This week I'll rise to the occasion and turn 32. I jotted down some thoughts this morning during some private time and this is what I came up with.
I hate flies. I had one buzzing around my head for about an hour. It would fly away long enough to let me go back to sleep and then it land on my cheek. Damn thing is so annoying. I kept wanting to ctack it. But I was worried it would have a white head like in the original fly and it be some scientests head in a squeaky voice saying don't kill me.
I guess he kept waking me up in hopes of getting my attention. I'd take him next door to his llab where he'd show me his other self the part that was a huge fly head. And then he'd throw up on me to eat me. He wasn't bringing me here to help him, it was bring me here to eat me.
I realized then I must have fallen asleep again. I remember thinking though that original 1958 version wasn't that gross and that I was mixing it with bits of the 1986 version with Jeff Goldbloom which I think is fantastic. His mutation is slow and there's no fly out there turning into a little Jeff Goldbloom. They've been mixed. And Geena Davis cuts some little hairs off his back and the lab returns saying they're insect like. And then she's pregnant and will it be a fly or a human or another mix there of.
I'm very excited about the new special edition coming out on video. It's October I think. This is one movie I really dig in my youth. Just scary and a biit gross. Perfect for a ten year old.
Well not exactly perfect it's a bit too gross for ten year old and the sensibilities are definitly adult but a ten year is probably too young to understand it all. Great thing about ten year olds really.
Matt
Watched the Aristocrats tonight and I've showered twice and don't feel quite clean. You ever heard a joke that made your skin crawl and at the same time your laughing. It's not right. It's wrong... on so many levels.
No imagine that someone decided to go out and do a documentary on the joke. That's the Aristocrats if you've never heard the joke it's basically this:
A man walks into a talent agency and says "I've got a great family act." The talent agent says, " I don't do family acts." "Please, sir, I need just a moment to show you." The talent sighs and says, gruffly, "You got two minutes."
The family comes in and *deletes many wrong goings on that include fecal matter and incest.*
The talent agent asks, "What do you call yourselves?"
The man throws out some jazz hands and says, "The Aristocrats."
*rim shot*
The joke's not that funny, but the joke has been circulating through the industry since the days of vaudeville. It's a joke that comedians tell each other at 4 am in coffe shops, trying to top each other. And that's what the movie sets out find... not only the best telling of the joke but why and comedians craft the joke the way they do.
This is why I went to see it. As a guy who's been a joke teller it's the way you tell a oke that I love. I have a joke a bout an ostrich and a cat that kills everytime I tell it. It's about a 4 minute joke. FOr me half the fun telling the joke is taking the time with it. Let it breathe. The way I tell it the punchline's not obvious. I let go where it needs so that when the punch happens everyone's ready for it. The punchline isn't even slipped it in there... you know it's coming... it's like the anticipation of the Chrisatmas morning when I get there... I can't wait but now, darn, it's over.
I wanted to heat comedians talk about craft. That's what I got. This movie, is not for everyone. When we bought our tickets (Ryan was there) we were assured our money would not be refunded if we found the movie offensive. I chuckled. I knew the joke. I saw South Park's version of it HERE. Just to double check they hung a sign at the door proclaiming Vulgar language and offensive material. No refunds. And they're right within 5 minutes your with aborted fetus jokes and many other scatalogical and sexual jokes. But when the movie calms down you hear George Carlin talking about the language of a joke. You hear Paul Reiser talking about how the jokes can be told. And Phyllis Diller talking about the jokes history. It's an amazing work of filth. It's funny in the wrong ways. Bob Saget while telling the joke, stops, and asks in the middle of it for a copy to send to the kids of Full House.
They also sidetrack out other "riffs" of the joke. One women tells the joke like this, So the show starts with a man and his family sitting in a stately dining room where their butler brings in a plate of quail. The Wife takes a bit and eats it. The daughter as well. They all talk about their day. After the meal, they retire to the study where the daughter sits in front of the mother while she braids her long blonde hair and the father sits and plays chess with the son. "What the name of the act?" the talent agent asks. "The Cock-sucking Mother Fuckers."
It's great. There's tension in that one because everytime you mention as family memeber your afrid some sort of grotesque act is about to occur. But no the joke there is in the punchline.
One of the other groups they talked to was the editors of the Onion. They appear through out throwing out ideas on how to make the joke better. One mentions how now a days fecal matter and incest just aren't as cutting edge and that now maybe making it a raced based joke. Another asks "Like what? Picking up a pile of [poop] spreading it on your face and doing black fcae and singing Mammy?"
The movie is a little over the top but god I was laughing. As interesting as it was it was just one bad taste joke after another someone I laughing and saying "oh my god" at the same time. Sara Silverman who's two spots on Conan got her kicked off for life was particularly funny claiming that in child hood she WAS an Arstocrat.
This movie isn't for everyone and it's hard to recommend. BUT if you can take a dirty joke or 12 then it's a fascinating look at comics in their element.
Matt
PS. Gilbert Godfried, especially under the conditions probably told it best. with George Carlin right behind. South Park followed up with a close third. Click it up top if you dare. AND PLEASE DON'T PLAY IT At WORK.