I too loved the educational aspects of the subjects from days gone by, but I think one of the primary things I learned from the show is 'it is a mark of insincerity of purpose, to seek a highborne emperor in a lowdown tea shop'
--- On Sat, 5/23/09, Dean Bedford <dbedford@...> wrote:
From: Dean Bedford <dbedford@...>
Subject: Re: [just-a-minute] What have you learned from Jam?
To: just-a-minute@...
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2009, 1:58 AM
On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at 04:03 PM, William Clarkson wrote:
>
>
> Dean,
>
> I want to thank you for putting the transcripts online. There isn't a day which goes by that I don't listen to Just a minute. Tonight I found myself trying to remember quotes from the show. It was easy by typing the speakers name and what little dialog I remembered. Tonight I was trying to remember:
> I burn the candle at both ends, it will not last the night, but oh my friends, and oh my foes, it gives a lovely light.
>
> But without Jam, I may have never heard of Stanley Holloway's Albert and the Lion, or known countless other facts,people or poems alluded to over the years. I'm always curious when I don't know something someone (usually Clement) quotes, or refers to, and I look it up online.
>
> So what I'm wondering from the rest of the group, what have you learned from
Jam?
>
> (don't everyone quote PM's educational show joke at once pls)
>
sorry for the belated reply William - has been a very busy week at work and that combined with sleeping very badly has made me a bit lax at responding to the email traffic.
First thanks for the very kind words. I know I must sometimes seem like a grumpy old bugger, but I really enjoy sharing my love of this show and I am very proud of the success of things like this group (we passed 500 members last week!)
On what I have learned from JAM - lots. I know my spelling isn't always very accurate but I will often look up someone on the web to check I'm spelling their name correctly. Last week I was transcribing the "missing" 195 eppy, "starters" and there was a subject, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. I looked him up and found some material on him and I have to say - Kenneth Williams's summary was very accurate. I hadn't heard of him before, and I
learned something.
I suppose it's too much to expect Paul or Tony Hawks or Sue Perkins to bone up on obscure subjects as Kenneth used to do. But personally I rather liked the "educational" aspect of the show where Kenneth used to talk on these historical or literary subjects. These days they're likely just to turn a subject like this into a joke, or declare Marcus to be the shopkeeper down the road or something.
I suppose the difference is that even if he had to read up on subjects, Kenneth still was something of an intellectual or liked to be thought of one anyway. Maybe if Stephen Fry becomes a regular, this aspect could be brought back...
Dean
|