Monday, September 04, 2006

Steve Irwin, RIP

This is sad news. (via Drudge)

Many of those creatures at the receiving end of his patented "woo hoo, isn't he a beauty" could hardly be called beautiful, but when Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, said it in his inimitable way, they did appear beautiful.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

will always remember him by "woo hoo look at the size of this buggerrr"

:D

GhostOfTomJoad said...

People might want to lynch me but,I'm afraid, I never quite liked him or what he did the way he did. Just a clip on the news...he was trying to feed a croc some meat (as usual) and guess what he had in his arms? A small child, who couldn't have been more than a year or so old. I have no doubt it was his own child. And, of course, thre was this crowd of spectators oohing and aahing his every flirtation with the massive croc. Just what in hell was he trying to do? I'd like to kow how is this any different from what Michael Jackson did?

Sorry, but never liked his egotistical shows. But, may he rest in peace!

km said...

No lynching allowed here, Ghost, but the Nature-on-TV business needed a different personality and he provided one. I'd argue that but for his crazy, Jackass-style stunts, many kids would have given up on watching wildlife shows. And that would be a sad thing.

Szerelem said...

I liked his shows, though i did think he went too far with his craziness sometimes. But you're right in that TV needed someone like him. Sad this.

GhostOfTomJoad said...

The point about his having made wildlife shows popular is accepted. But, tell me, if he weren't doing any shows, would I stop watching Animal Planet? Would anyone? My friends kids watch only that and Nat Geo and they don't care who does these shows.

I'm not denying the role he played in popularising wildlife shows but nothing can convince me that he wasn't foolish. Or that he didn't have a huge ego system, if you know what I mean. He used to put himself on show every bit as much as he did the animals. Maybe more.

I'm just wondering...what happened to the James Herriots and the Gerald Durrells? I'd rather read them.