Repartee: "I'm writing a book." "Neither am I." (attrib Peter Cook 1984)

[Laurence Horn]

Recalling Serge Gainsbourg's top o' the charts song from the late 1960s in France, "Je t'aime…moi non plus". See

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Je_t%27aime..._moi_non_plus

for more than you want to know about the history of the song, if you're not of a certain age. I hadn't known about the Picasso-Dali "me neither" exchange (real or apocryphal as the case may be) before reading this wiki write-up.  Here's a video of the song--there are others, but this one seems particularly French (and hence NSFW, depending on the W):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlpDf6XX_j0

LH


On Jul 24, 2013, at 10:52 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:

> Fred Shapiro asked about the following joke:
>> Neither am I.
>> Peter Cook ... on being told that the person sitting next to him at a dinner party was "writing a book"
>
> There is evidence that the joke appeared in a cartoon that was created
> via collaboration between Peter Cook and Barry Fantoni. There are
> multiple claims that the cartoon was published in the UK periodical
> "Private Eye", but currently I do not know the time frame.
>
> After Peter Cook died The Guardian UK published "Satire's brightest
> star Peter Cook" on January 10, 1995. Friends of Cook shared memories
> of his life. The cartoonist Barry Fantoni wrote an article that
> mentioned the joke. Fantoni claimed that the caption of a cartoon that
> he drew was given to him during a conversation with Peter Cook.
>
> The text of the Guardian article is apparently available at the
> following link. The term "he" refers to Peter Cook:
> http://www.apesod.f2s.com/petercook/articles/guardian-5.htm
>
> Title: Satire's brightest star - part 4
> Author: Barry Fantoni
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> During a big fight or cup match on TV, he would ring me, or I him and
> we'd watch the contest in our own homes, while at the same time
> amusing each other with personal observations. This would have a
> particular poignancy, and more jokes if Spurs were playing - Peter was
> an avid Spurs fan.
>
> It was during such TV phone-ins that more general jokes would come
> about. The only time I drew a cartoon with a caption by Peter, arose
> from such a bout of casual banter. Two men are talking in a pub. One
> says: "I'm writing a book." The other says: "Neither am I."
> [End excerpt]
>
> Here is a blog article that references the cartoon, but no date is given:
>
> Title: Neither am I.
> Date: January 5, 2011
> http://stephenbarker.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/neither-am-i/
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> In a famous Cook and Fantoni cartoon (from Private Eye ages ago) two
> badly drawn men are standing together at a party. One says, “I’m
> writing a book”, the other replies, “Neither am I”. It was funny
> because it seemed everyone claimed they were at the time. Writing a
> book was the pre-internet dream ticket to money and fame, but few got
> around to it.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Here is another reference to the cartoon. In this instance the caption
> is different. The word "book" is replaced by "novel".
>
> Title: Q&A: Peter Florence Answers Your Questions
> Publication: Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales)
> Date: May 24, 2003
> Database: Questia
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> ......any books? If not, why not? A: There's a cartoon that the great
> Peter Cook wrote with Barry Fantoni. Two guys are standing in a bar
> and one of them says, 'I'm writing a novel'. The other says, `Neither
> am I'.
> [End excerpt]
>
> I have seen several comments of the type presented above; however, the
> cites do not  identify the time period of the cartoon. Barry Fantoni
> is alive, and he may know the date of publication.
>
> The other main piece of evidence for the quotation is from Nigel Rees.
> Who states the joke was attributed to Peter Cook during the Quote
> Unquote BBC Radio program in 1984.  Here is what Nigel wrote in
> Cassell's:
>
> [ref] 2001, Cassell's Humorous Quotations, Compiled by Nigel Rees,
> Section: Conversational gambits, Page 94, [Cassell, London], Sterling
> Pub. Co., New York. (Verified on paper) [/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> On being told that the person sitting next to him at a dinner party
> was 'writing a book':
>
> 6  Neither am I.
>
> Peter Cook, English humorist (1937-95). Quoted by Richard Ingrams on
> BBC Radio  Quote ... Unquote (25 August 1984), though Cook declined to
> claim it as original.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org