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

Not sure about Graham Chapman wheeling a naked woman around in a wheelbarrow, but there's Eric Idle wheeling a naked woman around in a shopping trolley. In context, the sketch is a dig a the ludicrous lengths and special offers that insurance companies will come up with to persuade you to sign up with their policy rather than with a rival company.

Not sure which social class insurance salesmen fall into

Yes, MP were, indeed, sexist juvenile bufoons in their treatment of their female actress. The men in pinnies were sometimes good, though. 'John Paul Sartre, Mrs Jones!' (New brain)

Re 'im what was in My Family...Wasn't 'Love Actually' just the worst film ever made? It was meant to be a collection of parallel stories, a la Short Cuts. But most of them simply didn't go anywhere! Especially the Bill Nighy/ Gregor Fisher one. There was no coherence to it whatsoever!

Here's one: Does Bill Bailey (who I normally like) ever say or do anything funny on Buzzcocks?

I admit I never actually saw that when it was on originally (back when I was about 14 - I'd had more than enough after two episodes!) But I saw it in a promo one of our TV channels had in about 2000, because they were playing Monty Python, and played the promo endlessly! Sickeningly.

"Yes, MP were, indeed, sexist juvenile bufoons in their treatment of their female actress."

Which they freely admit, and were acutely aware of at the time. According to Carol Cleveland, Michael Palin was forever apologising to her because they couldn't write her any decent parts...

Well done! I could picture her speaking but couldn't recall her name. And, yes, they do now accept it and ask that it is thought of as a Prince Harry-esque piece of youthful stupidity.

A friend of mine used to have a copy of the MP album which had the track which was subsequently withdrawn after John Denver sued them. They also seemed to have an uncomfortable attitude towards homosexuality. I'm not necessarily calling them homophobic - but they were certainly a bit scared of it. Graham Chapman was 'in' until fairly late, of course.

<>


Which goes some way to explaining why I just don't get the widespread praise heaped on them! Some Python supporters just won't admit any fault in them! Attacks on me aside (I shan't say notwithstanding again!) it's all just a matter of opinion, which is why this thread was started.

"Does Bill Bailey (who I normally like) ever say or do anything funny on Buzzcocks?"
Very occaisionally.
But then, by comparison to Mark Lamar, that makes him the most gifted comic genius there hs ever been.

Graham Chapman was certainly 'out' before the Python TV series had finished - he co-founded 'Gay News' in 1972.

The Python attitude to homosexuality is something that has dated somewhat, but is consistent with pretty much every other comedy (or any other form of broadcasting) from that era.

And I'd argue (though not terribly vehemently ) that what they were portraying was 'campness' rather than homosexuality per se. In his autobiography, Graham Chapman refers to himself as "a butch queen - no mincing"

I don't see why the fact that there were no decent women's parts in Python is such a stick to beat them with. Does anyone have a go at Eddie Izzard for dressing as a women to go on stage, rather than casting a woman to do it for him..?

<>

Aha! But you can't really say that unless you've seen the Monty Python sketch to make a comparison. Honestly, it's an excellent sketch!


az

Well said, az!

Weren't we talking about belly laughs earlier..?

"He doesn't when he's beaten, this boy. He doesn't know when he's winning either - he has no form of sensory apparatus known to man..."

"He doesn't *know* when he's beaten..."

I blame the sitting on my keyboard...

>>Graham Chapman was certainly 'out' before the Python TV series had finished - he co-founded 'Gay News' in 1972.

Cor! I never new that! Hats off to him.

Here's another one. I'm not a Goons fan - but I like some of Spike Milligan's writing, especially Puckoon - and he sometimes had the gift of the revolutionary one-liner (like when he called Prince Charles a grovelling bastard on live TV).

But...mostly his stuff was a shambling mess, wasn't it? And he was an out and out racist. There's some reasonably strong evidence that he was associated with the Blackshirts. Can we get over the racism that so frequently popped out in his work?

(I read a biography of him recently. Even excusing his severe psychiatric illness, he does seem to have been a particularly unpleasant man).

"Aha! But you can't really say that unless you've seen the Monty Python sketch to make a comparison. Honestly, it's an excellent sketch!"

Careful Az we have been here with Della on the Ursula le Guin thread .

Have you not yet learnt Della just knows best. She does not need "facts" or "knowledge", she is just right. Even when she is wrong . That is how things work in the Fiction Republic of Dellas New Zealand.

Didn't the MP group show up at Graham Chapman's funeral with a *very large foot* to place on his grave? I thought this was quite endearing, somehow . . .


az

FB
Down boy! No, I haven't learned that 'Della knows best' as we often can find some common ground to agree on things. The fact that we happen to disagree on so many things just makes for feisty debate - I have no problem with that.

azahar, !

Fair one, consider my wrists slapped....

>> "Didn't the MP group show up at Graham Chapman's funeral with a *very large foot* to place on his grave"

Yep - a floral wreath in the shape of a foot, with the message "Stop us if we're getting too silly"

>> Does Bill Bailey (who I normally like) ever say or do anything funny on Buzzcocks? <<

Generally speaking, Bailey doesn't even have to *say* anything to have me laughing. He can do it with just one look or facial expression.

RF

Yeah...but he doesn't even manage the looks! Unlike in Black Books or his own stage shows.

Speaking of elitism...he's the only stand up I've ever seen do a humorous song in French with the assumption that the audience will understand him! And many of his musical jokes require a fairly wide understanding. Brilliantly unpatronising, I'd say.