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March 28, 2024, 12:25:47 PM

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New Channel 4 show on "controversial television" featuring Brass Eye

Started by Neil, July 22, 2004, 05:45:47 PM

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Neil

I just checked my email and we've had a message from someone who is working on a show, and is looking into the "Grade Is A Cunt" frame.  Hmm.  Anyway, it prompted me to dig out Moral Decline, and that's a show which I can't watch too often as I have seen it a lot when capturing it (and the uncut version, which was even harder to capture and so which I have seen even more times.)  So I'm waiting for a while to forget as much of the details as possible so I can enjoy it again.  Anyway, two gags just jumped out at me which I had either forgotten about, or hadn't actually noticed before.  Namely the phrase "spotty little cunt, go away", and also the "Myra-lin" thing  I also noticed that Purves doesn't say Myra when he's explaining that the song is about her hair, he appears to say "Harrian" or something like that, (not Myralin) is this a reference to a Pulp song I don't recognise?  In fact, why were Pulp chosen for this sketch, they weren't known for doing controversial songs back then, were they?  Is it just because Morris does a bloody hilarious impression of Cocker? (His impression of Hindley is fairly amusing too.)  Oh, the guy waving his arm when his mother looks at him on the toilet is another lovely little thing which I had forgotten about.  The amount of detail in Brass Eye is just phenomenal.  Anyway, before the forum exploded I can recall Darrell posting some pics which juxtaposed Me Oh Myra and a Pulp video, which song was this please?  

I still can't figure out the speedy line in that song either, a few months ago I was trying to work it out for the lyrics on the forthcoming Morris Music page, and I listened to a loop of it on and off for a couple of hours.   Looking back at what I had got then I put "I thought "I hope they make her take off her dress,
For the next one, but they didn't even know it would be so much better if they had..." I think this is correct, and listening to it with the accompanying visuals confirms there is also a mention to her having a fag as it's backed up by his hand motions.  I think it's something like "But they didn't even know it would be so much better if they'd had her sitting on her ass having a fag."  Wish I knew for sure.

Dr David V

2 things:

1) The Pulp video was either Common People or Disco 2000, I think they're very similar videos, someone else will probably provide better help.
2) That really quick line is given in full on the transcription of Decline on the Thrift Funnel website, and that line you put there looks rather familiar.

weekender

Quote from: "Neil"I still can't figure out the speedy line in that song either

I tried to work this out a while ago.  I was fairly sure it was:

Quote...for the next one, but they didn't even though it would have been so much better if they had done or I could sit down and have a fag

But the only word I wasn't sure of was the 'or', it just didn't seem to work.  The Thrift Funnel says this:

QuoteFor the next one, but they didn't even know it would be so much better if it had been alright sitting there having a fag.

I have now concluded that the lyric is:

Quote...for the next one, but they didn't even though it would have been so much better if they had done alright sit down and have a fag

Which seems to make sense in my head, anyway, and ties up with the movements of Morris's mouth.

Godzilla Bankrolls

Pulp did have a bit of a controversial phase. I think it might have been a performance of Sorted For E's and Wizz on TOTP that got them a headline in the Daily Mirror ("Ban this sick stunt!"). Or it could've been down to the speed wrap diagram that was in the single sleeve.

Check out Pulp's Different Class if you want to know how excellent Morris' Jarvis was. He got the seediness down to a t.

lazyhour

Quote from: "Dr David V"2 things:

1) The Pulp video was either Common People or Disco 2000, I think they're very similar videos, someone else will probably provide better help.

Reminded me more of Razzmatazz, if I IIRC correctly.  Wasn't Brass Eye made before Common People made Pulp superstars?  Or am I way off?  Certainly the Pulp parody has tons in common musically with His and Hers-era Pulp, not Different Class-era.

Edit: Ack, yes, I'm well wrong.  Oops!

Godzilla Bankrolls

No, it's definitely DC-era Pulp. The vid is supposed to be Common People, the riff from Atomic is a reference to Disco 2000 nicking the riff from Bruce Springsteen's Gloria, and it would've been a bit pointless taking the piss out of them before DC, because they were still largely unknown.

Neil

Quote from: "Beloved Aunt"Pulp did have a bit of a controversial phase. I think it might have been a performance of Sorted For E's and Wizz on TOTP that got them a headline in the Daily Mirror ("Ban this sick stunt!"). Or it could've been down to the speed wrap diagram that was in the single sleeve.

Yes I did a bit of digging after making that post and was quite surprised to find out that the album with "Sorted for E's & Wizz" was released in 1995!  Blimey, I thought that was released waaay after Brass Eye.

QuoteCheck out Pulp's Different Class if you want to know how excellent Morris' Jarvis was. He got the seediness down to a t.

I should do that, the last album of theirs I bought/listened to was "His and Hers."  I saw them at the Reading festival that year, playing in the day-time, not long before Ice Cube I think,  and I couldn't persuade a single friend to go and watch them with me.  Few years later they were headlining Glastonbury.  Cocker did a lot of amusing titting about at the Reading gig, hiding behind things on the stage and the like.  Morris has the mannerisms down to a T.

Goldentony

from what i could gather, the video's a piss take of common people and the song is just disco 2000 but reworded

and ive just sat very close to the tv with brasseye on, all i could hear with that fast line was "But they didn't even know it would have been so much better if they'd have had her sitting on her ass having a fag"

i doubt any of this helps but there you go

Neil

Quote from: "Beloved Aunt"No, it's definitely DC-era Pulp. The vid is supposed to be Common People, the riff from Atomic is a reference to Disco 2000 nicking the riff from Bruce Springsteen's Gloria

Laura Branigan's "Gloria."  I can upload it if anyone is interested.  When you think about details like this, not to mention all the stuff above, the generally briliant lyrics and the fact that the song is really great to listen to as a stand-alone tune...it just makes the likes of Little White Butt seem even worse.  Give me a "Me Oh Myra" 12-inch over a Bushwhacked 2 one any day.

"Every time I see your picture Myra,
I have to phone my latest girlfriend and fire her,
And find a prostitute that looks like you and hire her
Oh, me oh Myra"

weekender

Quote from: "weekender"...for the next one, but they didn't even though it would have been so much better if they had done alright sit down and have a fag

It's bloody this, I'm telling you.

Quote from: "Neil"New Channel 4 show on "controversial television"

Is this going to be a '100 great controversial television moments" type thing?  I'm sure they've done that idea before, I didn't watch the programme itself, but I'm sure it was included in their '100 BEST 'STOP MAKING FUCKING LISTS' PROGRAMMES'.

Godzilla Bankrolls

Oh! The Different Class sleeve/promotion featured cut-outs of the band - hence the cut-out of Hindley.

Darrell

There are quite a few Pulp video references in Me Oh Myra - I don't have the screengrab juxtapositions to hand, but I can remember most of it. Nearly all the shots copy shots in various Pulp videos exactly - you'd have to sit down and study them hard to get it all. It's certainly more specific than it appears to be at first glance.

Largely, it's Razzmatazz, but with the set lit like the disco in the Common People video. A lot of the staged scenes illustrating the lyrics ape the Different Class artwork (which was referenced in most DC-era Pulp videos), and the words on cards are from the Lipgloss promo.

Daaaaaaan

The video is definitely a parody of the Common People video because of the disco stage. I wouldn't say the song is a parody of any particular Pulp song, it's just Morris trying to capture the mannerisms of Cockers singing style and Pulps general sound.

You know, like it's not hard to do a parody of Portishead, you just sing in slow motion and add loads of distortion effects over it.

Godzilla Bankrolls

Are you on about the Mary Anne Hobbes jingle from Blue Jam? I've always thought that was a Portishead parody.

lazyhour

Quote from: "Daaaaaaan"The video is definitely a parody of the Common People video because of the disco stage.

But have you seen the Razzmatazz video?

Emergency Lalla Ward Ten

Don't some of us have Brass Eye DVDs with subtitles on? Can't we check the line on there?

Unless it's been transcribed by work experience people.

Or we could pop down to the top-secret Box of Slice site that everyone knows about and ask Morris direct. He won't know, but we can ask him.

Quote from: "Emergency Lalla Ward Ten"Don't some of us have Brass Eye DVDs with subtitles on? Can't we check the line on there?

Well my brasseye dvd doesnt have a subtitle option. Its the brasseye dvd remember? We should just be grateful its on dvd at all etc.

Darrell

Quote from: "Daaaaaaan"The video is definitely a parody of the Common People video because of the disco stage.

Well, no, as I said - "largely, it's Razzmatazz, but with the set lit like the disco in the Common People video." Watch the Razzmatazz video and you'll see. Oh, and look out for a close-up shot of Cocker with the glittery curtain out-of-focus in the background, as it was copied for Me Oh Myra (the framing of Morris's face is completely identical!).

Quote from: "Daaaaaaan"I wouldn't say the song is a parody of any particular Pulp song, it's just Morris trying to capture the mannerisms of Cockers singing style and Pulps general sound.

Well, no, it's specifically Different Class material, even more specifically 'Mis-Shapes' (in terms of arrangement and chord progressions, if we're talking strictly musically here).

I still haven't worked out why the riff from 'Save All Your Kisses For Me' by Brotherhood of Man is in it though.

The Fanciful Norwegian

QuoteWell my brasseye dvd doesnt have a subtitle option.

One of us must have some sort of super-special limited edition, because mine does. Unfortunately they're of very little use for figuring out the line, since they only go up to "But they didn't, even though it would be much better..." The rest of the lyric is unsubtitled.

axel

It's very late now, but i only noticed yesterday on a vist to the NMFPT in Bradford yesterday that they held a screening and talk on Day Today and Brasseye in June. See here on the contents bit:

http://www.nmpft.org.uk/film/filmdiarypdfs/june04.pdf

Did anyone go? What was discussed? Plans for world domination or tired old arguments we've all heard a thousands times before?

zozman

Quote from: "Beloved Aunt"I think it might have been a performance of Sorted For E's and Wizz on TOTP that got them a headline in the Daily Mirror ("Ban this sick stunt!").


Jarvis said in a interview that he got upset the first time he saw this headline in the mirror, because he mistakenly thought it said "ban this thick cunt".

Well I thought it was funny, if not almost certainly made up by Mr C.

Godzilla Bankrolls

The headline did exist - there was a bit of a hoo-hah at the time. I do recall that Jarvis anecdote though, perhaps from an Xmas NME.

tygerbug

Zuh, I hadn't even seen the episode until recently, but I heard exactly what's been put down:

...for the next one, but they didn't even though it would have been so much better if they had done alright sit down and have a fag





Yeah, that's what it sounded like.

Quote from: "Neil"In fact, why were Pulp chosen for this sketch, they weren't known for doing controversial songs back then, were they?

I get the impression the reason Myra Hindley was used was because of Jarvis' links with the Young British Artists movement.  Afterall, one of the gang, Marcus Harvey was the one who did Myra's portrait using children's handprints.

Morrisfan82

I think it also had a bit to do with Jarvis' love of writing songs about shagging.