In the late 1950s and early 1960s, one of the highlights of my week was listening to The Goon Show on the radio. At some point, I don’t recall when I splashed out my pocket money on a transistor radio. I could now listen in my room without my parents telling me to turn that rubbish off.
For those not from the UK and/or not in my age bracket, I recommend reviewing the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goon_Show
The original four main members of The Goon Show were Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers, and Michael Bentine. (Michael Bentine left after the first two seasons.)
This most British radio comedy ran from 1951 to 1960, with repeats until around 1963 or maybe ’64.
The show's chief creator and main writer were the amazing Spike Milligan. It was said that Michael Bentine left following writing clashes with Milligan.
The scripts mixed ludicrous plots with surreal humor, puns, catchphrases, and an array o bizarre sound effects. Many elements of the show satirized contemporary life in Britain, parodying aspects of show business, commerce, industry, art, politics, diplomacy, the police, the military, education, class structure, literature, and film.
Wonderfully subversive and absurdist, The Goon Show exercised a considerable influence on the development of British and American comedy and popular culture. It was cited as a major influence by the Beatles, the American comedy troupe the Firesign Theatre, and the British comedy troupe Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.)
For my friends and me, The Goons also provided us with the tools to understand and appreciate David Frost and the TW3 team (That Was The Week That Was) and the various other TV programs that TW3 spawned.
It was an amazing time, the start of the Swinging 60s in the UK.
So, what prompted me to remember The Goon Show?
Almost daily there are stories/articles that bugger belief. The spotlight shines on individuals who can only be described as dimwits/halfwits. In short, someone who is deficient in intelligence. A Goon!
(The literal meaning of the word Goon relates to a ‘stupid person’, ‘a man or woman hired to terrorize or eliminate opponents, an ‘enforcer’. A Goon is generally referred to as a low-ranking member of a gang or syndicate. Typically the recipients of street-level work. These are generally the most disposable members of an organization, built to take the fall to protect the higher-ups in the case of illegal activities gone awry that have attracted the attention of the authorities.)
Here are a few examples of what I mean. No doubt readers have compiled their list of such people. It would not surprise me to find that I am included by some people. Or am I just flattering myself?
Fox Nation’s Lara Logan Suggests Theory of Evolution Is a Hoax Funded by Jews
https://news.yahoo.com/fox-news-host-lara-logan-211116591.html
The woman is of course unglued and happy to expound her anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. Lara Logan most certainly qualifies as a Goon.
And what about MTG? Another gormless individual has verbal diarrhea. Not only does she spew the most amazing BS, she is, but it would also appear not able or maybe unwell to fact check her discharge. Yes, most definitely rates as a Goon.
Could Marjorie Taylor Greene be blocked from reelection because she’s an insurrectionist? https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/03/marjorie-taylor-greene-blocked-reelection-shes-insurrectionist/
Given that I was born in the UK, and even though I moved initially to Israel in late 1968, I am often asked about my thoughts on Harry Wales (more commonly known as Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex). The truth is I don’t think about him or his piece of fluff, Meghan. He no doubt does not give a flying fig about me, I certainly don’t about him or her.
There are parallels between Harry and his great-granduncle the former King Edward VIII. Both abanded their heritage for the notion of love. In the case of Wallis Simpson, an American, twice divorced, she netted a king. While American-born, once divorced Meghan Markle, generally considered a second-rate actress with mediocre talent, landed a prince.
March 29, 2022, saw the memorial for Harry’s grandfather, Prince Phillip. Was Harry in attendance, no of course not. As Royal biographer, Angela Levin notes Harry is full of “me, me, me”. No hesitation, the numbskull warrants the title of Goon.
'Harry's so full of resentment and me, me, me': Royal biographer says. Prince's security fears that kept him away from Philip's memorial service show he 'doesn't care about things unless they impact him or Meghan'.
Prince Harry was the only senior member of the royal family to miss today's memorial service for Prince Philip.
The Duke of Sussex elected to stay in Montecito with wife Meghan over a row about his security in the UK.
However, his excuse was branded 'pathetic' by Richard Griffin, a former protection officer of Prince Philip.
Royal biographer Angela Levin questioned whether Harry would even regret missing out on the event.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10666239/Royal-biographer-criticises-Prince-Harry-not-attending-Philips-memorial-service.html
Simply as a side issue, it's estimated that these two spoiled brats – Harry and Mahan – have, as of December 31, 2021, a net worth of some $10M. And that their home, Montecito (in California), is worth some $14M. He, of course, has money from his family. For her, well she certainly has fallen on her feet.
Both Goons? Unquestionably yes!
I believe that one of the many signs of getting older, at least for myself, is that fewer and fewer things shock or surprise me.
Take the case of a Chicago synagogue that is proud to have adopted an anti-Zionist stance. Yes, a synagogue, a place where believing Jewish people come to worship. If it was not so sad, it would e hilarious.
Brant Rosen, the rabbi of this community trumpets the notion that the State of Israel has stolen the land from its rightful owners, namely the Palestinian people. His stance is that “Jews have a moral precept of pursuing justice and standing in solidarity with the oppressed,”
It is worth noting that the congregation is not made up of the ultra-Orthodox Satmar sect, or the fringe Neturei Karta group. They appear to be regular people who it would seem have been led by a “loony-left” rabbi. Just goes to prove the point that Goons come in all sharps, sizes, colors, and sentiments.
As someone remarked in the Comments section at the end of the article “unless Rosen is a pureblood aboriginal American, he appears to be part of a settler-colonial state that occupies Chicago, and the rest of the USA.”
“Preaching to the margins: Chicago synagogue adopts anti-Zionism as a ‘core value’ Tzedek’s rabbi Brant Rosen says he doesn’t think move will shift mainstream US Jewry, but insists there’s space for a synagogue anchored in belief that Judaism belongs in Diaspora” https://www.timesofisrael.com/preaching-to-the-margins-chicago-synagogue-adopts-anti-zionism-as-a-core-value/