kung fu grippe

The “Happy Few” Project - Two weeks to learn & perform the ‘St. Crispin’s Day speech’ from Henry V

Twenty years ago, I was on a lunch break in a cafeteria at a salmon processing plant in Homer, Alaska when suddenly a guy jumped up and gave this speech with incredible passion. Needless to say we were all taken aback. The shift supervisor had him do it for the third shift guys on their break as well.

Outstanding.

I once performed similar ad hoc oratory atop a table in (New College’s) Ham Center cafeteria—only my monologue du jour was Eric Bogosian’s amazing opening rant from Arena Brains. I think my friend Michael kinda liked it. Maybe.
But!
More importantly, I have an idea. A really stupid idea.

Yes. As of this morning, I’m giving myself from today (10/11/2010) up to the real St. Crispin’s day (10/25/2010) to make this speech my new jam.

I will not simply learn, memorize, polish and master this—one of the better pieces of oratory in our mutt language—I will post a video that includes me performing it. Along with maybe other people. An interesting video. Not sure what it will be yet. But that’s the spiel.

Wanna join me? You’d be one of the Happy Few.

In case you want to play along, here’s the assignment:

Commit the St. Crispin’s Day Speech from Henry V to memory

Rehearse and adapt it to your personal style
(to where you could, say, perform it on command in a salmon processing plant break room)

Create a video, audio, or other multimedia thingee that incorporates your adaptation of the speech
It’s okay to be creative and make it your own

That’s kinda the idea

Submit it here by 5pm on October 25, 2010.
Yep. That’s St. Crispin’s Day

Gentle everyone’s condition

Happy Few—also known as the “International ‘Everybody Gentle Our Condition by Memorizing and Performing that Stirring St. Crispin’s Day Speech from Henry V’ Fortnight.” (“IntEvGenCoMemPerStirSaCrisDaSpeFroHankSankFo,” for short).

Wanna do this with me? Of course you don’t. You have better things to do.

But if you do want in—you masochistic bastard—you better start now. You got less than two weeks, Bardie, so, go.

And trolls from MeFi, Reddit—even Digg—
Shall paste their EPIC FAIL we’re simply here—
Or say it’s “really gay”—iambically
We’ll share dumb jokes upon Saint Crispin’s Day!

Now: once more unto the YouTube, dear friends, once more…

Source: happyfew