September 8, 2019

Fame.

41 comments:

stevew said...

Now that's funny. I wonder if it's true.

I saw John Cleese at the Lynn Auditorium a couple of years ago. It was a one man show preceded by a viewing of The Holy Grail movie. He spoke afterwards about comedy and his career, took questions from the audience (written and submitted before the show). He talked a little about how difficult it is to do comedy these days, partly because so many people are so easily offended, and also because everyday life is so filled with absurdities that what used to be a joke is now reality.

Laslo Spatula said...

Time-wise, Monty Python to the modern audience is akin to vaudeville to the Python audience back in its day.

The pivot point then was the Dean Martin / Jerry Lewis act.

The pivot point between Python and now was ________________.

I am Laslo.

MadisonMan said...

Time is relentless. I'm pleased that my kids know Python references though.

stlcdr said...

Blogger stevew said...
Now that's funny. I wonder if it's true.

Yes it’s funny, and i don’t think it matters if it’s true.

Fernandinande said...

And now for somebody completely famous...

tcrosse said...

I was in the UK for the original run of Monty Python. When I returned to the US I had difficulty explaining it to my friends. The corollary is when I tried explaining Lawrence Welk to the Brits.

BUMBLE BEE said...

One endearing aspect of this blog is the frequent appearance of Firesign Theatre references.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

With younger audiences he might best be known as Nearly Headless Nick from the Harry Potter movies

Rory said...

"I wonder if it's true."

I don't know, but it rings true to British humor to think it funny. An American celebrity would rather make a joke out of a stage manager who hated his or her work.

Several general elections back, the BBC interviewed an MP who had been caught up in some scandal, and asked him if he thought his active campaigning had hurt the party nationally. He said he didn't know, but they had done some national polling and found that his name recognition was lower than that of a fictitious name inserted as a control, so he probably couldn't do the party too much harm.

tim maguire said...

Rory said...
"I wonder if it's true."

I don't know, but it rings true to British humor to think it funny. An American celebrity would rather make a joke out of a stage manager who hated his or her work.


Interesting. So an American would belittle the significance of their work, but a Brit would belittle the significance of their fame?

gilbar said...

tcrosse said...
I was in the UK for the original run of Monty Python. When I returned to the US I had difficulty explaining it to my friends.


In the late 70's/early 80's; they had Monty Python on WTTW, channel 11 in Chicago;
I thought it was HILARIOUS! The bizarre accents and phrases; the Insanity of it all...
Later, when i had learned some about Britain, i realized that ALL the parts i thought were Hilarious, were just how things are/were in Britain.
They ACTUALLY CALLED trunks, 'boots'; and ACTUALLY ATE Baked Beans for Breakfast
And don't get me started on 'spanners'

tcrosse said...

I might add that I was trying to explain Monty Python years before it appeared in the US.

richlb said...

I watched The Holy Grail with my 13 year old son a few nights ago. It was nice to see the humor was still relevant to him .

gilbar said...

Laughing at Brits, is Eternally Relevant

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

"Don't you know who I am?"

-John Kerry

Phil 314 said...

“The pivot point between Python and now was ________________.”

South Park, “Something About Mary”... in other words Farrelly brothers, Trey Parker and Judd Apetow.

Temujin said...

Cleese is still a funny man.

Early 70s college curriculum included memorizing and reciting Monty Python, Firesign Theater, Bennie Hill, and a few key lines from the original Star Trek.
I hated when James Joyce would get in the way of this.

Earnest Prole said...

Sic transit gloria.

J. Farmer said...

A Fish Called Wanda

Known Unknown said...

"The pivot point between Python and now was ________________."

Seinfeld.

daskol said...

I'm going to go with Cops, the original reality show.

First Tenor said...

When my daughter was taking Latin last year, we watched John Cleese's scene from Life of Brian where he teaches Brian the proper sequence of words. We both laughed throughout the sequence. Most of that movie is even more relevant now than it was when it came out in the early 1980s.

daskol said...

Real shit is more ridiculous than fake barely scripted sketch or even better scripted comedy like Seinfeld. Ridiculous is the standard.

daskol said...

Even my young children always laughed at Life of Brian despite not getting most of the jokes because most scene s convey ridiculous in a funny way.

Seeing Red said...

Benny Hill had one of the best 2 lines ever. I actually used the response:

I’ve never been so insulted in my life.

You should get out more.

Fernandinande said...

One endearing aspect of this blog is the frequent appearance of Firesign Theatre references.

Who are you, who is so wise in the ways of More Science High?

Ralph L said...

The pivot point between Python and now

I would say the rash of stand up on cable in the 90's. Are there still scripted comedy shows on TV? Any that aren't just one-liners and put-downs.

alanc709 said...

Temujin said...
Cleese is still a funny man.

Early 70s college curriculum included memorizing and reciting Monty Python, Firesign Theater, Bennie Hill, and a few key lines from the original Star Trek.
I hated when James Joyce would get in the way of this.

You forgot Airplane! "The fog is getting thicker... and Leon's getting larger"

Wilbur said...

My favorite Python sketch:

It's a very nice Army base you got here, Colonel. Be a shame if anything happened to it.

Ralph L said...

I've never heard of the Firesign Theatre, and I'm not a youngster. I do remember Laugh In.

readering said...

Try google.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...


“"The pivot point between Python and now was ________________."

Seinfeld.“

Probably the best answer. If The Simpson’s hadn’t become an ossified American institution I would have suggested that show.

Andrew said...

One of my favorite scenes from Life of Brian, "From now on I want you to call me Loretta," has become reality, and you could lose your job if you think it's funny.

narciso said...

This goes with the other thread, pyrhon was mercilous with thatcher when she was education minister, they appreciated her efficiency in the revised dead parrot aketch

narciso said...

But his ridicule helped erode institutions in britain to the point they dont believe in anything.

stevew said...

I think were all bozos on this bus. Nice bozos, but bozos just the same.

Bill Peschel said...

"But his ridicule helped erode institutions in britain to the point they dont believe in anything."

Narciso, I go back and forth about this. It seems like dissent should always be on the sidelines. When it becomes the culture, the culture falls apart.


This gets pretty nasty when capitalism finds encouraging of dissent and no rules a marketing hook. And celebrities who embrace dissenting from norms have the cushion of money and power. People lower on the food chain who embrace free sex, children out of wedlock, and drug use lose their jobs and destroy their communities.

Also, institutions that hold onto their values and punish malfeasance can resist the japery. When you see politicians stake because they're protected (pick your politician), well, isn't disrespect for their institutions deserved?

Narr said...

Temujin, to the Nth!

"His face was ajar, like a Mason's." We were Firesigners in high school and in the first wave in the city to appreciate MP; I would try to tell people about them for years, to blank looks; later the same people had caught on and now it seems every eight-y-o knows some of the best lines.

That's cultural power.

Narr
Mere contradiction isn't argument!

Amadeus 48 said...

A right and a left and a right and a left and into a gas station.

I thought we’d never get through Exposition Park.

Vote for me because I’m always right and I never lie.

Narr said...

Splitters!

Narr
Not Ed

stephen cooper said...

he is doing a great job mocking people with TDS on his twitter feed, which is even more impressive since he does not live in the USA