Not the Messiah offensive to Stephen Green
Carmarthen’s leading comedy fundamentalist, whose star has been sadly in the descendent since he helped abolish the Blasphemy Law last year, has found something else to be offended by. Not the Messiah, a Handel’s Messiah style musical version of The Life of Brian, is being promoted by Classic FM.
Not The Messiah: At a cinema near you on March 25th!
The horror of this situation is passionately expressed by the director of Christian Voice in a round-robin email to supporters and on his website:
It has the song from ‘Life of Brian’ which ‘Brian’ sang while hanging from the cross, ‘Always look on the bright side of life.’ Crucifixion is not funny. It even has ‘Hail to the Shoe’ sung to the music of the Hallelujah Chorus. That isn’t funny either.
Green urges his supporters to PRAY that Classic FM pull the ads, nobody turns up at the cinemas, and that Eric Idle finds Jesus. He also wants them to write to the MD of Classic FM and let them know:
that his promotion of ‘Not the Messiah’ offends and insults you and Stephen Green. If you are a regular listener, tell him so.
Actually he says “Almighty God” instead of “Stephen Green” in the above quote. Sometimes it is really hard to tell the difference between the two. They are virtually indistinguishable.
Apart from one of them actually existing of course!
Oh man what is the matter with these berks. I love the Life of Brian, who couldn’t love it and everything Python….
Upset over the crucifiction. FFS, do these people think that getting tied, nailed or chained to bits of wood was the sole domain of JC? It had been a common punishment in the region for centuries; the Romans like the idea and pinched it for their own use.
You want horrific, just look at a what Crassus did to those who surrended to him during the 3rd Servile War, 6000 men crucified along the Appian way from Capua to Rome, a man every 40 yards.
The arrogance of these people with their “it offends almighty god”. I just spoke to god and he said he didn’t give a fuck either way.
Brian was played by Graham Chapman; “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” was sung by Eric Idle. Stephen Green may have no sense of humour, but the least he could do is try to identify his targets properly.
[…] This from MediaWatchWatch […]
Hey, check this out. Just had Rosalind Plowright OBE, who played Mandy (the mother of Brian) who is herself a Catholic, comment on my blog:
Classic FM stopped its promotion of Eric Idle’s show ‘Not the Messiah’ due to complaints the station received from Christian Voice.
How cool is that?
I was quite appalled to hear of Classic FM’s decision to ban the promotion of Eric Idle and John Du Prez Oratorio, “Not the Messiah.”
As the person who played Mandy (the mother of Brian) and as a Roman Catholic by birth, I believe I have more right than anyone else to pronounce a view on this short sighted decision of you and how poorly it must be seen by others who will hear this news.
I will assume that all complaints will have come from religious bodies or people. I wonder if they had seen the show at the Royal Albert Hall? If not, is their view even allowable?
The concept of Brian comes from the mysterious “Book of Brian” It tells the story of a baby born on the same night as Jesus who was mistakenly identified as the Messiah.
How lucky that this book was written and/or discovered. From it have come two of the funniest and most entertaining pieces of artistic creativity ever. “The Life of Brian,” voted funniest film of all time in one of those TV 100 Funniest Films, and “Not the Messiah – He’s a very Naughty Boy” the oratorio.
What better vehicle than an oratorio to tell such a story and what genius to use styles of music that today’s public, from youngster to classical music aficionado can relate to.
I am disappointed that Classic FM allows itself to be dictated to by such a small body of extreme opinion. Their action shows them to be a radio station that cares more about a few uninformed Christian bigots than serving the public with a new arrival on the classical music scene.
Ironically their decision will have huge numbers of people wondering what all the fuss is about and no doubt they will buy the DVD when it released in June. It will also probably help fill the cinemas to capacity tonight!
Rosalind Plowright OBE
Mandy – Mother of Brian
Mezzo Soprano
I have written to Classic FM and encouraged as many other people as I can.
What are they going to do next? Ban Wagner because a few Jews find his anti-semitism offensive? Ban Ein Duetsches Requiem because the Latin Mass Society object? The list is endless.
Let’s face it, the Taliban would cut their hands off for broadcasting any music at all.
Classic FM have shown themselves to be pathetically weak and to suffer from terrible editorial management. We will have to consider them the voice of the Religious Right in the future and treat them with the contempt they deserve.
[…] on his website about his achievement in cancelling the promotion of Not the Messiah (see below) we assumed he was just kidding himself. Kidding himself is, after all, what he spends his life […]