Comments on: Writer, musician, polymath

Writer, musician, polymath

PeterMcDermott — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:58:21 -0800

Stan Kelly-Bootle began his career as a member of the earliest wave of computer programmers, who wrote prolifically about a wide range of computing issues. Back in his home town though, he's probably best known for his contributions to a lexicon of local slang, Lern Yerself Scouse, and for his canonical and not-so-canonical contributions to the British folk repertoire.

Stan's website

By: martinrebas

martinrebas — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:03:29 -0800

I only know him from this quotation: Should array indices start at 0 or 1? My compromise of 0.5 was rejected without, I thought, proper consideration. - Stan Kelly-Bootle

By: ardgedee

ardgedee — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:09:13 -0800

My friends and I passed around The Devil's DP Dictionary in our high school days. Years later I mostly recall the jokes at the expense of the Irish, which got tiresome and didn't seem in the spirit of the rest of the book.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:23:51 -0800

TBH, I was in the process of researching a prospective FPP on Dubliner's vocalist. Luke Kelly, when I stumbled upon all this stuff about Stan. In this version of Wish I was back in Liverpool, Luke compares him to Lennon and McCartney and suggests they could combine to form a 'blessed trinity'.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:31:18 -0800

Also, it's disappointing that nobody ever seems to include the pimpish last verse of WIWBIL: Me judy's down in London, she's werkin' dur fer me; But her lousy beat on Jermyn Street can't keep the kids and me; I'm told her time and time again, "Now don't you be a fool, "You'ld have more LUCK with half the FUSS, in dear ould Liverpool Town."

By: Abiezer

Abiezer — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:43:36 -0800

Interesting stuff Peter. I was half-thinking of an FPP on Luke too, as he's a hero of mine, but you do him justice. I'd always liked WIWBIL but had never heard of Stan before. Thanks for the post.

By: mdoar

mdoar — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:12:49 -0800

"Stan Kelly-Bootle was one of the earliest waves" Er, he's not dead yet. And is still as funny as ever.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:40:59 -0800

Yeah, and he might have been a member of a wave, but he wasn't a wave all by himself. Wording is dumb. I'll email a mod and see if I can't have one of them fix it.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:52:29 -0800

[changed the wording here slightly]

By: lhauser

lhauser — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:58:44 -0800

My copy of The Devil's DP Dictionary is enshrined in a special place on my bookshelf. I had to rescue it from my eldest son a few years ago, he would have had it in shreds he loved it so much...