Since the State Hospitals Have Been Closed, It's Hard to Find a Cheap Lobotomy When You Need One

And Other Nutty Ramblings

Since the topic is one step away from the funny farm, I'm thinking this doesn't have to make perfect sense - so it won't.  Once upon a time, I had a brain that worked.  Now?

My first funny shows my age.  I have loved Victor Borge since I was a child.  He was always on some television show or other and could always be counted on for a good laugh.  His material does not age, it's still fresh and funny.  This is one of the crazier skits.  I thought you opera fans would appreciate it.  Oh, and don't be fooled - like Dudley Moore, he is a very accomplished pianist.

What musical comedy would be complete without a little PDQ Bach?  I think his earlier stuff is the best stuff and this is a real gem from the very first concert album.  This cantata, Iphigenia in Brooklyn stars John Ferranti (?) as Bargain-counter Tenor soloist and it uses a few unusual instruments as Professor Peter Schikele points out.

To bring this collection to a close, I will add a little special treat - the Nairobi Trio.  In case you have never heard of them, they were popular in the 1950s and played on a little TV show put together by Ernie Kovacs.  If you have never heard of Ernie Kovacs, go and check him out on YouTube.  This guy was a genius and was experimenting with the new medium of television and what worked and what didn't.  My first exposure to Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra was on his show, as well as some other far less serious things.

I also enjoy totally absurd things, free associating, the Muppets (the Muppet Show was the BEST!), poking holes in sacred cows (not that kind, Sureka), and the first part of TH White's The Once and Future King.  And I love George Booth's cartoons for the New Yorker and James Thurber.  In answer to the question, do I take anything seriously? the answer is I take as little as I possibly can seriously.  Most of life is just hilarious.  And I firmly believe that God gets a good laugh from some of our antics, especially the unintentional ones.

Happy night-night!