Clive James talking in the Library: Stephen Fry 2/3

[The26Dude]

I once read someone describing Stephen Fry as a stupid person's idea of what an intellectual is. For all his wit, he can say certain things that are based entirely on his own upper middle-class ignorance.

[suninmoon4601]

and he had the most enormous...

(enter servant)

(in confidential tones) ... uh, c-o-c-k

ROFL

[halubalu]

what does clive sy in 5:51 - 6:01 ? Does he say a hieratic society?

[JesusCockInAllahAss]

@halubalu Ha ha! No, he said 'hierarchic'.

[Emzo99]

7:50 I'm not as good looking as hugh? Stephen! You are gorgeous!

[ednuttah]

6:18 True, English have no idea how to deal with someone being nice. We hate it! I can I can open a door myself THANKYOU!

[TheConciseStatement]

Fry and Laurie - two depressed geniuses. I wonder how many of the Cambridge Footlights alumni fit that description.

[TableWolfMusic]

With reference to 9:20 onwards:

I'm sure that he has been opportunistic and worked hard to make use of the things that he finds about himself in life, but for all his resourcefulness, he is hardly a womble.

It's easier to be a gold digger when you are born with a silver shovel in your mouth even if you do pull your finger out.

We cant all make the same journey as Fry's good fortune far outweighs his efforts.

I guess you all aspire to him but he scoffed dismissively over an unlevel playing field.

[nakedmambo]

@TableWolfMusic Absolutely. Fry has become a tiresome little small 'c' conservative in his later years. He's done very little especially noteworthy public work, very little acting, a few films here and there, a string of good, but not fantastic novels. He lives from his public persona. He really is a toff, but pretends to otherwise when it suits the moment, as he turns on the posh, tweedy don when that suits the moment. He has acolytes instead of fans.

[itsonlyforever]

Stephen Fry likes The West Wing! Pleased but not at all surprised.

[ImeldaLumos]

I've always thought of how enormously hard Stephen works, and it has always seemed that he enjoys the work and effort vastly. We can blame some of it on his manic depression, but the rest belongs to his persistency and concentration. That's one of the reasons why he's such a great role model.

Sweet what he said about Laurie... and I very much miss them together... They have one of the best chemistries ever seen on TV.

[jismith1989]

These videos show an awful amount of supposedly ingrained class-prejudice on the part of both James and Fry.

[sid1662]

Bloody funny though this reminds me of some men I met in Glasgow a few years ago during Hogmanay. I came away absolutely enthused with a level of repartee that I now think is absolutely equal to this...

[drpruitt]

what is 'corveau' or 'corvot' or whatever in 'corvot' like conquest?

[kempstonjoystick]

Thee British Comic Genius & Intellectual of his generation,discussing the far greater success and celebrity of his less talented though lovable ex-partner in America.

Sorry, I was just thinking about Peter Cook.

Isn't Stephen Fry wonderful?

[Knappa22]

Why is Clive James gassing away?

Shut up Clive - you overrated windbag, and let Fry speak.

[MrKipps1]

I wish James hadn't interupted Fry when the latter is about to talk about the different relationship Brits have to language, compared to Yanks (3mins 30). It's something I've noticed but never been able to work out.

[rb306]

I'd kill to be a quarter as intelligent as Stephen.

[wilsparky]

I tell you what, I'd give birth to be 100% as intelligent as Richard Feynman, give you a 5:1 scoring ratio in an IQ test and be confident that I'd piss all over you and that you'd be honoured I did so...if it's intelligence you worship why pick a lesser god? (the question's rhetorical).

[nattt23]

Ohhhhhh shut up........ sad really. They're intelligent in different ways. If you gave birth to be as intelligent as him you wouldn't have intelligence. He was just saying!

[nattt23]

He was only commenting to make the point that Stephen is intelligent. There's no need to start a stupid little competition and act like a child. But your childish comments aren't new are they? You're right about labourers to an extent but you're missing out huge chunks. And you're just being silly and unnecessarily rude.

[nattt23]

Thank you... Yes you will redeem "yourslef" in study. Lets hope you learn how to spell 'self' somewhere amongst your "Higher Gods" literature. Between Faust and Richard Feynmen. Jesus.... Try something a little more perky sometime.

[nattt23]

Where did you get the idea that my name's Matty? Ive explained in my message already that I wouldn't usually have to resort to that. But with people like you who are as pretentious as they are stupid. There's no other way. Its funny how you haven't defended your argument at all. You've just commented in a stupid manner on my comments.. with sarcasm.. A very low form of wit.. Im sure you'll agree. Feynmen would be ashamed! I can't wait to hear your next example of sophistry and sonority! :)

[nattt23]

"beginning" and "disturbing".... No problem. ??? Ive never met you... Are you finished talking shit? How stupid can you be?.. I think ill let you out of this one with dignity..... Go on! Scidaddle! Retard.

[bubblebreeze]

Man, wilsparky, you're exactly like my brother, so I think I know a pretentious pseudo-intellectual when I hear one. nattt23 won that argument, I mean, for whatever reason it was necessary for wilsparky to start. Ah well- no use trying to reason with someone who can't even absorb a little wisdom. That's their loss, so too bad for them.

[tinkertracy]

I know this thread is cold, but I appreciate the mention of Feynman.

I'd love to hear a conversation between Fry and Feynman. They both are capable of appreciating another's different kind of genius. (Or was, in Feynman's case; he's dead now.) I'm sure that their conversation would have been fruitful and helpful to us all.

I really don't know of anyone else to compare with Feynman. Fry comes close. Fry is different but similar.

We need more public figures who can explain the world well.

[owenhunt]

@tinkertracy Fry would probably know almost as much as Feynman in terms of Physics but more than Feynman in most other fields. I think Fry is the most cooly determined man in history in all possiblity. He doesn't come across as exasperated or witless at any given moment which is absurd for someone as driven as he.

Whether Fry has used his brainpower for the best causes yet is still up for jury, but those such as Phil Jupitus who regard him as the Western World's greatest living man might be r

[owenhunt]

@tinkertracy ...right in that he has more to offer than most of his significant contemporaries.

[angrymallard]

There is no comparing the workers you are talking about and them - they simply do different kinds of work entirely.

[joeytoots]

I think they're pretending!

[labouche250]

Stephen is one of the most intelligent (and, more importantly, articulate) men ever

[ThOnlyLMV2]

That was really sweet when Stephen said he loved Hugh and that he was his best friend...just one of those aww shucks moments..

[davidroot8]

you should read the anothology on monty python there is a lot about the footlights

great instutons, we wouldny have got fry, eric ideal, victoria wood etc

[danny123xvz]

haha victoria wood in the footlights?

[farleigh17]

neither of them ever said that. He was commenting on her appearence on TV.

[mfeltes]

That's very, very true. I felt so much more at home in Britain in part because there was an aspect of always interpreting what's going on, instead of accepting what's going on as just being itself.

[serellie]

This is fantastic, thank you!