Over on Freddie deBoer’s newsletter, I wrote about Hillary and Chelsea Clinton dipping reluctant toes into comedy.
What I kept thinking about while writing it, and yes I do mention it in the piece, is “Nanette.” Hannah Gadsby did some fine zeitgeist-capturing when she did a stand-up comedy special about how it’s offensive to do or enjoy comedy.
But this in turn made me think of an earlier moment in feminism, where everyone was annoyed at Christopher Hitchens for saying women can’t be funny. How did we get from yes women can be funny feminism to the version where Hillary Clinton wears a red clown nose and actual human beings are expected to chuckle respectfully?
All of this got me, also tangentially, to Victoria Wood’s song, “The Ballad of Barry and Freda.” It tells the story of a couple (long married? on a date?) where one wants sex and the other does not. Wood sings as lusty Freda and frigid Barry. Freda has a normal voice, whereas Barry sounds whiny.
I re-listened to it a couple of times and kept thinking, this, this is the lyric I’ll need to quote, no this one, no this other one, because how to choose? I mean the clear winner is Freda’s, “Beat me on the bottom with a Woman’s Weekly,” but what about her, “Get drastic / Gymnastic / Wear your baggy Y fronts with the loose elastic”?
Then there’s Barry! “I feel about as sensuous as Jimmy Carter” but also “I’m imploring
/ I’m boring / Let me read this catalogue on vinyl flooring.”
The extreme dorkiness, frumpiness, of all of it. Freda and Barry feel like characters out of a Roz Chast cartoon. The song is not an op-ed arguing that women can be funny and horny. But it does rather get the point across.
I didn't know who Victoria Wood was (Googling her now), but this absolutely made my whole day.
I’m sure you’ve listened to this as well, but the Pam Song is one of my favourite Victoria Wood songs. So many good lines to choose from.
https://youtu.be/iKRcm5v30tw