Genius in France

[Muldernscully]

i've always wondered if there was a reason for al relentlessly slamming jerry lewis for like ten minutes. not that i like jerry lewis, i could care less about that guy. but it seems a little out-of-character for al. a little.. mean? to just rip and rip on an old man who dedicated much of his life to fundraising for sick children? again, i don't give a darn about jerry lewis, but a facts a fact, right? i've always theorized to myself (because most of my friends aren't interested in hearing my weird al conspiracy theories LOL) that jerry lewis made some kind of disparaging remark about al in the past and al's just evening the score. you know, because a lot of 'serious' comics (oxymoron alert) find it easy to slam al.

just my little theory. anybody wanna weigh in? this has seriously been knocking around in my head since the first time i heard PH.

oh, and btw i LOVE Genius In France. i think it's brilliant and that FZ would have been very, very impressed.



a little more to the left, boys... a little more to the left...

Huh? What in the world does Jerry Lewis have to do with Genius in France?

[minnick27]

From Wikipedia:

Lewis remained popular in Europe: he was consistently praised by some highbrow French critics in the influential Cahiers du Cinéma for his absurd comedy, in part because he had gained respect as an auteur who had total control over all aspects of his films, comparable to Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock. In March 2006 the French Minister of Culture awarded Lewis the 'Legion of Honor' calling him the 'French people's favorite clown.' [1] Liking Lewis has long been a common stereotype about the French in the minds of many Americans, and is often the object of jokes in U.S. pop culture.

[Orthography Enthusiast]

anybody wanna weigh in?

Glad to.

Jerry Lewis in real life is no more the idiot described in "Genius in France" than Al is Weird offstage. Probably less so, since Al has said that his "Weird" self is his normal self with, effectively, the volume turned up and the brakes off (sorry about that mixed metaphor, folks). The song is just an extended homage to Frank Zappa and an extended comedic riff on Jerry Lewis's stage persona. There's absolutely nothing in the song to suggest an attack on the real man.

[ElRoboDiablo]

well, i don't agree, but that's what makes america great and france france!

haw haw haw haw haw

[Orthography Enthusiast]

Really? What is there in the song that you feel applies to the real Jerry Lewis as opposed to the characters he played in movies or portrayed in comedy routines?

And do you really think that Al would light into a man who, as you know, is primarily known now for working to raise funds to cure crippled children, and who continued to do so even when he himself was old and in poor health?

[ElRoboDiablo]

Really? What is there in the song that you feel applies to the real Jerry Lewis as opposed to the characters he played in movies or portrayed in comedy routines?

And do you really think that Al would light into a man who, as you know, is primarily known now for working to raise funds to cure crippled children, and who continued to do so even when he himself was old and in poor health?

ah jeez, i knew it would come down to this LOL.

ya know what? just forget it. i don't want to step anybody's toes here.

yay al. no way would he make fun of jerry lewis. what a horrible idea i put forth.

[BigWeirdAlFan]

Thank you for saying so. Al isn't that kind of person. He's a sweetheart

[Muldernscully]

ah jeez, i knew it would come down to this LOL.

ya know what? just forget it. i don't want to step anybody's toes here.

yay al. no way would he make fun of jerry lewis. what a horrible idea i put forth.

Odd.

[ducttapeearth]

Is it even poking fun at French people? Doesn't sound the least bit offensive to me.

[HappyGilmore]

I just gotta say, I've been listening to Poodle Hat a lot recently, and Genius In France is a truly good song. Grows on me every time I hear it.