David Quin's "Top 5 List of Shows that Defined My Sense of Humour"

Mr. David Quin

enjoying the pleasant environs

and people of his native Scotland.

It's been awhile since THE FUTURIST! has posted a friendly correspondent or FRIEND OF THE FUTURIST! Top 5 List. Today, another list comes your way directly from Scotland from the always whimsical Mr. David Quin, who has appeared on this blog before ... regarding NUT CRACKING.

Mr. Quin came to THE FUTURIST!'s attention through quite a circuitous route. For some odd, but perfectly splendid, reason THE FUTURIST! has many correspondents from Ireland and Scotland. Mr. Quin came way of the wonderful Amber Wilkinson who writes for EYE FOR FILM. Ms. Wilkinson encountered THE FUTURIST! through Twitter and this led to Mr. Quin.

Discovering Mr. Quin is akin to the sensation that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle must have felt tingle through his portly body after he received those sepia tinged photographs of forest fairies ... photos supplied by a sweet little English girl in 1917. Those photos were proven to be a hoax, but the same can not be said concerning Mr. Quin.

He is the real deal ... a Scottish (over 6 foot) slightly bearded bespectacled sprite who dashes about the streets and green hills of Peebles (his town of residence) living an inexplicable life of carefree shenanigans. His work as a some kind of theater office promotions employee occupies most of his week, but each day he draws a bewitching breath bears mystery to THE FUTURIST! ... what else does he do? He writes of insomnia, his love of Doctor Who, his new cardigan, World Cup Soccer (or football, as he calls it) and his excursions taking jaunts climbing hills ... and photographing the hills. He has the kind of life THE FUTURIST! dreams about ... no cares ... frolicking ... visiting pubs ... wearing cardigans. Yes ... dreams about ... only dreams. And his town of Peebles seems to be the anti-Utter Despair, N.J. Just read this wikipedia description:

Peebles is a burgh in the committee area of Tweeddale, in the Scottish Borders, lying on the River Tweed ... The town is surrounded by hill country on all sides and is therefore an attractive centre for the hillwalker ... In 2005, a study by the New Economics Foundation ranked Peebles as the best town in Scotland (second best in the UK, after Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire) for range of independent shops and 'home town identity.

Mr. Quin is an enigma. A man who seems to live Life with joyous abandon. Yet, oft times, THE FUTURIST! detects some melancholy ... a tinge of loneliness in his later evening writings. This happens to the best of us ... but unlike THE FUTURIST!, who takes sadness to bed at the end of each day and awakes to find it took most of the blanket during the night, David Quin greets each day with wide eyed wonder. He is a very funny fellow with a kind heart and below you shall find his list of comedic influences. THE FUTURIST! especially likes his inclusion of ALAN PARTRIDGE. It is very very funny.

DAVID QUIN'S TOP 5 LIST OF SHOWS
THAT DEFINED MY SENSE OF HUMOUR
(that's the European way of spelling humor)


(In descending order)


5) Peep Show

Following in the deeply British tradition of sitcoms
about reprehensible, self-loathing characters failing at life,
Peep Show took me a while to get into (I hated it at first)
but it's a wonderful show.

(Clips from THE PEEP SHOW all have disabled embedding barriers.
David wished to show a clip, so THE FUTURIST! will post
the link so you may enjoy a sampling. CLICK PLEASE!)

4) I'm Alan Partridge

Before trying to break Hollywood, and nearly driving
Owen Wilson to suicide in the process, Steve Coogan was very funny.
His greatest creation found his ideal vehicle in this magnificent sitcom.

3) Brass Eye

I can't think of a blurb for this. It's Chris Morris, he of Four Lions fame, spoofing current affairs with utter perfection, culminating in the-most-controversial-thing-ever, his special on pedophilia.

(Clips from BRASS EYE are, also, *sigh * disabled from embedding.
Please CLICK HERE for a peek at the show.)

2) This Morning With Richard Not Judy

Richard Herring and Stewart Lee's last whack at the mainstream was this glorious Sunday morning (!) TV sketch show thing, which I discovered at about fourteen. Very set in British 90s culture, but consistently wonderful. See also their previous show ‘Fist of Fun.’

1) The Armando Iannucci Show

Having spent the last ten years or so mocking British TV and politics, Armando Iannucci, recently of In the Loop acclaim, decided in 2001 to have a relaxing time off with this less ambitious project, which satirises the very nature of being alive. Totally sublime.

The Scottish Sport of Nut Cracking

One's loins are always

at peril in the art of Nut Cracking

THE FUTURIST! recently learned of the Old Scottish Gentleman's Sport of Nut Cracking. It was brought to his attention by one of his European correspondents and man crushes David Quin (shown above in the eyeglasses and earthen colored cardigan). THE FUTURIST! always loves to learn of archaic sports or rituals, especially those from the old country. The lovely barren rustic scene above features an abode that inspired Agatha Christie to pen THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES in 1920.

NUT Cracking, as described by Mr. Quin, is similar to the aggressive antler dueling of stags in the wild. Mr. Quin, a young man of vast knowledge and frequent insomnia, explained it as being an unspoken "dare" that one male makes to another. As seen above, Mr Quin and his associate demonstrate what occurs when two males encounter each other on a path and this telepathic message is sent from one primal penis driven brain to another.

THE rules are such ... well, there actually are no rules.

TWO Males walking at opposite ends of any type of walkway can suddenly lunge at each other and attempt to disable the other by applying pressure to their nether regions ... in other words, their testicles. Weapons can not be used ... no baseball bats, tree branches, rolled up daily newspapers, umbrellas or Evian Water Bottles. The lunge must be made by the fist, elbow, shoulder, foot or knee. It is a one strike sport. The first contact must be the conquering blow and disable one of the combatants. Most times, Nut Cracking is seen to occur in the territory of one Male's outlying region of habitat. It has been sighted outside corporate offices during lunch hours and on weekends outside of saloons. Oft times activity outside of gay bars or night clubs can be mistaken for Nut Cracking ... especially if the head butt is used. Please be aware of the surroundings before viewing and then cheering on a "supposed" Nut Cracking match.

THE FUTURIST! was not informed whether Mr. Quin won the above pictured match or whether it was staged for his benefit. THE FUTURIST! did notice that Mr. Quin uses a deft right handed undercut to the other young man's privates accompanied by a facial expression of feral ferocity. One would assume that a growl or roar of intimidation was mated to his thrust. The young chap in blue is using the knee approach, but expert perusal shows that the leg joint doesn't seem to make impact with Mr. Quin's precious family jewels. It seems Quin halted impact with a very smart clenched knee block.

One would assume, then, that Mr. Quin was the vanquisher.

What a man! ... or Man/Child, in Mr. Quin's case.

NUT Cracking has yet to cross the Pond, as they call the Atlantic Ocean in Great Britain.

Postcard to Take Off the Edge

A week of drudgery and dark thoughts can be swept aside so easily.

THE FUTURIST! returned to his abode in Utter Despair and found mail awaiting his discovery. There were two bills needing to be paid, a NetFlix DVD and a postcard from overseas. Overseas?!! The back of the card was the first thing he saw and it was from Scotland. Admirers from the land of kilts and Sean Connery had sent him a postcard. Quite delightful. However, turning the card over and seeing the front (above picture) was even more smile inducing; a picture of Woody Allen as Jimmy Bond, James Bond's nephew (alias Dr. Noah) from CASINO ROYALE (1967).

Ah, Great Britain, Ireland and Scotland. It seems destined to be a land that THE FUTURIST! needs to explore. It is the home of new Internet acquaintances, namely Amber Wilkinson of EYE FOR FILM, the Dr. Who enthusiast man/child David Quin, the comically ever angry Jonnie Marbles, the aptly named Ms. Wozy Hamish and the new home to The Gentleman of Leisure. What kind souls all and how affable.

Yes, a mere 6 inch x 4 inch piece of cardboard with a greeting bearing a film favorite on its front that traveled a great ocean to Utter Despair ... something that small could make Utter Despair a bit brighter.