tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post8046999002386059277..comments2023-11-03T11:32:01.540+00:00Comments on Thought Experiments : The Blog: Ponder Post 14: Stephen FryBryan Appleyardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08276787058430388582noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-42187987391169549262009-07-05T22:45:47.227+00:002009-07-05T22:45:47.227+00:00He's a massive egoist, like most celebrities. ...He's a massive egoist, like most celebrities. He's deeply insecure, like most celebrities. He's attention-seeking, like most celebrities. <br /><br />Does that about cover it? No, there's more.<br /><br />He'll rail on against 'self-pity' and comes off as one of THE most self-pitying celebs I've ever listened to. "Poor me, I say 'yes' too often. Poor Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-51369844351156650872007-10-03T01:02:00.000+00:002007-10-03T01:02:00.000+00:00Fry is OK-the problem is that the BBC have decided...Fry is OK-the problem is that the BBC <BR/>have decided he is a national treasure.james chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13785095987685681356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-45468282127697503412007-10-01T21:56:00.000+00:002007-10-01T21:56:00.000+00:00Fry is one of my favourite Brits. Like Simon, I co...Fry is one of my favourite Brits. Like Simon, I could listen to him wittering on for hours. He's head and shoulders above most of the philistines on the box.Neil Forsythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00240393170374161007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-21247215869572790692007-10-01T19:47:00.000+00:002007-10-01T19:47:00.000+00:00As an American who has seen Fry only in Blackadder...As an American who has seen Fry only in Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster, I can honestly say that I never found Fry all that talented. Laurie always seemed the far more talented of the pair and beyond a doubt the funnier. I did try to read one of Fry's books but after a couple of chapters I decided that life was too short to waste it on this much drivel and the book was never finished. PerhapsTom P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05638283790763940692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-63524800991966490562007-10-01T15:43:00.000+00:002007-10-01T15:43:00.000+00:00Aplogies for the cryptic first post, I did somethi...Aplogies for the cryptic first post, I did something stupid. This is what I was trying to say:<BR/><BR/>There was a telling moment on the Fry show about his ancestors when he was pondering the fate of his English great grandfather who languished in the poor house. Fry imagined travelling back in time to reassure the poor unfortunate that his descendents would one day be university educated and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-11848588947877888722007-10-01T15:34:00.000+00:002007-10-01T15:34:00.000+00:00There was a tellingThere was a tellingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-5087581969952973602007-10-01T14:46:00.000+00:002007-10-01T14:46:00.000+00:00Yes, as someone who could listen to him drone on a...Yes, as someone who could listen to him drone on all day I found the programme startlingly rubbish (let's celebrate a man who is never lazy and unimaginative and always concerned about how authentic he is, in the laziest, least imaginative, most inauthentic way possible). I suppose they made it because he's the most popular BBC2-friendly celeb, and because it filled an evening and plugged varioussimbnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00811721880591573545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-20569583390219972422007-10-01T14:22:00.001+00:002007-10-01T14:22:00.001+00:00Stephen Fry and Matt Lucas together? If that's wha...Stephen Fry and Matt Lucas together? If that's what Radio 4 is about, I demand its immediate closure.<BR/><BR/>And while I'm on about it, Bryan or Nige, are we regulars allowed to do requests? Could we possibly have a post tomorrow where I get chance to say how much I dislike Matt Lucas and Little Britain?Big Chip Dalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05585365213244296058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-49167280939158943292007-10-01T14:22:00.000+00:002007-10-01T14:22:00.000+00:00Thanks, Nige! I dimly remembered that he sort of i...Thanks, Nige! I dimly remembered that he sort of ignored one side but not which one. It left with me with that feeling as well. I thought the show turned out to be somewhat more revealing than intended, but never having talked to anyone about it, figured I was probably reading too much into it. Comedians are well-known for being frightfully insecure and Fry seems par for the course in that regardRandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03071928294799081845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-8881859351151332762007-10-01T14:10:00.000+00:002007-10-01T14:10:00.000+00:00Sorry Ronin, it was Matt Lucas who graced the occa...Sorry Ronin, it was Matt Lucas who graced the occasion with a f*** - I shld have rewritten that bit. However it wld have been no surprise if Fry had. <BR/>I too was impressed by the Who Do You Think You Are? - tho Fry came across as oddly snobbish and dismissive about anything to do with his father's side of the family. It wasn't till he got into the mother's family tree that it came to life.Nigehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13314891387515045404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-91731678680187461422007-10-01T13:56:00.000+00:002007-10-01T13:56:00.000+00:00Some odd thoughts about an odd man: First time I e...Some odd thoughts about an odd man: First time I ever saw him was in Jeeves & Wooster. I tought he was fine, although I agree Laurie was far better. As the series went on, I thought both were less impressive. (Never saw the Carmichael/Price version but saw some still photos - Carmichael was over 40 when he did that and looked it.)<BR/><BR/><I>Paperweight</I> was fine as far as that type of Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03071928294799081845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-33204250813691977332007-10-01T13:54:00.000+00:002007-10-01T13:54:00.000+00:00Oh yes, you are so spot on about Emma Thompson. It...Oh yes, you are so spot on about Emma Thompson. It's that insufferable 'more feeling, knowing, emoting' bloody voice she puts on, along with the ridiculous actorly mannerisms: leave that stuff for the stage, my dear, when being interviewed for a documentary, try and talk like a member of the same society as the rest of us.<BR/><BR/>As for Fry, he's fine in his own way, and can be amusing, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-11917941683939873372007-10-01T11:27:00.000+00:002007-10-01T11:27:00.000+00:00On a scale of 1 to 10, Fry's all right.I didn't wa...On a scale of 1 to 10, Fry's all right.<BR/><BR/>I didn't watch it. I always make a point of missing this type of programme. It isn't how I want my licence fee spent.<BR/><BR/>I'm not old enough to know who Ian Carmichael was but I see he is in The Royal with Sinbad and Wendy Craig so I wonder how good he is.Ian russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11106519805045337505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-58331541366053691642007-10-01T10:49:00.000+00:002007-10-01T10:49:00.000+00:00I agree with you about the Ian Carmichael/Dennis P...I agree with you about the Ian Carmichael/Dennis Price Version of Jeeves and Wooster, Price was light years ahead of Fry as Jeeves. However, I must put in a word for Hugh Laurie as Wooster, He certainly portrayed the air head silly ass to perfection. To compare him with IC is not comparing like with like. IC was the best Lord Peter Wimsey as well!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-47493341456234724492007-10-01T10:26:00.000+00:002007-10-01T10:26:00.000+00:00Never mind the luvvie love-in - at least he is an ...Never mind the luvvie love-in - at least he is an interesting guy with an opinion and the ability to express himself. How about Fry for Mayor of London? Far more sensible than Boris.Mopsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17912659592484055741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-78378452144870571802007-10-01T10:07:00.000+00:002007-10-01T10:07:00.000+00:00I get him. He's an oasis of intelligent British lo...I get him. He's an oasis of intelligent British loveliness in a desert of stupid British televisual nastiness. <BR/><BR/>Admittedly the novels aren't great but <I>Paperweight</I> is uniformly brilliant.Brithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00390560583798960760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-79376312490771276152007-10-01T09:53:00.000+00:002007-10-01T09:53:00.000+00:00All spot-on. I'd add that, in a sense, the Great L...All spot-on. I'd add that, in a sense, the Great Logorrhaeic is all the BBC has in the Lovable National Treasure line, plus he's incredibly prolific and says Yes to anything, so the Stephen Fry Weekend, Fry At 50 etc were inevitable. The much more interesting, much more talented Laurie would never lend himself to such a thing, nor would the BBC dream of thus 'honouring' him.Nigehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13314891387515045404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-4665000092302765462007-10-01T09:10:00.000+00:002007-10-01T09:10:00.000+00:00Three shrewd observations. I think the eternal und...Three shrewd observations. I think the eternal undergraduate thing explains why Fry and others always seem to be playing at what they do. Jeeves and Wooster was the best example. One never lost the sense of watching Fry and Laurie play at this. Compare that to Ian Carmichael and Denis Price who became the characters.Bryan Appleyardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08276787058430388582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-55074458492189529402007-10-01T08:59:00.000+00:002007-10-01T08:59:00.000+00:00Its the Cambridge/gay/luvvie thing. He's like all ...Its the Cambridge/gay/luvvie thing. He's like all the rest of those who have never grown out of being undergraduates. He's just turned it into a career rather than a social posture.<BR/><BR/>Never mind Bryan, when you hit 60, we'll all get together to stick verbal daggers into you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-15417573417064678622007-10-01T08:57:00.000+00:002007-10-01T08:57:00.000+00:00That's so odd. I've been writing about Fry after I...That's so odd. I've been writing about Fry after I discovered over the weekend that <A HREF="http://www.bryanappleyard.com/blog/ " REL="nofollow">he's started a blog</A>. I still don't know what to make of it. He writes exactly how he speaks and at extraordinary length. I can't decide whether I admire it for its dexterity and wit or whether I just find it… well, annoying. He’s one of those placesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23400750.post-625978179337433392007-10-01T08:21:00.000+00:002007-10-01T08:21:00.000+00:00At last. I thought it was just me. QI is an amusi...At last. I thought it was just me. QI is an amusing and intelligent quiz show and I was very impressed by his trip to Slovakia tracing his family tree. His hosting of the BAFTA film awards is usually worth watching too. Apparently his writing is very good - although I don't know anyone who has read any of it. He correctly lauds PG Wodehouse, but his and Hugh Laurie's Jeeves and Wooster was Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com