And now for something completely different...
February 6, 2016 6:19 AM   Subscribe

Flying Fish Slaps Remix (hat tip: Kottke) Not to be confused with the Fish-Slapping Dance. … For those still confused, here is a documentary on the complex and intriguing ritual of the ancient art of fish-slapping. And for anyone who continues to be confused, Michael Palin explains.
posted by Doktor Zed (17 comments total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Any fish-slapping bears?
posted by drezdn at 7:11 AM on February 6, 2016


Michael Palin is an international treasure to be sure, and not just for the fish-slapping dance. I think I read or saw somewhere that John Cleese said he did very nearly lose it during the filming of that little bit. That would be typical; Palin is a master at making his co-performers lose their shit. Pick out the extra who was told, no matter what happens, don't laugh.
posted by yhbc at 7:19 AM on February 6, 2016 [2 favorites]


/slap mIRC
posted by carsonb at 7:26 AM on February 6, 2016 [5 favorites]


And it's apparently a Wikipedia editors thing too.
posted by carsonb at 7:29 AM on February 6, 2016


Finland?
posted by Mezentian at 7:44 AM on February 6, 2016


Pick out the extra who was told, no matter what happens, don't laugh.

If you have any actual source for that, this [skeptics] thread would like to know :-)

(a quick peek in IMDB indicates that the guards were played by experienced actors, including several long-time Monty Python collaborators).
posted by effbot at 8:41 AM on February 6, 2016


The thing I always liked about the fish-slapping dance was that it just teeters on the brink of plausibility. I mean, there's some weird stuff going on in the quiet corners of England. Tell me that the Bacup Coco-nut Dancers are really any less peculiar.

I myself stumbled on a fete in a tiny village in East Sussex some years ago where it was traditional for the old folk of the village to attend dressed as mermaids / mermen. No-one knew why. I had a splendid time however, and won a bottle of brown sauce in the tombola.
posted by sobarel at 9:10 AM on February 6, 2016 [3 favorites]


Tell me how does it feel when i slap you with a fish,
now tell me how how does it feel?
I tried it with a salmon ,
i tried it with a trout,
now tell me how does it feel when I slap you with a fish?.
posted by boilermonster at 9:20 AM on February 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


If you have any actual source for that, this [skeptics] thread would like to know :-)

Well, the claim is in IMDB's trivia section for the movie (absent the "wouldn't get paid" embellishment, which does seem like something that was added to the story by others), but I also recall reading the claim somewhere else. The phrase "Michael Palin, in full scenery-chewing mode..." is something I recall in connection with the story, but google is failing me.
posted by yhbc at 9:27 AM on February 6, 2016




Tell me how does it feel when i slap you with a fish,
now tell me how how does it feel?
I tried it with a salmon ,
i tried it with a trout,
now tell me how does it feel when I slap you with a fish?.


Trout
Trout
Let it all out
These are the fish I can do without
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:05 AM on February 6, 2016 [5 favorites]


This past week I rediscovered the 1988 video for "Charlton Heston" by Stump. (Please note: contains both frogs and fish slapping.)
posted by quarterinmyshoe at 11:37 AM on February 6, 2016


When I realised that Robert Peston had the same scansion as Charlton Heston, that song wouldn't leave my head for a week.
posted by Devonian at 2:38 PM on February 6, 2016


My favorite video of professional comedians nearly losing it has always been this absurd rendition of "I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover" with Chevy Chase and Ken Shapiro.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 4:34 PM on February 6, 2016


Obligatory eelslap.com
posted by flabdablet at 1:48 AM on February 8, 2016


These are the fish I can do without

Salmon
I'm talking to you
Salmon
posted by flabdablet at 2:03 AM on February 8, 2016 [1 favorite]


Obligatory eelslap.com

flabdablet, that's amazing.

Self-linky, I know, but I'm fascinated by these things, and damn good thing it wasn't a lamprey slap. That would have been horrifying.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:11 PM on February 8, 2016


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