TASHY HEARS
I grew up with a certain view on what was comedy. The comedians who fed my laughter were both clever and funny. They didn't need to swear to get a laugh because what they said was funny without an unnecessary collection of words best left in (according to the POTUS) the locker room.
One of the best, without a shadow of a doubt, was Ken Dodd. His speed of delivery was legendary. I would watch him perform small slots on television...and I laughed. I heard about his standard live shows which would start about 7.30om and finish after midnight. In 2012 I attended one such show and we left at 12.40am.
But Kenneth Arthur Dodd was not only a brilliant comedian, he was a fine actor and a very fine singer. He gave immense pleasure to hundreds of people and his “An audience with” was one of the funniest performances I have ever watched. Find it on YouTube and discover old-fashioned comedy, pure comedy, clean comedy. If some of it was suggestive it was left to you to make the suggestion in your mind.
This week the song which personified his view on life and all of us wouldn't do much wrong to follow the idea. “A wise old man told me one time, happiness is a frame of mind, when you go to measuring a man's success, don't count money, count happiness. I've had an incredibly happy life, full of the sort of laughter Ken Dodd gave to others.
