Comments on: Right Said Fred

By: Jason McCullough

Jason McCullough — Mon, 14 Jun 2004 21:45:04 +0000

“homosociality” Talk about your academically no-big-deal words that shock people in non-academic contexts. Going to use this one at work this week…..

By: harry

harry — Mon, 14 Jun 2004 15:13:45 +0000

‘Folk Song’ is on the compilation, plus lots more… Not that I have any agenda…

By: dave heasman

dave heasman — Mon, 14 Jun 2004 10:16:16 +0000

I really like the first(?) Cribbins record – “Folk Song”. Haven’t heard it for 42 years, but recall it being highly amusing, in a quaint English way, and having a clever rhyme scheme. “But she answered not a word, for she’d been struck by lightning, and after that, the weather started brightening”.

By: reuben

reuben — Sat, 12 Jun 2004 12:29:57 +0000

Giles, if you’re not doing anything this afternoon, perhaps you could come round to mine and helpfully inform me that no, my garden isn’t doing as well as it appears; no, my girlfriend doesn’t really like me; and no, that’s not actually chocolate in my mousse. If you’re not too busy trying to block out the sun, that is.

By: Nabakov

Nabakov — Sat, 12 Jun 2004 03:22:06 +0000

Giles mate, you really are a thin streak of misery. And yeah, Harry, I remember listening to my dad’s Bernard Cribbins records when I was a little tacker and not quite getting the references but relishing his vocal delivery. As my dad pointed out at the time, he’s part of that long vein of rather surreal pisstaking that runs through English humour from the music hall, via the Goons, to Chris Morris today. Thanks for the tip.

By: harry

harry — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 21:18:29 +0000

Giles, maybe we mean different things by ‘respect’. I meant something like ‘good natured tolerance’, which is something like what you mean, and a completely respectable meaning. In fact I worked as hard as my colleagues (physically) which they saw and appreciated, given my (initial) lack of strength, which rapidly evaporated. Anyway, I can tell that you don’t know the songs. Listen to them, then re-read the post, and it’ll bother you less. Or just listen to them and enjoy them.

By: Giles

Giles — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 20:23:06 +0000

you display a remarkable lack of self awareness Harry – you say you were good at the job – not on account of putting your back into it but from your “eye for space” and presumably your ability to convey this superior knowledge of yours to poeple who did the job for a living. Not unlike the office managers no doubt – for whom, like you this was an intersting break from normal life of drudegery. I think you also mistake the feelings of your colleagues – what they were showing you was the good nature of peopel who do the same job day in day out. It was not “respect”, brother.

By: Chris Lightfoot

Chris Lightfoot — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 18:19:09 +0000

“Youth Opportunity Programme”. See references in, e.g., this article.

By: Walt Pohl

Walt Pohl — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 17:27:21 +0000

What’s a YOPS scheme?