Happy Friday

4 thoughts on “Happy Friday”

1. quaesitor July 26, 2013 at 12:18 pm

   authenticity of Douglas Adams telling the story is now (more or less) confirmed - see stop press on posting!
2. Matthew Weston July 26, 2013 at 3:31 pm

   I seem to remember J John telling the story once, only in my mind it was a bag of crisps. My memory is hazy though.
3. theoldadam July 26, 2013 at 4:07 pm

   It's a bit early here in the States to listen to Clinton and Obama. But they make about as much sense in that video as they do (did) in their presidencies.

   Two of the biggest B.S. artists that have ever occupied that office.

   But a lot of work went into that video and my hat's off to someone who is still working.
4. Si Hollett July 26, 2013 at 5:45 pm

   Matthew - I heard J John tell it with biscuits just under 23 months ago. Also pretty sure that I heard someone else tell it (at the same venue, the year before) "my good friend J John was in a station..." the year before. It's a good story, but telling it in the third person really dampens it. Hence, after J John had milked it for all it was worth, I, who remembered the punchline from the year before (found in the 'mildly amusing anecdotes' section of my memory) about 20 seconds into the 5 minute retelling and sat there bored, was the only person in the massive tent not laughing out loud.

   ---

   Alan Rickman loses his gravitas in that video for three reasons
   1) the pretentious slo-mo of it all
   2) the music, hyping it all up
   3) most importantly, the fact that he fails entirely to get the tea to infuse - I expect that poor tea making from Americans, but Rickman's a Brit.*

   Plus, just after he spills it, and just before he gets angry there's a face that is so Partridge-esque: confused and naively amused at the same time.

   *most likely that the water is cold due to the spilling later on, and also the highly important act of pouring the water onto the tea replaced with the rather ineffective dunk the teabag technique for dramatic purposes.