Language encoding in "Gulf", and on La Gomera (Canary Islands)

[Eric S. Harris]

Remember how the characters in "Gulf" were able to communicate by
encoding their language in ways other than speaking?

On La Gomera in the Canary Islands, the traditional way of encoding
speech as whistling (so it could carry over distances) is being preserved.

According to the first video below, this sort of transformation is not
unique to Spanish. It can be done for any language.

Is there an app for that? I'd really like to know what R2D2 is saying.
-Eric


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgEmSb0cKBg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBfwHMJtM7M&list=UUlzCn8DxRSCuMFv_WfzkcrQ&index=9&feature=plcp
http://tinyurl.com/Silbo-CBS

--
When replying via e-mail, replace the "w" with "y".
If I don't reply to a post, it may just be that I'm
busy. It's a big Internet. http://xkcd.com/386

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

In article <4FB923A4...@mindspring.com>,

Eric S. Harris <eric_ha...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>Remember how the characters in "Gulf" were able to communicate by
>encoding their language in ways other than speaking?
>
>On La Gomera in the Canary Islands, the traditional way of encoding
>speech as whistling (so it could carry over distances) is being preserved.
>
>According to the first video below, this sort of transformation is not
>unique to Spanish. It can be done for any language.
>
>Is there an app for that? I'd really like to know what R2D2 is saying.
> -Eric

It's all filthy swearing. Otherwise there would have been subtitles..
--
------
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <a1sq79...@mid.individual.net>,

I recall reading, around the time Star Wars first came out, an
interview with Lucas saying that the meaning of R2D2's utterances
were to be inferred from context. The first thing you hear him
say is "Yes, I did."

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Should you wish to email me, you'd better use the gmail edress.
Kithrup's all spammy and hotmail's been hacked.

[Robert Carnegie]

On Monday, May 21, 2012 3:18:10 PM UTC+1, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
> In article <a1sq79...@mid.individual.net>,
> Ted Nolan <tednolan> <tednolan> wrote:
> >In article <4FB923A4...@mindspring.com>,
> >Eric S. Harris <eric_ha...@mindspring.com> wrote:
> >>Remember how the characters in "Gulf" were able to communicate by
> >>encoding their language in ways other than speaking?
> >>
> >>On La Gomera in the Canary Islands, the traditional way of encoding
> >>speech as whistling (so it could carry over distances) is being preserved.
> >>
> >>According to the first video below, this sort of transformation is not
> >>unique to Spanish. It can be done for any language.
> >>
> >>Is there an app for that? I'd really like to know what R2D2 is saying.
> >> -Eric
> >
> >It's all filthy swearing. Otherwise there would have been subtitles..
>
> I recall reading, around the time Star Wars first came out, an
> interview with Lucas saying that the meaning of R2D2's utterances
> were to be inferred from context. The first thing you hear him
> say is "Yes, I did."

Like Bob Newhart making a phone call.
(The people talking to R2-D2 are Bob.)

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <017e74c3-85e9-4ae0...@googlegroups.com>,

Not surprisingly, I don't get the reference. But R2D2 was
answering C-3PO's first line, "Did you hear that?"

[MajorOz]

On May 20, 12:02 pm, "Eric S. Harris" <eric_harris...@mindspring.com>
wrote:

> Remember how the characters in "Gulf" were able to communicate by
> encoding their language in ways other than speaking?
>
> On La Gomera in the Canary Islands, the traditional way of encoding
> speech as whistling (so it could carry over distances) is being preserved.
>
> According to the first video below, this sort of transformation is not
> unique to Spanish.  It can be done for any language.
>
> Is there an app for that?  I'd really like to know what R2D2 is saying.
>    -Eric
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgEmSb0cKBg
>

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBfwHMJtM7M&list=UUlzCn8DxRSCuMFv_Wfzk...http://tinyurl.com/Silbo-CBS

>
> --
> When replying via e-mail, replace the "w" with "y".
> If I don't reply to a post, it may just be that I'm
> busy.  It's a big Internet.  http://xkcd.com/386

Spivey’s Corner NC preserves a unique form:

http://www.ibiblio.org/hollerin/hollerin.htm

[William December Starr]

In article <M4Drt...@kithrup.com>,
djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) said:

> Robert Carnegie <rja.ca...@excite.com> wrote:
>
>> Like Bob Newhart making a phone call.
>> (The people talking to R2-D2 are Bob.)
>
> Not surprisingly, I don't get the reference. But R2D2 was
> answering C-3PO's first line, "Did you hear that?"

Bob Newhart, comedian and actor, gained initial fame on the strength
of his stand-up routines, a large part (all?) of which were him
playing a man on the receiving end of a bizarre phone call, letting
us only hear his half of the conversation, and playing it completely
deadpan and reasonable. I believe his most famous was the one where
he was the Empire State Building's building manager, taking a phone
call from a security guard on the day that King Kong was climbing
the building.

-- wds

[Wayne Throop]

: wds...@panix.com (William December Starr)
: Bob Newhart, comedian and actor, gained initial fame on the strength

: of his stand-up routines, a large part (all?) of which were him
: playing a man on the receiving end of a bizarre phone call, letting us
: only hear his half of the conversation, and playing it completely
: deadpan and reasonable. I believe his most famous was the one where
: he was the Empire State Building's building manager, taking a phone
: call from a security guard on the day that King Kong was climbing the
: building.

This general format was used for Robot Chicken's Star Wars episode(s).
Senator Palpatine is taking a phone call from Darth Vader after the
Death Star had been blowed up good, after he'd been drifting in space
looking for a cell signal and finally found one. Notable Palpatine
exclaimation: "What the hell's an aluminum falcon!?!?"

In among things like "do you know how much one of those COSTS?"
and "you can't even protect a meter-wide exhaust port!?!"

Of course, he's not playing it with the patented Bob Newheart
completely flattened affect. But still the same general idea;
you can tell exactly what Vader's saying, pretty much.

[Robert Carnegie]

I'm quite surprised that Dorothy missed this.
That's /real/ determination.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Newhart

agrees with me that in the King Kong piece,
Newhart played the security guard. But his
"solo straight man" pieces aren't all
telephone calls. He has a driving
instructor piece, but who doesn't?

[Robert Bannister]

On 22/05/12 12:15 AM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
> In article<017e74c3-85e9-4ae0...@googlegroups.com>,

> Robert Carnegie<rja.ca...@excite.com> wrote:
>> On Monday, May 21, 2012 3:18:10 PM UTC+1, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
>>> In article<a1sq79...@mid.individual.net>,
>>> Ted Nolan<tednolan> <tednolan> wrote:
>>>> In article<4FB923A4...@mindspring.com>,
>>>> Eric S. Harris<eric_ha...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>>>>> Remember how the characters in "Gulf" were able to communicate by
>>>>> encoding their language in ways other than speaking?
>>>>>
>>>>> On La Gomera in the Canary Islands, the traditional way of encoding
>>>>> speech as whistling (so it could carry over distances) is being preserved.
>>>>>
>>>>> According to the first video below, this sort of transformation is not
>>>>> unique to Spanish. It can be done for any language.
>>>>>
>>>>> Is there an app for that? I'd really like to know what R2D2 is saying.
>>>>> -Eric
>>>>
>>>> It's all filthy swearing. Otherwise there would have been subtitles..
>>>
>>> I recall reading, around the time Star Wars first came out, an
>>> interview with Lucas saying that the meaning of R2D2's utterances
>>> were to be inferred from context. The first thing you hear him
>>> say is "Yes, I did."
>>
>> Like Bob Newhart making a phone call.
>> (The people talking to R2-D2 are Bob.)
>
> Not surprisingly, I don't get the reference. But R2D2 was
> answering C-3PO's first line, "Did you hear that?"
>

I heard "Yes, you bloody idiot".

--
Robert Bannister

[Robert Bannister]

"The Driving Instructor" was my initiation into Newhart's world some
time in the early 60s.

--
Robert Bannister

[Kip Williams]

Here's Bob in a much more recent sketch, as a psychiatrist with a novel
approach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHTzYDbkkfU
(with MAD TV's Mo Collins)

The alert viewer will notice a link on the side to the "Driving
Instructor" sketch.


Kip W
rasfw

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <13376...@sheol.org>, Wayne Throop <thr...@sheol.org> wrote:
>
>This general format was used for Robot Chicken's Star Wars episode(s).
>Senator Palpatine is taking a phone call from Darth Vader after the
>Death Star had been blowed up good, after he'd been drifting in space
>looking for a cell signal and finally found one. Notable Palpatine
>exclaimation: "What the hell's an aluminum falcon!?!?"
>
>In among things like "do you know how much one of those COSTS?"
>and "you can't even protect a meter-wide exhaust port!?!"
>
>Of course, he's not playing it with the patented Bob Newheart
>completely flattened affect. But still the same general idea;
>you can tell exactly what Vader's saying, pretty much.

Heh.

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <48caf81e-a6ec-465b...@googlegroups.com>,

Robert Carnegie <rja.ca...@excite.com> wrote:
>On Monday, May 21, 2012 10:37:09 PM UTC+1, William December Starr wrote:
>> In article <M4Drt...@kithrup.com>,
>> djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) said:
>>
>> > Robert Carnegie <rja.ca...@excite.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Like Bob Newhart making a phone call.
>> >> (The people talking to R2-D2 are Bob.)
>> >
>> > Not surprisingly, I don't get the reference. But R2D2 was
>> > answering C-3PO's first line, "Did you hear that?"
>>
>> Bob Newhart, comedian and actor, gained initial fame on the strength
>> of his stand-up routines, a large part (all?) of which were him
>> playing a man on the receiving end of a bizarre phone call, letting
>> us only hear his half of the conversation, and playing it completely
>> deadpan and reasonable. I believe his most famous was the one where
>> he was the Empire State Building's building manager, taking a phone
>> call from a security guard on the day that King Kong was climbing
>> the building.
>
>I'm quite surprised that Dorothy missed this.
>That's /real/ determination.

I assume it was on television? I never did watch very much
television, barring things like ST:TOS.

[Wayne Throop]

:: "The Driving Instructor" was my initiation into Newhart's world some

:: time in the early 60s.

: Kip Williams <mrk...@gmail.com>
: Here's Bob in a much more recent sketch, as a psychiatrist with a
: novel approach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHTzYDbkkfU

Eh. I like his earlier, funny sketches better.
Driving instrucor, air traffic controller, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD1MW-nyhxg

Or even the bit from the Bob Newhart show about Cylindrical Dimacron.

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

In article <48caf81e-a6ec-465b...@googlegroups.com>,

"The light blinded you."

"The flashing light blinded you."

"The flashing blue light on the car you backed into blinded you."

[BCFD36]

He was in an movie once, maybe his first, called "Hell is for Heros". He
did a bit talking on a field phone that was one of the funniest things I
ever heard him do. The Germans had bugged the bunker where they
(Newhart's platoon) were under cover and they found the bug. So Newhart
does a whole routine about having too many men and they don't like the
movie and on and on.

--
Dave Scruggs
Captain, Boulder Creek Fire

[Greg Goss]

djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote:

>In article <017e74c3-85e9-4ae0...@googlegroups.com>,

>>> I recall reading, around the time Star Wars first came out, an
>>> interview with Lucas saying that the meaning of R2D2's utterances
>>> were to be inferred from context. The first thing you hear him
>>> say is "Yes, I did."
>>
>>Like Bob Newhart making a phone call.
>>(The people talking to R2-D2 are Bob.)
>
>Not surprisingly, I don't get the reference. But R2D2 was
>answering C-3PO's first line, "Did you hear that?"

Before his TV shows, Newhart was fairly famous for stand-up comedy.
One of his more popular schticks was to make a bogus phone call where
you only hear Bob's end of the call.

Often these calls are made in a context where phones would be absurd
overall. I think his most famous one is someone talking to Sir Walter
Raleigh about the new crop that Raleigh proposes to grow in the new
Virginia colony.
--
I used to own a mind like a steel trap.
Perhaps if I'd specified a brass one, it
wouldn't have rusted like this.

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <a20nk7...@mid.individual.net>,

Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:
>djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote:
>
>>In article <017e74c3-85e9-4ae0...@googlegroups.com>,
>>>> I recall reading, around the time Star Wars first came out, an
>>>> interview with Lucas saying that the meaning of R2D2's utterances
>>>> were to be inferred from context. The first thing you hear him
>>>> say is "Yes, I did."
>>>
>>>Like Bob Newhart making a phone call.
>>>(The people talking to R2-D2 are Bob.)
>>
>>Not surprisingly, I don't get the reference. But R2D2 was
>>answering C-3PO's first line, "Did you hear that?"
>
>Before his TV shows, Newhart was fairly famous for stand-up comedy.
>One of his more popular schticks was to make a bogus phone call where
>you only hear Bob's end of the call.

At nightclubs and things? It will not surprise anyone to learn
that while I watched TV seldom, I went to nightclubs never at
all.

[Greg Goss]

djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote:

>>Before his TV shows, Newhart was fairly famous for stand-up comedy.
>>One of his more popular schticks was to make a bogus phone call where
>>you only hear Bob's end of the call.
>
>At nightclubs and things? It will not surprise anyone to learn
>that while I watched TV seldom, I went to nightclubs never at
>all.

A friend of mine had an LP of him. I don't remember if there was a
live audience responding. I don't know whether those kind of LPs were
made at nightclubs etc. Was there much standup on TV before the
thousand channel technology arrived?

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

In article <M4FGH...@kithrup.com>,

Dorothy J Heydt <djh...@kithrup.com> wrote:
>In article <a20nk7...@mid.individual.net>,
>Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:
>>djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote:
>>
>>>In article <017e74c3-85e9-4ae0...@googlegroups.com>,
>>>>> I recall reading, around the time Star Wars first came out, an
>>>>> interview with Lucas saying that the meaning of R2D2's utterances
>>>>> were to be inferred from context. The first thing you hear him
>>>>> say is "Yes, I did."
>>>>
>>>>Like Bob Newhart making a phone call.
>>>>(The people talking to R2-D2 are Bob.)
>>>
>>>Not surprisingly, I don't get the reference. But R2D2 was
>>>answering C-3PO's first line, "Did you hear that?"
>>
>>Before his TV shows, Newhart was fairly famous for stand-up comedy.
>>One of his more popular schticks was to make a bogus phone call where
>>you only hear Bob's end of the call.
>
>At nightclubs and things? It will not surprise anyone to learn
>that while I watched TV seldom, I went to nightclubs never at
>all.
>

Yes, I'm sure. Most famously though on LPs like "The Button-Down Mind
of Bob Newhart". These often got played on the radio back before
formats were set in stone from lightyears away.

[Tim McDaniel]

In article <jpeci5$eg3$1...@panix3.panix.com>,

William December Starr <wds...@panix.com> wrote:
>Bob Newhart, comedian and actor, gained initial fame on the strength
>of his stand-up routines, a large part (all?) of which were him
>playing a man on the receiving end of a bizarre phone call, letting
>us only hear his half of the conversation, and playing it completely
>deadpan and reasonable.

I am amazed that nobody mentioned what I thought was among his most
famous, "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue", where he plays a marketing
man on the phone to Abe Lincoln.

...

What else, Abe?

You changed "four score and seven" ... to "eighty seven"?

I understand they mean the same thing, Abe.

Abe, that's meant to be a grabber.

Abe, we test marketed that and they went out of their minds.

Trust me. Well, Abe, it's sort of like Marc Anthony saying
"Friends, Romans, countrymen ... I've got something I want to tell
you."

You see, you see what I mean, Abe?

What else?

"People will little note nor long remember." Abe, what could
POSSIBLY be wrong with that?

They'll remember it.

Abe, they'll remember it. It's the old humble bit.

You can't say "It's a great speech, I think everybody's going to
remember it", Abe.

You come off a braggart, don't you see that?

Abe, do this piece the way Charlie wrote it, would ya?

...

You talked to some newspaper men.

Abe, I wish you wouldn't talk to newspaper men.

Well, you always put your foot in it.

Nah, that's just what I mean, Abe. No, no, no, no, you were a
railsplitter, THEN an attorney.

Abe, it doesn't make any sense that way, you wouldn't give up your
law practice to become a railsplitter.

Would you read the bio I gave you? You'll save a lot of trouble
on this end.

...

--
Tim McDaniel, tm...@panix.com

[Howard Brazee]

On Mon, 21 May 2012 23:47:42 -0600, Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:

>>Not surprisingly, I don't get the reference. But R2D2 was
>>answering C-3PO's first line, "Did you hear that?"
>
>Before his TV shows, Newhart was fairly famous for stand-up comedy.
>One of his more popular schticks was to make a bogus phone call where
>you only hear Bob's end of the call.

His fame hit with the success of the 1960 record "The Button Down
Humor of Bob Newhart".

--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."

- James Madison

[Robert Bannister]

I did notice, right at the beginning, yet another "lay down" for "lie
down". Too many hens around these days.

--
Robert Bannister

[Robert Bannister]

On 23/05/12 6:12 AM, Tim McDaniel wrote:
> In article<jpeci5$eg3$1...@panix3.panix.com>,
> William December Starr<wds...@panix.com> wrote:
>> Bob Newhart, comedian and actor, gained initial fame on the strength
>> of his stand-up routines, a large part (all?) of which were him
>> playing a man on the receiving end of a bizarre phone call, letting
>> us only hear his half of the conversation, and playing it completely
>> deadpan and reasonable.
>
> I am amazed that nobody mentioned what I thought was among his most
> famous, "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue", where he plays a marketing
> man on the phone to Abe Lincoln.
>
> ...
>
> What else, Abe?
>
> You changed "four score and seven" ... to "eighty seven"?
>
> I understand they mean the same thing, Abe.
>
> Abe, that's meant to be a grabber.

I liked the one about Raleigh trying to sell tobacco and trying to
explain to the agent what you do with it...

So let me get this straight. You put it in your mouth and you set fire
to it?

--
Robert Bannister

[Brian M. Scott]

On Mon, 21 May 2012 16:56:43 -0700 (PDT), Robert Carnegie
<rja.ca...@excite.com> wrote in
<news:48caf81e-a6ec-465b...@googlegroups.com>
in rec.arts.sf.written:

> On Monday, May 21, 2012 10:37:09 PM UTC+1, William December Starr wrote:

>> In article <M4Drt...@kithrup.com>,
>> djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) said:

>>> Robert Carnegie <rja.ca...@excite.com> wrote:

>>>> Like Bob Newhart making a phone call.
>>>> (The people talking to R2-D2 are Bob.)

>>> Not surprisingly, I don't get the reference. But R2D2 was
>>> answering C-3PO's first line, "Did you hear that?"

>> Bob Newhart, comedian and actor, gained initial fame on
>> the strength of his stand-up routines, a large part
>> (all?) of which were him playing a man on the receiving
>> end of a bizarre phone call, letting us only hear his
>> half of the conversation, and playing it completely
>> deadpan and reasonable. I believe his most famous was
>> the one where he was the Empire State Building's
>> building manager, taking a phone call from a security
>> guard on the day that King Kong was climbing the
>> building.

> I'm quite surprised that Dorothy missed this.
> That's /real/ determination.

She's not the only one. No determination was required.

Brian

[jack...@bright.net]

Greg Goss wrote:

>djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote:
>
>>>Before his TV shows, Newhart was fairly famous for stand-up comedy.
>>>One of his more popular schticks was to make a bogus phone call where
>>>you only hear Bob's end of the call.
>>
>>At nightclubs and things? It will not surprise anyone to learn
>>that while I watched TV seldom, I went to nightclubs never at
>>all.
>
>A friend of mine had an LP of him. I don't remember if there was a
>live audience responding. I don't know whether those kind of LPs were
>made at nightclubs etc. Was there much standup on TV before the
>thousand channel technology arrived?

I would guess much more. Variety shows. Carol Burnette through the
Smothers Brothers to Ed Sullivan or the Colgate Comedy Hour with
Abbott & Costello. Or George Burns stepping aside to tell jokes to
the audience between sitcom segments of the Burns and Allen show,
which came from radio, where Bob Hope would start off a monologue
with, "I just wanna tell ya..." or Jack Benny's group would do a
segment of rapid-fire jokes in the character of actors in his radio
program.

--
-Jack

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <1o1jdguly0t3f$.r3msrdfouexw$.d...@40tude.net>,

I think the real determination came in when I first started
looking at the World Wide Web, as distinguished from the
Internet. I had to learn to use the former for work, and the
profusion of advertising threw me for a while, till I learned to
BLANK IT OUT. That was around 2000*. Not listening to/recognizing
rock music on the airwaves as I walked by, not looking at a TV
show as I walked through the living room while my kids were
watching: that was a lot easier.

*I have on disk somewhere a long thread from that year with me
asking how to make flashy advertising on the Web go away, and
Gary Farber saying ~"Just download free software X Y or Z from
the Web and install it, that's SIMPLE, isn't it, you're not
STUPID, are you?" or words to that effect. Well, I DIDN'T know
how to download or install anything from the Web, and Hal knew
better.

[Joseph Nebus]

However, in point of fact, Bob Newhart didn't play nightclubs,
at least not before his comedy albums were recorded and became such
enormous, all-encompassing, unavoidable hits, fifty years ago. But
'The Button-Down Mind' was recorded in a nightclub, since the studio
thought it would just come out weird if it was a guy talking to no
audience response at all.

Newhart had previously been recording comedy bits to send out
to radio stations. It wasn't until recently I learned that his model
for comedy writing had been Bob And Ray, but once I did hear that I
realized that, oh, yeah, the structure and tone of his sketches makes
perfect sense. Couldn't be any other way, really, except that Bob And
Ray would've had someone answering Newhart's lines back.

--
http://nebusresearch.wordpress.com/ Joseph Nebus
Current Entry: How Big Charlotte Was In 1975 http://wp.me/p1RYhY-eN
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Butch Malahide]

On May 23, 7:56 am, jackb...@bright.net wrote:

> Greg Goss wrote:
> >A friend of mine had an LP of him.  I don't remember if there was a
> >live audience responding.  I don't know whether those kind of LPs were
> >made at nightclubs etc.  Was there much standup on TV before the
> >thousand channel technology arrived?
>
> I would guess much more.  Variety shows.  Carol Burnette through the
> Smothers Brothers to Ed Sullivan or the Colgate Comedy Hour with
> Abbott & Costello.  Or George Burns stepping aside to tell jokes to
> the audience between sitcom segments of the Burns and Allen show,
> which came from radio, where Bob Hope would start off a monologue
> with, "I just wanna tell ya..." or Jack Benny's group would do a
> segment of rapid-fire jokes in the character of actors in his radio
> program.

Milton Berle. George Gobel. Not sure about Sid Cesar and Imogene Coca.

[Kip Williams]

Joseph Nebus wrote:

> However, in point of fact, Bob Newhart didn't play nightclubs,
> at least not before his comedy albums were recorded and became such
> enormous, all-encompassing, unavoidable hits, fifty years ago. But
> 'The Button-Down Mind' was recorded in a nightclub, since the studio
> thought it would just come out weird if it was a guy talking to no
> audience response at all.

I wish I'd known the location of the club when we lived in Houston. I
could have walked over and bowed to it.

Kliph Nesteroff wrote a great article about Newhart (and other
comedians) at WFMU's "Beware of the Blog." Pretty much anything he
writes is a great read.

> Newhart had previously been recording comedy bits to send out
> to radio stations. It wasn't until recently I learned that his model
> for comedy writing had been Bob And Ray, but once I did hear that I
> realized that, oh, yeah, the structure and tone of his sketches makes
> perfect sense. Couldn't be any other way, really, except that Bob And
> Ray would've had someone answering Newhart's lines back.

"We have... a sister... organization... the Fast..."
"Talkers of America."
"Talkers.."
"Of America!"
"Of..."
"AMERICA!!"



Kip W (trying to imagine just one end of that)
rasfw

[Robert Carnegie]

On Wednesday, May 23, 2012 5:23:25 PM UTC+1, Kip Williams wrote:

> Joseph Nebus wrote:
> > Newhart had previously been recording comedy bits to send out
> > to radio stations. It wasn't until recently I learned that his model
> > for comedy writing had been Bob And Ray, but once I did hear that I
> > realized that, oh, yeah, the structure and tone of his sketches makes
> > perfect sense. Couldn't be any other way, really, except that Bob And
> > Ray would've had someone answering Newhart's lines back.
>
> "We have... a sister... organization... the Fast..."
> "Talkers of America."
> "Talkers.."
> "Of America!"
> "Of..."
> "AMERICA!!"
>
> Kip W (trying to imagine just one end of that)
> rasfw

Once again, great minds think alike ;-)

[Howard Brazee]

On Wed, 23 May 2012 15:24:21 +0000 (UTC), nebusj-@-rpi-.edu (Joseph
Nebus) wrote:

>
> Newhart had previously been recording comedy bits to send out
>to radio stations. It wasn't until recently I learned that his model
>for comedy writing had been Bob And Ray, but once I did hear that I
>realized that, oh, yeah, the structure and tone of his sketches makes
>perfect sense. Couldn't be any other way, really, except that Bob And
>Ray would've had someone answering Newhart's lines back.

As funny as Bob Newhart was, Bob & Ray were funnier, IMHO.

[Kip Williams]

Howard Brazee wrote:
> On Wed, 23 May 2012 15:24:21 +0000 (UTC), nebusj-@-rpi-.edu (Joseph
> Nebus) wrote:
>
>>
>> Newhart had previously been recording comedy bits to send out
>> to radio stations. It wasn't until recently I learned that his model
>> for comedy writing had been Bob And Ray, but once I did hear that I
>> realized that, oh, yeah, the structure and tone of his sketches makes
>> perfect sense. Couldn't be any other way, really, except that Bob And
>> Ray would've had someone answering Newhart's lines back.
>
> As funny as Bob Newhart was, Bob& Ray were funnier, IMHO.

You can say that about some pretty damn funny people. I'm only up to
1949 in my listening, and the Two and Only aren't really up to their top
speed yet, but you can kind of feel it beginning.

I don't want to start a disquisition on radio comedy, so I'll just
shriek "GOON SHOW" before signing off.


Kip W
rasfw

[Kurt Busiek]

That's "highly esteemed Goon Show" to you, sir!

Have a picture of Queen Victoria.

kdb
--
Visit http://www.busiek.com -- for all your Busiek needs!

[Kip Williams]

Thanks, I just ate.


Kip W

[Brian M. Scott]

On Thu, 24 May 2012 00:24:00 -0400, Kip Williams
<mrk...@gmail.com> wrote in
<news:AJivr.12357$FL3....@newsfe11.iad> in
rec.arts.sf.written:

<splork!!>

Brian

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <76e6651b-608d-4bd5...@pr7g2000pbb.googlegroups.com>,

Some of these guys date back to vaudeville and the English music
halls, before radio was even invented.

[David Goldfarb]

In article <M4HBE...@kithrup.com>,

Dorothy J Heydt <djh...@kithrup.com> wrote:

>Gary Farber saying ~"Just download free software X Y or Z from
>the Web and install it, that's SIMPLE, isn't it, you're not
>STUPID, are you?" or words to that effect.

My recollection of Gary was that he never once said to you, "You're
not STUPID are you?". What I recall him saying was much more
along the lines o , "You're not stupid: anyone who reads your
posts can see that. I'm having trouble understanding why I'm
having trouble communicating with you."

--
David Goldfarb | "Speak softly, drive a Sherman tank
goldf...@gmail.com | Laugh hard, it's a long way to the bank."
gold...@ocf.berkeley.edu | -- TMBG

[David Goldfarb]

In article <1a8vr.19506$x11....@newsfe21.iad>,
Kip Williams <mrk...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Joseph Nebus wrote:
>> 'The Button-Down Mind' was recorded in a nightclub, since the studio
>> thought it would just come out weird if it was a guy talking to no
>> audience response at all.
>
>I wish I'd known the location of the club when we lived in Houston. I
>could have walked over and bowed to it.

You could send me its location and I could go and bow to it on your behalf.

--
David Goldfarb |"Thanks for the Dadaist pep talk. I feel
goldf...@gmail.com | much more abstract now."
gold...@ocf.berkeley.edu | -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer

[Kip Williams]

David Goldfarb wrote:
> In article<1a8vr.19506$x11....@newsfe21.iad>,
> Kip Williams<mrk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Joseph Nebus wrote:
>>> 'The Button-Down Mind' was recorded in a nightclub, since the studio
>>> thought it would just come out weird if it was a guy talking to no
>>> audience response at all.
>>
>> I wish I'd known the location of the club when we lived in Houston. I
>> could have walked over and bowed to it.
>
> You could send me its location and I could go and bow to it on your behalf.

When we were there, I think the building was still there. My impression
is that it was across the street (aka loop 610) from the
Intercontinental Hotel near the Astrodome. (We lived in an apartment on
Westridge, a couple of driveways from the dome end of the rather long
block.)


Kip W
rasfw

[Howard Brazee]

On Wed, 23 May 2012 21:52:42 -0400, Kip Williams <mrk...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>I don't want to start a disquisition on radio comedy, so I'll just
>shriek "GOON SHOW" before signing off.

The main thing I know about the Goon Show is that it was responsible
for getting the Beatles to go with Lester for _A Hard Day's Night_. I
have seen a couple of scenes, including one with Peter Sellers.

[Robert Carnegie]

On Thursday, May 24, 2012 10:29:37 AM UTC+1, David Goldfarb wrote:
> In article <1a8vr.19506$x11....@newsfe21.iad>,
> Kip Williams <mrk...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >Joseph Nebus wrote:
> >> 'The Button-Down Mind' was recorded in a nightclub, since the studio
> >> thought it would just come out weird if it was a guy talking to no
> >> audience response at all.
> >
> >I wish I'd known the location of the club when we lived in Houston. I
> >could have walked over and bowed to it.
>
> You could send me its location and I could go and bow to it on your behalf.

It may be more to the point to determine
the location of Mr. Newhart himself for
this sort of thing. Alternatively, there
is a statue of him, in the role of
Dr. Robert Hartley, on Navy Pier, Chicago.
He also purports to be on Facebook and
Twitter.

[Dorothy J Heydt]

In article <M4Isy...@kithrup.com>,

David Goldfarb <goldf...@gmail.com> wrote:
>In article <M4HBE...@kithrup.com>,
>Dorothy J Heydt <djh...@kithrup.com> wrote:
>>Gary Farber saying ~"Just download free software X Y or Z from
>>the Web and install it, that's SIMPLE, isn't it, you're not
>>STUPID, are you?" or words to that effect.
>
>My recollection of Gary was that he never once said to you, "You're
>not STUPID are you?". What I recall him saying was much more

>along the lines of, "You're not stupid: anyone who reads your

>posts can see that. I'm having trouble understanding why I'm
>having trouble communicating with you."

Well, yes. You are describing his ipsissima verba; I was giving
the connotations of what he said (over and over).

I saved a large part of the thread, and if I search a bit I can
find out what I said ....

Ok, early on in the discussion he said,

>>You know, it's not a mystery as to where to go: C|Net is not just one of
>>the largest owner of computer magazines in the world, they even have
>>their own tv show; their links are everywhere.....
>>
>>You *do* know how to type, say, "www.yahoo.com" into your browser and
>>then "freeware" or "software download" or any of dozens of other
>>choices, into the "search slot," right? This does not take being a
>>computer expert, which I am not, any more than turning on your light
>>switch requires knowing anything about wiring, electrical generation, or
>>physics. If you can use a shell account, you are far ahead of 95% of
>>all computer users; all we're talking about is ability to type in
>>English. You are, again, way ahead of the curve there. Your ability in
>>this is not lacking.

And I said,

>You wanna bet?

He was *saying*, You know how to speak English and you've done a
little bit of UNIX. He was *implying,* You know where the
download sites are, you know how to download software and install
it, and most of all, you know how to tell a useful piece of free
software from a dangerous virus that will trash your computer.

NONE of which was true.

Much later on in the thread, I summed up,

>What I wanted help with at first was getting rid of ads on my
>screen. What I wanted help with shortly after that was
>understanding Gary. I think I have finally figured it out.
>
>Gary really *IS* speaking Outer Mongolian. He's been speaking it
>for several years and although he still has an accent, other
>speakers can understand him. But, because it's not his native
>language and because he isn't a professional Outer Mongolian
>bard, he assumes that everyone he meets here in Manchuria, not
>far from the Outer Mongolian border, speaks it at least as well
>or better than he does.
>
>Stretching the analogy to breaking point....
>
>So here I come, and I don't speak Outer Mongolian, I barely speak
>Manchurian, and I'm complaining about those nasty little flies I
>run into every time I go to Outer Mongolia, and he says, "Oh, the
>paddy flies? All you have to do is burn zwoot on the household
>altar."
>
>I say, "I don't think we have a household altar, and what's
>zwoot?"
>
>Many, many misunderstandings later, we finally figure out that
>what's been bothering me is not paddy flies but house flies,
>which he doesn't even notice because they don't sting, and anyway
>the remedy for *them* is not to burn zwoot on the household altar
>but to sacrifice a gledehopper and bury it under the threshold.
>By which time Gary is in despair over how dense I am and I am
>three-quarters decided never to try visiting Outer Mongolia
>again.

Lo these many years later, I *still* don't try to download
*anything*, I get Hal to do it. This, after many instances when
I've infected my computer with some disgusting virus or trojan or
what-have-you just by looking at some link that looked
interesting. I still don't speak Outer Mongolian but I now know
not to attempt it.

[Joseph Nebus]

In <76fsr7p34om8cdiet...@4ax.com> Howard Brazee <how...@brazee.net> writes:

>On Wed, 23 May 2012 21:52:42 -0400, Kip Williams <mrk...@gmail.com>
>wrote:

>>I don't want to start a disquisition on radio comedy, so I'll just
>>shriek "GOON SHOW" before signing off.

>The main thing I know about the Goon Show is that it was responsible
>for getting the Beatles to go with Lester for _A Hard Day's Night_. I
>have seen a couple of scenes, including one with Peter Sellers.

There is, quite conveniently, an Internet Radio station which
does nothing but The Goon Show, all day and night:

http://tunein.com/radio/Abacusfm---The-Goon-Show-s136829/

I'm a bit surprised there doesn't seem to be the equivalent for
other long-running well-preserved shows like Jack Benny's, or Lum &
Abner, or such.

[David DeLaney]

Joseph Nebus <nebusj-@-rpi-.edu> wrote:
> There is, quite conveniently, an Internet Radio station which
>does nothing but The Goon Show, all day and night:
>
>http://tunein.com/radio/Abacusfm---The-Goon-Show-s136829/

...Thank you. I think.

I may be some time.

Dave "i've fallen in the wa-ter!" DeLaney
--
\/David DeLaney posting from d...@vic.com "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://www.vic.com/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ & Magic / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.

[David Goldfarb]

In article <CYqvr.642$0x2...@newsfe13.iad>,

The only "Intercontinental Hotel" I'm finding on Google Maps is north
of the Galleria. It *is* near loop 610, but the west side of the loop
where the Astrodome is on the south side, not what I would call "near
the Astrodome". Are we talking about the same one?

--
David Goldfarb |"My agent's negotiating for a half-hour cooking
goldf...@gmail.com |program, you know..."
gold...@ocf.berkeley.edu | "Just cooking?"
|"Cooking and anti-personnel weaponry. Tossing
|salads, tossing bodies -- it's all the same to me."

[Kip Williams]

David Goldfarb wrote:
> In article<CYqvr.642$0x2...@newsfe13.iad>,

> Kip Williams<mrk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> David Goldfarb wrote:
>>> In article<1a8vr.19506$x11....@newsfe21.iad>,
>>> Kip Williams<mrk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Joseph Nebus wrote:
>>>>> 'The Button-Down Mind' was recorded in a nightclub, since the studio
>>>>> thought it would just come out weird if it was a guy talking to no
>>>>> audience response at all.
>>>>
>>>> I wish I'd known the location of the club when we lived in Houston. I
>>>> could have walked over and bowed to it.
>>>
>>> You could send me its location and I could go and bow to it on your behalf.
>>
>> When we were there, I think the building was still there. My impression
>> is that it was across the street (aka loop 610) from the
>> Intercontinental Hotel near the Astrodome. (We lived in an apartment on
>> Westridge, a couple of driveways from the dome end of the rather long
>> block.)
>
> The only "Intercontinental Hotel" I'm finding on Google Maps is north
> of the Galleria. It *is* near loop 610, but the west side of the loop
> where the Astrodome is on the south side, not what I would call "near
> the Astrodome". Are we talking about the same one?

Is the map from 1983-4? My memories are, for what they're worth. I was
looking at Google's Street View, and it looks like the hotel I'm
thinking of may be a Howard Johnson now. Perhaps it's always been.

I'm sad to have that memory turn out bad. I always thought I was
technically a neighbor of George H.W. Bush, as that hotel was his legal
Texas residence for non-taxpaying purposes, at least a suite in it was.

The same suite, incidentally, was used by a bunch of Dukakis supporters
to throw a fundraiser in, so I really hate giving it up.


Kip W

[David Goldfarb]

In article <IrLvr.12714$FL3....@newsfe11.iad>,

Kip Williams <mrk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>David Goldfarb wrote:
>> The only "Intercontinental Hotel" I'm finding on Google Maps is north
>> of the Galleria. It *is* near loop 610, but the west side of the loop
>> where the Astrodome is on the south side, not what I would call "near
>> the Astrodome". Are we talking about the same one?
>
>Is the map from 1983-4? My memories are, for what they're worth. I was
>looking at Google's Street View, and it looks like the hotel I'm
>thinking of may be a Howard Johnson now. Perhaps it's always been.

And Google Maps says that the Howard Johnson near the Astrodome is
closed for business....

Do you have, like, an actual address, or at least an intersection
for the building I'm meant to be going and bowing to? It would
make things easier.

--
David Goldfarb | "I am an atheist, myself. A simple faith, but
goldf...@gmail.com | a great comfort to me in these last days."
gold...@ocf.berkeley.edu | -- Lois McMaster Bujold, _Shards of Honor_

[David Goldfarb]

In article <M4M8H...@kithrup.com>,

David Goldfarb <goldf...@gmail.com> wrote:
>In article <IrLvr.12714$FL3....@newsfe11.iad>,
>Kip Williams <mrk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>David Goldfarb wrote:
>>> The only "Intercontinental Hotel" I'm finding on Google Maps is north
>>> of the Galleria. It *is* near loop 610, but the west side of the loop
>>> where the Astrodome is on the south side, not what I would call "near
>>> the Astrodome". Are we talking about the same one?
>>
>>Is the map from 1983-4? My memories are, for what they're worth. I was
>>looking at Google's Street View, and it looks like the hotel I'm
>>thinking of may be a Howard Johnson now. Perhaps it's always been.
>
>And Google Maps says that the Howard Johnson near the Astrodome is
>closed for business....
>
>Do you have, like, an actual address, or at least an intersection
>for the building I'm meant to be going and bowing to? It would
>make things easier.

Okay, I've gone and done some research on my own. Looks like it was
the Tidelands Motor Inn, which contained the Tidelands Club. Most
sources give the address as 6500 S. Main St., but most sources say
also that where it was is near Rice University, which is Main St. and
not South Main. (Frex <http://www.examiner.com/article/the-tidelands-motor-inn-6500-south-main-houston>)

6500 S. Main is at the intersection with Kirby Drive and is pretty
near where you used to live; 6500 Main is further north, at the intersection
with University Blvd. The article noted above specifically says that
the building is now a Bioscience Research Collaborative building,
which Google Maps locates at the Main St. address.

--
David Goldfarb | BANG! BANG! BANG! "Fire the tachyon guns!"
goldf...@gmail.com |
gold...@ocf.berkeley.edu | -- David Danzig

[Kip Williams]

David Goldfarb wrote:

> Do you have, like, an actual address, or at least an intersection
> for the building I'm meant to be going and bowing to? It would
> make things easier.

Anything would be easier than relying on my recollection, apparently.
I've skimmed every "Listener Kliph [Nesteroff]" post at WFMU and can't
find the article I'd swear I read.

Luckily, the Houston Chronicle (my cousin's old employer) comes to the
rescue: 6500 South Main.

http://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Bob-Newhart-had-one-of-a-kind-Grammy-album-1694299.php

It was apparently the Tidelands Club at the Tidelands Motor Hotel on
South Main, so I was remembering the wrong street entirely. South Main,
though, did border the (super-)block we lived on, so perhaps I'm not
entirely out of it yet.

But there are far worse ways to spend a Saturday morning than lying in
bed trying to skim — rather than read every fascinating word of —
Nesteroff's incredible pieces. They deserve to be in a book.

Let's see. Google puts 6500 closer to Rice, so though I wouldn't have
been likely to walk the distance, I'd have ridden it. Cathy used to drop
me off at the Fondren Library there in the morning, with my bike, and
I'd ride home after work. Street View (location approximate) shows a
Residence Inn and an Econo Lodge, neither of which looks like the
postcard view of the Tidelands here:

http://www.cardcow.com/173674/tidelands-motor-inn-6500-south-main-houston-texas/

I expect it's history now, but thanks for offering to go look at it for
me. Bowing to whatever's at 6500 now would have to do, I guess.



ps: I could have saved myself some fairly pleasant work by looking at
your follow-up post. It's even the same postcard you linked to!

Kip W
rasfw

[David Goldfarb]

In article <yS5wr.14272$FL3....@newsfe11.iad>,

Kip Williams <mrk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>. Bowing to whatever's at 6500 now would have to do, I guess.

On my way to the Museum of Natural Science to view the transit of
Venus, I took a bus route that went by 6500 Main Street. I got off
and bowed to the building there. That's correct if it was University
and Main. If it was Kirby and South Main, then not. (I still have
not resolved this point to my complete satisfaction.)

--
David Goldfarb |"It is curious that a dog runs already
goldf...@gmail.com | on the escalator."
gold...@ocf.berkeley.edu | -- Bella Abzug

[Kip Williams]

David Goldfarb wrote:
> In article<yS5wr.14272$FL3....@newsfe11.iad>,
> Kip Williams<mrk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> . Bowing to whatever's at 6500 now would have to do, I guess.
>
> On my way to the Museum of Natural Science to view the transit of
> Venus, I took a bus route that went by 6500 Main Street. I got off
> and bowed to the building there. That's correct if it was University
> and Main. If it was Kirby and South Main, then not. (I still have
> not resolved this point to my complete satisfaction.)

You have my thanks for your steps taken so far. Hail to the Tidelands!


Kip W
rasfw