Tony Grist (poliphilo) wrote,
Tony Grist
poliphilo

Resuscitating The Parrot

Radio 4 had the bright idea of sitting some contemporary six formers down in front of the dead parrot sketch. None of them found it particularly funny. It was slow, silly, not their style. That's the trouble with cutting edge humour; It goes blunt very quickly. Funny things are only funny in context. John Cleese doing a silly walk in a bowler hat depended on there still being bowler hats to be seen on the streets of London. They're gone now and the joke dies along with the cultural signifier.

Python was very wonderful and important in its time. I loved it. But I'm not remotely interested in getting tickets for the reunion- or at laughing at the memory of a laugh. I gather John Cleese isn't as rich as he thinks he ought to be- though I bet he's richer than anyone who lives round here. 
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  • 11 comments

  • The Wonderful Poem

    I had a dream a few nights back that I was with a poet- who was sort of W.H. Auden but only vaguely so- and he'd just written a really good…

  • The Devil's Stone, Newington, Swale

    There are various versions of the legend. One of them tells how the Devil, annoyed by the ringing of the bells of St Mary's church in…

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