Comments on: Empiricism

Empiricism

plexi — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:37:26 -0800

Ricky Gervais explores the complex meaning within the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme.

By: ageispolis

ageispolis — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:44:41 -0800

That Gervais is a funny man.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:53:21 -0800

I've quite enjoyed what I've seen of Ricky Gervais' standup but it's really just an Eddie Izzard pastiche with swearing.

By: acro

acro — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:59:11 -0800

The whole of that new HBO special is worth watching... Once there was an egg that could climb walls...

By: CitizenD

CitizenD — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:04:54 -0800

yeah, i just watched this the other night....i heart ricky gervais. ...altho i could have done without the spiel on obesity as a disease...

By: rageagainsttherobots

rageagainsttherobots — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:38:42 -0800

The Englishman in black.

By: Science!

Science! — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:00:51 -0800

I think he's hilarious, but if you've listened to his radio show, or his podcasts, you've heard this bit many many times over.

By: 5MeoCMP

5MeoCMP — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:05:18 -0800

He really does go on a bit, doesn't he? I mean, that part about the horses. Could easily have been whole minutes shorter. Still, I suppose the audience were still laughing (or crying and hiccuping hysterically) Hmm. Hiccuping. Hiccuping. Hiccuping. Hiccuping. What a strange word.

By: ericb

ericb — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:28:38 -0800

...but it's really just an Eddie Izzard pastiche with swearing. That's my exact reaction. Watching his recent HBO show "Out of England," I couldn't help comparing his comedic delivery to that of Izzard.

By: P.o.B.

P.o.B. — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:37:38 -0800

He really does go on a bit, doesn't he? I mean, that part about the horses. Could easily have been whole minutes shorter. Nope, funny! That goes for all the naysayers. Nope, funny.

By: found missing

found missing — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:39:54 -0800

naysayers, horses

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:56:05 -0800

It's about the irreversibility of death. The end.

By: terranova

terranova — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:01:59 -0800

It's about the irreversibility of death. ... Or the reversibility. Kermit the Frog's breaking news broadcast about the Dumpty accident, courtesy of Sesame Street TV.

By: JeffK

JeffK — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:18:38 -0800

Kermit was funnier.

By: Saxon Kane

Saxon Kane — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:19:45 -0800

I couldn't help comparing his comedic delivery to that of Izzard. Aren't all British comedians like this? At least the ones that get popular in the States?

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:23:09 -0800

It's about a rickety siege engine in the Civil War... I'd prefer a routine about that: Hey have you noticed that Roundheads are all like THIS, while Cavaliers are all like THIS?!?

By: winna

winna — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:34:19 -0800

Hey have you noticed that Roundheads are all like THIS, while Cavaliers are all like THIS?!? Considering what 'Roundhead' is slang for in Britain, that would be pretty funny.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:38:22 -0800

As far as "what it's about," well, there are a lot of theories, one of which is the above-mentioned cannon. (Speaking of Roundheads, what's Pilkington up to these days?) However, as for what it means, i.e. the lesson to be gleaned, particularly among the very young, it's that death is forever. On the topic of Gervais vs. Izzard: I think a lot of the Izzardliness has more to do with the un-Gervaisliness of Gervais-as-standup; it's just not what he's best known for. If the stage act relied more heavily on the awkward faux-pas he made famous, it would be more recognizably his. As it is: Izzard.

By: artof.mulata

artof.mulata — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:07:04 -0800

i'm at work and it's terribly fascinating the acoustic properties here. the sound of that man's voice seems to come out of the wall behind me. really, truly fascinating. on the other hand i expect i'll be receiving a new set of walkie-talkies for christmas. i'm pretty sure that there will be a major crackdown on blackberries now that we know what those terrorists in mumbai were able to do with them. or maybe i'll ask for a gift card from cingular for my wireless account. speaking of which, i just got back from korea and they have the food there. this stuff call nakji that's a living organimal on your plate and you eat it. we had some in a tent served by this lady everyone called ajima and it's means 'old lady.' she gave us a lot of plum wine and after we were done eating she told us we were cute and fashionable and made us an omelet. for free. can you imagine that? i got free eggs in a tent and all i had to do was be myself. be yourself everybody! it's totally liberating!!!

By: surrendering monkey

surrendering monkey — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:17:29 -0800

I believe the main difference between Izzard and Gervais is that Izzard is shit. Could we have had a slightly fleshier post on Gervais rather than a SLYT? For instance one that would have included his interview with the Sunday Times, the metacritic page of his show on HBO, things like that!

By: opsin

opsin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:04:24 -0800

Hiccuping. What a strange word. Surely you mean hiccoughing, naturally. Which is even stranger, as it's pronounced as you spelt it.

By: anansi

anansi — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:09:09 -0800

I really enjoy Gervais' work but really. . . a SLYT?? This could have been an interesting post on Gervais, his shows, his podcasts (pilkington alone would have made for an interesting fpp--I'm still not entirely sure that he is an actual person rather than a hilariously obtuse persona). Come one, you can do better than this.

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:13:45 -0800

We're sorry, this video is no longer available. A sentence so unlikely to make me laugh that it could well have been transcribed from a Gervais stand up routine.

By: HaloMan

HaloMan — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:35:40 -0800

I've never quite understood the cult of Gervais. The Office was pretty good and quite consistent. Extras was mixed at best. I've never understood the love for his stand-up at all though, least of all this particular joke (I haven't clicked, but I can guess it's the same one that came from his first DVD). I find it's just unoriginal and unfunny - not least because it's so obvious where the punchline is. "Nursery rhymes don't reflect reality" hohoho! Gay people ejaculating hahaha! If I wanted that level of sophistication and originality I'd go to the pub. Yet people make him out to be the funniest man on the planet... Crazy.

By: found missing

found missing — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:44:38 -0800

Some people think he is very funny, while others think he is very unfunny. Oh, internet, is there no favorite thing that does not suck?

By: buriednexttoyou

buriednexttoyou — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:31:24 -0800

I was told that Humpty Dumpty was about King Charles I of England and Oliver Cromwell, which makes perfect sense to me. This made me chuckle, though.

By: Science!

Science! — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:13:11 -0800

I just watched the full version of "Fame" from which this clip is cut. If you've listened to his radio show or podcast, seen "The Office" or "Extras", or watched his standup routines "Animals", "Politics" you've heard most of this. Seriously, if you've seen or heard two or three of his various appearances you've been exposed to 3/4 of everything in this show.

By: Science!

Science! — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:15:33 -0800

Sorry, this isn't from Fame, but it's still retreds of older material.

By: xmutex

xmutex — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:01:20 -0800

Wonder how much Foster's paid Gervais to have that stupid can with him during the HBO special.

By: Citizen Premier

Citizen Premier — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:08:46 -0800

Ricky Gervais looks a lot like Eddie Izzard.

By: sgrass

sgrass — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:23:23 -0800

Where in the nursery rhyme does it say Humpty Dumpty is an egg?

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:54:48 -0800

Originally it was a riddle and the answer to the riddle was "an egg."

By: DU

DU — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:38:34 -0800

So, comedians still use that fake confusion thing as a cover for not having any jokes? Huh.

By: fingers_of_fire

fingers_of_fire — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:47:11 -0800

As a huge fan of The Office, Extras, and the podcasts, I have to say that I was underwhelmed by his stand-up. Ditto Ghost Town.

By: Spatch

Spatch — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:28:53 -0800

I am a little ashamed to admit that I liked, in a purely misanthropic manner, one of Gervais' routines about performing a charity gig for Make-A-Wish kids with cancer, and then doing it again next year only to find that one of the kids is still around, so he makes a big stink out of it, calling the kid a cheater and whatnot. I liked it for its disarming attitude -- here he is, talking about one of those things a celebrity does to get karma points both in real life and in the press, and then he just shatters the do-gooder philosophy by acting, well, human. (He performs a bit of this in one of his clips for Grand Theft Auto 4.) Then I watched Extras and saw it play out as one of the B Stories in an episode. I have no beef with comedians who incorporate their routines into a situation comedy (Bill Cosby and chocolate cake for breakfast comes to mind) but actually watching a dramatization of the whole thing felt more hollow than watching it as a first-person narrative. I wouldn't have found it so funny, even in a cynical misanthropic way, if I'd watched Extras first. The thing is that Gervais is one of those guys who gets great comedy mileage from his persona getting forced into a deeply humiliating situation. Problem is, I really get all oogy watching that as a form of comedy, which is why I think Curb Your Enthusiasm is a brilliant show but not one that I can watch very comfortably. I know Larry is an asshole, I know he usually deserves most of the crap that comes his way, but there's always this one snowballing bit which is always just undeserving. Gervais' character in Extras suffers similar fates, week in, week out. That said, I thought When The Whistle Blows (Gervais' crap sitcom-within-a-show during the second series of Extras) was a painfully hilarious spot-on portrayal of lowest common denominator television comedy, and the satire there went even deeper than just the goofy wig, glasses, and insipid "Are you 'avin a laff? Is he 'avin a laff?" catchphrase.

By: quin

quin — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:25:17 -0800

I believe the main difference between Izzard and Gervais is that Izzard is shit. *stakes surrendering monkey down with a flag* I watched the whole Gervais HBO special a couple of weeks ago, and it is quite good, but as artof.mulata noticed, there is something wonky with the sound (to much reverb I think) and it took me a good ten minutes to get past me noticing it every few seconds and actually hearing what he was saying. The bit he does with an informational postcard relating to the prevention of the spread of AIDS is painful and kind of brilliant.

By: metaxa

metaxa — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:51:57 -0800

Considering what 'Roundhead' is slang for in Britain, that would be pretty funny. What is 'Roundhead' slang for in Britain? I'm British and have never heard 'Roundhead' being used in any other context than to describe Cromwell's Puritan followers...

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:10:31 -0800

metaxa: What is 'Roundhead' slang for in Britain? *cough cough*

By: Peevish

Peevish — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:06:56 -0800

What's all this "Izzard plus swearing" talk? In what bizarro world does Eddie Izzard not end every sentence with "faaaaaaaackin 'ell"?

By: metaxa

metaxa — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:54:34 -0800

What is 'Roundhead' slang for in Britain? *cough cough* I see. We always called circumsized dicks 'mushrooms' - I wouldn't have said that the use of 'roundhead' is particularly widespread, and the counter on the Urban Dictionary page seems to confirm my suspicions. Thanks anyhow!