now that's what I'm talkin' about

[thehefner]

Simon Pegg: American and British Senses of Humour Have More in Common Than We Think.

They've been saying for years that we don't have a sense of irony? Wait, what? Really? Well, I feel like a terrible Anglophile now for not knowing that. "Americans don't do irony."

I had actually heard that for the first time just last week, as I watched this video of Randy Newman's powerful and biting song "Political Science", but I thought it was just a throw-away line from the intro, not a commonly-held sentiment. How could they think that?

Well, actually, now that I think about it, I have sometimes met up with people who didn't quite understand my sense of humor. They're usually people twenty-forty years older than me, where they might ask me how I'm feeling and I'd say, "Not bad, not bad, just kind of ready to bash my brains in with a crowbar." To which they sometimes respond with a shocked, "Oh no! Don't do that!"

And yeah, how many times have I bemoaned how many people just need to pull the sticks out of their asses and grow a sense of humor, even when I myself have been known to take things perhaps a wee bit too seriously? Actually, I just realized a great point. If it weren't for my Anglophile mother teaching me to laugh at the latest horrible thing my alcoholic father did or said, I'd probably be a bitter, humorless wreck. Hell, now I'm almost inclined to agree with those Brits, except that Pegg's article brings up excellent points, changing my opinion before I'd even formed it.

"Americans don't do irony?"



Oh heck, who am I kidding? I was just looking for any excuse to post that.



And since we're talking Simon Pegg, behold the wonder and joy that is the final trailer for what is already definitely in my top five greatest films of 2007, the movie that is actually going to make me watch POINT BREAK and BAD BOYS II just to get all the references, the awesome, the beautiful...

HOT FUZZ.

Comments

[gnort.livejournal.com]

seriously dude, I know I posted it in my lj already but www.icanhascheezburger.com you will loooove it. It is the greatest website ever.

[icewolf010.livejournal.com]

It's Gus the Theatre Cat!

[little-dinosaur.livejournal.com]

That cat is making me feel really low-class.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Cats have that effect on many people. Or at least, I think cats would like to do their best to try.

I will definitely get back to responding to your responses to my responses at some point soonish.

[little-dinosaur.livejournal.com]

But they don't want to look like they're trying. That would ruin the whole effect.

Fabulous. This parallel-conversations thing we have going on is going to be the next big thing, I can feel it.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

We'll start a whole new trend in intranet conversation! WE'RE TRAILBLAZERS!

[kosher-jenny.livejournal.com]

My personal theory about the misunderstanding about American vs British senses of humor comes from what sort crappy television shows get put out there. It seems like most of the time here if a crappy show got put on the air, nine times out of ten it would be a formulaic and painfully unfunny sitcom (that's changed a bit in recent years, there's also a chance that it could be a explotative and painfully unentertaining reality show). Whereas in the UK if a crappy show gets put on the air, chances are it will most likely be an over the top soap opera-type drama. Not that there aren't exceptions to this, and it's more of a pet theory than anything else.

Actually, I don't really know where I was going with that. I agree with Pegg that overall, British people are more comfortable with more cynical and dark, "happy ending free" humor. You didn't see any Very Special Episodes of Blackadder for instance. I think it comes down to American television comedy being pushed as something that's supposed to be ultimately comforting in some way, if only due to the character types and scenarios being so similar, rather than funny first and foremost. A few years ago I would have said that Americans are also less willing to accept a very unsympathetic lead character as being funny (in a laugh-with, not laugh-at sense), but after the success of House I guess that has changed a bit (though the show is a drama rather than a comedy, and the lead is played by a British actor) Being from a British family I guess I was raised with a strong sense of that type of humor, though discouraged from showing it to others by my parents. I guess they realized that if I was to go around being ironic and sarcastic all the time here I'd probably wind up offending more people than otherwise. :|

/ramble

Otherwise, Hot Fuzz, yay! I can not wait for it to come out here.

(Also, there really is a Cat Macro for every occasion)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

There really is, isn't there?

Yeah, I agree with your rant. Also, is that a Slings and Arrows icon, or am I mistaken?

[kosher-jenny.livejournal.com]

It's actually from the incredible funny series Black Books.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Ah! The shaggy-haired dude looks like the delightfully off-center star of my favorite show about a Canadian Shakespeare troupe.

[suburbfabulous.livejournal.com]

I am so there. I may even dress up as a Klingon for the opening night.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

If you do that, I'll do what I did for PIRATES 2 and go dressed as Bill the Butcher.

[lairdofdarkness.livejournal.com]

I think both countries produce a whole heap of shite in their comedy shows and occasionally we get genius ones. Because there are more Americans than Brits, you guys produce more rubbish and because the programmes are cheap, they get bought up and shown all over the world, hence it starts the rumour that American Comedy is awful.
I disagree. I love Seinfeld, Frasier, Cheers, MASH(in a blackly comic way) hell even early Friends. I also love Black Books, Spaced, Phoenix Nights, Mighty Boosh, Python etc
I liked the article by Pegg though and did think it was nicel;y balanced.
bring on the FUZZ - Its out here Friday but am waiting till next week to go see it....one of the rare times we get a decent movie before our American brothers.
I wont do any spoilers though....