h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Yorkshiremen sketch.



az

I agree with Alfster.

There's all sorts of erudite humour I enjoy (Stephen Fry, Armando Ianucci, the novels of Jasper Fforde) which *could* be considered elitist by anyone who hasn't read the same books. But what's to stop anyone picking up a book? Are libraries elitist?

Mind you...my favourite comic acts of all time have to be Laurel and Hardy, Tommy Cooper and Chic Murray. (Who? http://members.fortunecity.com/gillonj/chicmurray/ Remind me to tell you his ironing board joke some day.)

But getting back to the question: Dated in some parts. Certainly revolutionary in its time. But quoting chunks of it is nerdish.

"But quoting chunks of it is nerdish. "
You say that like it's a bad thing Considering where you are saying this...

I refused to watch *any* MP for a long time because the huge great chunks of it people at school seemed to quote all the time were just not funny. Not even a little bit. When I relented it turns out that the monty python team are much funnier than people at school, even given the same material. Whoda thunk?

Actualy Black and Della is right Hale and Pace are better than Monty Python, well numerically. They had ten series on ITV whereas MP only managed a pathetic five on the BBC the overall show count being 67 plus specials for H&P while MP only did 45 shows and a few low budget films. Its hardly worth mentioning that MP are cited by just about every comedy writer and performer as being a major inspiration or that in a poll of comedians as to who was the funniest comedian John Cleeese made it to the top three.

It's probably better that we take Della's word for it.

well on that score then that would put Cannon and Ball and Little and Large up there too - and quite deservedly

How many series did Timmy Mallett get?

Belly laughs for me? Too many but to mention a few

The Yorkshiremen
Many of Gilliam's cartoons
The Middle of the Film in Meaning of Life - Find the Fish (I like the weird stuff)
The Cheese Shop
I'm a Lumberjack and I' m OK
Dennis Moore Dennis Moore - Your lupins or your life

For belly laughs, I find anything with a Gumby a good bet

And, to be pedantic, Python managed only 3-and-a-half TV series on the BBC, plus two specials for German television

Of course, there's an entirely different argument to be had, to whit;

Even if Python was elitist, does that necessarily make it a bad thing?

Why is 'elitist' automatically seen as a negative?

I've never seen Hale and Pace!


az

>>I refused to watch *any* MP for a long time because the huge great chunks of it people at school seemed to quote all the time were just not funny.

Much the same can be said about those who quote THGTTG

<

F***ed if I know. I'm quite snobbish about several things - so?


az

Just on the "are libraries elitist" thing - I've always found it strange when people are charged with elitism if they say, for instance, they'd like to see more arts programmes on public TV. When you think about it, it's the complete opposite of elitism - making the arts accessible to anyone with a tv set rather than a small, privileged elite.

My point exactly. I'm an incredible elitist, which many see as being a synonym for snob.

I'm not sure I consider it a negative though...

Hale and Pace:

A 'comedy' double act, originally famous for their 'Two Rons' characters whose dialogues always ended in 'They do, Ron' 'Ron?' 'Ron?' 'They do, Ron' 'Ron?'.

But that was their only joke.

Does everyone know the famous story about Mike and Bernie Winters at the notoriously difficult comic's graveyard, the Glasgow Apollo? Mike went on first and did a few jokes, which went completely flat. Then Bernie stepped out to join him. A voice was heard from the back of the stalls: 'Aw, f***! There's two of the b******s!'

<>

Good point.

I don't watch television anymore (except for the occasional documentary) because it is all aimed at the LCD of intelligence, which I am not. Sorry if that sounds 'elistist' or 'snobbish' but I do have personal standards and I am far from unintelligent. So sue me.

A friend of mine here who is an artist (painter) often complains that people get so intimidated by ART because they think they can't have a valid opinion about it if they haven't spent four or five years studying it at university. Yet the best artists I know, who did study fine arts, ended up saying that in order to do their own work well they had to 'unlearn' a lot of the crap they were taught at university. Go figure.


az

Meanwhile, is there anybody who doesn't LOVE Eddie Izzard? I saw his first television appearance about 14 years ago on a Red-Nose comedy tv special when I lived in Bristol.

He did the 'wolf sketch' and I was left gasping for air, I was laughing so much, and actually ended up sliding onto the floor off the sofa, holding my belly and kicking my legs and totally helpless with laughter. Gosh - almost better than the best orgasm.


az

Anyone read Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron"?

It has a lot to say about egalitarianism.

In the story everyone in society is equalised. If someone has any advantages they are handicapped away. If they can run faster they have to wear weights. If they are smarter they have to wear an ear plug that squeals in their ear every few seconds so that they can't carry on a coherent thought for too long.

There's a lot of that attitude in this society. That it is better to bring everyone down to a certain level than to bring them up.

Still on elitism...I find it strange when people laugh at me for using a word they don't understand or expressing an interest in a topic they find esoteric. Like...they're the ones who are lacking the knowledge and yet they're the ones who are looking *down* on me?

And I don't regard myself as being part of an elite, either. I'm an autodidact. And I will gladly - enthusiastically - explain.

Here in the states we only have Eddie's HBO special (1 hour) to see his comedy. Same thing with Billy Connelly who made me laugh harder than anything. I had Billy's show taped but forgot to break the tab and recorded over it.

I tend to watch telly during the hour or so a day when I spefically *don't* want to think about anything or be challenged. It is my 'brain in neutral' time. Sometimes there is absolutely nothing wrong with LCD television.

I don't watch much telly, although having said that, my favourite diversions are starting new seasons now, ER and 24. And I am quite enjoying Desperate Housewives too.

I've just realised that I haven't seen a thread on the 'If..drugs were legal' thing that was on last night, was wondering how it ended as I fell asleep about two thirds of the way through.