The 2020 Ig Nobel Euro (and Brexitannia) Tour was scheduled to visit Imperial College London today, March 21. But alas, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 tour was truncated last week, after its first show. As compensation, here’s video of last year’s Ig Nobel show at Imperial College, on March 16, 2019. The show […]
Tag: McGonagall
Sad news: Terry Jones is dead
Terry Jones has died. His achievements as a Monty Python, and as a writer, director, and actor in other realms, are well and duly celebrated. He was a very nice and good person. And rather funny. We were lucky to have collaborated with him on some small things. Here are two performances of bad poetry […]
A Dramatic Non-Reading of William McGonagall’s Bad Poetry
A special dramatic non-reading of the poetry of William McGonagall was a last-minute addition to the Ig Nobel Show at Imperial College on Friday night, March 9, 2018. McGonagall is famed as the worst poet ever to write in the English language. Ig Nobel shows have, time and again, included dramatic readings of his work. (The […]
The Tay Bridge Disaster, remembered on its anniversary
Today, December 28, is the anniversary of the Tay Bridge Disaster — the much marveled-at new railway bridge over the River Tay collapsed during a fierce storm, dooming the passengers on a train. The tragedy is now remembered in connection with the disaster of the poem it inspired. The poem begins: Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry […]
The Tay Bridge Disaster, remembered on its anniversary
Today, December 28, is the anniversary of the Tay Bridge Disaster. The tragedy is now remembered in connection with the disaster of the poem it inspired. William McGonagall (whose family name, at least, is familar to readers of the Harry Potter books, because his grave is in the cemetery near the coffee shop where the first […]
Celebrating William Topaz McGonagall, for World Poetry Day
Steve Farrar celebrates the historically bad poetry of William Topaz McGonagall, for World Poetry Day: … Here was a man unafraid to rhyme ‘poet’ and ‘know it’ without the least hint of irony, and of course he fearlessly rejected the confines of conventional scansion. For instance, he lovingly crafted the following couplet about Lochleven Castle: ‘And […]
Horrors: ‘Art’ in Artificial (Intelligence) Poetry
William Topaz McGonagall who died in 1902, is widely regarded as the writer of the worst poetry in the English language. As an example, see this video featuring Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) interpreting the poem ‘Stirling Castle’. McGonagall has now become one of the very few famous poets to have a computer programme […]
The Ig Nobel show at Imperial College [video]
Here’s video of the Ig Nobel show we did at Imperial College London on March 9, 2012. (Imperial College’s web site has a better quality video.). This year’s show featured Mason Porter, John Hoyland and Stevyn Colgan and Ig Nobel Prize winner Mirjam Tuk—with a special appearance by Professor Andrew George, who recited wretched poetry by […]
Improbable TV: Tay Bridge Disaster recited on a train on the bridge
Here’s a new episode of the Improbable Research TV series. It’s the 4th of many episodes featuring the bad poetry of William Topaz McGonagall. (For no good reason at all, we are releasing this 4th episode before we release the 3rd episode.) William Topaz McGonagall, who died in 1902, is widely regarded as the worst poet […]
Improbable TV: “The Tay Bridge Disaster” in Ukrainian
Here’s a new episode — #McG-002, “”The Tay Bridge Disaster” with Dr. Elena Bodnar — of the Improbable Research TV series. It’s the 2nd of many episodes featuring the bad poetry of William Topaz McGonagall. William Topaz McGonagall, who died in 1902, is widely regarded as the worst poet ever to write in the English language. The […]