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I'm not British

Started by Matt Self (Gaddabout), April 30, 2007, 10:35 PM

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Matt Self (Gaddabout)

... not that there's anything wrong with being British. I'm just not. I'm an American, although I try very hard not to be an ugly one.

Got an e-mail yesterday from someone I'm pretty sure is from this forum (still waiting on a response from my response). Or maybe I'm just assuming the person was from here because it's a feint trend. It's the third time since I first joined here some years ago someone from here thought I was British. Not sure what I'm writing ... is there a stray thread where I seem British? (And I'm not even certain what "seeming British" would be like, but I fear any attempt at humor might be misinterpreted).

It only bothers me in the sense that I must be writing in a way that says something about me that I'm not consciously aware of. (See, I just ended a sentence with a preposition. I can't be British!)

If any of you see any tell-tale signs I'm behaving in a British manner, please report it to your local Gaddabout authority (me!) immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Robyn

Yeah right...we all know that Phoenix is actually just east of London! ;D

I think it's because of your sign-on name--not sure about the origin of the word "gadabout" but it sounds like something a UKer would say.

robyn

George

Quote from: Gaddabout on April 30, 2007, 10:35 PM
It only bothers me in the sense that I must be writing in a way that says something about me that I'm not consciously aware of. (See, I just ended a sentence with a preposition. I can't be British!)

Ending a sentence with a preposition is quite British... (I'm more a linguist than a drummer, I must say.)
But don't worry, I've read a heap of your notes in this cafe, and you totally sound American (and you give very good remarks).
(As for me, I'm not British either - nor American - but I sort of like them.)

Matt Self (Gaddabout)

Very perceptive, Robyn. I did a search on my nickname (minus the Gadd reference) and discovered a lot of British ads for ...

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0366.htm]these things  ...

JeepnDrummer

Oh, your name's Gaddabout!  Silly me, I thought it was Roundabout.  Sorry for the ocnfsuion.  ;D

Seriously, while you don't write like Chrisso or remind me of my British pals when I lived in England, you are an excellent communicator.  It's a basic skill that's becoming more scarce in the USA, where the English language is de-evolving at a rapid pace.  Maybe that's it.....maybe not.  ;)

Chris Whitten

I don't buy it.......
My theory is that you've posted on British topics, specifically the Andy Newmark London clinic, and have shown a decent knowledge of British equipment, Brit music and Brit drummers.

Matt Self (Gaddabout)

Quote from: Chris Whitten on May 01, 2007, 11:49 PM
I don't buy it.......
My theory is that you've posted on British topics, specifically the Andy Newmark London clinic, and have shown a decent knowledge of British equipment, Brit music and Brit drummers.

A brief investigation is leading me to a similar conclusion ...

I was perusing through some old threads (and remembering some others) and came to the realization I have in fact become something of a Brit-o-phile. I've liberally quoted Eddie Izzard, who I think is the most brilliant comedian on the planet, though I have nothing in common with his cross-dressing, politics, or theology. Also, of course, Monte Python. I've mentioned a love for the BBC quiz show QI, tried to help some "lads" from Edison find a drummer, and I've even brought up the irony of the lyrics to "God Save the Queen" (Now the Queen lives in a very big house, she has barbed wire outside, and people with guns in front of that. That's one saved queen, I'll tell you! That's the problem! She's overly saved!).

OK, that last part was just an Eddie Izzard bit. I guess I've just bought into a farcical sense of humor ever sense I first read Chaucer. My two favorite modern authors are Douglas Adams (British) and Douglass Coupland (Canadian, which is just another form of being British). American comedians tend to be a bit too blunt for my taste. I like my comedy with a slice of surrealism ...

QuoteYes, and I grew up in Europe, where the history comes from. Oh, yeah. You tear your history down, man! "30 years old, let's smash it to the floor and put a car park here!" I have seen it in stories. I saw  something in a program on something in Miami, and they were saying, "We've redecorated this building to how it looked over 50 years ago!" And people were going, "No, surely not, no. No one was alive then!"

Well, we got tons of history lying about the place, big old castles, and they just get in the way. We're driving-- "Oh, a @#$& castle! Have to drive around it..." Disney came over and built Euro Disney, and they built the Disney castle there, and it was, "You better make it a bit bigger, they've actually got them here... And they're not made of plastic!" We got tons of them, ‘cause you think we all live in castles, and we do all live in castles! We all got a castle each. We're up to here with $#%^(*&$ castles! We just long for a bungalow or something.

Yes, I have the entire monologue memorized ...

However, Ab Fab was a little too American (if I may say so), and I have no bloody idea what those people on Black Adder are saying ... not even with the help of captions.

So ... maybe, unaware, I've been putting off a slight British ... aptitude? Apologies for misleading anyone. If it makes you feel better, I don't drive a truck or own a gun, but I know lots of people who do.  :P

Thanks for helping me get to the bottom of this mystery!

Chris Whitten

Quote from: Gaddabout on May 02, 2007, 01:43 AM
Also, of course, Monte Python.

You just failed question 21.c/q30 section b of the application for British citizenship.

MontY.  >:(

Matt Self (Gaddabout)

Quote from: Chris Whitten on May 02, 2007, 01:59 AM
You just failed question 21.c/q30 section b of the application for British citizenship.

MontY.  >:(

Sorry. American education and all.  ;D

George

Quote from: Gaddabout on May 02, 2007, 02:10 AM
Sorry. American education and all.  ;D

What are all those numbers good for, and whoever is not a world citizen, if I may modestly ask?

Matt Self (Gaddabout)

Quote from: George on May 02, 2007, 02:54 AM
and whoever is not a world citizen, if I may modestly ask?

Terry Bozzio is just visiting.

Chris Whitten

Quote from: George on May 02, 2007, 02:54 AM
What are all those numbers good for, and whoever is not a world citizen, if I may modestly ask?


George,
Perhaps you are misunderstanding our British sense of humour.

Monty Python is legendary in Britain. Gaddabout spelled it incorrectly as Monte.
Maybe he's more a citizen of the French Riviera.

Matt Self (Gaddabout)

Quote from: Chris Whitten on May 02, 2007, 04:38 AM
Maybe he's more a citizen of the French Riviera.

Mais la souris est en dessous de la table, le  chat est sur la chaise, et le singe...le singe est disparu!

Oh, le singe est là-bas. Regarde! Il est sur une bicyclette, il joue du banjo,  il fume une pipe.  Maintenant il arrête, il lit un "journal," et maintenant il est dans l'autobus...il conduit l'autobus, and et Sandra Bullock est dans l'autobus. Il y a une bombe dans l'autobus. Il faut conduire l'autobus plus de cinquante kilomètres par l'heure, et Keanu Reeves, il arrive dans la voiture...il n'a pas de cheveux, et Jeff Daniels est déjà mort. Et regarde! Il essaie de se jeter dans l'autobus. Et Dennis Hopper, oh, Dennis Hopper, quel méchant!

(I'd like to keep this going, but I don't know how far off the cliff I can drive this joke before we see all the messy bits)

Stewart Manley

It is very difficult (arguably, impossible) to pull off Izzard routines without actually being Izzard.

Nice try, though.

TheBeachBoy

Quote from: Gaddabout on May 02, 2007, 05:51 AM
Mais la souris est en dessous de la table, le  chat est sur la chaise, et le singe...le singe est disparu!

Oh, le singe est là-bas. Regarde! Il est sur une bicyclette, il joue du banjo,  il fume une pipe.  Maintenant il arrête, il lit un "journal," et maintenant il est dans l'autobus...il conduit l'autobus, and et Sandra Bullock est dans l'autobus. Il y a une bombe dans l'autobus. Il faut conduire l'autobus plus de cinquante kilomètres par l'heure, et Keanu Reeves, il arrive dans la voiture...il n'a pas de cheveux, et Jeff Daniels est déjà mort. Et regarde! Il essaie de se jeter dans l'autobus. Et Dennis Hopper, oh, Dennis Hopper, quel méchant!

(I'd like to keep this going, but I don't know how far off the cliff I can drive this joke before we see all the messy bits)

What's the banjo-playing, pipe-smoking monkey doing?  How did he end up in the movie "Speed"? ;D

Well, we had the London Bridge in Havasu City; that's not too far from Phoenix.  I could tell right away you weren't British.  Look how you spelled humor vs. humour.  But, everything else could lead one to believe you're British.  Hmmm...

Drum Slave Jack

Personally I thought you were an American living in Britain. You're always posting stuff about clinics in London, a band from Derby wanting a drummer. I guess I was wrong. I do apologise for that. I'm also a huge fan of monty python :). But i've got to say Lee Evans tops the charts for me when it comes to stand up.
QuoteAll of a sudden everyone is allergic to nuts! You see warnings everywhere! I bought a pack of peanuts yesterday and it said caution may contain nuts I KNOW! THATS WHAT I BOUGHT THE BUGGERS FOR! You'd be a bit p*ssed off if you opened them and a socket set fell out!
Jack
PS-I'm not british either, i'm english. But i'll leave that for another thread some day.

Matt Self (Gaddabout)

Quote from: Drum Slave Jack on May 02, 2007, 01:45 PM
PS-I'm not british either, i'm english. But i'll leave that for another thread some day.

You'll have to have me over to your castle sometime.

P.S. As Beach mentioned, here in Arizona we have the old London Bridge, which was shipped here brick by brick. We also have the decommissioned Queen Mary. Both are located at ginormous man-made reservoirs along the Colorado River, which is famous for inventing the Grand Canyon. Sadly, the Colorado River has been resting on its laurels and hasn't created anything else noteworthy for about 5 million years, sort of a riparian Harper Lee.

George

Quote from: Chris Whitten on May 02, 2007, 04:38 AM
George,
Perhaps you are misunderstanding our British sense of humour.

Monty Python is legendary in Britain. Gaddabout spelled it incorrectly as Monte.
Maybe he's more a citizen of the French Riviera.

Yes, I always laugh at British humour, but maybe not at the right points, where the British roll with laughter. I was there, talked to them, and we laughed at quite different times. But they said I was a funny guy, and they learned my humour in a day or two. Different cultures? I like to learn and enjoy it.

drumwild

I understand the "Gadd" part of your screen name, but not certain about the meaning of the "about" part. I can see the confusion, though, as speaking the screen name aloud gives me the impression. Or maybe you're typing with an accent.

When my Brit friends write to me, sometimes I have to stop and think about what they're trying to say. They don't speak English, you know.

People see my screen name, and visions of a sleepy bass player are evoked.

George

Quote from: drumwild on May 02, 2007, 02:54 PM
I understand the "Gadd" part ... but not certain about the meaning of the "about" part.

I thought I understood what 'about' meant. But now as you say this, I'm not so sure.

Quote
Or maybe you're typing with an accent.

This is a great thought: 'typing with an accent'. It really menas something to me, and I'm not kidding now.

Quote
When my Brit friends write to me, sometimes I have to stop and think about what they're trying to say. They don't speak English, you know.

No, it's only the Chinese that speak English well - they understand everything fine in pidgin English... We must stick to our British/American/European English, and try to figure out what the other wants to say if he lives at a distance more than 50 kilometres from where we live.


amoacristo

Quote from: George on May 02, 2007, 03:10 PM
No, it's only the Chinese that speak English well - they understand everything fine in pidgin English... We must stick to our British/American/European English, and try to figure out what the other wants to say if he lives at a distance more than 50 kilometres from where we live.

What? How far is that?  ;)

George

Quote from: amoacristo on May 02, 2007, 03:23 PM
What? How far is that?  ;)

What is how far?  :)

We all live at quite a distance from one another, so everything is very far, isn't it.

Matt Self (Gaddabout)

Quote from: drumwild on May 02, 2007, 02:54 PM
I understand the "Gadd" part of your screen name, but not certain about the meaning of the "about" part.

gad·a·bout (gād'ə-bout') n. One who roams or roves about, as in search of amusement or social activity.

One of my all time favorite words and a very good description of me, the word was mingled with  http://cgi.ebay.com/GADDABOUT-GADD-STEVE-CD-NEW-SEALED-GADD-STEVE_W0QQitemZ160104830024QQihZ006QQcategoryZ307QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem]this imported CD title first released on tape during my formative school boy years  ...

When it came time to create my very first AOL moniker in 1994, I did not want to be mself19048. I am a gadabout that likes Steve Gadd: I am Gaddabout.

And I have been Gaddabout for over 13 years now. I'd be happy to go by my real name these days as anonymity rightfully turns some people off, but so many people around the world know me as Gaddabout ... if I ever became a player, I'd almost have to adopt it as a stage name ... like Zoro. Only I'd drop the second "d" because I'm not as foolish as I often appear.

Chris Whitten

My take was:
Gadd about sums up the drummer I want to be.

or

I'm mad about Gadd about.  ::) :-X

Matt Self (Gaddabout)

Quote from: Chris Whitten on May 02, 2007, 06:03 PM
I'm mad about Gadd about.
Gadd about sums up the drummer I want to be.

These two lines put together have a Steven Sondheim feel to them. They could possibly be the early beginnings of ...

STEVE GADD: THE MUSICAL!

The lights dim, the curtain opens, and a single man in a black t-shirt, black jeans, and black shoes strolls to center stage. Cue music to I'm Mad About Gadd About:


He lightens my sadness
He lightens my days
His drums burst with a kind of madness
My well-ordered ways
He's the Rhythm King of Rochester
With a snare pop like a Winchester
More soul than you'd expect from a white guy
There's no drummer who is betterrrrrrrrr ...

The single man is now joined by 40 girls in black-on-black sequined dresses in a kick line. They all sing:


I'm mad about Gadd about
Gadd about sums up the drummer I want to be
I'm mad about Gadd about
He makes the whole world groovy!

Todd Norris

Quote from: Gaddabout on May 02, 2007, 06:22 PM
These two lines put together have a Steven Sondheim feel to them. They could possibly be the early beginnings of ...

STEVE GADD: THE MUSICAL!

The lights dim, the curtain opens, and a single man in a black t-shirt, black jeans, and black shoes strolls to center stage. Cue music to I'm Mad About Gadd About:


He lightens my sadness
He lightens my days
His drums burst with a kind of madness
My well-ordered ways
He's the Rhythm King of Rochester
With a snare pop like a Winchester
More soul than you'd expect from a white guy
There's no drummer who is betterrrrrrrrr ...

The single man is now joined by 40 girls in black-on-black sequined dresses in a kick line. They all sing:


I'm mad about Gadd about
Gadd about sums up the drummer I want to be
I'm mad about Gadd about
He makes the whole world groovy!



OMIGOSH Gaddy, you never cease to amaze me...


Chris Whitten

I appear stage left in a (Remo) pinstripe suit.

"I'll never be like Gadd.
It's a reality about which I'm quite sad.
He's 50 ways to play every groove.
Never fails to make my earth move.
He's the greatest, they all say, from New York to Baghdad.
As Jacko once sang......Steve's BAAAD."

amoacristo

Quote from: George on May 02, 2007, 04:10 PM
What is how far?  :)

We all live at quite a distance from one another, so everything is very far, isn't it.

I was making a lame joke at you using kilometers since we in America are not clever enough to use metric measurements, though I think we should.

George

Quote from: amoacristo on May 02, 2007, 06:59 PM
I was making a lame joke at you using kilometers since we in America are not clever enough to use metric measurements, though I think we should.

No, you shouldn't, a mile is a nicer distance. I said kilometre just to make it funnier for you. Maybe a sea mile would have been the proper term, considering how we all sail around these topics all the time.  ;)

Robyn

Good point Beach Boy--those Brits always switch their "r"s and "e"s, and substitute "s" for "z" all the time. Nevre ceases to amase me.

I like this thread. It's nice to be silly once in a while.

I'll volunteer me an' smoggy for the black-sequined kick-line, altho it might be a bit scary... :o

robyn

Stewart Manley

Quote from: robyn on May 02, 2007, 11:06 PM...those Brits always switch their "r"s and "e"s, and substitute "s" for "z" all the time.

Actually, you can blame that on the French.