THE GREAT TRANS-ATLANTIC HUMOUR BATTLE OF 2010!

[Jan Van Quirm]

'Cos you get him all confused with secret pacts on PM and then doing stupid contrary things in the thread

[Sjoerd3000]

I didn't say I'm clever I only said I know about the rotten boroughs

thanks Jan

[Dotsie]

So where do I stand then? I love Monty Python & Blackadder, & I think Pyramids is much funnier than Night Watch. I just think that NW is a better book

Am I American then?

PS am also brilliant at Guildty

[Jan Van Quirm]

[Sjoerd3000]

Oh, I just LOVE Blackadder!

Sodoff Baldrick

I just love it when they are filling in the application form

Blackadder: Right. Now all we have to do is fill in this MP application form. Name: Baldrick. First name...?
Baldrick: Er, I'm not sure.
Blackadder: Well, you must have some idea...
Baldrick: Well, it might be Sod off.
Blackadder: What?
Baldrick: Well, when I used to play in the gutter, I used to say to the other snipes, "Hello, my name's Baldrick," and they'd say, "Yes, we know. Sod off, Baldrick."

[Who's Wee Dug]

My favorite python film.

[poohcarrot]

So where do I stand then? I love Monty Python & Blackadder, & I think Pyramids is much funnier than Night Watch. I just think that NW is a better book

Am I American then?

PS am also brilliant at Guildty

Eh? I won't be trying to claim that Pyramids is a better book. I like Pyramids more, but that's just my preference. I also believe Pyramids is a more important book than Nightwatch, again my opinion.

However, there is a school of thought out there that simply doesn't rate Pyramids, that calls the humour "slapstick". And I don't think that it's a co-incidence that this school tends to be comprised of Americans.

So, if even American Pratchett fans don't get Pyramids, is it any wonder that TP books don't sell so well in the US?

[Dotsie]

It was "semi-slapstick", and it was just one American. That's what you would call statistically insignificant. Are you perhaps just a teensy bit offended pooh?

[poohcarrot]

At the moment Dotsie, we just ain't on the same wavelength.

I am so glad I never started with any of the Rincewind books, Pyramids or Small Gods, since I never would have finished any of them and would never have picked up another.

I wouldn't recommend any of the early or "one-off" books (other than Thief of Time) to a DW newbie. They're just not that compelling or interesting.

[Jan Van Quirm]

:? At the moment Dotsie, we just ain't on the same wavelength.

I am so glad I never started with any of the Rincewind books, Pyramids or Small Gods, since I never would have finished any of them and would never have picked up another.

I wouldn't recommend any of the early or "one-off" books (other than Thief of Time) to a DW newbie. They're just not that compelling or interesting.

Gods you're hard work sometimes! I think none of us (including you as a closet nice guy ) are intending this to become a needle match as such, just an analytic investigation of how there's a transatlantic gulf between Old and New World humour.

Granted it's not helping that the views you want to contend with in particular happen to have been presented by two of the pithier (OK crustier/serious ) members of the American contingent, but notice that people are assuming already that this will be an acrimonious debate so far as the 'other' faction is concerned as no one's yet come in on that 'side'

So Gobsang, what do we do 'cos if people think this is going to turn belligerent quite speedily we're likely to have nobody turning up to argue with us (we're a pretty intimidating gang in here so far after all)? Turn the pitch down a little bit huh? and celebrate Yule with seasonal bon homie - what am I saying! - obviously we slaughter the damned Frenchies! :twisted:

[poohcarrot]

TP is the second biggest selling living author in the UK behind J K Rowling. Every book that he publishes is a No 1 best-seller in the UK.

Yet in the US he doesn't even merit a place in the top 1,000 authors. However, other UK authors that he eclipses sales-wise in the UK make the top 1,000 US list.

Why?

I have no intention of being anti-American in the slightest. However, there is more than an ocean that seperates the UK and the US.

Anyhow, my religious interpretations of Pyramids are what you should be more worried about.

PS I have absolutely nothing against the French. Unlike Tony Bliar, they realised that the Iraq war was pants!

(I'm just trying to make it a lively discussion. )

[Jan Van Quirm]

We know that but does everyone else?

Dear Americans - we honestly do want to have a fun discussion in here so in the spirit of conciliation and wanting to convince you that there's be no nastiness WHATSOEVER going on in here, please do watch this spiffing clip from MP & the Holy Grail of knightly honour and integrity (unless you don't like the sight of blood... )

CLICK HERE

[Sjoerd3000]

Click here to watch a clip from MP about a sweet little fluffy rabbit

[Batty]

I thought the clips were funny, but I wouldn't class them as hilarious!
Pythons best sketch (for me) will always be the Dead Parrot sketch.

I much prefer NightWatch to Pyramids.
I did enjoy the beginning of Pyramids, until the story left AM and switched to Djeli, and I felt that the ending of the book was too sudden - like TP had a deadline to meet and just quickly ended the story.
I liked the book more on my second reading of it, but as far as I'm concerned it doesn't hold a candle to NW.

You'll need to tread carefully, pooh, to ensure that the debate doesn't resemble a UK v USA spat.
Every member of this forum (regardless of where they reside) adds to the richness and diversity of debate and madness that makes this forum such a joy.

[Tonyblack]

As far as sales are concerned - it depends on how you count them.

The current population of the USA is approx: 304 million in the UK it's 61 million. So the population of the US is about 5 times larger than the UK. Therefore Terry would have to sell 5 times as many books in the US to match the amount of books sold in the UK.

For some unknown reason, Publishers Weekly, who seem to compile the Bestseller list in the US has set the rules for inclusion so that books like Terry's (and JK Rowling's) aren't included.

So it's any one's guess how many books Terry sells in the US. But looking at the blurb on the covers of the US books, his work is highly praised by all the top critics.

One thing that I've noticed while browsing bookstores over here is the amount of American authors I've never heard of before. I suspect an American in a UK bookstore would have a similar experience with unknown British authors. The very fact that Terry's books can readily be found in ANY US bookstore says an awful lot for his popularity here.

Only last week we were in Borders replacing some of Sharlene's DW books that she's worn out with rereading and they pretty much had the whole series there. When Sharlene had her bookstore, they certainly carried the whole series and Terry is published by Harper Collins - one of the biggest US publishing houses.

I'd say that he was pretty popular over here.

As to Monty Python and other British comedy series - PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) is currently running a series of the best of Monty Python, and any day of the week over here you can see numerous 'classic' British comedy series.

Americans have no problem understanding British humour - at least not in my experience.