So what does it mean to say someone is a silly man or woman. Let's have a think. A silly woman might be one of those middle aged women who's still a bit girlish and excitable. For example, a friend's mum came to our house and when told something of note she jumped up and down on the spot with - presumably - excitement. I remember thinking what a very silly woman she was.
Another might be a person who's unaware that they are too right on for their own good. Or a family that cycles together and only goes camping, or a woman with big, unruly hair who thinks it's fun to hide your shoe in the fridge and who comes bopping into her secret lesbian lover's workplace like it was the most natural thing in the world and more of a common room than an office.
All these I have known.
But what of the celebrity silly? How about Dillie 'Silly' Keane, from that bastion of silliness Fascinating Aida. Not funny, just That's Life standard silly. All Esther's Nancys were silly for a living, but I didn't mind so much. It's the unaware silly that rankles. Like Nicky Campbell, releasing a swing album in all seriousness, totally unaware that no one wants to buy a swing album by Nicky Campbell and former Holby City dumbell Mark Moraghan.
Chris Evans is king of the sillies, what with his always coming late to party with anything. Once he says Come Dine With Me is the best thing ever, you know it's over. He's an over-excitable manchild who tries to laugh at himself but can't. He's indulgent and showy and wears wacky clothes - the trademark of the silly - in order to be noticed. Sillies love to be the centre of attention though they'd deny it until the end of days. If only they knew no one's laughing with them, only at them. They're clearly dying inside.
There are hundreds more of course - Mike Read, Katie Price, Sisquo from So You Think You Can Dance, anyone who dyes their beard (Silly Connolly), anyone in a large hat (male), anyone who makes a splash at the races, and Jonathan Ross, who along with his wife are the first couple of sillydom.
If you know what I mean then, I'd like your nominations please.
8 comments:
Boyd Hilton: A self-aggranndising fool in over-sized specs and down-with-the-kids trainers.
Ooh, yes, I couldn't agree more. He's now looking a bit out of place in Heat too. Too old.
I remember Dillie Keane from 20 years back at Edinburgh, singing a mock-flapper song about the just-gone 1980s. It was one of the most acerbic and funny comedy songs I've ever heard.
I've no idea about her current activity, really, and therefore your integrity and gravitas as one of blogdom's thinkers comes to the fore. She's obviously really silly.
Neil Morrissey is a nominee for me. Decent actor at both comedy and drama, but when interviewed tries to play up the "daft lad" image despite having nothing to say, and just comes across as a berk.
Libby Purves' frequent hellish descents into faux-girlishness on Radio 4 are the epitome of 'silly' for me. Ditto Edwina Currie, who still does that adolescent thing of believing herself to be terribly risqué by dropping sexual non-sequiturs into her conversation. Cherie Booth/Blair's recent revelations are also well within the realms of the silly. And I find Sandy Toksvig's vocal patterns VERY silly indeed.
And as far as the chaps go, Gary Lineker is out there on his own, with his silly black shirts that make him look like a Marbella drug-dealer, and his knowing leers to camera.
Wasn’t Chris Evans Timmy Mallet’s apprentice/gopher years ago? So you can sort of see the source of it.
I’d also add Russell Brand, not quite the dark dandy he thinks he is.
Fearne Cotton.
*theatrical shudder*
Yes, RS, and the older she gets, the sillier she will become.
And don't even start me on Peaches Geldof
Zoe Ball
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