said to rank something within a bad category
Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best.The Trip · 2011 — Chapter 17 of 20 · 5'22" · B2
Dad Phones Joe About Drinking, Explained: as empty experiences go
Sex jokes open the stretch. A father calls Joe about a night of drinking, and the talk later reaches a poem at Bolton Abbey. Under the bits, performance keeps beating a plainer self. Loveless sex is ranked "one of the best" of the empty kind, and a borrowed poem gets the defense "I chose a voice to suit the mood."
What happens
Someone runs a set of sex jokes, calling loveless sex an empty experience and still "one of the best." A father phones Joe and moves straight to the point: a night out with friends has to stay off weeknights. On the road to Bolton Abbey, one traveler recites a poem in Ian McKellen's voice and is told to mean the words in his own.
Listen for
as empty experiences goa moving violationrein it incut to the chase
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Phrase of the scene
as empty experiences go
said to rank something within a bad category
罗布抛出这句关于没有爱的性的论断，先承认这事很空，再用 as empty experiences go 反手把它捧成同类里最好的，嘴皮子占尽便宜。
The afternoon felt pointless, but as empty experiences go, it was one of the better ones.
Also in this scene
- a moving violation
a traffic offence, with a pun on being emotionally unmoved
- rein it in
to control yourself and behave less wildly
- cut to the chase
直入正题、跳过铺垫直接说重点
Everything marked in this scene
28 notes across 102 lines
as ... go
Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best.It was the most fun I've had without laughing.a traffic offence, with a pun on being emotionally unmoved
I said, " Knowing my ex-wife, it was probably not a moving violation."I'm gonna cut to the chase.weak form
I'm gonna cut to the chase.She told me what happened the other night.Just having a bit of fun.to control yourself and behave less wildly
But you've got to rein it in during the week.Rob's being, you know, sort of a pain in the ass, but I tolerate him.liaison
Rob's being, you know, sort of a pain in the ass, but I tolerate him.Rob's being, you know, sort of a pain in the ass, but I tolerate him.11 years. Something like that.Take care, and behave.I am once again bottomless.negative question
Don't you ever get cold being bottomless?Let him run round the car park in the hope that he sniffs up something interesting.Well, there's a phone resting on him as well, so if the phone begins to move, I'll know that you're weaving your magic, as it were.if-clause
Well, there's a phone resting on him as well, so if the phone begins to move, I'll know that you're weaving your magic, as it were.Because I want to take in Bolton Abbey and then quickly say hi to my parents.mind + gerund
You don't mind... do you mind coming to say...You could bring me a lemonade and a packet of crisps,weak form
You could bring me a lemonade and a packet of crisps,You can say, "I would bring him in, but he might make a mess."Yes. Mission accomplished.Or Bolton Abbey, going on about Bolton Abbey.would have been
What would have been really nice is if you got up this morning...I chose a voice to suit the mood.Dad Phones Joe About Drinking, explained
What's really going on
"Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best" confesses and dodges in one breath: the emptiness is real, and it still gets a prize. The phone call is plainer. Someone tells Joe he will "cut to the chase," brings up a talk with his mum, and brushes off "only a drink." Enjoy the weekend, but "you've got to rein it in during the week." One companion gets called "a pain in the ass" and, later, "a good friend." "I miss you" is returned, and the sign-off offers "constructive fun time." A later call turns flirtation into a voice, "I'm the small man stuck in a box," and gets shut down. On the road to Bolton Abbey a poem is performed in Sir Ian's voice. One man wants those lines "in your own voice," actually meant. "I chose a voice to suit the mood" keeps the feeling on loan. "It's a different Bolton, Rob" answers with a plain fact.
Theme
ParenthoodA caller who says he is Dad limits weeknight fun, asks for the week to be reined in, and still says he will be back.
IdentityAsked for the poem in his own voice, the reader answers that he chose a voice to suit the mood.
What you'll learn
- Rein it in as weekday control
- Pain in the ass as tolerated irritation
- Mission accomplished as smug done
Listen for
- cut to the chase — weak form
- pain in the ass — liaison
- a packet of crisps — weak form
Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best.A joke that admits loveless sex is empty and still ranks it among the best empty things. The praise is the punchline.
It was the most fun I've had without laughing.Another punchline in the joke run: pleasure that never breaks into laughter.
I chose a voice to suit the mood.His defense for reciting in Sir Ian's voice. He presents the voice as something chosen to match the mood of the place.
I'm the small man stuck in a box.A tiny voice dropped into a sexual phone call. He plays a man trapped in a box, and the other person dismisses it as a stupid voice.
Questions about this scene
Why does the father call Joe?
He has already heard from the boy's mother what happened the other night. On the phone he skips the warm-up. A night with friends, "only a drink," and "a bit of fun" is not accepted. Weekends can be for enjoyment. During the week the rule is to rein it in. He ends on missing him, and on "Take care, and behave."
Does the phone call end in a fight?
It stays a warning. Talk turns to the trip, both sides say "I miss you," and the caller promises he will be back for some fun, then narrows it to "constructive fun time." The last word is still "Take care, and behave."
Why is the Bolton Abbey poem read in Sir Ian's voice?
The reader says he learned it in bed and calls that "Mission accomplished." He "chose a voice to suit the mood," arguing that Sir Ian comes from Bolton and so fits the priory. The man beside him is not convinced. He wanted the poem "in your own voice," with the words meant, and he answers that it is "a different Bolton."
What is the small man stuck in a box?
Nobody in the room. On a sexual phone call, one speaker says he is bottomless and lets "him" off the lead, then drops into a tiny repeated voice: "I'm the small man stuck in a box." The other person is unmoved: "I don't care about silly voices. They're stupid."
The Trip · 20 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 18stick the knife inMock Eulogy at the Grave
Chapter 1have someone down asSteve and Rob Set Off
Chapter 2part of its charmSteve and Rob Share a Room
Chapter 3take a long, hard look in the mirrorThe Michael Caine Impression Duel
Chapter 4in a troughSteve Calls From the Trough
Chapter 5put someone on the back footCalls on the Road to Cartmel
Chapter 6the king of understatementBond Impressions Over Dinner
Chapter 7living the dreamTelling Steve He's Living the Dream
Chapter 8method in my madnessSteve and Rob at Greta Hall
Chapter 9contend withSteve and Rob Rank Their Careers
Chapter 10not unlikeTurned Away at Dove Cottage
Chapter 11at first lightSteve and Rob's Costume Drama
Chapter 12not a lot of people knowThe Michael Caine Impressions
Chapter 13Cut to the chaseSteve Takes His Agent's Call
Chapter 14don't come running to meShushed on the B Roads
Chapter 15a wee bitA Phone Call by the Lake
Chapter 16an albatross around my neckCoogan and Brydon Compare Careers
Watching · Chapter 17as empty experiences goDad Phones Joe About Drinking
Chapter 18stick the knife inMock Eulogy at the Grave
Chapter 19if push came to shoveHiring Divers for the Gesture
Chapter 20as broad as it's longSteve Leaves His ParentsChapter 17 of 20 · about 15 min to go