Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I hate writing these. Father Geek and Harry usually jump on and handle this most regrettable of tasks. I hate it because it means we're never going to see Lawrence Tierney bully anyone again, that mean ole sonofabitch, and we're never going to get to watch the English press overreact to some Spike Milligan off-the-cuff comment again, either.
It means that it's time to dig into the archives here at the Labs and haul out whatever Goon Squad stuff I've picked up over the years so I can remind myself of how significant Spike was to British humor, and just how influential he was on those who came later.
It means it's time to wade into a laundry list of the character work Tierney has done over the years and soak up some of his unforgettable brute charm, starting with the film that introduced most people my age to the guy, Quentin Tarantino's classic RESERVOIR DOGS.
These men both made their marks and will not be forgotten, and I'm sorry I haven't posted something earlier to either of them.
And I'll leave you with Jim Hill's beautifully written tribute to Spike Milligan:
God, it's been a really lousy week, Harry. Particularly for those of us who love to laugh.
First, animator extraordinaire Chuck Jones dies. Then word came out of the UK that British comic genius Spike Milligan, 83, has passed away from kidney failure.
This news may not mean much to most Americans. But - were you to mention Spike's name to almost anyone in England - you'd inevitably see a sad smile slide across their face. Why? Because this means that Milligan - the father of "The Goon Show" - is finally gone.
And what - pray tell - was "The Goon Show"? It was - quite simply - one of the funniest programs to ever hit the airwaves. Originally called "Crazy People," this half hour long radio show was originally broadcast on the BBC starting in May 1951. And audiences back then (and now) were just dazzled by what they heard.
And what exactly did these folks hear? Well, let's start with the "Goon Show"'s incredible cast. Standing behind the microphone, you had Spike, Peter Sellers, Sir Harry Secombe as well as Michael Bentine. It was on this very program that the world first learned of Sellers' incredible comic gift - listening with amazement as he effortlessly slid from cowardly Colonel Bloodnok to ancient Henry Crun to suave Hercules Grytpype-Thynne to perpetual adolescent Bluebottle. Sometimes all within one scene.
But - arguably - the real star of the show were Spike's scripts.
Milligan churned out most (if not all) of the "Goon Show"'s radio plays during the program's nine year run. And these scripts - which typically detailed some pointless task like constable Neddie Seagoon's dogged pursuit of the dreaded Batter Pudding Hurler - were just crammed with wonderfully surreal gags. Take - for example - this Marx Brothers-esque exchange:
SEAGOON: Major Bloodnok, I must ask you to parade your men.
BLOODNOK: Why?
SEAGOON: I'm looking for a criminal.
BLOODNOK: You find your own - it took me years to get this lot.
Though "The Goon Show" actually went off the air back in January 1960, the program's influence would go on to be felt by generations of British comedians yet to come. How so? Well - if you're a fan of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" - then it's important to remember that that program's creators have always acknowledged the huge debt that that much beloved television program owed to Spike Milligan's surreal "Goon Show" scripts.
"Python" vet John Cleese has often described how - as a 13 year old boy - he was absolutely obsessed with "The Goon Show." How he'd listen to the program every Friday night, writing down the very best of Milligan's gags so that he could share them with his schoolmates come Monday morning. Regarding Spike, Cleese has been quoted as saying "Milligan (was) a great God to all of us. The 'Goon Show' influenced us enormously."
In addition to his work on "The Goon Show," Milligan also wrote several fun plays as well as some flat-out wonderful stories about his grim but incredibly amusing experiences during World War II. If you ever want to know what life is really like in a barracks, pick up a copy of Spike's inspired 1971 memoir, "Adolph Hitler: My Part in His Downfall."
Admittedly, the book is often incredibly gross ... but it's also undeniably funny.
Mind you, Spike's life wasn't always one big yuckfest. The pressures of having to crank out a new "Goon Show" script every single week resulted in Milligan being institutionalized back in 1953. Over the next four decades, Spike would have 10 mental breakdowns.
But - Milligan being Milligan - he always managed to turn a negative into a positive. After finally being diagnosed with manic depression, Spike then went on to become a vocal supporter of the UK's Manic Depressive Fellowship. He campaigned tirelessly over the next 10 years to make the public aware of this all-too-common mental illness.
These efforts - plus his passionate support of animal rights - lent Spike a certain air of noblity & legitimacy among the uppermost circles of British society. But - being no fan of the pompous class or their hoity-toity ways - Spike would inevitably find a new way to piss these people off.
Folks in the U.K. still talk about the time back in 1994 when Milligan was appearing on live television to recieve a Lifetime Achievement Award for Comedy. As part of the program, a letter from Prince Charles (who was a huge fan of the Goons, by the way) was read aloud. When asked for a comment, Spike referred to the Prince of Wales as that "little groveling bastard ..."
Millions of ITV viewers were horrified by Milligan's seemingly ungrateful outburst. For the record, Charles thought that Spike's ill-mannered poke at the royals was just hilarious. The Prince of Wales then went on to show the press Milligan's follow-up fax to the palace, which asked "I suppose a knighthood is out of the question now?"
When told of Spike's passing today, Prince Charles was said to be deeply saddened. A spokesman for the Prince of Wales said that Charles had known Milligan for a great "many years and had a great affection for him."
The same could be said for the millions of comedy fans worldwide who mourn Milligan's passing. The genius who wrote "The Goon Show." The genuinely crazy guy who changed the face of British Comedy forever.
You want to find out what you've been missing out on? Head on over to Amazon.com (where you'll find that a small selection of Spike's books are currently available) and/or Amazon.uk.co (Where no less than 20 different recordings of "The Goon Show" are now for sale). You can thank me later.
Like I said... I hate doing this. Godspeed, Spike Milligan. Godspeed, Lawrence Tierney.
| 
