Yesterday evening we watched one of those tribute shows
about Victoria Wood. In general we still enjoy her humour and even saw her live show at Nottingham many years ago. Unusual for us because we are not celebrity buffs.
She was very impressive, holding the audience for over two hours.
We found last night’s compilation amusing enough, but but
behind it was that inevitable sense of loss and change. Comedy has a tendency to date
and remain funny mostly to its own generation. Even last night the smiles and chuckles felt a little like cultural loyalty.
As for the channel swimmer sketch, it’s a strange one. Not really funny at all. Revealing and almost disturbing in the way it
brings out the bleak mechanics of our sense of humour. What makes us laugh?
Even the most gifted comedians don’t usually tell us. Not explicitly. Bad for
business I suppose, but that channel swim sketch is explicit enough.
6 comments:
She was a fine performer, very sad. As to comedy reflecting the taste of generations, try on Youtube Tommy Handley, Robb Wilton and above all Norman Evans. Handley and Wilton were from Liverpool, rather different accents to the later one. At present we have been watching re-runs of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister, the comedy may differ from today's but all the subjects seem the same.
What makes us laugh? the secret every budding comedian would pay handsomely for, as no two people have the same sense of humour to the same degree.
In my case for all that anyone cares Victoria Wood never made me laugh as a performer, her writings were a different story and contained some gems, I know it's heresy to not approve of the work of a "National Treasure", but there you are, one mans meat........................
What makes us laugh - or what makes the editor add laughs to a sketch with no studio audience? - Canned laughter. That is sad. Like the prompters holding up boards with "LAUGH" on them, we are being told when to.
Black comedy sketches as shown do prick the conscience. Making you feel you should have done or said something knowing all along something wouldn't work, but didn't, and couldn't bring one's self around to telling a truth.
We drop like flies when we realise the game is nearly up. Withdrawing, and wishing it would end sooner.
I can see I will have to watch 'four candles' again.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=fork+handles+two+ronnies&t=ffnt&ia=videos
Demetrius - I think Yes Minister was really a documentary based on inside information.
Wiggia - I always liked much of her work but I'm not sure why and now it seems to date quite quickly.
Derek - celebrities certainly seem to be dropping like flies recently. Changes the landscape and makes it slightly less familiar.
We have the compilation DVD of Acorn Antiques, and it easily shows her generosity in giving the rest of the cast the funniest lines.
We'll miss her, not for some of the silly songs, but because she really made us laugh with the small add-ons to some of her jokes, often related in a minor voice.
Scrobs - we enjoyed Acorn Antiques and I'm sure you are right about her humour, it's the quiet asides you almost miss.
Post a Comment