At least the Turks learned their lesson

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While I'm reminiscing about my father, I just have to tell this story. This may be the single funniest thing my father has ever said or done, and it's even funnier if you know him. My father has a very dry sense of humor, but he's not a guy who tells a lot of jokes or generally tries to make people…

Bloody great! Lets all sing from the They Might Be Giants hymnal shall we? (singing)

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Istanbul (Istanbul)
Istanbul (Istanbul)

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

By Firemancarl (not verified) on 02 Sep 2007 #permalink

Yes, the Chaser team are great

That is absolutely brilliant, especially the end.

Firemancarl-don't you go thinking that's an original they might be giants song. When I was a kiddy (a while ago) my Mom used to play the album from which it was first on the charts-by a woman of some sort-Oh I know, George Clooney's aunt!

The first rule of social engineering and gaining access is to act like you belong here.

By wildcardjack (not verified) on 02 Sep 2007 #permalink

@ Justin H. and PZ

SHIT! I have homework to do! Why did you give me a hysterical YouTube show to watch??? AAARG!

Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
Words by Jimmy Kennedy
Music by Nat Simon
Copyright 1953

I have the first edition sheet music sitting on my piano.

GeoffE: I have the same reaction to people who credit this song to TMBG that you do. However, the original recording was by The Four Lads, who reached #10 on the Billboard Charts in 1953. Perhaps you're thinking of Mambo Italiano, which Rosey charted with the same year.

Well, I still like the Giants version. Besides they had a snazzy video to boot!

By Firemancarl (not verified) on 02 Sep 2007 #permalink

Perhaps if they'd tried building a giant wooden badger for the Turkish consulate instead?

By FrumiousBandersnark (not verified) on 02 Sep 2007 #permalink

If you watch to the end you can click on another link for them spoofing Fox News, also pretty funny.

By Chris Bell (not verified) on 02 Sep 2007 #permalink

How timely. I've got to teach archaic Greece to 150 indifferent freshman on Tuesday. May have to revise that lecture...

They have a whole archive on their tv channel's website, too.

Thanks, I've just lost over an hour of my life, and I can't stop watching!

They also road etst how well people have learnt from their 'biblical history'...

Of serpents and apples

The rabbi really should have known better ;)

BTW more Turks are skeptical of evolution than Americans, the Turkish government and local governments have taken various steps to curb creationism, and Intelligent Design is taking off in Turkey as a "scientific" alternative (all of this from memory, but I think moderately correct). So did they really learn their lesson?

By Marion Delgado (not verified) on 02 Sep 2007 #permalink

That's one of my favourite Chaser sketches. :)

By Silmarillion (not verified) on 02 Sep 2007 #permalink

Turks as such did not exist at the time of the Trojan war. It was the Hittite empire I think that was around at the time.

bernarda: Turks as such did not exist at the time of the Trojan war. It was the Hittite empire I think that was around at the time.

IIRC, they would be too far east, and later.

Marion Delgado: Intelligent Design is taking off in Turkey

Most of the Turkish anti-evolution material is American in origin (as is much of the Holocaust denial in that part of the world).

Seeing that there has been friction between Greece and Turkey for a long time, it could be not so much the Turks learning from the Trojan War but, instead, them not trusting anything "Greek".

Loved the hoplites.

IIRC, they would be too far east, and later.

Farther east yes, but not later. The Hittite empire was annihilated* at the time of the Trojan War.

* "and Hatti was as if it had never been", wrote the Egyptians.

By David Marjanović (not verified) on 03 Sep 2007 #permalink

The Turks were not around at the time of the trojan war. They descend from east china and as far as I know the Chinese were not around at that time

IIRC, they would be too far east, and later.

Farther east yes, but not later. The Hittite empire was annihilated* at the time of the Trojan War.

* "and Hatti was as if it had never been", wrote the Egyptians.

By David Marjanović (not verified) on 03 Sep 2007 #permalink