Sorry if anyone got frightened by the topic header, but short of dancing nekkid on the roof of my abode, I am at a loss as to how to resolve my conundrum.....which is this.....

Barry the Sprout is a longtime and revered member of IW (joined 19/10/2001 if my memory serves me well). I have noticed a connection between his online identity and the works of a certain English author by the name of Robert Rankin.

Bear with me , oh best beloved, while I put my proposal forward for general dissection...

I have read several of the multitudinous ourpourings of the abovementioned author, and, though not fully cognisant of his general worldview, I have never come across a character called Barry the Sprout, general Brentfordness and other miscellaneous oddities not withstanding.

However, as I peruse the wondrous magnificence of "The Witches of Chiswick", lo and behold, slap bang in the first third of the book, who should turn up but BARRY THE SPROUT!!!. This book was first published in 2003!!

Now, my question is this, how the heck did Bary the Sprout become a member here two years before he appeared in the works of the author with whom he is obviously attached??

Enquiring minds (well mine) want to know ;)

I don`t know. You should ask him. (PM)

Too easy, and not likely to generate enough speculation.... ;)

Perhaps it was written long before it was published? Perhaps Robert Rankin and Barry the Sprout are one in the same? Maybe, Robert Rankin stole the name Barry the Sprout from IW?

I'm not sure, but I smell a conspiracy! :D

Of course it could also be just coincidence. Working in a patent and trademark office, I cannot tell you how many times a client has come to us wanting to trademark a name for their business, and it sounds so unique, yet when we do a search for all the trademarks already out there, we find the exact same name, sometimes many of them, even for the same type of business. I guess it is one of those GMTA things. [img]smile.gif[/img]

But I could be wrong! Just speculating.

You would be surprised at who has become a member here.. MANY Authors of Novels--some using their real names, some a nickname. Not just Authors either. Many Game Dev's and even some Hollywood people. When it first happened, I was VERY shocked they would even find IW.. but it is humbling.

Mouse, I bet Barry is that Author..

New Slogan for IW

Ironworks, the home of the stars...


[img]smile.gif[/img]

or perhaps he is just a figment of our imaginations?

No Barry's a student, just graduating, I doubt he's that author. "Barry the Sprout" is probably not a unique name.

so you are saying just because he is a student, he can not be an author as well? wow talk about your sterotyping ;)

Being a committed fellow socialist Barry believes in sharing things, names is just one of those things. [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

ROTFL at some of the posts here....

Mouse, I think Barry mentioned he got his name from that author, so I assume the character Barry The Sprout is also in one of his earlier books. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I would especially like to thank Xen for this suggestion. It did make sense, mate, it was just funny to read. :D :D

As for Bazza, we await his arrival with baited breath... :eek:

Hmmmm - could be that's the utterly mundane explanation, but that's no reason to stop outrageous speculation in the meantime....... :D

Hmmm...I think that there is a very good chance of Barry being the Author.

Ziroc, can you please tell the ignorant person (me in short), what famous people are listed here, that you know of? ;)

Na... They get hounded enough in real life. If they want to remain anonymous, so be it.

If I went against that, they would leave. I respect their privacy. [img]smile.gif[/img]

we should all respect their privacy ;) it is ok to spectulate however :D

Well... me for one :D famous for... um... well more infamous actually, you see... I might be famous one day :D

And deprive me of a guffaw the like of which I haven't given on IW for years!!! I don't think so!

I believe Robert Rankin first mentioned the name "Barry the Sprout" in an interview at The Octagon in Dublin on the 9th October 1999. He stated that BTS was to appear in a Lazlo Woodbine thriller.

On the question of famous authors on IW I can inform you that I have written several books under the pseudonym of JK Rowling!

puh... so what? I'm Stephen King...


[img]smile.gif[/img]

Woooooo - how did you know that??? This sort of detailed information would seem to indicate more than just passing familiarity with the arcane aspects of Sproutlore. Therefore, in a quite blatant effort to maintain a high level of speculation, I accuse you Donut of being one member of a cabal/collective that is responsible for the literary outpourings of "Robert Rankin". So far I've identified you, Barry the Sprout and whoever the bloke is that poses for the dustjacket photos as members of this sinister conspiracy.

Come clean, mate, the gigs up [img]graemlins/wow.gif[/img]

Oh, and as for the J K Rowling flim-flammery, don't think you can escape the steely jaws of my logic trap by gumming them up with a red herring [img]graemlins/troutslap.gif[/img]

I agree with the rodent.

I am confused, who is J K Rowling?

NO I DON'T - I CANNA E'EN UNNERSTAN WHIT E'S TALKIN ABOOT!!!

Input does not compute - clarity of purpose is essential to the collective conscience. Assimilation considered - risk unacceptable.

Then do you guys wanna make a bet with me? I could use some cash this summer. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I'm afraid I must put to rest the outrageous suspicions of some of the slightly more excitable forum members. I'm not famous, and I'm sadly not Robert Rankin either. I named myself after one of his characters - Barry the Sprout.

However Barry is a hard vegetable to pin down. He's in the Witches of Chiswick, but Rankin didn't get the name from me - I quite definately got it from him. Barry was first introduced to the Rankin canon of weird and wonderful characters in the early nineties in "Armaggedon: The Musical", and he also appeared in its two sequels. In these books he is a time travelling, genetically engineered, Brussel Sprout from the planet Phnaarg, sent to Earth to stop Elvis dying and thus to save the world from its assured destruction by the Antichrist, which only Elvis could prevent.

However since then Barry has also been in several Lazlo Woodbine thrillers, in particular in the classic "Waiting for Godalming". In these he is no longer a real Sprout but instead a Gaurdian Angel, who happens to be a Brussel Sprout. A green gaurdian from Gods garden, as he puts it. Bearing in mind the normal plot of a Rankin novel is it any wonder continuity on stuff like this is pretty much out of the window...

And he's also in the Witches of Chiswick, but then again so is pretty much every popular Rankin character. It's sort of a greatest hits of characters really. Hence why Barry appears in it, and I had the name several years previous.

I must say, this was all slightly concerning... I haven't been on for the last few days and then when I come back the top topic in GD has got my name on it! How bizarre.

[ 06-21-2004, 09:45 AM: Message edited by: Barry the Sprout ]

well well, that was nice while it lasted :D

Indeed. :D
Now, let us gess who is Arledrian. His post was somewhat intriguing. He sounded like the one who knew.. :D

Barry.... big mistake

You have let the facts get in the way of a good story [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

NO I DON'T - I CANNA E'EN UNNERSTAN WHIT E'S TALKIN ABOOT!!! </font>[/QUOTE]SHUT UP, just shut up!!! All of us, shut up!! You're confusing me. [img]graemlins/crying.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/crazyeyes.gif[/img]

Well, I suppose that's my wild speculation put firmly in it's place :(

But on the other hand, surely it's not beyond the capability of a fiendishly clever intellect to throw us off the scent by concocting such a seemimgly reasonable explanation........ :eek:

I dunno, Mouse, maybe he's telling the truth....but then again, the only sprouts I'm familiar enough to discourse on are the ones I put in my salad...and while I'm sure Barry's a delightful guy, I'm not so sure I want to cover him in Italian dressing and bacon bits! [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] Oh my! .... then again... LOLOL Ahem... now just look where you got this thread going, Mr. Mouse! ;) :D :D :D

And I wrote several time honoured letters under the name "Paul of Tarsus" because some numbskull had copyrighted "Saul of Tarsus". Imagine that.

Hmmm... maybe you'll never know. Or maybe thats also just a cunning ploy by myself - to make you complacent. Or maybe I'm just now trying to cash in on a small level of forum celebrity that this confusion has given me. Or maybe I'm only saying that to preserve even more my privacy on these boards...

Now what do you think... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

NO I DON'T - I CANNA E'EN UNNERSTAN WHIT E'S TALKIN ABOOT!!! </font>[/QUOTE]SHUT UP, just shut up!!! All of us, shut up!! You're confusing me. [img]graemlins/crying.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/crazyeyes.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]Ahem!!! [img]graemlins/spam2.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img]

<font size="1"> Oh wait, I just spammed too didn't I? hehe, oops. *shrugs* </font>

[ 06-22-2004, 02:10 AM: Message edited by: Firestormalpha ]

LOL - Firestormalpha - I am betting you don't know how wrong you are :D .

What the hell are you doing outside, entity formerly known as Davros??? Get back in NOW before our brain fizzles! Bleep bleep.

Erm, we mean, we agree with you Davros, FSA should not minimod The Collective. Prepare to have your ass laminated.

darvos should have been like me, instead of getting assimilated ;) play dumb that is my motto :D or is it be dumb, play smart? :confused: