Goose-stepping ist verboten
English football fans planning to attend the World Cup in Germany have been warned that provocative behavior like making Nazi salutes or goose-stepping in public will be punished.
In "The Germans” episode of Fawlty Towers, Basil Fawlty (played by John Cleese) instructs his hotel staff to be on their best behaviour for their German guests. Yet Basil loses his composure and screams, “Don’t mention the War!” as he goose-steps around the room.
In an effort to encourage a World Cup free from xenophobia and bigotry, John Cleese, going by the moniker The First Eleven, has recorded a football song called “Don’t Mention the War.”
The ditty contains such catchy lines as They might have bombed our chip shop 60 years ago, But a billion pints of lager later, here we go.
More on Cleese's World Cup peace bid from the Times.
Update: Here’s a video clip of Fawlty Towers “The Germans” sketch.
A-HA! I am first !!
ReplyDelete"he put Basil in ratattui!".
j'adore Fawlty Towels !!
the husband called while I was out and says he wants to see Monty Python 2nite. Made me think of your blog entry this AM. See, that is what I am talking abt: the whole, I don't KNOW you, but...
ReplyDeletetoothless, bald, unpleasant and old he may be, but I'd still blow him.
ReplyDeleteAND swallow.
yup.
(tmi?)
~d: I see what you mean. Enjoy your Python evening!
ReplyDeleteFirst Nations: You minx! Do you realize that whenever I see John Cleese from now on I’ll have that image of you two in my mind? lmao.
But are they allowed to do anything from the ministry of silly walks?
ReplyDeletePrunella: I suppose it's all right to do a silly walk as long as you're not wearing a Nazi helmet or Nazi insignia at the same time.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite episode of all time.
ReplyDeleteyep. its half past midnight and the kids finally dozed off I am blog-reading while listening to the Knights that say Ne !
ReplyDeleteTell me if I'm way off base here...but I kind of get the feeling that you are an avid football fan. Is that too much of a stretch?
ReplyDeleteD.Prince: I hope I've appeased you by posting the Silly Walks clip.
ReplyDelete~d: Time well spent.
Maddie: Only during World Cup. The rest of the year I’m all about bog snorkelling and cheese-rolling.