Everything’s Shit News Posted by Ian Symes on 11th July 2008, 11:05 This is… odd. Norman Lovett appears to have posted a video blog (you could call it a vlog) on YouTube. It’s called Everything’s Shit, and the theme of the video is how everything’s shit, and how it would be better if less things were shit. And that’s it. Having now watched the video through several times, I can come to only one of two conclusions: a) Norman Lovett is going through a massive personal crisis. b) Norman Lovett has been at the marijuana gin again.
>Is it not a take on the book by the grumpy old men called. Is It Me Or Is Everything Shit? Ah, but that book had nothing to do with Grumpy Old Men – it just cashed in on the grumbling trend. As, in fact, did the first book to be released called Grumpy Old Men – a rushed-out book by David Quantick that had nothing to do with the BBC but managed to hit shelves before the official BBC tie-in book. (yes, I do own the above books. I know the marketing behind them is extremely cynical, but I do actually agree with a lot of it. As I did with the TV show in the first series or two before it, itself, went SHIT)
This is the saddest thing ever. Is he depressed? This isn’t comedy. Hell, it isn’t even anti-comedy. This is just an old man having a really depressed afternoon and not being able to articulate why. I hate this. One and a half minutes long and it’s made me feel like I’m the one having the bad day.
I admit I found it amusing somewhat, but I’ve got a bit of a warped sense of humor in some ways. I wondered to start with if he was just putting on an act for the video, but he genuinely looks depressed doesn’t he? I thought he was doing quite well with that tour thing he’s doing with Hattie, but maybe the pressure is getting too much… Or maybe be was just having a bad day.
>Or maybe be was just having a bad day. Everyone has a bad day. But not everyone feels the need to vent their spleen to a webcam. And not everyone who’s vented their spleen to a webcam then feels the need to upload it to YouTube.
Is it not a take on the book by Dave called. Is It Me Or Is It A Parody of Everyone Else’s Venting Their Spleens on YouTube?
I like this comment- >Cheer up chuck!! Also the description- >A video about everything being shit. >Visit http://www.normanlovett.co.uk Yep… that’ll convince me to visit your website.
http://www.normanlovett.co.uk/latestnews.htm I just wanted to explain that my little ‘moanalogue’ on youtube titled ‘Everything’s Shit’ was a comedy performance and not how I feel all the time. Norman Right.
Moan-o-logues would be something that Norman would be able to get away with on the internet, but an ambiguous rant on YouTube could do with a little bit of explanation…
It’s the equivalent of an observational comedian saying “Hey, you ever notice stuff? Stuff that is a common part of life that you might not have noticed before? What’s THAT all about?”
Right. It’s vague enough that it doesn’t actually work. I mean, you can get away with a vague routine, but there has to be SOMETHING funny about the vagueness. Which I don’t think was the case here. It’s just that things are “shit.” Which, I guess, is a word that ten-year-old kids aren’t allowed to say. Which would make it interesting to them. Maybe Norm is trying to go school-yard viral.
Now I know it’s an intended-to-be-funny routine rather than a slightly lacklustre rant, it makes me see it in a different light. It makes it worse. Half-arsed, lazy and displaying a complete misunderstanding of the medium. Much like his sitcom pilot, it’s just a case of turning the camera on, adopting a vague style and assuming that funniness will just happen. Fail.
Is It Me Or Is It A Parody of Everyone Else?s Venting Their Spleens on YouTube? is available at all good bookshops now, with a forward by Norman Lovett
Is It Me Or Is It A Parody of Everyone Else?s Venting Their Spleens on YouTube? is available at all good bookshops now, with a forehead by Norman Lovett