@@leonberger5749Happy to. I think my father and stepmother, and my brother John and I (Esther) discovered them in 1959. I was at Emerson college in Boston and used the Madeira piece as a school speech class assignment. Years later, I lived in California and Don and Betty were retired and their home was in west Dennis on Cape Cod and my father. Saw Michael Flanders at a market. This all led to Sean and Flanders coming to Dad and Betty’s to practice for future shows. I am now 85, a writer, a Baha’i and lived in Ukraine and Belarus and traveled to Siberia I wrote two books, Without A Net: a Sojourn in Russia and another. Not related to Russia, You Carry The Heavy Stuff. Look up Esther Bradley-DeTally, these 2 books should show up. I still love Swann & Flanders. So brilliant. I think Misalliance would make a wonderful piece regarding prejudice! That’s all I know. And you, how do they call to you? Cheers! Y
I dont remember ever seeing them . Im 67 in a few weeks and knocking boots with the devil 😂😂😂. Its the first time I've ever heard them as far as I can but I really do like them . I remember. Al Jolson i remember him very well . My dad had every record of his and i used to love listening to him
Thanks to youtube &LeonPFB for preserving this for posterity! I am old enough to remember Flanders and Swann and their witty sons, e.g Twas on a Monday Morning the gasman came to call! Mudd Mudd glorious Mud nothing quite like it for soothing the blood! And if my memory serves me well " I'm a Gnu a G N U. I shall google the songs and wallow in nostalgia!
I presume you've found them (and lots of others) by now, but if not, the titles are "The Gasman Cometh" and "The Hippopotamus Song" (also seek "Hippo Encore"). [And this one is "A song pf patriotic prejudice".]
A dangerous concentration of anglophilia, such as has been known to induce a terminal condition, was a major ingredient in our childhood growth medium. Tom [my kid brother, who died recently] refused to be mired in it, but did suffer from a lifelong susceptibility to the assorted amusements peddled under the "Monty Python's Flying Circus" banner. We grew up (to a certain extent, eventually) listening to the records (pronounced "rec-ore-ds") of Michael Flanders and Donald Swan. Whilst I was but a lad, I thought this song was our national anthem. Extensive research has determined that the deft humor developed by Michael Flanders as a lyricist is matched only by Noel Coward and Randy Newman. P.S. I notice that here they've left out my favorite verse from the studio recording - a pity putdown of Americans. "They argue with umpires, they cheer when they've won - and they practice beforehand, which ruins the fun."
I agree, the lyrics of MF certainly bear comparison with Coward. Modern (-ish) ones include (Victoria Wood of course and) Dillie Keane (and on the US side, though more F&S contemporary, Tom Lehrer, who DK acknowledges as one of her muses). Yes, I miss the cricket verse - but they probably thought the US audience wouldn't "get" it.
I've always loved "her antepenultimate breath" - what a wonderful word; antepenultimate - It's amazing the opportunities you get to trot that one out in conversation.
Thanks for uploading this rarity. Watching two grown men - a reputable actor and a respected composer - being so unrestrainedly (and brilliantly) silly was the highlight of my Sunday morning!
I am shocked that there is no warning that this film explores questions of gender identity and race and contains material that may be very offensive to some. Surely this shouldn't be out on RU-vid where children may be exposed to it. What is the world coming to?
I am 4th gen Australian but going back prior to that 1/4 English, 1/2 Irish, 1/4 Scottish and two generations further back there is German. I am the Heinz 57 variety but tbh the English do smell a bit and need to shower a lot more. We call them non tubbers who bathe once a month.
You do realise that this song is satire at the expense of Nationalism. It's the most 'woke' song they ever wrote. [ For those puzzled, the definition of 'woke' means enlightened or compassionate. Racists somehow think this a bad thing].
Partly Donald Swann's expertise as both composer and pianist, and partly a slight quirk of the recording (I'm not quite sure what - I think it's flutter, caused by a mis-shapen or off-centre component in the recorder. It isn't wow).
Have only recently discovered F&S, but when I started praising them to a British colleague, she just informed me that back home they are a household name for our generation of the 60plus. Now I incorporated them into my stock of imperishable Britannica!
The Brexit Song! Sums Englishness up perfectly, God help us. Sarcasm, beautifully cooked. Do PC-lovers get this? I'm afraid I doubt it. But it proves we had a sense of humour Once.
Should be something like this for the UK and sung in all school assemblies. Guaranteed to annoy all the Marxist teachers so they leave and let our children grow up unmolested by communism.
