Web "Spoof" Puts Final Nail in Gay Cowboy-Themed Comic Trend's Coffin
The story's satiric premise involves an allegedly forthcoming Scottish movie entitled Brogue-Back Mountain, in which love blossoms between a pair of ruggedly handsome highland shepherds and how this forbidden desire effects their lives, their families and their sheep.
Puns abound in the 300-or-so-word fake news story, leading off with a recitation of rejected titles, including Highland Fling, Sporran to be Wild, Kilt Bill and Plaid to the Bone. The parodic ad slogans' puns are, if possible, even more painful; "They took the down-low road..." "What happens in the heather, stays in the heather..." and such like.
Attempts to wring laughs from a broad Scottish accent ("Ay, laddie, I nae can quit ye!") fall flat, the joke about the all-bagpipe soundtrack could be seen coming three paragraphs away and the double entendres concerning haggis make no sense at all.
Despite the thanks of a grateful nation for putting the kibosh on this current craze for gay cowboy-themed comedy, the writer acknowledges having second thoughts about posting the story. These stem from the lukewarm response it got from acquaintances and the "This tastes icky" look on his wife's face when she read an early draft. While he insists that he doesn't regret writing the piece, he does wish he'd thought of it sooner or gone with his Brokebackdraft idea about gay firemen because he had this really funny line about red suspenders.
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