Loophole

When considering the Lenten season requirments for abstincence and fasting, I thought of all pleasures in life that would actually cause me suffering by their deprivation, and thus fulfill the intendend spirit of the excercise. Because it's not only for the rememberane of Christ's suffering that we do this. It is also to discipline our own desires, to undestand that we have mastery of our bodies, so when temptations of the flesh strike in the future, we will know, from experience, we are strong enough to resist them. As noted theologian Cosmo Kramer once said: "I like depriving myself, it's fun! Very monastic."

So, in order for it to work properly, what you give up has to really hit you where you live. As JB mentioned, booze is on that list. And so were the other basic needs of a right wing conservative: red meat, reading blogs, and listening to talk radio. But, for those considering giving up the latter, it may not be as painful as you think.

Every day, more and more podcasts are cropping up on the Internet that are as good or better than anything happening on the radio. The latest ones I've been enjoying include John Derbyshire from NRO. The Patriot Insider with Yost, Westover, and Campion (and the linked one includes Minnesota AG Mike Hatch). And The Instapundit and his wife. The latter, who turns out to be Dr. Helen, the psychologist blogger carrying the debate on "Why Mommy Is A Democrat?" from the other day. And her drawl is as pleasing and as languidly Southern as her picture implies).

My lastest discover is this effort from a British comedian some may have heard of, by the name of RICKY GERVAIS!

Yes, the comedic genius behind the BBC version of The Office has been doing half hour shows hosted by the Guardian in London, link here. This may not be news to you, considering the Guiness Book of World Records has recognized the Ricky Gervais show as the most downloaded podcast in history, at nearly 3 million downloads, but it is news to me.

Ricky Gervais mostly plays the straight man here, lobbing loaded straght lines to a guy named Karl Pilkington, who gets all the punch lines, as it were. It's kind of like a Bob & Ray routine, except funny. And the biggest laughs are from listening to Gervais maniacally laugh at Karl, whom he called, in an NYT article, both "the funniest man in Britain" and "that little bald-headed Manic idiot."

More insight into the dynamic of this relationship, from a Q & A about the show:

Q: I have noticed that you seem to choose your friends based on their consenting nature towards you "bullying" them. Any reason for this?

RG: I give you the same answer that I've given others: because I like it. I like bullying Karl because he's got a perfectly round head. I challenge anyone to keep their hands to themselves with that sort of temptation.

And this:

Q: Karl Pilkington is clearly funnier than you and Merchant combined. Have you hidden him away because you see him as a threat?

RG: The thing is that Stephen and I see ourselves as like Anthony Hopkins in the Elephant Man film. We want to take him to the Royal College of Surgeons, show them what he's like. Maybe stick on some electrodes, open him up. They could do what they do with chimps, teach him rudimentary skills with rewards. I want the world to see Karl.

12 episodes of the Ricky Gervais Show ran for free, only the last 4 are still available online. And listen to those while you can folks, as they plan to violate the prime directive of Internet entertainment by charging for new episodes next week. On the bright side, this would make giving up the Ricky Gervais show for Lent a far easier proposition.