes on for its final judgement, where now for the famed paedo/poof confuser, Eric Bristow?

We can only hazard a guess but a few years back, after the curtain had come down on 'A Night With Eric Bristow' at the Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre, fans were queuing up for autographs. Bristow, in his usual charming manner, told a group of these fans to "fuck off" as they were "dawdling".

The reason they were dawdling? They were trying to let a man in a wheelchair go up first. When they explained themselves to Bristow, Bristow said he was having none of it and stormed off in a huff.

So, yeah, Eric Bristow dead. Meh.
posted by bookbook at 9:40 PM on April 6, 2018

Brilliant, arrogant, loved and loathed – Eric Bristow ruled darts’ golden age
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:31 AM on April 7, 2018

Darts legend Bobby George says Eric Bristow lived life his way
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:41 AM on April 7, 2018

I've no illusions that the arrogance wasn't just for gamesmanship and Bristow was almost certainly not exactly a nice person in reality (and there's some even worse ones in the sport - his protegee Taylor for a start)

The dartitis thing always seems to get played as bit of a joke but it meant his career finished several years earlier than it should... but he's never been the tragic figure like Jocky Wilson ended up.

However his passing (checking out on treble twenty!) really does seem like an end of an era.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:47 AM on April 7, 2018 [1 favorite]