This last week has seen two of my childhood heroes taken from this earth and it made me realise how much both the world and I have changed.

Jeff Hanneman from Slayer and Ray Harryhausen the godfather of special effects, When i was about 16 these two men among others inspired and entertained me and to a large extent directed my life in a trajectory that ultimately led here. I could go on about their individual brilliance which is largely undeniable but what i find more interesting is the "progress" from that time has been so fast and taken us far beyond what either of them might have imagined.

I saw Rays work First and remember being enthralled and in wonder at the magic of his work even many years after the films were made. Somehow despite the rough edges my childish mind was able to completely suspend disbelief and allow the story and the action to take me on a fantastic ride and to recall those scenes i would still see vivid detail.

When i first heard Slayer was on a cassette with all its graininess from multiple dubs (rips for the youngsters) and i spent a few years torturing myself over the fretboard trying to recreate some of those sounds and dissonant melodies, I never paid much heed to the lyrics but it sounded good to a teenager trying to let out some frustration. In the scheme of things the work of both these men slipped away into irrelevance in adult life but the impression they made remained.

Their death made me question again who are my heroes now, having been through what i have i realize that the selfishness of my youth is slowly dissipating and the people i see as heroes now are visionaries like Fred Hollows, Abe Lincon, Helen Keller and to be honest those amazing deviants i see supporting each other with donations and kind words.

I am interested in your thoughts on the topic and please, please tell me who your heroes are!