I always heard "pataphysical" and wondered what the H-E-double-hockey-sticks it meant!

...late nights all alone
(withered testicles),
oh, oh-oh, oh.

stales

I have heard it suggested that the song "Maxwell Silver's Hammer" was inspired by the death of London playwright Joe Orton. Orton's relationship to the Beatles and the manner of his death certainly give the idea some credence.

Orton, whose life and death is chronicled in the book (and film by the same name) "Prick Up Your Ears," was a popular playwright in the 1960's, and the Beatles worked with him to develop a script for one of their films. Orton's screenplay was, like many of his stage plays, quite racy and the Beatles decided not to produce it.

Orton was the very definition of a modern swinging homosexual. While he was living with another man, he nonetheless frequently had sexual encounters with other men, and he kept a rather vivid diary. One night his lover read the diary, and subsequently murdered Orton with a hammer before committing suicide.

John Lahr, who contributes theatre reviews for The New Yorker magazine, edited Orton's diaries (mysteriously titled "The Orton Diaries"), and wrote the book "Prick Up Your Ears." (Which, when spoken aloud in a Cockney accent, is a naughty play on words that suggests the proclivities of the book's subject.) The film based on the book features actor Wallce Shawn as John Lahr, who is nearly a dead-ringer for Lahr. You might have seen Wallce Shawn (who is a playwright himself) in the very funny movie "The Princess Bride." He's the character who is always exclaiming "Inconceivable!" The part of Joe Orton is played by Gary Oldman, who also has a great resemblance to his real-life counterpart.

WARNING: shameless name dropping ahead

I got to meet John Lahr when I was a student in London. He came to speak to our class on modern British theatre. As I was writing a long paper on Orton I was excited to meet him. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Lahr at the university gate and I got to eat breakfast with him. Despite his similarity to the very-funny Wallace Shawn, Lahr is quite a serious man, and I had to stifle giggles as I recalled funny scenes from "Princess Bride."

Orton's plays are really funny. He loved to parody the "well-made play" such as Oscar Wilde wrote. his plays often combined the traditional comedy of manners with total anarchy, if you can imagine. A memorable line from one play ("Entertaining Mr Sloan" I think): "I had a normal childhood; I hated my father." I don't know of any films made of his plays.

See the imdb page on Joe Orton. (http://us.imdb.com/Name?Orton,+Joe+(I)

I've seen the films of Loot and Entertaining Mr. Sloane, and I think Loot has been televised as well. I've seen What the Butler Saw on stage and it was excrutiatingly funny. Asphyxiation from too much laughing was a definite possibility.

Bingley

Alex - I have very similar views on Orton (though can't claim to have as detailed knowledge of him) and especially the movie of "Prick Up Your Ears". A fascinating version of a fascinating subject. Must also mention the wonderful Alfred Molina, who played the embittered lover/murderer - he was top.
And BTW - Full marks for knowing 1. Who Wallace Shawn is and 2. The existence of the delightful "The Princess Bride".

Remember - "Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line"

I'll have to investigate these Orton films. I had no idea there were any at all.

Anybody ever noticed how many real-life people Gary Oldman has portrayed in film, and how much in each role he resembles the actual person? Consider:

1. Sid Vicious ("Sid and Nancy")
2. Beethoven ("Immortal Beloved")
3. Lee Harvey Oswald ("JFK" -- admittedly not a dead ringer)
4. Joe Orton (see above)

Are there any others?

A footnote on John Lahr: He wrote a fine book about his father, Bert Lahr, called "Notes on a Cowardly Lion."

He wrote a fine book about his father, Bert Lahr, called "Notes on a Cowardly Lion."

Completion of the Hulk Hogan >> Judy Garland Six Degrees of Seperation is left as an exercise for the reader.