Things Worth Remembering: ‘Blasphemers on Pogo Sticks’ and the Art of Making People Laugh

Welcome to Douglas Murray’s column Things Worth Remembering, in which he presents great speeches from famous orators we should commit to heart. To listen to John Cleese read a portion of his eulogy for Graham Chapman, and Douglas’s thoughts on the power of that moment, scroll to the end of this piece.

We are living through a moment in which many of us seem incapable of laughing. True, there is plenty going on out there that is hard, if not impossible, to laugh at: war, political upheaval, economic uncertainty.

But that is exactly why it’s so important—as we burrow through this seemingly interminable summer of our discontent—that we recall the unique power of humor to cut through all the noise and help us see more clearly that which is so important.

Which brings me to the great John Cleese.

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May 19, 2021

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