An Alligator Beats a Black Dog Anytime

I've had a crap couple of days. The black dog of depression has been plaguing me. So I'm going to indulge in some gratuitous cheer me up videos in this blog, just so that I have them all in one place for next time.

Yes, it's more Craig Ferguson, or in particular, one of his puppets, Wavey the Alligator.

You know, I think it's the accent I like the best. Whatta do everybody!

Wavey has a friend in this one (above).

This one above is possibly my favourite.

Ok, let's give Craig a plug for his new book. Last week he released an autobiography called "American on Purpose". Here he is giving an author talk:

If you want to buy the book, Amazon have it available here. I've read excerpts, it's very good, and very funny.

When I Grow Up...

Tonight I want to talk a little bit about what I want to be in life. I don't mean what I want to do for a job, that whole "When I grow up I want to be a truck driver." (Though when I was a kid I had a t-shirt that said exactly that, thanks for giving me BOYS hand me downs Mother). I mean who I want to be as a person, what I want to bring to this rather amazing world of ours.

Now y'all know I love Craig Ferguson. You're probably all sick of me posting stuff of his on my blog. Well, tough. Because it's my blog and I'll post Craig Ferguson if I want to.

That out of the way, Craig is a prime example of the person I want to be. The person I sometimes am, but can't always hit the mark like he does. It's not because I think he's cute and funny. Yes he is those things. But what I really admire is his intelligence, passion, respect, joy, articulacy, wit and sense of wonder.

I have so much respect for someone who embodies those values. Even more someone who is articulate enough to express them. I want to be someone who not only shows intelligence, but also is able to see the joy and wonder in the world. I want to be someone who can laugh at the absurdity of life, but also wonder at the awesome stuff too. I want to have passion for things I do and believe in. I want to be able to express myself in an articulate manner. But more than anything, respect for myself and for others is really important to me.

Now I've shared some of the videos I find hilariously funny from the vast library on YouTube of Craig Ferguson's work before. But now I want to share with you a few other bits and pieces, which to me, illustrate qualities that I really admire.

Let's start with this one, which I think is one of my favourite pieces (or rants, he is known for a rant or two, is Craig) he has done:

What I admire most about this piece is his absolute passion for the subject matter, and the fact that he does not dumb his argument down for his audience at any moment. He still approaches the subject with some humour, but you can see the passion in every word. I love that he takes on subjects that MATTER, rather than just joking about the same old stuff everyone else is, because it's fashionable or topical or appeals to his sponsors. When it means a lot to him, he will get in there and speak up. But never in a disrespectful way - notice that while he's criticising the deification of youth, he's also pointing out that inexperience is part of being young, that it's not something to be ashamed of.

Another quality I would like to be known for is the ability to speak articulately on ANY subject. That doesn't mean I want to be an expert on every subject, but to have the ability to learn about new things my whole life, and be able to have an informed opinion and understanding, and to be able to converse/discuss or present on new things all the time. Craig has an incredible skill with this - he works with only a couple of writers who give him some form and ideas for his show, and is known for only using reminders and guides on his teleprompter rather than having it all written for him. And he'll have a go at almost any subject.

I always loved the character of Coker in John Wyndham's "The Day of the Triffids" who was a professional orator who's slogan was "Subject no object."

I also want to share with you a quote of his that I found:

"Cynicism is the true refuge of the pseudo-intellectual. Cynicism is easy. Joy is an extremely advanced spiritual and intellectual tenet."

I love this. Oh how I love this! I truly believe that it is easy to sneer and smirk at the world, to always believe the worst. To be jaundiced and jaded, scornful. Most cynics believe they're oh so intelligent for this attitude.

But I disagree. To fill your life with joy, to look for the positive as much as possible. Some equate it with naivety or being a "Pollyanna", or viewing the world through "rose coloured glasses", but I don't believe that is what the opposite of cynicism truly is. We all know that life can be cruel, or pointless at times. But cynics tend to have that view as the default. I think that even in the most difficult of times, there can be moments of joy and wonder to be found. In fact, those are the things that make the difficult times pass a lot quicker.

Then there is the ability to laugh at yourself. For example, I love this little montage from one of Craig's opening monologues of him totally making fun of himself:

It's juvenile, it's silly, and it's delightfully self-deprecating. I want to be able to laugh at myself and be an idiot sometimes. I want to be childish, silly and goofy, as well as being articulate, intteligent, passionate and respectful.

So who do you want to be? What qualities are important to you? Is there someone that you truly admire as a person and want to embody the same qualities as?

Anti-Depressants Anyone?

Well if you've read this blog before this post, you know I've been suffering a bout of depression lately, and while I'm pretty good at just waiting it out until it passes, and doing a few things to take care of myself, today it was kicking my arse a bit. So I decided to be totally indulgent in something that I KNOW makes me feel good, and that's Craig Ferguson lip sync videos.

Half an hour later I feel great. I've laughed, I've chair-danced, I've sung and I've bought a bunch of songs off iTunes.

Why do I love them? Well firstly because I have a mega crush on Craig. He's everything that is yum - handsome, funny, intelligent and a complete nutbar sense of humour.

Secondly, because he clearly picks songs he enjoys himself, and has lots of fun dancing around like a nut to, and lip syncing.

The fact that he semi-choreographs some of them cracks me up.

It's one of the few places you will see a totally unco black dude. The fact that he gets rhythmically pwned by two geeky white guys is hilarious.

The little man in leather trousers has a hot body.

AND THERE ARE PUPPETS PEOPLE!!

So I'm going to share the collection I have found here, and you can come back anytime you like for a dose of Craig's madness. I am telling you, it's good for what ails ya.

Britney Spears - Oops I Did it Again

A Duran Duran cover of Grandmaster Flash's White Lines. Great song.

I think this one is my favourite, mostly because I love the song:

Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti and Spearhead

It's a Wonderful Night - Fatboy Slim (the first Craig lip sync video I ever saw)

Kronos the Monkey lip syncs to She Taught me To Yodel by Frank Ifield (whom I knew when I was a kid!!!)

Actually I think if you have watched Kronos above and not laughed, I can't be your friend any more.

Istanbul - They Might be Giants

The Lonely Goatherd from The Sound of Music.

So there you have it. My favourite kind of anti-depressants. And if you dig Craig Ferguson and want to see more of his videos, may I suggest checking out Malinky2Stoatir on YouTube and if you use Twitter, follow @LipSyncingScot who is a fan working to share more of Craig's work.

I'm Back

Yes, yes, I know, it's been awhile since I blogged.  This is because I've been sick, so quit your whining.  I had some kind of evil flu type thing (I blame Floss at work, he was sick before I was), which then exploded into a rather nasty ear infection, and my doc packed me off home for the rest of the week.  I had a few rough days there, high fevers, aches and pains, general misery which has left me feeling like any thing but being creative enough to blog.

I am feeling considerably better now, though I do still have a cough that has me sounding like some kind of crusty old smoker, but at least I don't feel sick and miserable any  more.

Anyway, what's been happening over the past week or so?

I got my iPhone a week ago.  And boy oh boy is it a fabulous wee piece of technology.  Especially as I have had cable internet with wi-fi installed in my flat, and now I can be online from anywhere in the place.  While I have been sick I have been able to lie in bed and still be connected to the outside world, mostly through Twitter and Facebook, while comfortable and resting.  And I also have internet access on a roaming basis, anywhere that can pick up a 3G mobile signal.

The other thing I really enjoy is the fact that it is all devices in one.  Phone, internet, camera, diary, iPod, you name it.  I now only need carry it, my purse and my keys and I'm pretty much good to go.  Nice!

Something else I've enjoyed while I've been taking it easy are videos of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on YouTube.  I didn't know that Craig had a late night talk show in the US, I loved him in The Drew Carey Show years ago, and had often wondered what happened to him.  Adam Savage posted the link to this little piece of goofiness about a week ago, and I've been rediscovering all of his stuff since.

However, tonight I found this piece from a couple of years ago that really moved me.  It was the Monday after Britney Spears had her whole breakdown thing with the head shaving incident, and Craig opened his how with this incredibly moving monologue.  It makes me remember that as well as a very funny man, and a bit of a hottie, he's an intelligent, honest, thought provoking man.

Enjoy: