Goodbye, Cloud Mountain

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earthcalling
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Post by earthcalling »

I'm very saddened to have found that Alan Davis Drake, known as Cloud Mountain in the forum, passed away in November last year. We knew he had a health problem that kept him away from LV, but I was really hoping we'd see him again... He was not only a wonderful reader, but a real character and a generous man.

Here is a tribute I found online: Alan Drake Remembered

Here is his last forum post, from 21st September:-
Cloud Mountain wrote: Apologies. Throat problems will be beyond six months. No serious cure in sight. Bummer.

Alan
I met Alan for dinner when visiting New York two years ago, and we got on famously. Great conversation, ranging from LibriVox (of course) to our family lives and personal stories. He was hoping to be able to visit London, and it would have been great to have got together with the UK Chapter... He gave me a present, which surprised and delighted me - a first edition (1919) of Arthur Waley's 'More Translations from the Chinese'. Chinese poetry was one of our shared interests. Here's his reading of Li Bai's Drinking Alone by Moonlight.

Another shared interest was Tolstoy, and we duetted on What Men Live By and Other Tales, which was mentioned in Thank a reader just a few days ago.

David
Availle
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Post by Availle »

Thanks for sharing this David.

I've never worked with Cloud Mountain (Alan), but it's always wonderful to find out about the person behind the voice...
Cheers, Ava.
Resident witch of LibriVox, channelling
Granny Weatherwax: "I ain't Nice."

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Starlite
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Post by Starlite »

Thanks for posting David. He will be missed for sure. Wonderful voice of LV!

Esther :)
"Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable
people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress,
therefore, depends on unreasonable people." George Bernard Shaw
Peter Why
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Post by Peter Why »

Thanks, David; I had been wondering what had happened to him, as we'd talked about sharing a buddhist text some time ago. I'll try and get it done when I finish my current project.

A good man. That's a lovely page about him.

Peter
"I think, therefore I am, I think." Solomon Cohen, in Terry Pratchett's Dodger
chocoholic
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Post by chocoholic »

I'm very sorry to hear of Alan's death. He will be missed here.
Laurie Anne
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Post by Lucy_k_p »

That's awful. My condolences go out to his friends and family. He sounds like a lovely man and I'm sorry the world has lost him.
So little space, so much to say.
Hokuspokus
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Post by Hokuspokus »

So sad.

Hokuspokus
CarlManchester
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Post by CarlManchester »

That's really sad. "Bummer" indeed. A real backbone of the project and a great reader.

He did his own LV-related website where you can still hear some of his stuff

http://paintedricecakes.org/CloudMountainProductions/

Also sad how, on the internet, it can be months before you realise someone is gone for good.

It would be nice to do a memorial of some kind.
American Psychology 1922-1947. It's the nearest thing to American Psycho that we are allowed to record.
kayray
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Post by kayray »

I'm so terribly terribly sad to hear this news. :( He was one of the "old-timers" around here. (registered Fri Jun 30, 2006 8:42 pm)

Here's his LV page, in case you don't know his voice: http://librivox.org/newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=254

Last active: Fri Sep 24, 2010 2:19 am

I noticed he hadn't been around in a while... but people come and go and I didn't think anything of it.

So long, Alan. You'll be missed.
Kara
http://kayray.org/
--------
"Mary wished to say something very sensible into her Zoom H2 Handy Recorder, but knew not how." -- Jane Austen (& Kara)
Samanem
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Post by Samanem »

CarlManchester wrote:

It would be nice to do a memorial of some kind.
Maybe a sampler compilation or a "greatest hits" collection that could be downloaded as one volume?

Very sad news.
"I ask to be allowed to have a lamp in the evening;
it is indeed wearisome sitting alone in the dark." ~ William Tyndale (1494-1536)
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catchpenny
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Post by catchpenny »

I'm so sorry! I appreciated the tribute we did for Icyjumbo, but that was kind of for a funeral.
Anyone can read accurately. [i]I[/i] read with great expression.
Starlite
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Post by Starlite »

We are working on an archive page for Alan and a little tribute for the front page.

His voice lives on.

Esther
"Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable
people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress,
therefore, depends on unreasonable people." George Bernard Shaw
Claire
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Post by Claire »

Very sorry to hear of Alan's passing. He had a beautiful speaking voice. RIP. :(
Hokuspokus
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Post by Hokuspokus »

A memorial collection with some of Alan's poetry recordings can be downloaded at Archive.org.
http://www.archive.org/details/AlanDavisDrakeCollection

He recorded 650 sections for LibriVox and the world. All his LV recordings can be found on his catalog page.
http://librivox.org/newcatalog/people_public.php?peopleid=254

Besides LibriVox he did even more recordings.
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%28Alan%20davis%20drake%29%20AND%20-keywords%3A%28LibriVox%29
Cleogirl
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Post by Cleogirl »

I'm a pretty new member of the LV team and, while most of my spare time I spend running through readings, I try to find time during lunch at work to read through the forums to deepen my understanding of the way things work around here. And today I found myself on this forum and have just read the string of postings made by several about the sad loss of a long-time LV member.

I'm struck by the generosity of feeling you all share - most of you for someone you've never met but through the internet. What a lovely, warm community I have joined. Who says the internet is impersonal?

Cloud Mountain was fortunate, too; one can only hope -- and guess -- that he knew it.

Cathy
Cleogirl
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