Jokes you don't understand pt. 734

[Sonny_Jim]

I saw a comedian vaguely recently who did a whole "They couldn't make Only Fools and Horses these days..." routine, the first line of me which made me wince, until he went on to say "I mean, they've already made it. 64 episodes, it was huge at the time, David Jason plays Del Boy, this wheeler dealer, Nicholas Lyndhurt was Rodney..." and you can probably guess the rest

Is the joke just subverted expectation or is there something I'm missing?

[Icehaven]

Is the joke just subverted expectation or is there something I'm missing?

I'd say it's just subverted expectation, but if you find out his name on here you could probably ask him.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Is the joke just subverted expectation or is there something I'm missing?

Subverted expectation, but also the vocal delivery and the detail he went in to made it funnier than I have made it sound.

[Terry Torpid]

I'm pretty sure that's just a joke on childish exaggeration.

yeah it's pretty certainly intended that Ralph has heard they were "making babies" and he's taking it literally and imagining actual babies were immediately coming out of their cupboard liaison and being deluded he was there.

Thank God. I thought it was a particularly edgy joke. I suppose I was making a connection between Skinner's pisshole and and eye, and how Ralph would interpret a hard cock to be a baby. Or maybe he thought all the spunk was babies. I made it much worse in my head.

Next one: Ralph describes something as tasting "like Grandma". Assuming the Wiggums are not cannibals, what's that all about?

[dissolute ocelot]

I think Barton Fink sounds like it could be something more exciting, like at the very least a gangster film, which 10 year old boys might conceivably go see, whereas they'd be less likely to go see a film called Captain Corelli's Mandolin or The Draughtsman's Contract. I still don't think it's a particularly good joke; they could probably have picked something more apposite and hence funnier.

[HamishMacbeth]

Next one: Ralph describes something as tasting "like Grandma". Assuming the Wiggums are not cannibals, what's that all about?

It's the Tomacco plant, it just means grandma smokes a lot and Ralph has to kiss her when he visits.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

I could accept that if Bart's name wasn't part of it the title. I'm sure there were bigger artsy movies at the time that the same joke could gave worked for, but something with Bart in there has to have another angle to it.

You're overthinking it

[idunnosomename]

It's not as funny as Naked Lunch thats for sure (same year though)

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Are the Unemployed Welshmen sketches on Blue Jam supposed to be a load of gibberish?

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Yes, those sketches are meaningless yet weirdly compelling.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

Yeah, the Unemployed Welshmen sketches are just a canvas for playing with language.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

That's reassuring. I suppose there is a thread of weird wordplay throughout the show. One thing that springs to mind is the bulimic news reader sketch, in which he's presented with a hen sandwich and ram's cheese.

[kalowski]

Is now the right time to bring up "The Best of The Beatles"?

[Video Game Fan 2000]

Yeah, the Unemployed Welshmen sketches are just a canvas for playing with language.

and people wonder why no une... post her.... hey

Is now the right time to bring up "The Best of The Beatles"?

its funny because they barely have enough good material to fill up two sides

[Sonny_Jim]

There's two layers to it that signify Alan's lack of musical appreciation

1.  Choosing a 'best of' album as your favourite means you clearly have no idea of a bands musical output

2.  There was actually a 'Best of the Beatles' album, recorded by their first drummer Pete Best, which didn't actually feature any Beatles songs

[Snrub]

Re Barton Fink - there is an episode called Bart The Fink - the one where Krusty fakes his own death after IRS trouble but that episode name came a couple of years after the Barton Fink joke.

Not sure if that helps, but always thought Bart The Fink was an odd episode title and basically only just now put two and two together

[grainger]

There's two layers to it that signify Alan's lack of musical appreciation

1.  Choosing a 'best of' album as your favourite means you clearly have no idea of a bands musical output

2.  There was actually a 'Best of the Beatles' album, recorded by their first drummer Pete Best, which didn't actually feature any Beatles songs

Regarding point 2, it's possible, but I doubt that was the intended joke. If anything it was that (at the time the episode was written) there was no such official "Best of the Beatles" album. But it was probably just point 1, really.

[DrGreggles]

No probably about it.

[Endicott]

Mostly 1, yes, but Best of the Beatles was two double albums, 'Red' and 'Blue'. So Alan didn't even get the name right.

[Terry Torpid]

I'm sure the meaning of the joke is 1, but maybe the writers made the mistake of thinking that there was an actual Beatles "Best Of" compilation. It's the kind of thing you'd assume exists, and that Alan would own it. The connection to the actual "Best of the Beatles" might be entirely accidental. I think 2 is just something fans noticed, which wasn't meant to be the joke.

Amusingly, there's a real Beatles compilation called 1.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Alan probably wouldn't even know who Pete Best is.

[Twilkes]

Steven Wright had a cassette in his car called 'Best of Music'. He only liked one side.

[grainger]

It always did my head in that there was a TV show called "The best of magic". Not "the best of [specific magician]" but just... magic.

[petril]

wasn't even a Wacaday clip show either

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

wasn't even a Wacaday clip show either

Deep Timmy Mallett cut.

[idunnosomename]

Oh great we've got CaB stuck in a Best of the Beatles loop again. Can someone call customer service

[jobotic]

Hang on though, was Polly American?

[DrGreggles]

Oh great we've got CaB stuck in a Best of the Beatles loop again. Can someone call customer service

The failure to understand the people not getting that (very simple) joke is genuinely a joke I don't understand.

[curiousoranges]

Amusingly, there's a real Beatles compilation called 1.

"Tough one..."

[idunnosomename]

The failure to understand the people not getting that (very simple) joke is genuinely a joke I don't understand.

i have to admit...

The Best of The Beatles