Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 28, 2024, 09:30:21 PM

Login with username, password and session length

The style of comedy Stewart Lee does where he pulls you along constantly teasing

Started by willbo, May 29, 2022, 09:32:48 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

willbo

...as in teasing you along for a punchline which never comes?

I went to London a few years ago with a friend, and we saw this street performer. The whole show was that he was about to do some amazing gymnastic move or something, but he had to keep stopping to make things right, or get the audience involved.

It's hard to describe, but we watched him for about 20 minutes going "I'm gonna do it! Get ready! Brace yourselves! I'm about to do it now! It's gonna be the most amazing thing you've ever seen!  Oh no - wait!" ...and then he'd need two of the crowd standing somewhere else with their arms out or something.

We had to move on before he got to any conclusion. But I always wondered if there actually was a move coming or the whole joke was that it wasn't gonna happen or go wrong or something. He was really funny, I'd go back and watch him again if I could.

Anyway been thinking about it and if it has a name or anything


BritishHobo

I can't find it now but I inexplicably came across a video on Facebook a while back like this. It was a guy who had a tiered cake, and said he was going to show how to decorate it in a beautiful multicoloured way with a really simple method. Essentially he had a funnel which he filled with different coloured frosting in turn, so there were levels; and he explained that when he lifted it up, the frosting would run down, and each tier would be decorated one of the colours. As you describe, he then went on to keep explaining this in a number of different ways, constantly acting as if he was literally just about to do it. Every so often he would pull at the funnel a little bit, to make you think it was going to happen. And then he would just keep explaining the situation - "in just a second I'll lift up this funnel and you'll see each colour trickle down and make a beautiful pattern". Kept doing kind-of telesales hand gestures, demonstrating how smoothly and perfectly the colours would spill down the cake, like a waterfall, each colour perfectly covering one tier of the cake. The video was well over an hour, just him teasing and teasing; and then in the last ten seconds he lifted up the funnel and all the colours slopped down the cake in an ugly haphazard way, all running together in a chaotic mess, leaving loads of inconsistent gaps, and the video just ended. It's one of the funniest videos I've ever seen.

PlanktonSideburns


bomb_dog

Quote from: willbo on May 29, 2022, 09:32:48 PM...as in teasing you along for a punchline which never comes?

I went to London a few years ago with a friend, and we saw this street performer. The whole show was that he was about to do some amazing gymnastic move or something, but he had to keep stopping to make things right, or get the audience involved.

It's hard to describe, but we watched him for about 20 minutes going "I'm gonna do it! Get ready! Brace yourselves! I'm about to do it now! It's gonna be the most amazing thing you've ever seen!  Oh no - wait!" ...and then he'd need two of the crowd standing somewhere else with their arms out or something.

We had to move on before he got to any conclusion. But I always wondered if there actually was a move coming or the whole joke was that it wasn't gonna happen or go wrong or something. He was really funny, I'd go back and watch him again if I could.

Saw a troupe of guys doing this near Leicester Square once, doing whip-rounds with the crowd and encouraging applause to get the crowd bigger. Didn't actually do any gymnastics.


Thosworth

It's like there's now so many mystery box / puzzle box TV shows. I've completely had enough of them. Always the content of a season is drawn out paper thin, and ends with more mysteries, or just a flat disappointing conclusion.

Gave up on Stranger Things about 3 eps in, and just about made it through True Detective, Yellowjackets, Devs, Maniac etc. etc. but never again. All so slooow. The frustrating thing is they'd all be perfectly serviceable 2-3 hour movies. It's like grinding in video games - devs dangle the anticipation of whats to come to hide the dull repetitious gameplay.

Sorry, way off of comedy, feel free to delete.

Cuellar

Quote from: BritishHobo on May 29, 2022, 10:06:20 PMI can't find it now but I inexplicably came across a video on Facebook a while back like this. It was a guy who had a tiered cake, and said he was going to show how to decorate it in a beautiful multicoloured way with a really simple method. Essentially he had a funnel which he filled with different coloured frosting in turn, so there were levels; and he explained that when he lifted it up, the frosting would run down, and each tier would be decorated one of the colours. As you describe, he then went on to keep explaining this in a number of different ways, constantly acting as if he was literally just about to do it. Every so often he would pull at the funnel a little bit, to make you think it was going to happen. And then he would just keep explaining the situation - "in just a second I'll lift up this funnel and you'll see each colour trickle down and make a beautiful pattern". Kept doing kind-of telesales hand gestures, demonstrating how smoothly and perfectly the colours would spill down the cake, like a waterfall, each colour perfectly covering one tier of the cake. The video was well over an hour, just him teasing and teasing; and then in the last ten seconds he lifted up the funnel and all the colours slopped down the cake in an ugly haphazard way, all running together in a chaotic mess, leaving loads of inconsistent gaps, and the video just ended. It's one of the funniest videos I've ever seen.

Yes, I saw that too, and I think it's this video. I guess someone looped part of it because this one is only 20 minutes long.

Replies From View

Quote from: Cuellar on May 30, 2022, 09:59:36 AMYes, I saw that too, and I think it's this video. I guess someone looped part of it because this one is only 20 minutes long.

The comments are great.

famethrowa

I'd put this Gordon Ramsay video in that category; basically Gordy uses all the usual TV cooking hype tricks to eventually present us with a cold, burnt, unmelted cheese sandwich. Top stuff

https://youtu.be/8E4cQHejFq0

BritishHobo

Quote from: Cuellar on May 30, 2022, 09:59:36 AMYes, I saw that too, and I think it's this video. I guess someone looped part of it because this one is only 20 minutes long.

That's exactly the one. I think the one I saw was twenty minutes as well and I've exaggerated it in my head. So happy you found it though. It's a niche talent, but I remember being really entertained how good the guy was at stringing along and acting like he's genuinely going to do it even past the point of absurdity.

Martin Van Buren Stan

Quote from: willbo on May 29, 2022, 09:32:48 PM...as in teasing you along for a punchline which never comes?

A style he perfected on 8 out of 10 cats

Kelvin

Quote from: BritishHobo on May 29, 2022, 10:06:20 PMI can't find it now but I inexplicably came across a video on Facebook a while back like this. It was a guy who had a tiered cake, and said he was going to show how to decorate it in a beautiful multicoloured way with a really simple method. Essentially he had a funnel which he filled with different coloured frosting in turn, so there were levels; and he explained that when he lifted it up, the frosting would run down, and each tier would be decorated one of the colours. As you describe, he then went on to keep explaining this in a number of different ways, constantly acting as if he was literally just about to do it. Every so often he would pull at the funnel a little bit, to make you think it was going to happen. And then he would just keep explaining the situation - "in just a second I'll lift up this funnel and you'll see each colour trickle down and make a beautiful pattern". Kept doing kind-of telesales hand gestures, demonstrating how smoothly and perfectly the colours would spill down the cake, like a waterfall, each colour perfectly covering one tier of the cake. The video was well over an hour, just him teasing and teasing; and then in the last ten seconds he lifted up the funnel and all the colours slopped down the cake in an ugly haphazard way, all running together in a chaotic mess, leaving loads of inconsistent gaps, and the video just ended. It's one of the funniest videos I've ever seen.

God, just reading your description has made me laugh really hard.

Martin Van Buren Stan

Quote from: famethrowa on May 30, 2022, 10:22:44 AMI'd put this Gordon Ramsay video in that category; basically Gordy uses all the usual TV cooking hype tricks to eventually present us with a cold, burnt, unmelted cheese sandwich. Top stuff

https://youtu.be/8E4cQHejFq0

Yeah that's hilarious.

thenoise

Apparently there is a niche for sexy ladies who do this with the 'punchline' being the removal of their clothes. I think videos have to be a certain length to be monetised, or something.

I think the correct name for this is a 'scam', even if it is occasionally amusing when you feel like you are in on it (as with Stewart Lee).

Replies From View

Ronnie Corbett used to do long, rambling, funny stories with a shit punchline.

Twilkes

This video kind of reminded me of the cake video, but has mercifully been edited much shorter:


The street performer thing is a trick you'll notice if you see more than one street performer at the Edinburgh festival - they get a 20-30 minute slot, and begin with no-one watching so they have to big themselves up to attract a crowd. It's pointless doing any tricks in the first few minutes as hardly anyone will see them, so they all just banter a load of bollocks for 20 minutes before doing their final trick, which to be fair they usually do, and then they have a large crowd to ask for money ("a donation of any size, no matter how small, just fold it up..." hahahahahahahaha). You may or may not have seen some skill before that, but usually it's just getting the audience involved in holding ropes/poles/chainsaws and ribbing them that it's not dangerous and hardly anyone gets killed but that's why they can't go back to Australia hahahahahaha etc etc etc etc etc etc. Comedians hate it because the street performers are probably making more money each day off of two minutes of 'material' than they are from a one hour show.

So not quite like the SLee scenario because he's dropping in little funny bits on his way to the big funny bit, it's more like Ralph McTell telling the crowd what he's been up to in the last week and hoping that they don't relentlessly bawl out for Streets Of London.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: Replies From View on May 30, 2022, 10:47:27 AMRonnie Corbett used to do long, rambling, funny stories with a shit punchline.

Most of Billy Connolly's rambling stories don't really have punchlines either. It's all in the details and detours.

I know he does it deliberately, while making it look accidental, but Connolly is the absolute master of the unexpected callback. I saw him live in concert once, and he started by telling us about a hippie crystal shop he once visited. Then he veered off. 90 minutes later, towards the end of the show, he said, "Anyway, that wee shop I was telling you about..."

Yes, of course it's a Pavlovian response, but the entire audience burst into laughter and applause. It's a neat trick (delayed callbacks, I mean, anyone can laugh and applaud).

Des Wigwam

Quote from: famethrowa on May 30, 2022, 10:22:44 AMI'd put this Gordon Ramsay video in that category; basically Gordy uses all the usual TV cooking hype tricks to eventually present us with a cold, burnt, unmelted cheese sandwich. Top stuff

https://youtu.be/8E4cQHejFq0

That looks fucking shit. And that's swearing.

I think he was going to genuinely cry when he cut it in half and said "oh God!" - but he gets straight back into his incantations of Beautiful, Amazing to make try and make it true.

The balls on him to have a go at the team on his The Apprentice programme who made them equally badly.

Edit:
Quote from: Martin Van Buren Stan on May 30, 2022, 10:37:47 AMYeah that's hilarious.
Yea. Really cheered me up seeing him bite into that horrible sweaty cheese with bits in and fermented cabbage that's stone cold in parts and luke warm in others. 

PlanktonSideburns

Quote from: Cuellar on May 30, 2022, 09:59:36 AMYes, I saw that too, and I think it's this video. I guess someone looped part of it because this one is only 20 minutes long.

Did not disappoint. Furious Facebook style comments underneath are the icing hovering over the cake for twenty mins

The Bumlord

Quote from: famethrowa on May 30, 2022, 10:22:44 AMI'd put this Gordon Ramsay video in that category; basically Gordy uses all the usual TV cooking hype tricks to eventually present us with a cold, burnt, unmelted cheese sandwich. Top stuff

https://youtu.be/8E4cQHejFq0

Never tire of this.

He looks absolutely fucked, like he's been on the pints all night and the crew forced him to get up and film something.

Replies From View


Martin Van Buren Stan

Quote from: The Bumlord on May 30, 2022, 09:19:44 PMNever tire of this.

He looks absolutely fucked, like he's been on the pints all night and the crew forced him to get up and film something.

I love the bit where he shakes his hand and says "it's still hot"



Video Game Fan 2000

Quote from: famethrowa on May 30, 2022, 10:22:44 AMI'd put this Gordon Ramsay video in that category; basically Gordy uses all the usual TV cooking hype tricks to eventually present us with a cold, burnt, unmelted cheese sandwich. Top stuff

https://youtu.be/8E4cQHejFq0

christ almighty. you can even see the knife slow down when it hits half an inch of unmelted cheese. yet somehow its also burnt

dont know why he bothered with fire, you could make a more satisfying toasted cheese in the fridges salad crisper

gordon "leidenfrost" ramsey

Video Game Fan 2000

also love how he's waxing poetic about how he loves the cheese, he wants to marry it he loves it so much but just throws it away like its rubbish after cutting his doorsteps off it. It needs the RLM Kurlan Naiskos smash sound effect when he dumps it

and then he nearly tosses his magic beautiful perfect cheese off the table with the knife.  top ten greatest anime betrayals, fromagers want him dead now

Sebastian Cobb

I realise this isn't really the point of the thread but I can't leave that Ramsay clip to pass without Marco Pierre-White's attempt at rice and pea.


Some accused him of cultural appropriation, others too lazy to do the most basic research.

Video Game Fan 2000

could've swrn there's another good Ramsey one where he's doing scrambled eggs, talks it up as the best comfort food ever but in the end produces what appears to be parsley milkshake on toast, but the only one i can find looks decent. must've been someone else

bgmnts

Yeah wtf why do his scramby eggs look like porridge? Is that how they're meant to look? Was I cooking eggs and cheese toasties wrong this whole time? Are most top chefs shit at basic food? So many questions.


retsuza

Quote from: Video Game Fan 2000 on May 30, 2022, 10:46:58 PMcould've swrn there's another good Ramsey one where he's doing scrambled eggs, talks it up as the best comfort food ever but in the end produces what appears to be parsley milkshake on toast, but the only one i can find looks decent. must've been someone else

I definitely saw this before, you're not being memory holed. It looked like a smoothie and people were sharing it as if it was a genius way to make scrambled eggs. I think part of it is you could leave it on a plate and it will cook into a less sludgy mess from the residual heat.

EDIT: Yeah cheers @bgmnts