Pics

“Sgt Pepper 2017” is a moving tribute to the celebs we’ve lost this year and it’ll make you have feelings

Normal Bates. Updated November 7th, 2017

Last year Chris Barker gave us Sergeant Pepper 2016 – a moving tribute to all the celebs we lost in 2016.

“I said I would never ever do this again but then I realised I could use the meme to deliver a different message” Chris Barker tells The Poke.

“I want to highlight how the world is changing and the undeniable effect that man is having upon the climate” Chris continues, “We have lost some big names again this year but it isn’t quite the same as 2016. Last year there was such a heartbreaking loss of true world-changing legends that this became the story of they year.”

Here’s a bigger version you can click and zoom in on


Click for biggy

“This year we have lost some very loved people but – possibly with the exception of Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and maybe Brian Cant – not people who have truly changed the course of popular culture like Prince, Bowie etc. Just good people who were good at their jobs, loved by many and will be missed.

“I haven’t, as ever, got room to fit everyone in the whole world from every walk of like on here so I apologise if I have offended anyone. That was not my intention.”

Here’s the full list if you’d like to play along at home:

Robert Miles
William Christopher
Gord Downie
Ugo Ehiogu
Erin Moran
Robert Hardy
Mary Tyler Moore
Robert Guillaume
Bill Paxton
Geoffrey Bayldon
John Surtees
Fats Domino
Sam Shepard
Graham Taylor
Neil Fingleton

William G Stewart
Al Jarreau
Deborah Watling
Don Rickles
Trevor Martin
Michael Nyqvist
Peter Sarstedt
Barry Norman
George A Romero
Miguel Ferrer
Richard Hatch

Jake LaMotta
Anita Pallenberg
Gorden Kaye
Carol Lee Scott
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Bruce Forsyth
Chester Bennington
Sean Hughes
Clifton James
Martin Landau
Charlie Murphy
John Noakes
Jerry Lewis
Roy Barraclough
Liz Dawn

Hugh Hefner
Peter Sallis
Harry Dean Stanton
Chuck Berry
Adam West
Tom Petty
John Hurt
Roger Moore
Chris Cornell
Glen Campbell
Joni Sledge
Michael Bond
Dick Bruna
Gustav Metzger

Also featured:
Mandalay Bay
Grenfell Tower
Hurricane Irma
Texan floods
Puerto Rico floods
Harvey Weinstein’s career
The concept of a smooth Brexit
Saharan sand obscuring the sun
Theresa May’s P45
Donald Trump’s America

Here’s some more comments from Chris:

“It was the death of Sean Hughes that made me start thinking about doing this again if I’m honest. He was no sort of an age and he was once really nice to me. I think it’s very important to maintain a level of respect with these things. These are all real people with real families and friends left behind.

“Earlier in the year I had thought how amusing it would be to troll the Americans by doing a really b-list Brit tv version with like, Gordon Kaye, graham Taylor and grotbags on the front row but, even though there is room for humour in the piece, that would probably have been a bit disrespectful. Everyone is important to someone.

“Now people are asking if I’m going to do this every year. Well, if we don’t get a hold on climate change, hate crime, gun violence and world leaders threatening nuclear Armageddon during their morning bowel movement there might not be too many more years. It’s a small planet and we need to take care of it.

“Sgt Pepper 2016 was quite a life changing experience for me and it certainly led to a lot of work – among other things a dozen New European covers and more Sgt Peppers than is healthy (Big Issue, Mock the Week, school quizzes, bar mitzvahs…).

“Even though I never intended to repeat the idea, part of me was slightly worried that if I didn’t do it then somebody else would and I wouldn’t like it!”

Source: Twitter/@christhebarker