Since I irreverently chose a famous Monty Python line for my start-the-week 'bon mot' yesterday, and the reference slipped by a number of you (even The British Cowboy, brain paralysed by overwork); and since (for the moment, at least) we have YouTube back in China, I thought I'd give you this link for the full version of The Philosophers' Song, as performed by the professors of the Philosophy Department of the University of Woolamaloo, Australia.
This is the performance from the 'Live - at The Hollywood Bowl' film, in which - strangely - they crowbar in an extra philosopher who was not mentioned in the original version of the song that appeared in the TV show. Can you spot who it is?
Now, I can't prove this, as such - since YouTube doesn't appear to have the TV version anywhere. The 'Bruces' sketch about the Australian philosophy teachers is there, several times over; but it doesn't include this song (which, as far as I recall, came at the end of the skit..... but perhaps I'm wrong on that? Was there a separate episode with the Bruces in which the song occurred??).
However, you can hear the original, with the benefit of captioned lyrics, and illustrations of the philosophers mentioned, in the animation below. Enjoy! And, for those of you who didn't have the benefits of a '70s childhood, catch up!
9 comments:
I often wonder how place names have evolved. "Woolamaloo" prompted an immediate vision of huge Larson sheep with twiggy legs as far as the eye can see.
Re: your questions, I have no idea. For some years, arguably even today my family life was a 'Monty Python think tank.' No stone unturned, no reference left undone. The conversations would wash over me, mostly I just liked watching the films. Even the last time I watched a Monty Python film is ages ago now.
As a student of classics M P must have been a gold mine!
The Classical era in Python sketches? I don't think they really went that far back very often. The only Roman skit I can remember (prior to 'The Life of Brian', of course) was 5 seconds of "The Aldis lamp version of 'Julius Caesar'".
I had always thought that this was a real place. It sounds so plausible! But I have learned today that it was an invention of the Pythons in that sketch. Funny old world, eh?
Lies!
The Python reference did NOT pass me by.
I knew, of course, it was the philosopher song, but thought that was WAY too obvious to be the reference to which you were referring. I was scanning the rest of the post for what you wanted help on.
Now put it away or I shall tweak you.
You have also forgotten, Froog, the football match between the German and Greek philosophers, which would count as a classical reference.
Well, only just. I was thinking of stuff with a Classical setting, whereas the philosophers' football match was obviously a completely surreal 'out of time' thing.
yes, I thought Woolamaloo was for real too. Wacky name but we're talking Australia so plausible.
But then I googled. and came across this web site. www.woolamaloo.com
oh well, considering I only saw the clip recently (today) and discovered Woolamaloo's existence shortly thereafter (5 minutes of random google searches later) not such a big loss. "move along, nothing to see here."
I have to say, Woolamaloo strikes me like a made up place name from one of those fictional countries, like Narnia, or Middle Earth, or Canada.
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