Beloved-in-their-home countries cultural phenomena that is otherwise baffling

[George White]

Been watching a few Bud Spencer and Terence Hill movies. And they're odd, faux-American cop comedy movies with Disney-ish silliness. Beloved in Italy, and elsewhere in Europe and around the world, but not in Anglophone territories - the very areas they seek acclaim from.

Also been listening to early Wayne Newton, whose androgynous voice has a haunting, psychotronic quality, and wondering why people see him since his voice has deepened, and that one thing he had going for is gone...

[Cuellar]

[Ronalado]

RONALADO visit sex shop in FRANKFORT and lady is kind to offer caviar and sekt. even entire section just for this. but is not what RONALAO expect. try? is possible, but try only one or maybe two time then not again for a long time.

[George White]

I found a DVD of this lot in my local discount secondhand DVD emporium, and was genuinely baffled. "Dutch blackface for children? Please tell me there's irony?" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Club_van_Sinterklaas
Nah.
Then again, the Indian Showband is still a thing in Ireland.

[Cuellar]

Yeah, no irony, they bloody love it. Can buy little makeup kits for your kids in all the shops.

I mean, there is a movement against it, obviously, but a bigger movement FOR it. They are mental.

[George White]

Yeah, no irony, they bloody love it. Can buy little makeup kits for your kids in all the shops.

I mean, there is a movement against it, obviously, but a bigger movement FOR it. They are mental.

To be honest, there are similar things in Ireland. As I mentioned, the Indian Showband. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9is2VCEB54

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ulster-rugby-players-wear-black-makeup-in-ethiopian-photo-paddy-jackson-dressed-as-slave-30424197.html At least one of these lads acquitted for rape.

[Sebastian Cobb]

My parents were in Spain a few weeks ago and they said there was some town festival that involved people blacking up, apparently there was even a young girl blacked up as a market seller with dodgy items on a blanket who then got into a faux chase with the coppers. Hideous really.

[a duncandisorderly]

My parents were in Spain a few weeks ago and they said there was some town festival that involved people blacking up, apparently there was even a young girl blacked up as a market seller with dodgy items on a blanket who then got into a faux chase with the coppers. Hideous really.

I've seen that too, & on telly as well. got a screengrab in my ipad, I was so astonished by it. "hey," I says to the mrs, "I thought only the dutch did this sort of thing..."  & apparently it's something to do with the moors coming over from north africa which is, after all, a mere stone's throw.

[Buelligan]

It's all El Caganer and Johnny Halliday round here.

[Sebastian Cobb]

It's all El Caganer and Johnny Halliday round here.

When I was about 13 I bought some posters in France. One was a drawing of an octegenarian man bent over so his head was under his arse with the word "RECYCLING" underneath it, and the other was a dressed chimp on a toilet like this but different, it seems there's a whole set of this sort of thing.

[Buelligan]

Are you saying Johnny Halliday's shit?

[a duncandisorderly]

It's all El Caganer and Johnny Halliday round here.

we took the kids to see an absolutely enormous sprawling great nativity diorama thing in madrid just after new year... seemed like an acre of incredibly detailed scenery, with all sorts of villagey activity beautifully modelled in all sorts of wood, fibre-glass, resin & what-have-you. I could not find anyone taking a dump, anywhere in it. not even one of the donkeys.

it's PC gone mad.

[fully expecting someone to quote this & change 'diorama' to something else]

[thenoise]

I've seen that too, & on telly as well. got a screengrab in my ipad, I was so astonished by it. "hey," I says to the mrs, "I thought only the dutch did this sort of thing..."  & apparently it's something to do with the moors coming over from north africa which is, after all, a mere stone's throw.

There is a suggestion that the Moors are the origin of Morris (=Moorish?) dancing, hence why many Morris dancers used to blacken their faces with cork. The modern versions usually dye their faces some other colour, if at all, although it still goes on here and there. Others claim it is a representation of night / mischievous night spirits and nothing to do with Moors or imitating black people. It's still a bit weird when you come across them in exeter high street or whatever (not in darkest Cornwall, it's expected here).

[Paul Calf]

we took the kids to see an absolutely enormous sprawling great nativity something else thing in madrid just after new year... seemed like an acre of incredibly detailed scenery, with all sorts of villagey activity beautifully modelled in all sorts of wood, fibre-glass, resin & what-have-you. I could not find anyone taking a dump, anywhere in it. not even one of the donkeys.

it's PC gone mad.

[fully expecting someone to quote this & change 'diorama' to something else]

[JesusAndYourBush]

There is a suggestion that the Moors are the origin of Morris (=Moorish?) dancing, hence why many Morris dancers used to blacken their faces with cork.

They also used to mix chopped nuts & honey in with their cornflakes which is why people say Crunchy Nut Cornflakes are so Moorish.

[pigamus]

They also had Liam Gallagher's... nah, doesn't work.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The sketch Dinner For One. Massive in Europe. Obscure in the UK.

It's just a slowly whimsical and frankly quite tedious sketch, save for a few slapstick moments.

[thenoise]

Been watching a few Bud Spencer and Terence Hill movies. And they're odd, faux-American cop comedy movies with Disney-ish silliness. Beloved in Italy, and elsewhere in Europe and around the world, but not in Anglophone territories - the very areas they seek acclaim from.

I've seen They call me Trinity, a faintly amusing western with some great fighting scenes.  I'm a bit more familiar with Spaghetti Westerns than with Poliziotteschi (Italian police/crime thrillers), so it just about works as a spoof despite the translation issues.

Dinner for one is a strange thing to watch every NYE, although there is a melancholy about it that is also present in our annual traditions (eg the Snowman).  And the opening line, something like 'Same as last year?  Same as every year.' which is appropriate I guess.  I've spent NYE with Italians and they tend to have a big meal with family, rather than go out and get pissed, or have a house party that turns quite nasty.

[Sin Agog]

Female Genital Mutilation.

[Small Man Big Horse]

The sketch Dinner For One. Massive in Europe. Obscure in the UK.

It's just a slowly whimsical and frankly quite tedious sketch, save for a few slapstick moments.

It's huge in Denmark apparently, and shown every New Year's Eve. I watched it on NYE last year and enjoyed it a fair bit, sure it's not up their with the most intellectual of comedy but it's extremely well performed and made me smile a lot.

[SteveDave]

Kiss. Music for Americans.

[touchingcloth]

The sketch Dinner For One. Massive in Europe. Obscure in the UK.

It's just a slowly whimsical and frankly quite tedious sketch, save for a few slapstick moments.

It's the same procedure as every year really.

[Cuellar]

Arse hoses in Thailand.

The only baffling thing is that it isn't universally practised. They're brilliant. I reckon if I asked a plumber to install one in my house he'd spit on my back.

[studpuppet]

Not baffling as such, but he never translated like Chaplin did because a lot of his business was linguistic:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Valentin

[Sebastian Cobb]

Arse hoses in Thailand.

The only baffling thing is that it isn't universally practised. They're brilliant. I reckon if I asked a plumber to install one in my house he'd spit on my back.

doesn't it leave you feeling like you're sitting on a wet teabag for the rest of the afternoon?

[Cuellar]

Not in the least. You hose and then wipe, but because you've hosed the worst of it off the wiping mainly just dries.

It's absolutely wonderful.

[thenoise]

Arse hoses in Thailand.

The only baffling thing is that it isn't universally practised. They're brilliant. I reckon if I asked a plumber to install one in my house he'd spit on my back.

I suppose that would do the trick, especially if he was really phlegmy.  Hardly practical every time though.

[MidnightShambler]

Arse hoses in Thailand.

The only baffling thing is that it isn't universally practised. They're brilliant. I reckon if I asked a plumber to install one in my house he'd spit on my back.

They're brilliant aren't they? I even used it on my own arse once, that was even better.

[George White]

Kiss. Music for Americans.

Kiss are to US what Slade are to Britain.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Kiss are to US what Slade are to Britain.

Not having this. Slade aren't shit. Plus aren't Kiss basically just a vehicle with which to sell more and more Kiss-branded tat?