What is with the Nordic comics and the Bible?!

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on March 29th, 2006

You’ll recall we posted on Feb. 20 (“Bloody riots provoked by… Danish comedian?”) about a Danish comic who gleefully peed on a Bible but stopped short of doing the same to the Koran.

Now UPI is reporting that a Norwegian comic, Otto Jespersen, has burned a Bible for comic effect.

Jespersen lit a bonfire in front of the city hall and, with the help of Mayor Arve Tonning, started throwing books on the blaze, Aftenposten reported Wednesday.

But then Jespersen ripped out several pages from a Bible and threw them on the fire. Tonning said he tried to stop Jespersen, but was ignored.

When we read the phrase, “started throwing books on the blaze,” we were taken aback. Wasn’t it those zany Nazis who perfected that comedy bit a few years ago, maybe during the late 30s? (Even XTC wrote a song about it… called “Books Are Burning”– Andy Partridge isn’t exactly known for his subtlety.) And now book burning is considered wacky and nutty in Norway. My how things change!

“Imagine the fireworks,” says the Female Half of the Staff, “when the Danish comic and the Norwegian comic end up on the same bill together!” Indeed!

Norwegian Comic: “Dude: You’re doing my Bible bit! You can’t do that!”

Danish Comic: “No way! I do a slight twist on it… I pee on it. I made it my own!”

Norwegian Comic (seeking compromise): “Dude: How about we do the bit together at the end… I’ll light it on fire, then you pee on it. Cool?”

Danish Comic: “Cool!”

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