Tuesday 30 November 2010

So, You Think You're Funny?



One of my pet hates (an ever-increasing list, it seems, as I become a grumpier old man :) ) is the 'you can do or be anything you want' mantra which has produced (perhaps aided by reality TV such as 'X Factor' and 'Britains got talent') a belief amongst some young people that they can be anything they want, and can do anything they want - but without the application of any effort.

Every now and again there's some home video footage shown on TV of a present-day star 'before they were famous', emphasising that 'overnight success' can take some considerable time . . .

Which leads, in a roundabout way, to a news story from my local paper, featuring a 53 year old chap called John Duffy.  You may ever have heard of him - I certainly hadn't.

His 'overnight success' is a very successful Twitter page which has led to a book deal with a publisher.

But Dave's overnight success - partly due to an element of luck - has followed on from a part-time career of submitting one-liner gags to various TV and radio shows.

His latest creation eclipses those one-liners.

It features the 'tweets' of someone who - apparently - is something of a celebrity: Cheryl Kerl.  She's Geordie who comments knowledgeably on many things.

For example, on cyber attacks:

"Willyam Hague's wurried aboot cybah attacks, aye itz a wurry aall reet buh leik if the Daleks torn up wor propah stuffed pet"

The book's out in time for Christmas, titled: "Woath it?  Coase Ah Am, Pet"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Woath-Coase-Ah-am-Pet/dp/1444715151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291121385&sr=8-1

It even has a chapter entitled "Grumpy Erld Cheryl'.


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