The best thing you’ll watch today
Best thing you’ll see today, but first I get to explain the joke.
George Formby was a beloved British institution (much like Broadmoor). He was a very popular singer/actor/comedian of the ’30s and ’40s. He played a mean ukulele (banjolele, if you want to get technical) and sang cheerful songs laden with crude sexual innuendo. Sort of a singing saucy seaside postcard.
This guy — the guy in the picture — is starring in a one-man play about Formby. He plays Formby. As a promotional thingie, he made a YouTube of “Formby” performing Fifty Cents’ In Da Club.
In case you are not familiar with Mr Cents’ oeuvre, here is his original video of the song, here is a version of the song showing the lyrics for video, and here is just the lyrics. Well, you can skip all that if you want, but it’s pretty hard to catch the words without text. So here is the main repeated refrain:
You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub
Look mami, I got the X if you’re into taking drugs
I’m into having sex, I ain’t into making love
So come give me a hug, if you’re into getting rubbed
Okay, ready? Now go watch.
There is something profound about how easily the edgy rap song transformed itself into a jingly uke tune. I just can’t quite figure out what that something is.
Posted: August 21st, 2012 under britain, music, personal, youtube.
Comments: 16
Comments
Comment from Glen Richards
Time: August 21, 2012, 9:55 pm
Hey, I performed with a symphony orchestra at Broadmoor about a million years ago. They liked us, as I remember, except for one fellow shouting “Fooking musical b*stards” out of a window at us. The ladies of the orchestra very strongly cautioned to wear loose-fitting pants and a fully-buttoned blouse, for… well obvious reasons…
Comment from S. Weasel
Time: August 21, 2012, 10:09 pm
Now, that’s a credential!
Comment from Can’t hark my cry
Time: August 21, 2012, 10:35 pm
Oh, man, that was an … odd experience! Just as he hit the first verse, the ice-cream truck playing a tinny-ice-cream-truck version of “Row, row, row your boat,” (with occasional cymbal-smashing sounds) pulled up across the street from my open window. The melange was mind-blowing!
Comment from Deborah
Time: August 21, 2012, 10:47 pm
I can’t breathe …
Comment from S. Weasel
Time: August 21, 2012, 10:54 pm
I just couldn’t deal with politics today. My Twitter feed is like a sackful of cats.
Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: August 21, 2012, 10:57 pm
The Weasel infected my brain with this a few days ago… I still can’t stop breaking out with spontaneous laughter.
It so puts rap where it belongs….
Comment from S. Weasel
Time: August 21, 2012, 11:12 pm
Ohhhhhhh noooooo…I’ve got Uncle B doing YouTube videos of George Formby.
Comment from Mitchell TAFKAEY
Time: August 22, 2012, 12:24 am
That was awesome. It’s also the only way I could ever listen to rap “music”.
Comment from Mrs. Compton
Time: August 22, 2012, 12:40 am
Oh this is going on my FB!!!
Comment from Mojo
Time: August 22, 2012, 2:21 am
He was “like” Her Majestey’s Prison for the Criminally Insane?
That must’ve made getting a gig a real drag.
Comment from Lord Ripon of Cundiffe
Time: August 22, 2012, 4:38 am
The future sovereign ruler and head of CoE, Prince Harold selflessly performed Heimlich maneuver on a young exotic dancer in distress who swallowed a chicken wishbone sideways.
Prince Harry is to be garnished with the Order of Gurtel with Suspender Device for conspicuous gallantry in the face of female nudity.
What happens in Vegas, stays on Drudge.
One would be justified to suppose that Harry performed this valiant paramedical deed to distract attention from somewhat mysterious conversation his alleged dad carries with geraniums while sober.
Either that, or he wants a Republic.
Comment from Stark Dickflüssig
Time: August 22, 2012, 7:34 pm
Why, it’s written out all leonine, but it’s AABABAAA for the rhyme scheme.
If you pretend the doubled lines really are single lines, it reduces to AAAA. Quite the innovation in lyrics.
I still prefer the classics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2EGOB9-lc
Comment from Anonymous
Time: August 22, 2012, 11:08 pm
Now that is somethin’. Me thinks Ewan Wardrop as Formby is gonna hit his mark. I’d bet 100 quid he’ll be a star in a year. (if i had 100 quid…)
Comment from thefritz
Time: August 22, 2012, 11:12 pm
Hey, I’m not anonymous…that last post was mine!
Comment from Bugs
Time: August 25, 2012, 4:03 am
It was great up to 1:30. After that, it was incredible.
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