Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Same procedure as every year

The French-language blog named Jour après jour [Day after day], written by a regular Parisian reader of Antipodes known as cm, informed me of the existence of this hilarious English video, which is apparently a Xmas-time cult show on German TV:



If I understand correctly, in Germany, Xmas viewing of this sketch is a yearly ritual of the same order as our tuning in to the pope's Urbi et Orbi message or the performance of Strauss waltzes from Vienna. In France, curiously, TV channels are convinced that Xmas and New Year audiences are expecting hours of what they called bêtisiers, which means anthologies of media howlers: TV journalists and comedians who can't carry on because they've got the giggles, studio decors that collapse on the heads of participants, politicians who make stupid remarks while imagining they're not on camera, celebrities who slip down staircases, etc. It's a fact, I believe, that French mentalities (whatever that might mean) are geared to laughing at this kind of rubbish. Maybe there are students in French sociology who might find it worthwhile to carry out doctoral research in this domain.

6 comments:

  1. Funny thing: I was on a German website on December, 30th and I saw that a bloke already put this sketch on this blog. He had a lot of comments saying something like this: "You are not allowed to do this, you are a day in advance! But I'm like you, I couldn't wait longer - I watched the video today!"

    I'm pleased that you enjoyed it. I don't know how many times I watched this sketch, but I still not bored and continue to watch it every year.

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  2. For somebody like me who discovers this gem, that sketch is hallucinating. On the frozen slopes of Gamone this morning, alongside my dog Sophia, I found myself mouthing the words and antics of the brilliant British actors. It's slightly anachronistic that this sketch should reappear annually at Xmas, when it actually represents a birthday event. But we should not be tempted to reason too deeply about the rational basis of this kind of comical situation. The performance of the couple of comedians is eternally brilliant, brilliant, brilliant: the same procedure as every year.

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  3. In my blog article, I was irritated that I should have to refer to you by a ridiculous naked codename, of no great beauty: cm. Observers might imagine that this predicament has something to do with the Internet phenomenon of blogs. You know as well as I do, my dear cm, that your preferred shroud of anonymity has nothing whatsoever to do with the Internet or blogs. You alone have decided to hide behind two letters. This saddens me, because I imagine you as much bigger than two letters. But it's your problem, not ours.

    I hasten to add that I do not wish to be drawn into any kind of debate, neither with you nor with your Internet friends, concerning your right or desire to remain anonymous, hidden behind two letters. For all intents and purposes, as the saying goes, you shall remain for me a mysterious Romanian personage who must be referred to as cm.

    Personally, though, I detest all kinds of silly subterfuges and evasions.

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  4. I didn't really want to hide. When I was younger I used to draw and I signed my drawings "cm". Indeed, it looks a bit silly to call me "cm" in your article. My name is Corina.

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  5. Dear Corina: My remarks, yesterday, were rather rude, and I ask you to forgive me. I was upset by various things. You have a beautiful given name. And I would not wish to interfere with the calm stream of comments that has linked our blogs.

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  6. William, there is nothing to forgive. It takes much more than that to annoy me!
    And please remember that your daily meanderings are a constant source of joy and comfort to me.

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