Archived entries for England

[mix-tape] Pink Bears are Funny

Here at nonpretentious, we love a spot of British comedy (or humour, as they like to misspell it.)  And we also love Mister T (and we pity the fool who doesn’t.)  So we were overjoyed that the Queen’s own Robin Fry, actor, comedian, and voice of Mister T, agreed to make a mix-tape for us.

Mr. Fry hails from the sunny, southern shores of Brighton, England and follows in the long line of British comedians that starts with Benny Hill and ends up somewhere around Mr. Bean. When he’s not writing, acting, search engine optimizing, or parenting, Robin works as a stand-up comedian and regularly performs improv with The Off The Cuff Comedy Collective. He also partakes in “proper acting” every so often. For example, he’s “currently typecast as a nutjob in ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.’”  (His words.)  A relatively unknown fact about Robin is that he writes a mean title attribute, a skill any computer geek can appreciate.

Most importantly, Robin Fry, is also a founding member of the Pink Bear Club. (Er, most importantly, unless you are one of his kids….)

What is the Pink Bear Club?

According to Robin, the Pink Bear Club “[does] interactive multimedia comedy shows, which may sound poncey but they’re really bloody funny actually.” He gets points in my book for using the word “poncey,” but let me translate for those of us who celebrate Independence Day. The Pink Bear Club is a group of comedians who can’t get enough of the cozy, pink nest. (I get points for double entendre.) They make funny movies and like spaghetti westerns and are gearing up for Bicycle Day. (Gearing up for Bicycle Day?  Pun!)

Robin’s nonpretentious mix goes from grime to Elvis to old-school hip-hop and could very well touch off another round of Mods v. Rockers if played loudly enough. And if that’s not enough to get you to listen, maybe you should consider the repercussions of angering (the voice of) Mr. T.

rmf

We love it.  Click to read the liner notes penned by the Pink Bear himself. Continue reading…

Letters to Inspiring Writers: Dear Alastair Harper

From:
<revisingproust@nonpretentious.com>
Sent: Mon Oct 13 XX:XX
To:
Alastair Harper
Priority: Normal
Subject:
A Fan’s Evaluation
Type: HTML Msg

Dear Alastair:

I’m not a psychiatrist so don’t assume anything that I write below has any scientific basis or medical value. However, I’ve read _Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You_ (or at least half of it). I’ve read quite a few of your “stuff” (your articles). Therefore, I feel qualified to draw conclusions about the core of your identity: You’re one of those hipster-hating hipsters.

While I hope this diagnosis grabs your attention, please don’t press the delete button before I have a chance to explain. Once I read your article “HIPONOMICS: The Cost of Cool in New York City” in “Bad Idea” (all of it), I was immediately intrigued by your familiar-yet-informal writing style. I found myself shaking my head like what you wrote was gospel. “Swiftly defined, stereotypical hipsters are people who enjoy the lifestyles and affect the attitudes of the famous without actually going to the trouble of achieving fame.” (Amen, Brotha!) I also shook my head because of your naïvete? stupïdite? How do you think those hipsters can afford their lifestyles? I thought you read Kerouac and Ginsberg. Some of them are from wealthy families; some of them are smart; all of them don’t want to grow up. Nevertheless, hipsters’s love of spending hours at the Salvation Army instead of working introduces mainstream society to new fashion trends found at your local Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, H&M, or the UK equivalent. (Yes, I did just compare the beatniks’s introduction of Tolstoy to hipsters’s introduction of leggings or thick glasses).

Anyway, I could have written off your week of hipster debauchery and returned to my normal life. Instead, I decided to uncover what other astute observations you had shared with the world. Needless to say, I was impressed. Continue reading…