Monday, October 04, 2010

Piggy: Not Just a Cheeky Monkey


It’s Piggy Week here on Infomaniac: a week devoted to remembering our dear friend Piggy (aka John). And yes, that includes Filthy Friday.

Let’s begin with the following snatches (ha! “snatches”) of conversation that were all gleaned from just a few of my many email exchanges with Piggy. This is just a sampling of his many terms of endearment for me:

Urrrgh, you filthy bitch!
Oh you nosey cunt.
Evil cunt.I promise I'll be nice to you for a whole week!*can't believe I just said that*
Don't be so fucking stupid.
You dirty bitch!
Useless cunt.
Firstly, thank you for the Birthday email! You could've sent a card though, you tight old cunt - bet no-ones called you that for a long time, eh?
You cheeky bitch.
Lazy cunt.
You dirty fucking bitch!
Oh you miserable cunt!
Is it true that you own a pair of barbed wire knickers?
Dumb cunt.
Sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder how you’ve managed to get through life.
Fucking mong.
You silly cunt.
Hurry up then, slack arse.
Dirty cunt.
It's fun irritating you.
You're such a thick cunt, sometimes.
What the fuck is wrong with you?
You're already thinking about drinking when you get home? Yu fucking alcoholic!
Oh you evil cunt!
Cunt.
Cunt.
Cunt.

Oh my, did I say all that?

Why yes, you did say all that, you cheeky monkey. And much, much more. Part of our relationship was built around taking the piss out of each other; rudely mocking each other and cutting each other to bits with words, posts on our blogs, and Photoshopping each other.

Much of the Piggy that his readers saw was based on this brusqueness of character; a "ginger whinger" I called him. He would give me a good slap at this point and insist that he wasn’t a ginger. Or, as Inexplicable DeVice said after meeting Piggy in person…“I was pleased to discover that, as well as being a moaning, whinging, ginger cunt (Piggy's favourite insult), Piggy was also an intelligent, funny, opinionated (in a good way, of course) and loving man.”

The point I’d like to make is that Piggy wasn’t simply a cheeky monkey; not just the court jester so many remember…


Unfortunately, he shut down and restarted his blog so often that not only are his archives gone but the current incarnation of his blog is gone as well. Therefore, I can’t link to some of the most heartfelt and passionate pieces of writing you might ever hope to read. Along with all the fun stuff (and there was a LOT of that) Piggy also expressed his feelings on everything from the state of the British monarchy (thumbs down) to his concern for the environment and oh so much more. And when he blogged about something intensely personal in his life, your heart would melt or your spirit would soar, depending on the topic.

Much of his passionate nature and enormous generosity of spirit and HUGE heart are contained in personal email exchanges between the pair of us. As these were sent privately to me, I won’t use them as examples.

Which left me struggling for the words to express Piggy’s spirit until Eroswings stepped up to bat with a beautifully written post that I’d like to include here on Infomaniac in a condensed version.

Piggy would say I’m just being a lazy cunt for not finding my own words to express these sentiments and he’s right. But Eroswings does it so much better.

Anyway (Piggy’s favourite word), I present to you a condensed version of Eroswings’ tribute to Piggy as follows:

What I remember most about Piggy was his welcoming spirit. He treated everyone with the same rudeness and fondness and mischievous spirit.

But what I remember most about Piggy was that underneath the rude, complaining, diva behavior, there lay a big heart, full of love and passion. Every now and then, he'd post something truly heartfelt and personal on his blog (and the many incarnations of his blogs). I remember being moved by his story about how music saved his life. He was depressed, and he hadn't come out yet, struggling with his identity, feeling stuck between what society had expected of him and who he truly was. I was moved by his story about how music kept him going, and how finding Tazzy gave him a new lease on life, gave him a reason to keep on living and enjoying every day.

And I remember being so proud of him for taking part in a protest for civil rights for gays and lesbians. He complained about the rain, about the lack of support from fellow gay men who rather cruised the bars and parks instead of standing up for their rights, to be treated as equal people under the law. And as much as he made fun of lesbians, he acknowledged that it was these women who stood with him in the rain, trying to make the world more just, a better place for them and everyone else. He had a passion for doing the right thing, even when on the surface he acted selfish and ungrateful. And for all the blustering, the whining, and the rudeness he projected, he could not hide his generous spirit, his passion for equality, and his love for his family and friends.

Piggy used to be fond of saying CUNT on the blogs he visited. It was like his signature style to call people cunts, especially people he was close to and called his friends. It won't be the same, not seeing him call anyone a cunt on the blogosphere anymore. It was a term of endearment from him. RuPaul has another use for the word cunt. On his show, Drag Race, RuPaul uses the term CUNT to emphasis the qualities that make a truly great, fabulous drag queen. A true star is someone with Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent. And Piggy was one of the brightest stars in the blogosphere night sky.

I remember the last entry that Piggy wrote that really moved me. It was about his journey home, to Scotland, to see his ailing father. He was on a train, his heart heavy and his mind full of conflict. He looked out a window and saw a small bird flying in the air. Suddenly, a large bird of prey swooped down and took out that small bird. He was shocked to see it happen. But then an elderly man sitting next to him made a comment. "Such is life," and suddenly it all made sense. He was able to spend some time with his father and was there to keep him company until his father passed on.

Such is life. We live, we die. And in between living and dying, we do the best we can with the time we are given. I enjoyed having Piggy visit my blog from time to time. And I enjoyed visiting his and watching him have fun on MJ's blog.

Piggy, you will be missed. You were one of a kind, and in the brief moments you were here on earth, you touched so many lives and made a lot of us smile. You've done your part to make this world a much better place. Tazzy, I wish you so much strength, and peace, and love at this time. To Piggy's family and friends, I wish you serenity and much love. And to Piggy, thank you for making me smile, for making me laugh, and for showing me that there really are some good people still left in this world. And so long as we keep doing our best, making each other laugh, and looking out for each other, we can make the world just a bit more wonderful, a little bit brighter, and a bit more beautiful each and every day.


You can read Eroswings’ tribute to Piggy here in its entirety.

A reminder that we’ll be posting more about Piggy later this week.

In the meantime, pop over to read Inexplicable Device’s farewell tribute to Piggy which includes links to the day Tazzy and Piggy visited IVD in Norwich.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who commented on the previous post.

As Piggy would say, “You’re all a bunch of cunts!”

38 comments:

  1. Yay! Cunt!

    I mean: Yay! First!


    What a lovely post you and Eros have concocted. I couldn't bring myself to visit any blogs yesterday or this morning that may have referenced Piggy, but I'm glad I have now. I'd better pop over and read Eros' post - He's so kind and thoughtful. Plus, he has an excellent memory!

    Loved the horrendous insults! Piggy certainly was a little shit, wasn't he?

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  2. As this post is dedicated to Piggy....

    IDV you cunt, I was going to be FIRST. Humpf. You slipped in there...

    What a lovely, heartfelt tribute to Piggy. He was lucky to be known and so well loved. You were lucky to really know him, over and above the comments.

    He will live on in the hearts and memories of those who know and love him still.

    Many blessings of peace and comfort to those of you who grieve his passing.

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  3. A lovely tribute...
    Thankyou MJ & Eros, he would be loving this! x x x

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  4. He would have loved it and then called us all cunts. We miss you Piggy!!!!
    Geo

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  5. Miss J hates it when cunts die. Especially young handsome cunts. Cunt-dolences.

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  6. Piggy was crude, vulgar, overly little twat. But then, under the layers of cunt ladened insults, was the heart of someone who was intelligent, loving, and caring.

    I miss those music induced, drunken blogging days dearly. I don't miss MJ, just the good times.

    :)

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  7. Oh dear ... he would have ripped me to shreds with that grammatical nightmare of a first sentence. It should have read "Piggy was a crude, vulgar, overly opinionated little twat."

    And I still don't miss MJ.

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  8. He loved his Tazzy so much it blazed. He was hardcore, opinionated, and took no prisoners. Damn, what a voice he had!
    To Tazzy: I hope you know how much he was loved out here by all us cunts. I'm shocked and I'm crying for you. I send you all my love.

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  9. I have every comment from Piggy, all of our emails and I have been reading them over and over...laughin my arse off and remembering all the good times we had. Man, I miss you all and I will always have a void in my heart for Piggy, that is how much he meant to me.

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  10. My deepest sympathies go to Tazzy.

    Our thoughts are with him at this most distressing time.

    CUNTS!!!

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  11. A lovely post MJ which brought a tear to my eye. Still reeling about this news as are Mrs SID & the Earthangels. We have been so privileged to have had the wee cunt enter our lives & even have him sit and share a meal with us. Words cannot express fully the depth and love he shared with us, nor the love he shared with Tazzy. The times we shared as bloggers and friends will never ever be forgotten.
    I hope to write a wee piggy post of my own soon. Until then my thoughts,love and happy memories of the Ginger cunt, poor Tazzy and all who knew John I share with you.

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  12. He's still a cunt though

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  13. *wonders if he is the biggest cunt in Heaven*




    *bets he is*



    Cunt

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  14. IVD: Yay! Cunt!
    I mean: Yay! First!
    What a lovely post you and Eros have concocted. I couldn't bring myself to visit any blogs yesterday or this morning that may have referenced Piggy, but I'm glad I have now. I'd better pop over and read Eros' post - He's so kind and thoughtful. Plus, he has an excellent memory!
    Loved the horrendous insults! Piggy certainly was a little shit, wasn't he?


    I know how you feel as it hurt to write that first post in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

    I would have preferred to hide from the world and wallow in my pain but I desperately wanted to acknowledge him and from there on, pay tribute to him.

    And that’s why I’m here all week.

    ROSES: As this post is dedicated to Piggy....
    IDV you cunt, I was going to be FIRST. Humpf. You slipped in there...
    What a lovely, heartfelt tribute to Piggy. He was lucky to be known and so well loved. You were lucky to really know him, over and above the comments.
    He will live on in the hearts and memories of those who know and love him still.
    Many blessings of peace and comfort to those of you who grieve his passing.


    If I’m not mistaken, this is your first use of the word cunt on my blog.

    For that, Piggy would be proud.

    CARLY: A lovely tribute...
    Thankyou MJ & Eros, he would be loving this! x x x


    It’s my hope that he would love it but I’m sure he would tear the post and me apart rather than admit it, don’t you agree?

    GEO: He would have loved it and then called us all cunts. We miss you Piggy!!!!

    You ARE a cunt, Geo.

    And so is that bitch of yours, Maidy.

    MISS JANEY: Miss J hates it when cunts die. Especially young handsome cunts. Cunt-dolences.

    Piggy, who did not have the pleasure of knowing Miss Janey, would be delighted by the word “Cunt-dolences”.

    More than that, he would have loved being described as young and handsome.

    MAIDY: Piggy was crude, vulgar, overly little twat. But then, under the layers of cunt ladened insults, was the heart of someone who was intelligent, loving, and caring.
    I miss those music induced, drunken blogging days dearly. I don't miss MJ, just the good times.:)


    Would you look at the grammatical errors in that comment!

    Try again, bitch.

    MAIDY: Oh dear ... he would have ripped me to shreds with that grammatical nightmare of a first sentence. It should have read "Piggy was a crude, vulgar, overly opinionated little twat."
    And I still don't miss MJ.


    Frankly, I never give you a second thought. :)

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  15. MS. NATIONS: He loved his Tazzy so much it blazed. He was hardcore, opinionated, and took no prisoners. Damn, what a voice he had!
    To Tazzy: I hope you know how much he was loved out here by all us cunts. I'm shocked and I'm crying for you. I send you all my love.


    An excellent description. I’ll be quoting you on that in another post.

    Do you have any idea how much we miss YOU, by the way?

    I’ll email you later.

    AWAITING: I have every comment from Piggy, all of our emails and I have been reading them over and over...laughin my arse off and remembering all the good times we had. Man, I miss you all and I will always have a void in my heart for Piggy, that is how much he meant to me.

    Sweet Awa…I recall the number of times he kicked your arse and laughed as it “wobbled”.

    I always enjoyed your Photoshopped Piggy pics and you always made him laugh.

    CONVICT: My deepest sympathies go to Tazzy.
    Our thoughts are with him at this most distressing time.
    CUNTS!!!


    Cripes, even Connie’s come out of the woodwork!

    It’s old home week!

    You’re a CUNT, Connie!

    SID: A lovely post MJ which brought a tear to my eye. Still reeling about this news as are Mrs SID & the Earthangels. We have been so privileged to have had the wee cunt enter our lives & even have him sit and share a meal with us. Words cannot express fully the depth and love he shared with us, nor the love he shared with Tazzy. The times we shared as bloggers and friends will never ever be forgotten.
    I hope to write a wee piggy post of my own soon. Until then my thoughts,love and happy memories of the Ginger cunt, poor Tazzy and all who knew John I share with you.


    I felt such a powerful bond where you and Taz and Pig and I were concerned.

    But you’re a CUNT of the highest order.

    I feel like kicking your fat Irish arse just for the hell of it.

    And once again for Piggy since he’s not here to do it himself.

    It’s what he would have wanted.

    SID: He's still a cunt though

    That he is.

    SID: *wonders if he is the biggest cunt in Heaven*
    *bets he is*
    Cunt


    He is.

    There is no greater cunt in Heaven.

    Have you been drinking, darlin’?

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  16. *raises a tall glass of Jameson's in honour of Piggy*

    Me???

    Drink????

    Is MJ a cunt?

    Why of course! I'm SID & let me be the *first* to say

    Piggy is a dead cunt.


    Cunt

    Cunt

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  17. SID: *raises a tall glass of Jameson's in honour of Piggy*
    Me???
    Drink????
    Is MJ a cunt?
    Why of course! I'm SID & let me be the *first* to say
    Piggy is a dead cunt.
    Cunt
    Cunt


    Hard to believe but I’m out of Jameson’s. SHOCK!

    Instead I’m into my second tin of Magners Cider…from Tipperary no less.

    Home of the MJ ancestors.

    To cunts.

    And cuntdom.

    And old friends even if they ARE cunts.

    Which you are.

    Indeed.

    Irish Cunt.

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  18. I have the clip of him saying "Awaiting's got a big fat arse" on repeat. Someone please call me a filthy cunt so that I may feel better.



    SID!Miss you!

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  19. Cunts, the fucking lot of you.

    But at least you're not ginger.

    Even though it's been barely two days since Martin gave us the devastating news, I find myself carrying on with life as normal(sat on my fat arse doing fuck all).It's then that I'll remember he's gone - my heart gets yanked down to the sweaty parts of me where nobody goes and the realisation that I'll never get to tell him how much I love him and Martin, and how sorry I am that we hadn't seen each other for so long just crashes over me. This really is the most unbelievable grief I've ever felt and no words can describe the pain that his absence is causing.

    Martin, if you read this I want you to know that you and John were and still are more than just friends to me you're my family and you'll both always be welcomed with open arms to our home.

    Oh, and let the tight little cunt know that he still owes me a tenner for your fortieth birthday cake!

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  20. Wasn't SID bestowed the title of Oirish Cunt? Damn. The good old days.

    Must.

    Come.

    Back.

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  21. Steve, get off yer lazy arse and go cook dinner or something.

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  22. Steve, get off yer lazy arse and go cook dinner or something.

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  23. AWAITING: I have the clip of him saying "Awaiting's got a big fat arse" on repeat. Someone please call me a filthy cunt so that I may feel better.
    SID!Miss you!


    You filthy cunt.

    SMUNTY STEVE: Cunts, the fucking lot of you.
    But at least you're not ginger.
    Even though it's been barely two days since Martin gave us the devastating news, I find myself carrying on with life as normal(sat on my fat arse doing fuck all).It's then that I'll remember he's gone - my heart gets yanked down to the sweaty parts of me where nobody goes and the realisation that I'll never get to tell him how much I love him and Martin, and how sorry I am that we hadn't seen each other for so long just crashes over me. This really is the most unbelievable grief I've ever felt and no words can describe the pain that his absence is causing.
    Martin, if you read this I want you to know that you and John were and still are more than just friends to me you're my family and you'll both always be welcomed with open arms to our home.
    Oh, and let the tight little cunt know that he still owes me a tenner for your fortieth birthday cake!


    I’ve been asking myself why does the world keep on turning when one of our fave friends is gone?

    I was out and about and was fighting back tears with the memory of him when a song “Just Breathe” came on.

    Just keep on keepin’ on, in other words. Because we have no choice but to keep the world spinning.

    Although I’m off kilter at the moment.

    Oh, and nobody wants to know about your sweaty bits.

    AWAITING: Wasn't SID bestowed the title of Oirish Cunt? Damn. The good old days.
    Must.
    Come.
    Back.


    Don’t encourage that fat-arsed Oirish cunt for fuck’s sake, you filthy cunt.

    AWAITING: Steve, get off yer lazy arse and go cook dinner or something.

    That’s tellin’ him.

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  24. Pfffft.

    Just for that I might well set up on Blogger again with the sole intention of pissing you bunch of twats off once more.

    Awaiting - you swamptards may be happy cooking up your squirrel and grits past 10pm, but here in Blighty we are a touch more civilized.

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  25. Are you still into latex, SMUNTY?

    BITCHES: Some of us have dinner to eat and Coronation Street to watch.

    Click to see the Coronation Street mugs that Piggy and Tazzy sent to me.

    They’re hideous but I drink from them everyday and now they mean even that much more to me.

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  26. Aww MJ very eloquently put . You almost made a sad old beast cry
    .
    .
    .
    I said ALMOST cunts !


    Even First Nations came out of exile
    ***sobs ***

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  27. Hey, Smunty, don't be knockin' the good eatins' of fried squirrel and grits.

    And fuhkoff, MJ, for calling me a bitch, you bassackwards, seal clubbing, Canuckistan cunt. Fuck you and the donkey you first rode and then rode in on.

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  28. BEAST: Aww MJ very eloquently put . You almost made a sad old beast cry
    I said ALMOST cunts !
    Even First Nations came out of exile
    ***sobs ***


    How I’ll miss Piggy volleying insults your way.

    Now it’s just up to me and Miss Scarlet.

    I fondly recall Piggy’s last birthday greeting to you as follows:

    “I want to see pics of his tits sagging.
    And his arse collapsing.
    Actually... No I don't.”

    And then he got poetic…

    “Happy fucking birthday and all that shite.

    Happy Birthday to YOU,
    Squashed tomatoes and stew,
    Bread and butter in the gutter,
    Eat loads of cake and then spew.”

    p.s. I'm choked up at the sight of Ms. Nations too.

    MAIDY: Hey, Smunty, don't be knockin' the good eatins' of fried squirrel and grits.
    And fuhkoff, MJ, for calling me a bitch, you bassackwards, seal clubbing, Canuckistan cunt. Fuck you and the donkey you first rode and then rode in on.


    Shut the fuck up you American Psycho Bitch From Hell.

    Ahhh…bliss.

    This is just like the good old days, isn’t it?

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  29. No. The good old days would have me kicking your Great White North ass all over the place.

    *smiles*

    I really have missed this.

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  30. MAIDY: No. The good old days would have me kicking your Great White North ass all over the place.
    *smiles*
    I really have missed this.


    Shut it, bitch.

    We’ll never get the “good old days” back again without Piggy but you Infomaniac Bitch veterans showing up yesterday and today has been a great comfort to me. Quite frankly, you were all here when I needed you.

    I’m thankful for all the memories we made both here and over at Taz and Pig’s.

    It’s been grand getting back together to celebrate the memory of our wee Piggy.

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  31. Isn't that always the way though? Weddings and funerals are normally how family and friends get back to together.

    I know we will never have the good ole days back without that foul mouthed nasty troll. Besides, for the true good ole days, you would need to need to be polishing off the third of a bottle of your fourth fifth of whiskey by now.

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  32. MAIDY: Isn't that always the way though? Weddings and funerals are normally how family and friends get back to together.
    I know we will never have the good ole days back without that foul mouthed nasty troll. Besides, for the true good ole days, you would need to need to be polishing off the third of a bottle of your fourth fifth of whiskey by now.


    I was rather sozzled back then, wasn’t I?

    But you were no saint yourself.

    SMUNTY: *sighs*

    Shouldn’t you be tucked into your bed by this time?

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  33. I never said I was a saint or an angel. I remember Piggy and I drunk blogging a few times. We both sounded so eloquent in our posts. Normal for him and a shock for me.

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  34. MAIDY: I never said I was a saint or an angel. I remember Piggy and I drunk blogging a few times. We both sounded so eloquent in our posts. Normal for him and a shock for me.

    I’ve got news for you.

    You only sounded eloquent to yourself. Har.

    Now go check out the new post… a message from Tazzy.

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  35. Were I to sum up our beloved John in two words they would be, 'oink' and 'cunt'.....or maybe, 'cunt' and 'oink'.

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  36. Anyway, (Piggy's favourite word) one or the other.

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  37. TICKERS: Were I to sum up our beloved John in two words they would be, 'oink' and 'cunt'.....or maybe, 'cunt' and 'oink'. Anyway, (Piggy's favourite word) one or the other.

    Tickers! We thought we’d lost you forever to Farcebook!

    Were I to sum YOU up in one phrase it would be Just a bit poofy.

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