I Love Karl Pilkington

In December, in an effort to make 32 weekly hours of mind-numbingly boring image processing less soul draining, I began the daily ritual of packing my ipod with podcasts. It was there, at the iTunes music library that I found the Ricky Gervais show – renewed my obsession with him and Stephen Merchant...and discovered probably the funniest person in the world, ever...Karl Pilkington.

Now I divide my existence into two eras: B.K.P. and A.K.P (Before and After Karl Pilkington).

Karl is an unemployed radio producer with a fascinatingly bizarre approach to the world and to human thought. Key to his cognitions is his air-tight propensity for missing key steps or ignoring universal inhibitors. Karl came up with “a new way for life” in an effort to solve what he's determined is a giant population crisis as “people aren't dying anymore.” When people reach a predetermined death age, say 78, a baby will grow inside them and as the elder passes on, the baby will emerge: new life. Karl is not one to be thwarted by the laws of evolution or reason. When Gervais and Merchant question his proposal he says, “well, if you don't want to do it we don't have to.”

This Sunday will mark the last in a series of twelve podcasts. Since episode eight the boys have been reading excerpts from Karl's diary...my absolute favorite feature on the show. Sometimes I start crying listening to it during work because I am working so hard to suppress my laughter. Here's a peak at Karl's innermost secrets...

(He is on vacation in Gran Caneria)

“This hotel is a bit weird, I've never seen so many cross-eyed people in one place.”

“There was a big fat fella in the sea that kept his shirt on. If you're fat is there more chance of you getting burnt cos there's more of you on show? I asked Suzanne and she said she didn't know in the 'not listening' way.” - “I wanted to hang around to see if the fat bloke was going to get into a kayak but Suzanne said we best be heading back.”

I don't know how much those lines'll do for someone whose never heard Karl Pilkington speak, but I couldn't post that without giggling. He also make insightful statements about society like, “you never see an old person eating a Twix.” And it's true.

I will be sincerely sad when a new Ricky Gervais podcast is no longer part of my working week, it's been something I look forward to – its how I bribe myself through challengingly boring days. Sounds like they'll be back in time, and I can wait. Maybe I'll even design a new era: W.P.K.: Waiting for Karl Pilkington.