Every time I hear the word 'Spam' I think of the Monty Python Spam sketch - from about 1970.... and the Spam Song.
Did you know that the MP spam sketch is why unsolicited junk mail on the interet is called Spam?!!! The useless info that one gathers.....
From Wikipedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Graham Chapman in the Monty Python skit "Spam."
Spam is a popular
Monty Python sketch, first broadcast in 1970. In the sketch, two customers are trying to order a breakfast without
SPAM from a menu which includes the processed meat product in every entree. The term
spam (in electronic communication) is derived from this sketch.
It features
Terry Jones as the waitress,
Eric Idle as Mr Bun and
Graham Chapman as Mrs Bun. The televised skit also featured
John Cleese as "The Hungarian", but this part was left out of audio recordings of the sketch.
Only two minutes long, it builds up into a semi-argument between the waitress who is offering spam and only spam, and Mrs Bun who does not want it. Not even the
"Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam."
Waitress: (brightly) "Well, there's spam, egg, sausage, and spam, that's not got
much spam in it." Mrs Bun: (exasperated) "I don't want any spam!" Mr Bun attempts to mollify his wife:
Mr Bun: "Don't make a fuss, dear. I'll have your spam. I love it. I'm having spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, baked beans, spam, spam, and spam." Waitress: "Baked beans are off." Mr Bun: (to Waitress) "Well, can I have spam instead?" Waitress: "You mean spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, and spam?" At several points a group of
Vikings in the cafe drown out all conversation by loudly singing a song about "Spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam." They are interrupted by the waitress many times, but resume singing more and more loudly until at last the song reaches an operatic climax.
The sketch was the final sketch of the 25th show of
Monty Python's Flying Circus, and was first aired
December 15,
1970. Despite its shortness, the sketch became immensely popular. The word "Spam" is mentioned 94 times.
Oddly enough, the first two items mentioned from the menu do not contain spam, specifically "Egg and Bacon" and "Egg, Sausage, and Bacon."
Spam was one of the few meats excluded from the
British food
rationing that began in
World War II and continued for a number of years after the war and the British grew heartily tired of it, hence the sketch.
The phenomenon, some years later, of marketers drowning out discourse by flooding
Usenet newsgroups and individuals' email addresses with
junk advertising messages was named
spamming after this sketch.