Ken Campbell, stage adapter of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Illuminatus, dead at 66
Ken Campbell, who co-wrote the Illuminatus! play based on the trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, died at age 66 on Sept. 1, 2008.
Campbell also adapted Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for the stage in 1979.
In addition to being a writer and director, he was an actor. Some of you may remember him as Bartlett in the Pythonesque movie A Fish Called Wanda. He auditioned for the part of the seventh Doctor Who, a part that ironically went to one of his protege's, Sylvester McCoy.
He was alternately praised and criticized for his highly eccentric productions. His Wholiness the Rev. DrJon, from whom I learned Campbell died, declared Ken Campbell a Discordian saint.
Check the article about Campbell at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/2663891/Ken-Campbell.html
There's another article that includes a clip from a TV show he made about the human brain at http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2008/09/01/7330/ken_campbell_dies
Comments
I heard Queen Elizabeth saw Illuminatus and loved it. God save the queen, and Goddess save Ken Campbell.
Posted by: Prince Discord | September 2, 2008 05:02 AM
I didn't know who the guy was, but I saw A Fish Called Wanda and loved the hitch-hiker books. His death is quite a loss.
Posted by: Glitter Gary | September 2, 2008 11:54 AM
You should check out his work. Guy was funny and surreal. Did some weird, crazy shit. He was really into freaking the mundanes. He was an original, and nobody can replace. And he should have been the seventh doctor instead of that BLECH McCoy fellow. The only good episode McCoy did was where he died to make room for the short-lived eighth doctor.
Posted by: Dear John | September 3, 2008 12:47 AM
Here's an idea. Ken Campbell adapts a play version of Harry Potter. Now that would be bizarre.
Posted by: Rev. Bootie | September 5, 2008 03:11 AM
I'm very sorry about the loss of your friend. Ken Campbell was a great artist. And I heard he was a fun friend. I'm sure you'll miss him and we'll miss his work.
Posted by: Alicia the Beast | September 5, 2008 03:11 AM
Hey Rev. Bootie, how about Harry Potter joins the Illuminati? Or better yet the Discordians? Now that would rock.
Posted by: George the Gorge | September 7, 2008 03:54 AM
I love his soup.
Posted by: Eclectic Otter | September 16, 2008 09:52 PM