Jonathan Miller Clive James

Jonathan Miller and Clive James both died this week. Both men straddled the intellectual and popular divide and had a wry sense of humour. Further both were
1. Described as polymaths
2. Cambridge graduates who were involved in the Floodlights
3. And the Edinburgh festival
4. Wrote about Freud (James just an essay and Miller a whole book)
5. Presenters of TV programmes
6. Smokers
7. Professed atheists
8. Both took first degrees outside the arts (Miller medicine, James engineering)
9. Both had CBEs
10. Stephen Fry says they were heroes of his growing up.
Both were slight outsiders in that Miller was Jewish and James Australian.

James once interviewed Miller. See here. (Taste warning).

They seem to have dabbled in a any number of occupations

James (b 1939)
1. Literary essayist
2. Folk music lyricist
3. Novelist
4. TV critic
5. Translator
6. Poet
7. Memoirist
8. Journalist
9. TV presenter
10. Actor

Miller (b 1934)
1. Medical doctor
2. Satirist
3. Drama director
4. Opera producer
5. Artistic director
6. Musical director
7. Collage artist
8. TV Presenter
9. Actor
10. Writer

PS I notice there is a longer serious interview between James and Miller here.

Death of Jonathan Miller

We hear that polymath Jonathan Miller has died. I found myself sitting next to him at the British Library once and resisted the urge to graffitti his notebook when he left his space for a while. His views on atheism can be found in a 2007 article here.

British Library Visit

I spent much of today in the British Library. I've not used the facility before but there was a book I wanted to read and I haven't been able to get hold of it anywhere else. It's only a little book so I was able to read and make notes in a few hours. It was a satisfying read - more on that some other time. I also like the atmosphere in those big libraries. You don't really get that hush in an ordinary common or garden library (I was in Humanities 1 if that means anything to anyone). It seems to make me more disciplined, that atmosphere.

To put the cherry on the cake I ended up sitting next to Sir Jonathan Miller (we both chose places at the same moment - no angling by me). Of interest, firstly because I knew who he was (unlike all the others I saw there) but I also liked the irony that here I am a Christian minister reading about a 19th Century Christian - how he was converted and how he served the Lord in part by arguing with rationalists, etc, next to a man (he appeared to be reading about modern art) who is a notorious atheist. I wanted to point out the irony but resisted. (It also took a bit of self-control when he wandered off not to take his pencil and write inside his notebook There is a God or God is great or Eternity - those were the three alternatives I considered). Perhaps he'll read this or someone will point it out and he'll see how restrained we Christians are.