FOT Forum
FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: wood and iron on September 17, 2009, 08:12:19 PM
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Just finished watching the first episode of The Young Ones. Yikes. It's got some esteem in the comedy world, right (or at least that's a young Yankee's impression)? But holy shit, it's just them yelling throughout the entire thing. And not even yelling funny things.
Anyway, keep at it? Is it worth it? Or was I misinformed on the opinion of the show? Because right now, I really just want to shove the disc back into the Netflix envelope as fast as possible.
Obviously, I'm not asking for you to dictate my taste in shows to me, but I just want some idea of if the show improves or ditch it now before I completely lose my hearing and respect for British comedy.
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I only saw the Motorhead episode.
I liked Motorhead.
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Just finished watching the first episode of The Young Ones. Yikes.
Try and think of it as a comedy portal that you could only successfully travel thru in the '80s.
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Just finished watching the first episode of The Young Ones. Yikes.
Try and think of it as a comedy portal that you could only successfully travel thru in the '80s.
This is well put.
I will always love "The Young Ones" but I have the DVD's and must admit that it does not hold up over time. I still laugh at some things, but far fewer things.
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I like the one where they all switch places.
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The Young Ones never did it for me. It's not that I didn't get it, I just didn't think it was funny.
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I feel sympathy for Rik.
Not empathy. But it's hard to be the mean, manipulative, lying one in a group like that. Or so I've heard.
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Sorry - I still love it.
I usually re-visit it once a year or so and still laugh. I have memories of me as a very strange little insomniac kid watching it when it was on MTV - when was that? '84? Something like that. I didn't really get most of it but it was bizarre enough for me to be fascinated by. Then I got the videos as a gift, like, 10 years later and was hooked once I understood what they were talking/yelling about.
I guess it depends on what you normally watch.
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Here, just watch these:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8feNFx3y3U[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGd3y37Eb7Y[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eRe7yTMoXE[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-qAYbFNvEQ[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUTCbObfHVs[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmxKcoketGA[/youtube]
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Keep at it! You really have to give it a whole season.
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Check out the episode "Bambi," which as far as I know marks the only time Emma Thompson and Motorhead have appeared on the same show.
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Alexei Sayle cannot be defeated.
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I love(d) this show but must admit that the last season ain't so hot, it became weirdly slap-shtick. I watched it back in the 80s at a young age and it was one of the first outsider (in the US) comedy that I discovered, so there is the nostalgia factor.
After Bambi, watch Sick. I don't remember the name of the episode, but the one where Rik accidentally kills Neil and plants him in the garden is pretty good.
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There's no reason to work at liking old comedy. With music and literature you can better trust the judgment of time, and if there's something that's "classic" and you don't like it, you're probably best seeing if you can broaden your horizons or something before just saying "I don't get it." There's plenty of stuff I didn't like when I was younger that I do now.
But you can't learn how to find something funny. At most you can learn to "appreciate" it the way that you "appreciate" the jokes in Shakespeare. Which is to say that you don't really appreciate them, you just know they're there.
As discussed before on this board, very little comedy ages well: it's too bound up in a particular time and place.
http://www.friendsoftom.com/forum/index.php/topic,2487.0.html
I would add to my previous list of old-timey stuff that holds up really well the author Jerome K. Jerome. Also H.L. Mencken.
The Young Ones doesn't hold up as well as some other Mayall stuff (The New Statesmen is funny if you like broad political humor) or even other British shows of the period, like Black Adder. It does have moments though. It comes up all the time in my house as lentils are probably my favorite food.
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There's no reason to work at liking old comedy. With music and literature you can better trust the judgment of time, and if there's something that's "classic" and you don't like it, you're probably best seeing if you can broaden your horizons or something before just saying "I don't get it." There's plenty of stuff I didn't like when I was younger that I do now.
But you can't learn how to find something funny. At most you can learn to "appreciate" it the way that you "appreciate" the jokes in Shakespeare. Which is to say that you don't really appreciate them, you just know they're there.
As discussed before on this board, very little comedy ages well: it's too bound up in a particular time and place.
http://www.friendsoftom.com/forum/index.php/topic,2487.0.html
I would add to my previous list of old-timey stuff that holds up really well the author Jerome K. Jerome. Also H.L. Mencken.
The Young Ones doesn't hold up as well as some other Mayall stuff (The New Statesmen is funny if you like broad political humor) or even other British shows of the period, like Blackadder. It does have moments though. It comes up all the time in my house as lentils are probably my favorite food.
Speaking of The Young Ones and Blackadder, the recurring character Lord Flashheart (played by Rik Mayall) is very, very funny. But then again, Blackadder always connected more directly with me than The Young Ones.
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Blackadder. One word. When people quote my messages that have errors it prevents my surreptitious correction of them.
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Blackadder. One word. When people quote my messages that have errors it prevents my surreptitious correction of them.
You're welcome.
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Blackadder. One word. When people quote my messages that have errors it prevents my surreptitious correction of them.
Your welcome.
You do it too, I see.
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"Buster Keaton (my avatar) stuff is like this. Comedy that is no longer funny is weirdly alien."
Yes/No, I quoted you from the thread you directed me to. I went there and felt confused.
Is the joke the thread didn't age well?
Alien!
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Blackadder. One word. When people quote my messages that have errors it prevents my surreptitious correction of them.
Your welcome.
You do it too, I see.
Aargh, you've hit on one of the common grammatical errors that annoys me the most. Well done!
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frix, if I knew what you were asking I'd answer it.
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frix, if I knew what you were asking I'd answer it.
Dear Mr. NO,
All I was trying to (subtly) point out was your avatar has nothing to do with Buster Keaton any longer.
The thread is now outdated.
If I have to explain a joke it is longer funny.
I'll try harder next time.
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Your avatar reminds me of the Mercury Rev album cover, Boces.
I change my avatar about as often as Dorvid changes user names. Which is quite often.
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I gave it another episode and just really didn't laugh at all. The thing is, I'm not completely new to British humor nor to British humor of the 80's as I find Blackadder to be hilarious. The Young Ones just appears to be throwing anything and everything against the wall.
As a side note: I torrented Nathan Barley on the recommendation of Tom (he mentioned it somewhere on the boards) and thought it was hilarious.
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I like The Young Ones because its absurd and it has musical guests. Madness appeared twice. They invented Ska, right?
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"You 'um it, and I'll bash your face in."
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sorry, but i'm a bit of a young ones apologist. i'll even watch bottom (the tv series, you tele-dummies!) from time to time.
i think if you grew up in the u.s. and caught it after midnight on mtv in the early 80s, it might have struck a chord with you. i can't imagine seeing it now for the first time and giving it much of a chance... too much a creature of those years. that said, it probably laid some bit of ground for shows like spaced and the mighty boosh, so... that's a good thing.
right?
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The Young Ones never did it for me. It's not that I didn't get it, I just didn't think it was funny.
That's what I always say about molecular chemistry.
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I very much liked the Young Ones during the MTV run in the 80s, during which time I was a high school student.
I got the DVD a few years back and still like it, though I'm not going to be some twit running around quoting it or whatever. Also, Vyvian was always good for some laffs.
That Alexei Sayle guy, though, I never really 'got' him. Every time he'd show up I'd be anxious for him to go away again.
In conclusion, if you don't like it, stuff it back in the Netflix queue and move on. No point forcing yourself to like things.
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I very much liked the Young Ones during the MTV run in the 80s, during which time I was a high school student.
I got the DVD a few years back and still like it, though I'm not going to be some twit running around quoting it or whatever. Also, Vyvian was always good for some laffs.
That Alexei Sayle guy, though, I never really 'got' him. Every time he'd show up I'd be anxious for him to go away again.
In conclusion, if you don't like it, stuff it back in the Netflix queue and move on. No point forcing yourself to like things.
I agree completely.
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What's the deal with these cranks on automobiles? Are they in cahoots with Doctors? 'Hey Doc, I put my back out starting my motor car'. Thanks a lot, Henry Ford, you blackguard scoundrel.
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What's the deal with these cranks on automobiles? Are they in cahoots with Doctors? 'Hey Doc, I put my back out starting my motor car'. Thanks a lot, Henry Ford, you blackguard scoundrel.
Steve from Bloomington, are you a secret c-towner?
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Did you automatically substitute another word for "blackguard," too, 'coat?
I didn't like the first episode of The Young Ones that I saw (on MTV back in the eighties; there was a lot of mucus in it, particularly when Neil started sneezing in a trashbag), but I liked the second, and from then on my devotion has not wavered.
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c-towner? Or is this another anachronism?
What's the deal with these cranks on automobiles? Are they in cahoots with Doctors? 'Hey Doc, I put my back out starting my motor car'. Thanks a lot, Henry Ford, you blackguard scoundrel.
Steve from Bloomington, are you a secret c-towner?
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c-towner? Or is this another anachronism?
What's the deal with these cranks on automobiles? Are they in cahoots with Doctors? 'Hey Doc, I put my back out starting my motor car'. Thanks a lot, Henry Ford, you blackguard scoundrel.
Steve from Bloomington, are you a secret c-towner?
How bout you handle this one, Lubec.
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Though I suspect SoB of playing disingenuous, I'm curious to know the sense in which "c-towner" would be an anachronism.
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urbandictionary.com's got nothin'
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Its loss.
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You people are horrible.
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I very much liked the Young Ones during the MTV run in the 80s, during which time I was a high school student.
I got the DVD a few years back and still like it, though I'm not going to be some twit running around quoting it or whatever. Also, Vyvian was always good for some laffs.
That Alexei Sayle guy, though, I never really 'got' him. Every time he'd show up I'd be anxious for him to go away again.
In conclusion, if you don't like it, stuff it back in the Netflix queue and move on. No point forcing yourself to like things.
Alexei Sayle? That wasn't Simon Cowell?
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You people are horrible.
Who in particular?
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You people are horrible.
Who in particular?
Not saying, but the person's name starts with "S" and ends with "tan."
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You people are horrible.
Who in particular?
Not saying, but the person's name starts with "S" and ends with "tan."
b uffcoat,
Will you accept a radio date with J ulie? Sparks could ignite. Or at least alcohol fumes.
dfk
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You people are horrible.
Who in particular?
Not saying, but the person's name starts with "S" and ends with "tan."
No one can dispute that Stan is the worst of the worst, but you've got to admit that Satan is a real prince in Chinatown.
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Reading the comments on an article in the Guardian about a new biopic about Margaret Thatcher starring Meryl Streep led me to watch today Strike, one of the many fine parodies put out by The Comic Strip Presents . . . , a troupe that included most of The Young Ones crew and many other familiar faces (Robbie Coltrane and Keith Allen, for example). I recommend it and TCSP . . . in general. You can find a lot of their stuff on Hulu and YouTube. Some of you no doubt will think it dated, but others will be glad to discover it. Go forth and (possibly) enjoy.
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Just finished watching the first episode of The Young Ones. Yikes.
Try and think of it as a comedy portal that you could only successfully travel thru in the '80s.
You might be right, Christina. I remember really, really liking "The Young Ones" back when it was aired on MTV in the '80's. Espeically the episode with the potion that turns all who consume it into axe-weilding, homicidal maniacs. But I suspect I wouldn't find the show that great nowadays and go back to "The Mighty Boosh"...
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I like The Young Ones because its absurd and it has musical guests. Madness appeared twice. They invented Ska, right?
Yup, and they did so just a few, short years before Green Day invented punk...
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I just remember how much we used to like to shout "HANDS UP WHO LIKES ME" at any opportunity.
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I fucking adore The Young Ones. I can't understand all this dislike for them here. I don't know how any sincere S&W-phile could not love the Young Ones.
I think it's way more smart and sophisticated than it seems on the surface and that adds a whole extra layer of humor. It's absurd cartoon mayhem and violence perfectly married with subtle social, political and class satire. plus growing up as a young punk wanna be anarchist dumbdumb, I relate to Rick in more ways than I should ever want to.
any one watch any of Rick Mayell and Adrian Edmonson's other stuff? Bottom? Flithy Rich and Catflap? The Dangerous Brothers?
here's a clip of pre young ones dangerous brothers stand up
Comic Strip Club-The Dangerous Brother (1980) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tklJRW1a0Ns#)
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Hey, I adore The Young Ones and said so, damn it!
Have you watched The Comic Strip Presents . . ., KC?
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Please, People's Poet, don't die!
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Hey, I adore The Young Ones and said so, damn it!
Have you watched The Comic Strip Presents . . ., KC?
I'm sorry for not excepting you from that tirade Sarah. you're one of the good ones.
I've never really watched the comic strip presents. i'm gonna check it out.
I found that dangerous brothers clip from watching this thing called Bottom: 25 Years of Mindless Violence
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Oh, you have treats ahead of you.
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I fucking adore The Young Ones. I can't understand all this dislike for them here. I don't know how any sincere S&W-phile could not love the Young Ones.
I think it's way more smart and sophisticated than it seems on the surface and that adds a whole extra layer of humor. It's absurd cartoon mayhem and violence perfectly married with subtle social, political and class satire. plus growing up as a young punk wanna be anarchist dumbdumb, I relate to Rick in more ways than I should ever want to.
any one watch any of Rick Mayell and Adrian Edmonson's other stuff? Bottom? Flithy Rich and Catflap? The Dangerous Brothers?
here's a clip of pre young ones dangerous brothers stand up
Comic Strip Club-The Dangerous Brother (1980) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tklJRW1a0Ns#)
At age 22 I looked just like Vyvyan (cuffed blue jeans, boots, jean jacket with the sleeves cut off w/ pyramid studs and a back patch, red hair) minus the trihawk and the stars in my forehead. And THEN I saw The Young Ones. It was like looking into a mirror.
I'm a fan of Bottom, too.
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Surely the first poster is long gone, but the Young Ones episodes get better as it goes along. The momentum wasn't quite there until the end of Season 1, imho.
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After Bambi, watch Sick. I don't remember the name of the episode, but the one where Rik accidentally kills Neil and plants him in the garden is pretty good.
I loved The Young Ones when it was running on MTV is the 80. Not sure if it was that great or that certain things in my bloodstream made it seem great. Anyhoo- it's funny but the one episode I also remember being hilarious was the one where Neil dies. I remember Rik writing an ode to Neil (of course he would) that began "Neil, Neil, Orange peel...". I also remember them ending up resurrecting him but to Rik's horror- they ended up with multiple Neils.
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After Bambi, watch Sick. I don't remember the name of the episode, but the one where Rik accidentally kills Neil and plants him in the garden is pretty good.
I loved The Young Ones when it was running on MTV is the 80. Not sure if it was that great or that certain things in my bloodstream made it seem great. Anyhoo- it's funny but the one episode I also remember being hilarious was the one where Neil dies. I remember Rik writing an ode to Neil (of course he would) that began "Neil, Neil, Orange peel...". I also remember them ending up resurrecting him but to Rik's horror- they ended up with multiple Neils.
We plant the seed...nature grows the seed...we eat the seed!
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The Young Ones used to make me laugh but does not any more. But it is still a great show despite my changing tastes.
Motorhead's appearance was an almost religious experience for me as a 21-year-old.
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I enjoy the idea and general anarchic aesthetic of this show more than actually watching it most of the time. It's not... bad at all, but it doesn't actually make me laugh that often. And Alexei Sayle flat out sucks.
I do think that the "Bambi" episode stands out as truly great.
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Alexei Sayle does pretty much suck. I wondered would I appreciate him at some later stage in life when I was watching the show in my mid-to-late teens, but it's safe to say that's not going to happen.
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I like Alexei Sayle, even though he overdoes almost everything. And even if you don't like him, you've got to admit his ode to Doc Martens boots is inspired.
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I like Alexei Sayle, even though he overdoes almost everything. And even if you don't like him, you've got to admit his ode to Doc Martens boots is inspired.
Actually right after/while writing that I hated him I was remembering that bit. I will concede that it was pretty funny, but overall, not a fan.
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man how could you not love the Young Ones
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You are insane, Alexei Sayle is the best.
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He's the Chumbawumba of comedians.
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What can I say? I like things about Chumbawumba, too.
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Well I don't, and now I'm furious.
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What can I say? I like things about Chumbawumba, too.
Ted Leo does too. Like I feel he might physically fight someone over their honor.
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I knew I liked that guy.