Just heard that Rex Murphy passed away at 77 from cancer. Very sad to hear that. I've been a fan of Rex from his days doing "Point of View" on the National when I was much younger and I used to always watch the CBC. When Mansbridge would say, "coming up after the break Rex Murphy" my ears would perk up and I would never change the channel because I really enjoyed just listening to Rex talk. And talk he did. He was fascinating to watch and poetic to llisten to. Rex was a lot of things, but boring was not one of them. He loved Canada and he loved Canadians. Something so woefully in short supply these days. Often I would be working on one project or another on the weekend listening to the CBC and I would catch him on CBC Radio 1 doing "Cross Country Checkup" and he would make the most mundane things interesting. My lasting impression of him was how he was always polite to the various people in the audience. He possessed a high intellect and yet he was able to speak to, and relate with, everyone. He seemed right at home talking to a sod farmer from Saskatchewan one minute and then the Prime Miniser of Canada the next. I envied his intellect.
Here is one of Rex's more memorable homages to the late Rob Ford. I was never the biggest fan of Rob Ford, but listening to Murphy ulogize Ford one can't help but reevaluate one's own sense of superiority and think, "yeah, he was". That speaks volumes as to the worth of the man. He was an original. And sadly he's gone and Canada has become just a little more boring as a result. I will miss him.
Here is one of Rex's more memorable homages to the late Rob Ford. I was never the biggest fan of Rob Ford, but listening to Murphy ulogize Ford one can't help but reevaluate one's own sense of superiority and think, "yeah, he was". That speaks volumes as to the worth of the man. He was an original. And sadly he's gone and Canada has become just a little more boring as a result. I will miss him.
