Robin Williams on HBO

[DocHeb]

Speaking of "Just for Fun", did you watch the live HBO Robin Williams show Sunday night? That man is incredible - we were going to watch "a few minutes", but crawled to bed two hours later. His description of a Scotsman talking about the game of golf had us splitting our sides (i.e. LOAO). /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Mrwurm]

"LOAO" /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I just caught the last half hour and was laughing out loud all by myself when he was talking about turning fifty and the various and sundry medical maladies the accompanied that. A classic example of "It wouldn't be funny if it wasn't true." /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Wingnut]

I liked "most" of it but still managed to sit through the usual political crap without turning the channel. Missed the first 15 minutes though (nightly ritual of bedding down the horses) and the wife tells me that he nailed at least 8 people in that time ... so I may have to catch that part on the rerun.
It's incredible that he can still keep going at that speed and clarity for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Without a single "nanoo"

 

[TresCrows]

I "Just said No" to Robin Williams and HBO a long time ago, I feel better for it. J

 

[BB_TX]

Robin Williams is an incredible comedian, but I can't understand why he feels he has to use the F word 200 times in one routine. I though maybe he was just doing it for the NYC crowd, but my wife saw him live in Dallas and said he did the same thing. He is a great entertainer and doesn't need that. To me, that distracted from the overall performance, but I seem to be in the minority nowadays concerning the unnecessary use of foul language. That's not to say that I don't use colorful language occasionally, I just haven't found the need for F*** 3 times in one sentence./w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[Bird]

I'm with you, Bill. I'm not opposed to using a few expletives at certain times, but it seems a lot of entertainers (and movies) seem to just see how many times they can repeat such language when it detracts from, rather than adds to, the entertainment.

And I don't know whether this is appropriate, but it's an e-mail I just received this morning:

<font color=blue> TOP TEN TIMES IN HISTORY, WHEN USING THE "F" WORD WAS APPROPRIATE

10th - "Scattered @#$%ing showers, my [censored]!" - Noah, 4314 BC
9th - "How the @#$% did you work that out?" - Pythagorus, 126BC
8th - "You want WHAT on the @#$%ing ceiling?" - Michelangelo,1566
7th - "Where did all those @#$%ing Indians come from?" - Custer,1877
6th - "It does so @#$%ing look like her!" - Picasso, 1926
5th - "Where the @#$% are we?" - Amelia Earhart, 1937
4th - "Any @#$%ing idiot could understand that." - Einstein,1938
3rd - "What the @#$% was that?" - Mayor Of Hiroshima, 1945
2nd - "I need this parade like I need a @#$%ing hole in the head!" - JFK,1963

And drum roll... The number 1 most appropriate time for using the "F" word...

1st - "Aw c'mon. Who the @#$% is going to find out?"- Bill Clinton, 1997</font color=blue>

 

[Dozernut]

Hey Bird thats @#$96ing funny! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Wingnut]

the only thing that bothers me (and the wife) more than the F* is the m*f*. So unnecessary. It's what keeps us from watching most of the black comedians ... it seems like far too many of them think humour and profanity are synonymous.
I have no problem using the words when I'm alone and whack my thumb with a 50 pound hammer .... but can't really think of any other appropriate time ... especially in mixed company.
Oh well, I guess we're just old "fuddy-duddies" who don't understand the first amendment, huh?

 

[Golfgar4]

<font color=blue>"Oh well, I guess we're just old "fuddy-duddies" who don't understand the first amendment, huh?"</font color=blue>

Personally, I choose to believe that we have enough "class" to not need to use that kind of language. I always told my kids that if they couldn't express themselves in a decent and appropriate manner, then they should just keep their mouths shut, because most people don't appreciate hearing that stuff.

Like you, I have no problem with occassionally uttering a word or two. Heck, I was in the Navy, and you know how those sailors can cuss /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif! It's just not necessary as part of everday conversation.

 

[Chuck52]

Wingnut,

That's also a big part of my problem with whatever used to be called "rap" music. My wife especially gets offended by too much Fing this and Fing that. I didn't catch the performance, and I really do like Robin Williams, so I'd probably been more or less OK with it, but she would have left the room. Another trend I think I see in the humor younger folks seem to like now is the prevalence of various excretions as objects of humor. PC should mean Polite Company.

Chuck

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

While not in movies like Williams, I enjoy the humor of Galliger (sp) and Foxworthy. They can pull off a comic routine without f-ing all over the place. Like Foxworthy's line: When the box of diapers says "for up to 8lbs." etc......

Funny stuff...... Tom

 

[Wingnut]

Which Gallagher? (I recently watched a biography episode detailing the war between Gallagher and his brother. Weird .... vbut I agree wholeheartedly ... Gallagher and Foxworthy and some others prove it's easy to do comedy without profanity. Unfortunately, as Chuck pointed out, it seems that the younger generations much prefer profanity and toilet humour (witness the success of South Park) to "thinking" comedy.
Or else they've (comedians) polarized so much politically that they don't know what funny is anymore. I used to enjoy Dennis Miller, Whoopie Goldberg and others .... but they've turned me off with their rabid liberalism .... going from "humour" to "attack". A joke is one thing, foaming at the mouth is another. Makes it much easier to decide if television is worth watching though (usually "not")

 

[fishman]

Robin Williams has got to be one of the top five funniest people on the planet. That HBO routine was to die for./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

As far as MF this and F that, they're just words. Heck, if it bothers me I just turn on my mental auto-censor. Again, they're just words made up of sounds (or letters) like "puppy", "lucky", well you get the picture.

Most comedians offend most of the people that watch them. Another good example is Jim Carrey. Some might remember the talking b--- cheeks in "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective". Personally, I find the man to be a riot, but many don't. Rent "Me, Myself, and Irene" if you want a good laugh. <font color=blue> Warning, much, much profanity.</font color=blue>

Well, that's what I think.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

It can be distracting. The one and only comedian I've ever seen use it and get away with it in my mind was Richard Pryor. I can't explain it, but, somehow, with him, it seemed natural. Maybe it's just me.

 

[k8ny]

Robin Williams is funny but his left wing, politically correct stance is the reason I won't listen to him or 99% of the other Hollywood crowd out there. When they unfairly inject their politics into the act they are out of bounds.

 

[dmccarty]

Gary,

I was thinking about Pryor when I read this thread yesterday.
He can use every cuss word in the English language but it is
not offensive to me at all. I think its because of how and why
he uses the words. The Eddie Murphys of the world use
the cuss words to shock. Pryor was trying to make people
laugh. I remember watching some of Murphys shows back in
the 80s when he was trying to be like Richard. Eddie tain't
even close.

These guys think if you just throw in some cuss words
its funny. I think it was Bill Cosby's "Himself" where he
manages to use one cuss word in the entire routine but
somehow was able to create a really funny show.

One of our local columists wrote about a comedy show
that had just come into town. There where a few different
comedians in the show but he was complaining about the
bad language, the unfunny the routines, and nine dollar beers.
/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Not sure which is worse! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

But Richard Pryor could still cuss and be funny. Maybe the
new generation needs to review Richard's shows.....

Later,
Dan