Mornington Crescent
is a
game, and a piece of
theatre, and a
conversation. If its only purpose was to confuse young American noders, I doubt it would have lasted for thirty-odd years on the radio, with people listening and laughing every week. Creating a
simulacrum of a game, with what appears to be a complex
history and set of
rules is pleasing, even when every single listener knows the "
joke" of the game. It's a game where the aim is to be
amusing, and
creative, and
inventive and keep the flow going. It's a game where the aim is to trip up your co-players and get them to giggle madly as you invent another
barmy sounding
variation that is just on the edge of
credibility. It's a game where you are struggling to keep a
straight face. It's a game where, if you don't know what's happening, and the light starts to dawn, you can pitch in and be an expert in moments.
You can choose to make up your own rules as you go along, giving a game some sort of internal
pattern: hopping diagonally across the
map, only ever leaping to
stations around 45 degree turns in the line, and so on. Anything that makes you happy. No one else needs to know about them.
WyldWynd, it's not
cruel and unusual. It's not a system to ridicule people. It's a form of
nonsense poetry. Loosen up, look at a map of the
London Underground and jump in. Invent, make links, be silly, create. It's
fun.