DEARLY DEPARTED No doubt 2017 will give it a right good go, but 2016 may well go down as being the mother of all years for celebrity deaths. David Pollock rel ects on those mourned in Scotland and beyond
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Call it simple bad luck on the planet’s behalf, but the idea that 2016 featured more famous people dying than ever before (it probably didn’t) was reinforced by the fact we undoubtedly lost more bona i de icons in a shorter space of time than in recent memory. David Bowie went i rst, leaving behind an instant classic which explored the knowledge of his imminent death in Blackstar; otherworldly funk icon Prince’s passing was equally sudden and unexpected; Alan Rickman was beloved by fans of both Die Hard and Harry Potter; Harper Lee, the reclusive author of To Kill a Mockingbird, and Muhammad Ali, the 20th century’s top sportsman, had both been ill for some time, but their deaths still caused much grief. Italian playwright Dario Fo died just as a celebration of his work which he had been due to attend was taking place in Edinburgh. English i lm director Robert Hardy had brought cult notoriety to the Dumfries and Galloway countryside with his 1973 i lm The Wicker Man, while the passing of Parliament / Funkadelic keyboard player Bernie Worrell was recognised in the Scottish Parliament at the request of his collaborator Jesse Rae. Glasgow International was saddened by news of artist Kevin Hutcheson’s death prior to his show’s opening, a passing every bit as tragic and too-young as that of the admired architect Gareth Hoskins. Also taken from various generations of Scots creativity were Shooglenifty i ddle player Angus Grant, bassist in rock groups Rainbow and Dio Jimmy Bain, jazz saxophonist Joe Temperley, comedy star Ronnie Corbett, and Gaelic folk singer Maggie Macdonald.
In other i nalities, Scots rap contingent Hector Bizerk called it a day, Rally & Broad closed up shop, and Edinburgh’s Inverleith House got the chop as an art gallery.
100 JK ROWLING POTTERING ABOUT
Between the stage adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the i lm of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, JKR has had yet another incredibly lucrative year. Her penchant for Twitter spats and political soapboxing is, perhaps, less treasured. (NB)
99 BILLY CONNOLLY FUNNY YIN
Hopping on his High Horse in November for what will probably be his i nal national live tour, Billy Connolly also received the Inspiration Award from GQ in amusingly brusque fashion. His body may be slowing down but that mind remains mercurial. (BD)
98 JACK LOWDEN HAND IN GOLF GLOVE
The War & Peace star went on to take the lead in Tommy’s Honour, the drama based on legendary golfer Tommy Morris that opened the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year. We’re also really excited to see this charming man become Morrissey in the forthcoming biopic. (RM)
97 CHRIS BROOKMYRE CLASS SPIDER
Black Widow, Chris Brookmyre’s newest twisty thriller was released at the beginning of 2016. The book went on to rake in plaudits, including the McIlvanney Prize for best Scottish crime novel. (KS)
96 SUMAYYA USMANI KITCHEN MAGICIAN
Sumayya Usmani has shared her passion for Pakistani cuisine through her My Tamarind Kitchen blog as well as hosting various
cookery classes in London and Glasgow, where she now lives. Her cookbook, Summers Under the Tamarind Tree, was published in April this year. (LS)
95 HELEN SEDGWICK NEW SEEKER
Physicist-turned-author Helen Sedgwick’s debut novel The Comet Seekers was released in August to acclaim from critics and peers alike. Since then, the author has appeared at festivals across the country, including Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Book Fringe and Wigtown. (KS)
94 THEO KOTTIS
DOWN TO EARTH With releases on Moda Black, Anjunadeep and Sasha’s Last Night On Earth label,
Edinburgh-based producer Theo Kottis is a rising star on the Scottish electronic music scene, having formerly been a promoter of some legendary club nights. (AQ)
93 CHVRCHES STEEPLE POWER
Sadly, there was no new album to get our teeth into during 2016, but the remix of ‘Bury It’ featuring Paramore’s Hayley Williams was huge. As are Chvrches themselves: they’re still one of the biggest pop bands in Scotland, and we’re bracing ourselves for more excellent material to come. (RM)
92 SANDY GRIERSON BRIGHT STAR
Apart from being the go-to performer for any Scottish icon, Grierson has played Faust at the RSC, a sardonic everyman in the National Theatre of Scotland’s Anything That Gives Off Light and won the Best Male Performance at the CATS for the title role in Lanark. (GKV)
22 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016–31 Jan 2017