Just a few words for a couple of righteous friends / ex-work colleagues who recently passed away.
Omar Jama. I started out in TV pretty much the same time as Omar. Most of the time I worked with him he was a sound engineer, though, ambitious chancer that he was, he went on to much greater things. Member of the 1991 Madrid Seven, when we drew straws to trash a hotel room, Omar got the short one & never complained. He will be sorely missed.
Bob Ando. A great director with whom I worked with on & off at Middle Eastern Broadcasting for years. Master of bridging the awkward English/Arabic divide whilst half cut, Bob was a true old-schooler with the confidence to stay on one camera for more than three seconds.
I learned a lot from Bob, he once asked me over talkback: 'Is 30 seconds long enough to get that 40-piece band off stage...and their chairs? Because it was Bob, I said yes.
I worked my very first audience show with Bob, and, as I was fairly petrified, had the good sense to get me drunk beforehand. Just prior to addressing them he whispered 'Don't go to pieces or anything' in my ear. Thanks for that, Bob.
Bob & Omar...RIP.
6 comments:
Aw, fuck - not Omar....
Yeah. He did the sound on the 'I Wish I was Dead' video. For free.
Really good bloke.
That was a nice tribute to Bob. He was one of my best friends at Thames TV and I do miss him, there were many anecdotes like the one you mentioned. I think the world of Television has lost a true talented character and a good friend....
James Taylor (JIM)
Thanks Jim. I didn't want to go on & on.
Somebody could probably fill a book with Bob Ando anecdotes.
Suffice to say he was one of the good guys.
My favourite would be his comment a couple of hours before one of those 2 hour live MBC shows.
"I'll be in the Vic"
And of course, if you were one of his team, you joined him.
I think I drank more on the job with Bob than any other time...except maybe that run of game shows we endured.
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