The secret "Yes, and... " trick... again! Yep, because you, housebound family, need it now!

Amy Poehler

Note to reader: This blog post is four-years -old and I could never imagine that today, we would be held prisoner in our own homes by some stupid scary coronaVirus. No fair!

But I thought you needed this.

When you get tired of coloring on your driveway with chalk or cooking something so exotic that doesn't measure up, what do you do? Admittedly, even a 1,000 piece puzzle eventually gets done--except for that last damn piece the dog ate.

After you've watched all the television you can stand and all games have been played, there is one, yes one, novel idea that could inspire all and maybe uncover a hidden talent in one or more youngsters and/or immature adults to unbalance them just enough to want to be a stand-up comedian, the poor souls.

So here's the game I call "Yes, and... " which I wrote about half-a-wise-guy's age ago. That's why you see Amy Poehler's picture which goes with the post. Hopefully, this sounds like a great idea for your group unless, sadly, you are missing a sense of humor or can't handle being laughed at.

Only one rule: You have to be a little crazy stupid or you can't play. Read on and give it a try at the supper table or when the television is off and the phones are shut down and everyone is looking bored and about ready to fall asleep.

It's then that you stand up, get everyone's attention and say: "Did you hear the hippopotamus at the zoo had a baby elephant?"

And someone says, "Yes and it looked just like the father."

And another says, "Yes and you should have seen the size of the cigars the father gave out."

And then, "Yes and when the doctor smacked the baby to get it to start breathing, she broke her wrist."

And the, "Yes and she can't pick her nose now." ... or something equally stupid to get a laugh.

Got the idea? Then GO!

See?

Don't you wonder where so many of our favorite comedians "cut their chops?" 

(Say Yes, and... )

Have you ever seen any of the improv comedy shows? That's where Amy Poehler and Tina Fey started... oh, and John Belushi and Steve Carell and Will Farrell and Seth Rogen and the incredibly talented Canadian group from SCTV who brought us "Waiting for Guffman" and "Best of Show" as well as Monty Python and a good number from improv theaters around the country who became SNL cast members... and on and on.

Tim Conway

How did Robin Williams and Tim Conway and Johnathan Winters learn to make people laugh? Ok, so it's talent... I'll give you that. Oh, and a rich sense of humor... oh, and timing and imagination and on and on... but I mean, how did they practice their trade when they didn't know all the secrets?

That's where improvisation comes in. The good ones are quick on their feet and ready to be ridiculous at the drop of a hat. And here's one of their secrets--a four-lane expressway to the next best line:

It's referred to as the "Yes, and..." trick, never to be confused with "Yes, but... "

"Yes, and... " continues a thought, no matter how ridiculous, with an addition to that line of thinking but even more ridiculous. Someone starts:

"I had an aunt who thought she was a chicken... " 

Then you say "Yes, and she had drumsticks to die for."

And he/she says "Yes and did you see those silly little claw-like shoes she had on?"

And you say, "Yes, and they were the talk of the San Francisco Fricase-Fried Chicken Festival in February."

"Yes and she was especially popular around Easter... for the eggs."

Etc., etc.        


Get the idea? It's Yes and... until you have told the story for laughs or gotten booed off the stage... Yes and if you're new to the concept, you will be booed off the stage. But you get the idea.

Oh, there's lots more to comedy of course, but this shows how to keep a story going... and it works at cocktail parties too, though it comes with inherent dangers. Says one who knows, "You find yourself in a place where you're, like, how did I get here?" But nonetheless, it is a positive transition to whatever happens next. It could even lead to the next improve technique, "If, then..." and next thing you know, you are on SNL...  or the life of the party, or people avoid you like the plague.

Yes, and there is an improv school for you if you really care. Comedian Amy Poehler was one of four who founded the Upright Citizens Brigade, a New York 'cultural reach' for comedy where you can take lessons until you are good or run out of money, whichever comes first. An alum of the process said it is especially good if "you want to take the slow train to crazytown."

Yes, and the process is proving so helpful in boosting self confidence that it is sought by business men and women. Being comfortable in any communicative process is greatly enhanced by the confidence that is built over knowing you can always 'Yes, and...' Such confidence, those 'Yes, and' folks say has a holistic side for maximum feel good benefit.

All that is all especially complimentary if you are a comedian who's fortune is built on the next funny line. It's what you do if you choose to "be in the club." It's hard not to appreciate the many who make us laugh. And doesn't the world need more of that?

Yes, and... wait til you see my next exciting blog post.

                                           

In today's coronavirus world, what is a life really worth? I think Monty Python answers that question better than anything I have ever heard.

So if you are too young (and shame on you) Monty Python may be something entirely unknown in your brief--anything less than maybe 55 years--life so far.

Since age now matters as to who gets the ventilator and who doesn't, the value of a human life is being quantified.

Here then is the ultimate determiner that any true Catholic will swear to. This explains why every life is of incredible value and one is no greater or less than any other.

Background: Monty Python was a British comedy legend most popular from 1969 through 1983... a cast of irreverent actors that was sometimes raw but typically funny in the way life sometimes is.  Their comedy is parody with a touch of satire thrown in so be ready or stop reading. (I know God has a sense of humor because just look around you every day. See?)

The group first showcased its zany take on humor in the British television series, Monty Python's Flying Circus and from there, made three largely popular movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life. (If you have no idea, then you must see at least one which will lead to wanting to see them all.) It was The Meaning of Life that featured in one of its segments, the song  "Every Sperm is Sacred." The movie received The British Academy of Film and Television award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema in 1988.

"Aha!" you say. "So that's your proof?" Would the Pope lie? As one born Catholic (though have moved on), of course. And to get the gist, here are the lyrics. If they intrigue you, you MUST see one of the best musical clips ever which I've saved for you at the end of this post... after I've made my case.

Every Sperm Is Sacred

Monty Python

There are Jews in the world

There are Buddhists

There are Hindus and Mormons, and then

There are those that follow Mohammed, but

I've never been one of them

I'm a Roman Catholic,

And have been since before I was born,

And the one thing they say about Catholics is:

They'll take you as soon as you're warm

You don't have to be a six-footer

You don't have to have a great brain

You don't have to have any clothes on You're

A Catholic the moment Dad came,

Because

Every sperm is sacred

Every sperm is great

If a sperm is wasted,

God gets quite irate

Every sperm is sacred

Every sperm is great

If a sperm is wasted,

God gets quite irate

Let the heathen spill theirs

On the dusty ground

God shall make them pay for

Each sperm that can't be found

Every sperm is wanted

Every sperm is… 

Source: LyricFind

Now here's the point: Because we, the greatest, richest, smartest, best, etc. country in the world did not prepare for any pandemic (which we were assured by all those who know pandemics, that it/they will continue to happen) we were caught short... and worse, we didn't believe, for at least a month, that what was happening in China might, would, could be our problem... the world's problem.

Now we absolutely know we are perilously unprepared, low in both safety equipment for our heroes on the front lines tests (becaus we had to test,  test, test but had none) and ventilators to save those who would/will die of the disease if they are not available when needed... and we have been assured, they will not be available when needed.

This means that those in triage will have to make decisions on who will likely die and those which are more likely to survive. Our government put us in this position. Thanks a lot. May God be on triage shoulders as decisions are made. (Disclosure: If I am in that position as a patient, tell all my wife, children and grandchildren that I love them more than than I could ever express as a mere human... and that I have lived a wonderful life of joy and happiness with my loved and the world.) 

Note to self: Be sure to save that disclosure if this scenario proves false.

With unnecessary death facing many, there has been a public relations effort to monetize the value of a human life as one justification for who lives and who dies. Obviously age is a primary determiner in making a life or death decision but dollars of value of a human significantly cheapens the process. That's why it is imperative to recognize that every life is worthy and, as most believe, every sperm is sacred. Life is too precious to be a dollar value add-on by others.

And by the way, I believe age is a probable determiner in many situations where significant differences are a factor. Close calls, I can't imagine. 

It would be hypocritical to believe that if life is sacred in its beginning but expendable at its end without strongly supporting Roe vs. Wade, no matter what your personal belief. To think otherwise would cede de facto control of both life and death to the government. And this in a country that largely does not believe everyone deserves health care. Now that is hypocritical.

OK, that was fun. Now, as promised, I think you will enjoy this "Every Sperm is Sacred" clip from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life... and don't say you weren't cautioned.

Is it time to see "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" again... or for the first time?

Jimmy Stewart as Jefferson Smith

Recognize him? That's actor Jimmy Stewart who died in 1997. But you know him best as George Bailey of Bedford Falls in your Christmastime favorite, It's A Wonderful Life, filmed in 1946.

Here he is as Jefferson Smith, a naive man appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. The movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, dates to 1936.

As the synopsis of the movie is explained, "Naive and idealistic Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers, is appointed on a lark by the spineless governor of his state. He is reunited with the state's senior senator--presidential hopeful and childhood hero, Senator Joseph Paine. In Washington, however, Smith discovers many of the shortcomings of the political process as his earnest goal of a national boys' camp leads to a conflict with the state political boss, Jim Taylor. Taylor first tries to corrupt Smith and then later attempts to destroy Smith through a scandal."

Of course it is high drama fiction, in b&w1936 style which is a treat in itself, but not so unrealistic to show the heart of a patriot fighting for a common good against a vested older congress that has other ideas.

Frank Capra directed both of these Jimmy Stewart movies and if you liked one, chances are, you will like the other. Watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, it is free here.

FYI: Re: our Congress, In my last blog post I said I have always taken to heart that the world belongs to the young to mold, change and evolve to become the better world destined to be theirs. We older and presumed wiser had our turn, but sometimes it seems, just don't know when to get out of the way. (Hmm... thinking term limits, but who among them would ever go for that?)

We do have some good things happening that did not exist back in Jefferson Smith's day--women, more diversity and young rising stars, but even with that, our leaders are growing older as a body. There is no one running for President on a major platform that is not on the other side of 70 and by the averages, some members are aging in place. 

The average age of our current Senate is 62.9 years, the oldest ever... and four are in their 80s with Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Grassley each 87. Even Popes are younger than that. The average age of our current Representative is 57.6 years. In 1981 the Senate average age was 61 (vs 62.9) and for Representatives it was 49 (vs 57.6). 

The average age of America is 20+ years younger than their representatives in Congress.

So much for that idea.

The most attended single performance of a play ever in world theater.

Madison Square Garden as you've never seen it before.

Sure, the photo is poor but that's because it is a shot of a New York Times two-page newspaper fold-out (creases and all) of one spectacular happening. Look carefully and you will see, from left to right, top to bottom, 18,000 New York City public middle and high school students from five boroughs. (Tickets were offered to all on a first-come-first-served basis.)

"And why?", you may ask. To see a special afternoon performance of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning 1960 book, To Kill A Mockingbird, made into a long running Broadway play by Aaron Sorkin. (That was Wednesday, Feb. 26th, before any Coronavirus lock-down.)

"Watching 'To Kill A Mockingbird' with 18,000 teenagers was one of the most profound theater experiences of my career, " said The Washington Post critic Peter Marks. "This was the first time that the storied sports and entertainment arena had been transformed into a playhouse, for a one-performance-only run of a play."

The production played out on a specially made 90x40 foot stage backed by 105 stagehands and technicians, 18,000 boxes of popcorn and Madison Square Garden itself, made available free by James L. Dolan and The Garden's in-house operations.

To let Peter Marks tell it because I wasn't there: "The kids, black and brown and white faces, in caps and hijabs and school sweats, sat in attentive delegations on all levels of the Garden through the nearly three hours of the play, which stars Ed Harris as Atticus Finch. Many of the students have been reading the novel, so when Harris entered to thunderous applause, you wondered for a moment if they were clapping for the actor of for the towering lawyer from fiction, called on to defend a black man in 1934 Alabama falsely accused of raping a white woman.

"And, wow--the deafening roar near the end when Atticus got Bob Ewell around the neck, poised to pummel him, a cacophonous response at a volume I have never heard in a theater. Their reactions pointed to one uncontestable truth: the kids were listening.

" They were exhorted to strike this reflective posture by Brooklyn-born director Spike Lee took to the stage just before the show (along with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, his wife and Bartlett Sher director of the play). 'Please listen to the words,' Lee said, as he also offered encouragement to anyone in the crowd considering a life in the arts. 

Mayor de Blasio used the moment to remind the students of their collective political power...
'The only way to change your world is if you decide it is your world to change.'"

The question was then asked of us, "Why not strive to make such showcases annual events in cities across the country? This wasn't just a harnessing of potential young people power, it was a demonstration of theater power."

And being blessed with a wonderful abundance of grand children myself, I have seen and savored the energy and talent they and their other actors and all behind the stage have given to a multitude of plays and performances. I marvel at the positive affect singing, dancing, acting and backstage supporting does for so many young people. And for them to do it so well is a gratifying experience and joy to behold, both on and off stage.

So many thanks go out to those who provide the structure, style. skill and dedication to make this happen for so many young people. Hey! We are building our tomorrow and if you squint just a little, you see it is a good place. Keep on keeping on please.


Blogger note: I have always taken to heart that the world really belongs to the young to mold, change and evolve to become the better world destined to be theirs. We older and presumed wiser had our turn, but sometimes it seems, just don't know when to get out of the way.

A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants... and why not?

Premise for this post: With the coronavirus upon us all, the stock market in free-fall, global warming eating us from the inside out, the ugly, ugly political rhetoric and the total disrespect we are seeing among us, it is way past time for something a little lighter.

Remember the Mary Tyler Moore show?
It made us laugh for the seven years between 1970-'77.  (Look, it wasn't my fault you were born later!)

This scene, called by many as one of the best comedic sitcom moments ever, is of the memorial for a co-worker, Chuckles the Clown who, while dressed as a peanut, was killed by a hungry elephant.

If you have 4 1/2 minutes to feel richer, here is that scene.


"She (Mary Tyler Moore) only wanted to play a great character (Mary Richards) and she did," said The New York Times in her obituary. (She died at 80.) "That character also happened to be single, female, over 30, professional, independent and not particularly obsessed with getting married. Mary had America facing such issues as equal pay, birth control and sexual independence way back in the '70s." She won 4 of her 7 Emmys in that role. And she had the perfect supporting cast filling her newsroom.

From the Better Late than Never Department:

An aboriginal tribe with a cannibalistic background recently reached out with an apology to heirs of a man their ancestors had eaten in the late 1800s. (True.) They also promised that they would remove that recipe from their cookbook. (You do know I just made that last part up right?)

But in the end, what is funny to one very likely is not funny to everyone... one size does not fit all. But it's always worth a try.
HUMOR IQ TEST

Read these short paragraphs from an actual newspaper contest where entrants, age 4 to 15,  were asked to imitate "Deep Thoughts" by Jack Handey, a former Saturday Night Live writer of years back and tell me you didn't laugh or smile more than once.

I gaze at the brilliant full moon. The same one, I think to myself, at which Socrates, Aristotle and Plato gazed. Suddenly, I imagine they appear beside me. I tell Socrates about the national debate over one's right to die and wonder at the constancy of the human condition. I tell Plato that I live in the country that has come the closest to Utopia and I show him a copy of the Constitution. I tell Aristotle that we have found many more than the four  basic elements and I show him a periodic table. I get a box of kitchen matches and strike one. They gasp with wonder. We spend the rest of the night lighting farts. (Age 15)

Give me the strength to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot, and a great big bag of money. (Age 13)

I bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween. (Age 13)

For centuries, people thought the moon was made of green cheese. Then the astronauts found that the moon is really a big hard rock. That's what happens to cheese when you leave it out. (Age 6)

I once heard the voice of God. He said "Vroommm." Unless it was just a lawn mower. (Age l1)

If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be until the looting started. (Age 15)

It sure would be nice if we got a day off for the presidents' birthdays, like they do for the queen's. Of course, then we would have a lot of people voting for a candidate born on July 3rd or December 26th, just for the long weekends. (Age 8)

Answer key: If you laughed or smiled at some of these, you probably passed and are "life-ready." If you didn't, then be an actuary. (Oops, sorry all my actuary friends, I meant be an accountant.)

You know, I want these kids in my world because if you can't see humor, it's a tougher life for you and those you touch.

As the real Jack Handey explains, "Maybe to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind: Basically, it's made up of two separate words, mank and ind. What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind."

Sometimes funny and real are hard to separate.

You are born into your life without choice. But if you are born in India, how you live your life is not yours to determine..

In India, you are born to be Brahmins where those are priests and teachers (Wow, teachers at the top!). Kshatriyas are warriors and rulers, Vaishyas are farmers, traders and merchants,  and Shoudras are labourers (sic).

Even lower than those castes, are the outcasts, the Dalits (called the untouchables) where you are born to clean toilets or sweep streets.  You will note that the Dalits box shown does not even connect to Brama, the Hindu God of creation who some believe originated the cast system.

That is your unchangeable life...where you will remain as long as you are on this earth.

Manusmriti, regarded as the most important and authoritative book on Hindu law dating back to 1,000 years or more before Christ was born, "acknowledges the caste system as a basis of order and regularity of society."

The four castes were then subdivided into about 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, each based on specific occupations. And the Dalits?

Jamal and friends

You may recall the movie Slum Dog Millionaire which enthralled us all and won the Best Picture Oscar in 2008. It was Jamal Malik, a Dalit/an untouchable, who rose against all of society to win 20 million rupees ($436,000 in U.S. dollars at the time), to the delight of his peers, the downtrodden and movie audiences around the world.

*So now I ask you, isn't this sounding a little uncomfortable, perhaps like how the United States seems to be stratifying, maybe somewhat like this?

• The top 1%, the well off who want for nothing. They wait in no lines, fly anywhere in private aircraft or certainly first class if they are 'the poor rich', do not collect coupons to save $2, see whatever doctors or professionals whenever they need to, own multiple million dollar homes all over the world, borrow incredible amounts of money on their name only, pay modest taxes (if any) for their wealth at a rate lower than almost everyone else and have influence only money can buy.
• The fairly well off are certainly not hurting but close to the top 1% because while lacking just few things, they easily get by with just a servant or two, merely one or two homes and a few more perks.
  
• The middle class live in nice homes with  nice families, friends and lifestyles, have two cars and perhaps a motorcycle or RV with just enough frills to keep them level in the waters of life.
  
• The struggling to keep afloat may work two jobs or have been laid off and/or work for a lesser salary elsewhere, have a modest income with modest savings and perhaps a college loan to pay forever, have insufficient or no health care, clip coupons and stand in line, drive to vacation to see Aunt Milly or the National parks, watch cable television, go out to eat rarely or at McDonalds, play Monopoly and worry about tomorrow.
• The poor and homeless are the most forgotten in every respect. Their resilience is what keeps them going and sometimes that is not enough, there is no upward, bad things happen to them out of their control, no health insurance, food banks to survive, tomorrow is never a good surprise and they are mostly out of mind and out of sight to too many who see them as a nuisance or blight who thankfully do not live near "us."

*I arbitrarily made up the category groupings but, hopefully they convey the thought.

In a New York Times article, Is America on the Way to a Caste System? The evidence of this trend isn't merely anecdotal. The richest 1 % of Americans live nearly 15 years longer than the poorest 1% according to a study in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). And that disparity is increasing.

"It's getting impossible to imagine that we're all in this together because the hard truth is we're not... If this continues unabated, we're done... You can't shred the norms of reciprocity that makes social cohesion possible and expect to have a functioning democracy. It's just not going to work."

Are we becoming something of a caste society? Here's a blog post I wrote three years ago, The Red Velvet Rope of Life, that is as just as true today if not more-so. I just reread it and son-of-a-gun, it's pretty right on... and a little funny.

We are not India but we certainly are not the America we should be. If our country is a sinking ship, the well-off may get the life preservers but we will all still get wet... or worse.  So is it "I made it, I keep it"...aka trickle down or "help those who cannot help themselves, no matter how they may try?" Be careful. What you say may sound more socialistic than you think.

'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

  




"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," wrote Margaret Wolfe Hungerford in her 1878 book, Molly Bawn. And perhaps no quote has ever been so true. The book produced a song by The Dubliners that tells the strange tale. (See below.)

Now I don't want you to think this banana, duct taped to an art gallery wall, is just a banana. It certainly isn't. It is what we connoisseurs in the art world called BRILLIANT! And if you just 'don't see it,' then begone with you! We art types run deep in appreciation of brilliance and you, my friend, must love a grand 'sofa size' painting of a sunset that you might see at a 'starving artists' exhibition by the side of the road on a nice summer weekend.

The big difference is easily seen in the price one is willing to pay. The 'sofa size' painting of some starving artist might set you back $50 or so. This 'Banana Taped to the Wall' masterpiece called "Comedian" is one exhibit now by the renowned Italian artist, Muarisio Cattelans at ART Basel in Miami Beach for a bargain $120,000! Surprised you uncouth anti-art appreciator?

The artist is also known for his $6 million gold toilet which was sadly stolen from The Blenhiem Palace earlier last year by some thief who really had to go.

Sad ending to the "Comedian," it was eaten by a starving artist thus nixing the sale. True story... but somewhat of a stunt... or, the banana was spoiling. No charges were filed.

"Three studies.. "

But by how art is valued, that isn't much of an exaggeration considering this triptych "Three studies of Isabel Rawsthorne" by Francis Bacon that sold at Sothbey's auction for $17.4 million. It must have been well framed. 

Molly Bawn by  the Dubliners

Oh come all ye late fellows that follows the gun
Beware of night ramblin' by the setting of the sun
Beware of an accident as happened of late
It was Molly Bawn Leary and sad was her fate

She'd been gone to her uncle's when a storm it came on
She drew under a green bush the shower for to shun
With her white apron wrapped around her he took her for a swan
Took aim and alas it was his own Molly Bawn

Oh young Jimmy ran homeward with his gun and his dog
Sayin' uncle, oh uncle, I have shot Molly Bawn
I have killed that fair female, the joy of my life
For I'd always intended that she would be my wife

Oh young Jimmy Ranlon, do not run away
Stay in your own country till your trial it comes on
For you'll never be convicted of the shootin' of a swan

Well the night before Molly's funeral her ghost it did appear
Saying uncle, dearest uncle, let young Jimmy run clear
It being late of an evening when he took me for a swan
Took aim and alas he killed his own Molly Bawn

Now all the girls of this country they seem to be glad
Since the flower of Glen Ardagh, Molly Bawn she lies dead
Get all girls of this country, stand them into a row
Molly Bawn would shine above them like a fountain of snow

 

So now you know "the rest of the story.