Armando Iannucci

[tealin]

If you're interested in a really entertaining interview with one of the funniest and cleverest people in the world, check out In Conversation with Armando Iannucci (till Sunday). He talks a bit about growing up as a radio nerd and shows that he's worked on (with clips!), and then at the end says something I wish everyone in the entertainment industry would listen to:

One of the questions I'm repeatedly asked - and the people who ask it always confess that they were told to ask it and they didn't really mean it - they always say 'Um, yeah ... isn't that a bit clever?' And I always think, well, if it's clever but not funny then it's failed, clearly. But there's nothing wrong with demanding ... I wouldn't even call it 'intelligence' because it's sort of implying that you have to have a, you know, a science degree. I do think you must never, ever underestimate the intelligence of the audience. People enjoy sophisticated things, really. I don't think standards of intelligence are going down, or whatever; I think there's a bit of a panic within the industry, that you have to sort of play down certain things and play up other things, and I don't think that is necessarily true of the public who are watching it.

If you want an example of his work, there's the eponymous 'Armando Iannucci' on BBC7, which was originally a Radio 1 show, or you could look up 'Time Trumpet' on YouTube for some absurd TV goodness.

Comments

[heartsandspace.livejournal.com]

"Even if its raining and you are going far." Wow I must say that is the most entertaining thing I've heard all week.
Even better than my roommate's inebriated animated tales of Captain Peachfuzz and the Anchovy Bandit.
So thank you for brightening this incredibly dull(snowy) day.