Hats off to Spike Milligan - poet, writer, jazz musician, campaigner, comedian and the last of the Goons - who died today aged 83.

Peter Sellers, Michael Bentine, Sir Harry Secombe and now Spike. We'll miss you all.

Sad news indeed. He was the inspiration of a whole trend of humour that has kept us laughing throughout the last four decades.
I am about to keep a minute's silence, and invite any one else to join me.

A sad loss, indeed.

"Caw!" said the crow.
"Balls!" said Milligan.

I have a vision of Spike at the pearly gates, with St Peter (Sellers?) saying, "I'm sorry, the lock on the gate has broken - you'll have to turn the handle on your side."

Spike, of course, will reply, after a short pause, "But I haven't got a handle on my side!"

No, Rhub, Heaven will be run by Henry Crun and Min. Bluebottle will be the chauffeur, and Eccles will be organising the entertainment. "There stood a fool, wearing a mini-coalsack ..." Grytpype-Thynne will sneaking around organising the angels' gambling, and Major Bloodnock be ordering the ducks in the pond around. Moriarty will be bilking the till and selling cold-weather insurance on Hell. And young Ned will be buying it, of course ...

Damn, they were funny!

Ah-men

stales

Reading through his obituary today I came across two wonderful quotes.

"He sent me a fax once. It read: I hope you go first. I don't want you singing at my funeral"
Harry Secombe

"Some people die of thirst. The Irish are born with it".
On a visit to Ireland in 1962

I have just pulled MILLIGANS WAR off my bookshelf and dusted it down, it is the compilation of all 6(?) volumes of Spikes war memoirs here are the first lines of page1


September 3rd, 1939. The last minutes of peace ticking away. Father and I were watching Mother digging our air-raid shelter. "She's a great lttle woman" said Father. "and getting smaller all the time " I added.

I had forgotten how funny these books are , as well as being incredibly sad, I am going to read them all again.

the Duncster

Ok--this is the second all-Brit-speaker thread I've seen today, and I'm going to break in on this one. (The other was the one where, for some unfathomable reason, a bowling alley seems to have been set up at a cricket match to entertain the kiddos.) Here's my ?: obviously all you people know about these, er, 'Goons'. How? Did they have a TV show, or something?

Sorry Jackie it is a little selfish of us. Spike Milligan was a writer ,comedian and an accomplished jazz musician
he wrote a radio comedy show called "The Goons" which co-starred Peter Sellars it was a little before my time , but whenever you hear a member of Monty Python asked about their influences they always say the main one was the Goon Show. IT was anarchic insane humour and quickly became a massive hit in the 50's
Spike also wrote his memoirs of his time in the army in WW2 tney are both hilarious and at times very sad. he was wounded in the terrible battle for Monte Cassino and suffered terrible shellshock which led to ten nervous breakdowns during the course of his life, many people would say that his mental state informed his unique sense of humour. Middle aged men in Britain (and elsewhere) go misty-eyed still at any mention of The Goon Show.


the Duncster

Middle aged men in Britain (and elsewhere) go misty-eyed still at any mention of The Goon Show.

You young whippersnapper!

Middle-aged men in most of the English (as opposed to American) speaking world go misty-eyed still at any mention of The Goon Show.

I was thinking about Spike, Michael, Peter and Harry on my way to work this morning, when the radio station I was half-pie listening to (one of the local FM crap-rock stations) played part of an interview with Spike from about 10 years ago. The M1 and I were parted, mentally, as I listened to him take the piss out of the interviewer, who was some kind of pseudo-intellectual youngster for whom The Wombles probably represented the heights of British humour.

The Goon Show represented the best of British humour. In my opinion, only Marty Feldman really followed that crazy anarchic tradition. The Monty Python approach was completely different. Does anyone remember Marty's film "Every Home Should Have One"? Truly goonish!

About ten years ago Irish radio (excellent stuff compared to the schlock TV which consists mostly of US and Oz imports) played the complete Radio series of the Goons. A whole new audience was introduced to their zany characters and the fill-in music (can anyone remind me of the names of the harmonica - Max something? - and the singer?) and the comedy has really aged well. I think the radio station got its highest ratings ever as a result and inspired a range of new talent which is now prominent in the comedy clubs in Ireland and on radio.

Classic sketch:

Neddy Segoon is driving along the seabed when he comes across an Oyster's house. Knock on the door.

Sellers (as oyster): Yes?
Secombe:Is Pearl there?
Sellers: No, I'm her mother.
Secombe: Ah! So you're mother of Pearl!

And, of course:

Bluebottle: He's fallen in the water! and You rotten swines!

Why, oh why did Sellers ever leave?

Max Geldray played the harmonica. Dunno who sang.

Here's quite a good link: http://www.andmas.co.uk/radio/goons.htm

Hellowhatyes?

Thanks CapK! I found out it was the Ray Ellington quartet. Wallace Greenslade was the announcer.

Here's another good site with links to the scripts.

http://www.goons-online.org.uk/

Why, oh why did Sellers ever leave?

I heartily second that motion, Rubrick! Don't know much about the Goons, but I loved Peter Sellers (what impeccable timing!)

And I'm wonderin' why Spike Milligan and the Goons didn't make a name in the States? Most good Brit acts do. Sounds like we missed a lot of laughs!

It's probably too British, WO'N. The Sellars you saw was probably in the movies, a pale imitation of his British persona. You had to understand the social situation in Britain at the time to get the jokes in a lot of cases. At the time, you USns were accusing each other of being Communists on not much evidence (well, none, actually), but with a lot of enthusiasm. Your entertainment was home-grown. Believe me, the Brits and us others didn't get that joke, either ...

Goon fans may find this link interesting.
http://www.alphalink.com.au/~robertd/GoonShow.html

Did they have a TV show, or something?

Or something. You can listen to them on Weekend Radio on WFPL 89.3 Saturday nights at 8:30. He plays them about once a month. I don't remember which week of the month. Peter Sellers is mentioned in the program listing for 3/23 so that might be the night to tune in

I heard yesterday that the epitaph on his headstone is going to be "See? I really was sick!"

I hope it's true!

Nothing new under the sod ... er, sun.

http://keywest360.com/gallery/Cemetary/pages/cemetary11.htm