Spike Milligan (1918-2002), a comic genius and one of the greatest influences on modern British comedy, described himself as a lifelong Roman Catholic, albeit of a troubled sort. He wrote that he had trouble believing in God, but still considered himself a Catholic. “Being a Catholic,” he maintained, “is like a blood group - you can’t change it…” He described his wavering, tenuous, but still real relationship with his Catholicism in this article:
archive.catholicherald.co.uk/article/26th-march-1981/5/spike-milligan-and-my-part-in-his-uplift
Born in British India but later claiming Irish citizenship after he was declared stateless by the British government, he co-created and starred in “The Goon Show,” (with Peter Sellers, among others) an anarchic comedy radio show, and the bizarre BBC TV show Q5, that was a model for Monty Python. He wrote a 7-volume comic autobiography of his experiences as a soldier in WWII, with what I feel is the greatest book title of all time: “Adolph Hitler: My Part in His Downfall,” as well as a great deal of poetry, both comic and serious. He wrote and starred in the post-apocalytic comedy “The Bed-Sitting Room,” adapted into one of my favorite films. (Has anyone else ever seen this?).
Milligan campaigned strongly against vivisection, animal cruelty, noise pollution (especially Muzak) and domestic violence against women.
Despite disagreeing publicly with the Church’s teachings on contraception, he was also strongly anti-abortion, and wrote the very moving poem below.
(For non-British readers, “Wimpole Street” is a street in London where offices of high-priced private medical specialists are located. “Queens Counsel,” refers to senior members of the Bar. And Danny La Rue was a very funny and popular female impersonator, sort of the Milton Berle of his age.)
UNTO US . . .
Somewhere at some time
They committed themselves to me
And so, I was!
Small, but I WAS!
Tiny, in shape
Lusting to live
I hung in my pulsing cave.
Soon they knew of me
My mother — my father.
I had no say in my being
I lived on trust
And love
Tho’ I couldn’t think
Each part of me was saying
A silent “Wait for me
I will bring you love!”
I was taken
Blind, naked, defenseless
By the hand of one
Whose good name
Was graven on a brass plate
In Wimpole Street,
And dropped on the sterile floor
Of a foot-operated plastic waste bucket.
There was no Queens Counsel
To take my brief.
The cot I might have warmed
Stood in Harrod’s shop window.
When my passing was told
My father smiled.
No grief filled my empty space.
My death was celebrated
With tickets to see Danny La Rue
Who was pretending to be a woman
Like my mother was.
~ Spike Milligan
a time of fasting and joyful penance, of expectant waiting and preparation culminating Dec. 25th in the of the Nativity of the Christ and the celebration and feasting of the 12 days of Christmas ^^ …weird how I never seem to be that hungry 'til I’m fasting o.0”