|
Lords
o' Laughter
by Big Harry Lumpyn and The
Sturdy Beggars
 The
precious fuel that propels the Mud Show
is laughter, the more raucous the better. The
pursuit of grins and guffaws consumes our concentration
as we pace the Pit at any given Faire. Really,
that’s what it’s all about –
if we’re not havin’ fun, the show
ain’t funny, and if the show ain’t
hitting the hundreds of funny-bones in our proximity,
we might as well hang up our well-worn rags and
decide what the hell we wanna be when we grow
up. Enough of that noise! Since a quarter century
of Mud Shows has honed our particular antic approach,
we thought it might be a titch enlightening to
poll some active Sturdies as to what comedians
or comedy acts served as influential icons in
forging their own humorous hijinks at the Faires
and perhaps beyond… the specific query being,
“pick your top three favorite comedians/comedy
acts that you drew inspiration from as a Sturdy
Beggar.”
Halfwit
Henry: The
Marx Brothers (because they are the bomb
now and always) / W.C.
Fields (because he kept it real in the
most scary ways possible) / Steve
Martin (as close to a comedy Renaissance
man as there will ever be)
Spunky
Jitters: Bobcat
Goldthwait (see “Shakes
the Clown”) / The
Amazing Johnathon (even though he tried
to scam me for $100 one time in Vegas ) /
Christopher
Guest (subtle master) [Honorable
mentions - Jerry
Lewis, Andy
Kaufman, and Cheech
and Chong, although I can't remember why)]
Fitzhugh
Nicely: Jonathon
Winters / Robin
Williams / Bill
Hicks
Dr.
Schmutzig Fubar: Dick
Van Dyke (his beautiful physical comedy
and sense of timing has never been duplicated)
/ Billy
Billy vonBilly (there is only one –
he is my Mud Show idol – he understands
the group dynamic wonderfully & knows how
to ride the edge…) / Matt
Groening (The Simpsons never fails to
amaze – how do they make comedy so accessible
to both adults and kids? Genius!)
Big
Harry Lumpyn: Monty
Python's Flying Circus (esp. Palin &
Jones renfaire-wise) / Buster
Keaton (incomparably brilliant slapstick
god) / The
Firesign Theatre (...maybe you had to
be there. Or not anywhere at all.)
Rott
Wyler:
Steve Allen (who says intellectuals can't
be funny?) / Jackie
Gleason (the style and grace of physical
comedy, and the longings of the poor but decent
everyman) /
Bob Hope & Jack
Benny (tie) (nothing is as funny as one's
own discomfort). [special mention for Tom
Lehrer (satire)]
Figgy
Pudding: Billy
Billy vonBilly (he is without a doubt
the greatest of the beggars & I was proud
to have known and worked with him for over 20
years – “Bless you Billy wherever
you are”) / Eddie
Izzard (he uses history for material and
looks smashing in cover-girl makeup) / Figgy
Pudding (if you can’t laugh at yourself
who the @#!!% can you laugh at?)
Lutillah
Fairdinkum: The
Marx Bros. / W.
C. Fields / Monty
Python. (other personal faves are Buster
Keaton, Laurel
& Hardy and John
Candy)
Legs
Akimbo: Red
Skelton (first guy I responded to as a
Total Goof other than Jerry Lewis, but his heart
was so pure, he always left a better comic after-taste
than did the Rat Packer). / Flip
Wilson (nostalgiac tip o' the hat. Flip's
early [pre-TV series] album "Cowboys and
Colored People" was my first LP buy).
/ Bill
Murray (the kind of guy whose work looks
so easeful, but his timing is micro-finite and
his sense of play is fluid and seldom forced).
(And as and acid-tinged throw-in: George
W. Bush [That guy cracks me up every time
he opens his mouth. Where does he get his material?])
Privy
LePew: Snidely
Whiplash / Gopher
(from “The Love Boat”) /
Mary
Ann (from “Gilligan’s Island”)
Bob
the Beggar: Monty
Python (like every other geek, though
I don't do the routines out loud any more)
/ Marx
Bros. (and Horsefeathers is the funniest
movie, end of discussion) / Woody
Allen (and I completely understand the
Soon Ye thing. Still confused by the Mia Farrow
thing)
|
