Cool article. I’ve never read or heard anything from Steyn other than political. (There is a nice little political dig in the middle of this piece, but it is mostly historical.)
Reading Steyn’s recount of these events is like taking a ride in a time machine with a tour guide. He did an incredible job.
Campbell, sure is an interesting character:
**Eric moved out of their house [1917], and took a room at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, next door to his friend Charlie Chaplin. On December 20th of that year, returning home from a party, Eric Campbell was killed in an automobile accident. He was cremated, and his ashes remained in a closet first at the mortuary and later at a cemetery, since no one paid the funeral bill. Finally, in 1952, an office worker at the Rosedale Cemetary arranged for the burial of Eric Campbell’s ashes. But there is no record of the location of his final resting place. As part of the documentary “Chaplin’s Goliath: In Search of Scotland’s Forgotten Star,” a memorial plaque finally commemorates the life of Charlie Chaplin’s friend and co-star.**
Actually, Steyn LOVES music (did you know he put out his own CD?) & does regular pieces on songs & singers as well as movies. He understands that culture is part of the problem in this country today. Try going to his website & see what’s there, or go to YouTube where you can see many other interviews with songwriters & singers. Steyn is all-around terrific!