Elton John was amazing on Bravo’s Inside the Actor’s Studio the other evening, and we enjoyed the Bernard Pivot questionnaire* with which Lipton always caps the night, including the question: “What is your favorite curseword?“.Sadly, Sir Elton’s favorite curseword was relatively mundane. They usually are. Occasionally you get a surprising use of a particularly foul word by a rather upstanding, much-honored actress like Meryl Streep or Lauren Bacall, but most often you hear single syllable utterances that don’t have a lot of impact these days or the surprisingly common three syllable noun+verb that might or might not be taken as a curseword, depending upon the context.But we had a great discussion lamenting the impact of cursing nowadays and the sad state of cursing in society in general and among teenagers in particular. It’s not an issue of too much cursing, at all. Kids today just don’t curse with any flair. There’s no passion in their cursing. This isn’t strong language at all, it’s weak and prissy, gutteral and lacking in variety. John mentioned that this lack of cursing prowess was especially poignant in contrast with the great works of Chaucer and Shakespeare. He absolutely quashes the use of cursing by his students both in class and in their plays unless it is done with creativity and remains true to the character.
This site might help John’s students expand their cursing range, via Michael Berube, a brilliant mind (and my former TA at UVa): Send a Shakespearean Insult.
I pledge to dirty down my cursing and eliminate the bland and prosaic use of common terms, unless combined creatively in some inspiring fashion. I can easily make John laugh for hours by quoting Jon Stewart or by using the simple term “assclown”, but even that’s getting a little “so 24 hours ago.” Any good ideas for curse mashing? We’re in need of some creative outlet for a little fist shaking at the fates right now.Continue for the Bernard Pivot questionnaire.
- What is your favorite word?
- What is your least favorite word?
- What is your favorite curseword?
- What turns you on?
- What turns you off?
- What sound or noise do you love?
- What sound or noise do you hate?
- What profession (other than your current) would you like to attempt?
- What profession would you least like to attempt?
- If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
