I love to laugh. I love it so much that it's now a career. Whether I'm writing a story, creating a meme, or just leaving a comment on social media, you can count on me for a few random chuckles to get through the day. But here's the thing: our world is evolving in such a way that entertainment is beginning to close its doors to authenticity, choking the fun right out of comedy, and if things keep heading in this direction, it's only a matter of time before laughter is a thing of the past.
Thankfully, the full transformation — from artistic freedom to controlled language — is not yet complete, so you might want to go ahead and download whatever movies, sit-coms, and live performances you want to see before they vanish entirely. That said, I recently found a gold nugget in a sea of monotony that is so hilarious, I had to share. While scrolling Netflix one night, my boyfriend and I stumbled across a goofy image of two older (70's) men wearing hats. The photo looked dated, sort of Benny Hill-ish but something about it piqued my curiosity, so I hit play. A few minutes later, he looked at me, smiling from ear to ear, and laughed, "What the hell is THIS?!" We've been hooked ever since. Still Game, which first aired in 2002, is the story of two elderly best friends, Jack Jarvis (Ford Kiernan) and Victor McDade (Greg Hemphill), and their hysterical band of pint-loving, nickel-scraping Glaswegian misfits. The cast is full of offbeat and saucy characters that instantly warm your heart while forcing you to spit out your drink. It is one of the funniest television shows we have ever seen — a Scottish equivalent of Modern Family, Schitt's Creek, and Seinfeld — and it doesn't appear as though America is watching. At least, not yet. Below is one of my favorite clips, which takes place at the convenience store owned by Navid Harrid (Sanjeev Kohli). The clerk, played by Jack and Victor's nosey neighbor Isa Drennan (Jane McCarry), offers some moonshine to the boys to help them save a few bucks on an afternoon nip.
I won't spoil the episode by telling you what happens next, but living in the fictitious town of Craiglang is probably the best place to get hooked on tainted hooch. Some of the other personalities on the show include a small-town tightwad named Tam Mullin (Mark Cox), who goes to morally pathetic lengths to avoid paying for things. Winston Ingram (Paul Riley), another penny pincher and one of my personal favorites, who cheated the system to get disability insurance and ended up losing his leg, spends ALL NINE SEASONS stumbling around like a fool, wreaking all sorts of havoc. And lastly, Robert "Boaby the Barman" Taylor (Gavin Mitchell), the Glasgow glue that holds these elderly pensioners together while they struggle to keep up with everyday modern living.
If you're looking for a way to take your mind off of the drama unfolding worldwide, grab a blanket and curl up with Jack and Victor. Oh, and you might want to turn the captions on your tv before getting started because the dialect is thick, the jokes are fast, and you won't want to miss a beat. You also won't want to leave the house until you've binge-watched every episode. Too bad they decided to stop filming. I'm going to miss those old (not really) birds. Got a funny story you'd like to share anonymously? Submit to THE VAULT. Comments are closed.
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