Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year
Tripping Along The Ledge
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Shlapin’, fightin’, drinkin’, shmokin’
The tagline on this website used to read “Mayoman of the Year”. Last week I figured I was due a promotion. So I changed it to “Mayoman of the Century”. Why the fuck not? Weird thing is, the upgrade actually seems to have worked. The very next day, Willie Joe Padden endorsed my website (!!!) Soon after, Swinford comedy legends The Hardy Bucks asked me out for a drink. We ended up going on the lock and and they asked if I’d (fingers crossed) make an appearance in the second series of their show. My answer can only be represented with the use of multiple exclamation marks. The details haven’t been worked out yet. But hopefully its going to go ahead. Regardless, I think the lads have done an incredible job with the show.
A good comedy is a machine that requires every cylinder to fully function. With virtually every foray they’ve ever made into comedy, RTE have demonstrated the extend to which either a bad script can fuck up a funny actor, or a hack actor can fuck up a funny script. Quite how Martin and Chris, with zero experience or resources between them, succeeded in creating something that’s both effortlessly funny and painfully true, is something I’ll never understand. The first episode alone has already notched up close to half a million hits on YouTube.
(As opening lines go, their “Shlapin’, fightin’, drinkin’, shmokin’…” doesn’t quite rank up there with The Office’s “You’ve talked the talk, but can you walk the walk… Vis a vis, do you have your forklifters driving test?” But its really not that not far off.)
So I’ve got two options now, as far as I can tell. On the one hand, I could change the tagline on here to “Mayoman of the Millennium” see how that pans out. Or, on the other, I could roll the dice and change it to “Jamaican of the Century.” Doubtless, Usain Bolt would invite me out for a jog and Bob Marley will rise from the grave and ask me to duet with him on a 2010 remix of Trench Town Rock.
As they say in Bohola, “No want you fe galang so…”
More of my reflections on Mayo here.
January 14th, 2010 at 8:28 am
Change it to donegal man of the year Eoin. Daniel O’Donnell will offer you a guest spot on his new album and Packie Bonner will ask you to go for a few pints.
January 14th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Butler – your auld ladies got worms!
January 14th, 2010 at 11:19 am
ahem!
http://www.kerrygaa.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1054&Itemid=100006
the hardy bucks are brilliant,i wish them all the best!
January 14th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Kerry bastards. Well they can go jogging with him 36 times, we’d be happy just to meet him the once.
January 14th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
mayo man of the era and all future eras..i was chatting to martin (or maybe it was chris) before, basically the red head lad, and as i’ve mentioned on here before, i can’t believe he’s a scouser..fair fucks’s to him for nailing the east mayo accent at all, never mind coming up with the hardy bucks
January 14th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
I was on the last with him last Saturday, I must say the Scouse accent falls away after a few pints…!
January 14th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
The Hardy Bucks jumping the shark already? Though yer Willie Joe Padden endorsement is like a badge of honor. Maybe you are Mayoman enough.
@will odlum – Damn, Usain Bolt just went down in my estimations, didnt think it was possible without a drugs or sex scandal but there you go.
January 14th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
I should point out incidentally, Colin, that Will “Odlum” (he possibly meant Oldham) is Dan a.k.a… well Dan.
Btw: who said anything about Hardy Bucks jumping the shark? I think they’re about to take it to another level altogether!
January 14th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Ahh Dan, another marvel moment from nowhere.
Eoin, you could be the equivalent of Homer Simpson’s Poochie addition to Itchy and Scratchy.
January 14th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
I was thinkin I’d be more like Roy (who moves in with the Simpsons… I won’t insult a Simpsons buff of your caliber with further explanations)
January 14th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Nods
January 15th, 2010 at 12:49 am
Love the hardy bucks, best Irish comedy by a mile. They’re not going to jump the shark no way.
March 17th, 2010 at 11:58 am
You should hear Martin jabber on in Swedish!
Funny and all as the bucks of hardiness are, they should tone down the swearing before they get into the Tommy Tiernan territory of swearing just for the hell of it and cheap laughs. Eoin mentioned the Office: that, and most of my favourite comedies (except Eastbound and Down) are mostly funny without relying on gratuitous use of profanities. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a cuss as much as the next man*, and beside this minor trivial complaint, I, and most people I know, think the buckeens are destined for comic greatness- Shkyboy!!!
* big hairy geeflaps
March 17th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Granted it’s how most people ACTUALLY talk, but my point is, with all the F’in and C’in, they won’t get a daycent shlot on the telly, or translate as well to foreign audiences, IMO