He's A Lumberjack And He's Okay...

Day 10: Ma! Ma! Where's my Pa? Gone to The White House! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
- (Slogan referencing President Grover Cleveland, who openly acknowledged and supported an illegitimate child.)

On one of the seemingly limitless excursions I make to Wal-Mart, that great temple of All That Is Needed Immediately, I ran across a DVD of Monty Python's And Now For Something Completely Different, which has always been one of my favorite films. (The fact that it was in the $4.95 bin sort of surprised me...I assumed that everyone shared my anglophiliac tendencies and love of '70's-era comedy. Go figure.) I bought the movie, took it home, and somewhat absent-mindedly started it playing while I puttered. I was vaguely aware of the passing of several well-known (and funny) Python sketches, and was enjoying listening in a somewhat passive sense. However, my ears soon perked up and I had to stop and watch The Lumberjack Song.

For the uninitiated, here it is. Watch and then continue reading...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zey8567bcg

Hilarious, isn't it? I still crack up at this song every time I hear it.

In the repeated re-watchings of the song over the fifteen or so minutes after it first played, I found myself realizing just how powerful a memory trigger music can be. When I first discovered Monty Python as a teenager, I had a cassette (yes, I'm THAT old) of Python routines that I kept in my car tape player. I probably played that tape a thousand times, and I will always associate certain Monty Python sketches with the late 1980's. Just hearing the familiar chords at the start of the song will remind me of that time, and of my first car (which also smelled strongly of Polo Green cologne, which, in the fashion of many young men of the day, I splashed on liberally and with a heavy hand. More on smells as memory triggers later.)

Just for the record, I also love The Philosopher's Song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1MgCV6uGuc&feature=related

Knights Of The Round Table...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfGpVcdqeS0&feature=related

Every Sperm Is Sacred...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0kJHQpvgB8&feature=related

and The Universe Song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWVshkVF0SY&feature=related

...and many, many others. The intelligence of the lyrics is a joy, and the humor is first-rate. Enjoy the links!

In today's News From The Motherland...a prisoner extends his furlough.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/derbyshire/8228400.stm

Cheers!
FLT3