I’ve noticed quite a few of my fellow bloggers have been doing some nice round-ups of fave movies, TV shows or other popular entertainments. Never wanting to miss a popular bandwagon to leap on, here is my own humble halfbananas listicle of my top five banana-related entertainments. Enjoy.
Movies
1. Bananas – Woody Allen’s hilarious tale of love, dictators and fruit
2. Pulp Fiction – Tarantino’s fruity masterpiece
3. Bananas is My Business – Carmen Miranda documentary
4. Herbie Goes Bananas -1980 thrillfest featuring the magical VW
5. Banana Joe – 1982 film about a man who grows bananas
I have to confess at this stage I have not actually seen numbers #3 #4 and #5 and am basing my recommendation purely on the movie posters. I hope to rectify this appalling oversight in the very near future.
It’s been a while since I saw the fantastic Pulp Fiction and I don’t recall exactly how many bananas were featured, but the spoof of the Banksy image suggests it must have been very fruity indeed.
Music
In terms of music, there is an obvious standout in the Velvet Underground & Nico’s classic from 1967, full of tales of S&M, drug use and bananas. However there is strong competition from Britain’s fab Bananarama, Sweden’s Electric Banana Band and the Banana Song from Onision. I think you’ll agree the video for this last one is, er, unforgettable and possibly the best music video of all time.
1. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground
2. Cruel Summer – Bananarama
3. Djungeljul – The Electric Banana Band
4. Theme song – The Banana Splits
5. Banana Song (I’m A Banana) – Onision
Art & Literature
I was going to do a top five banana-related books / paintings, but I got bored with the whole enterprise and decided to eat a banana instead.
If you know of any fabulous fruit-related narratives, or deliciously ap-peeling visual masterpieces you think deserve a mention, do tell.
Happy New Year!
Text © Copyright Jason Lennick 2016. All rights reserved.
Halfbananas - humour, short fiction & verse 
I feel that any reference to ‘banana-related’ entertainment is incomplete without acknowledging the incomparable ‘Bananas in Pyjamas’ (I refer to the 1967 children’s song rather than the 1992 cartoon but both are seminal works in their own way). Also surely Bananaman (off of the Dandy comic and 80s kids TV) deserves a mention?
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Thanks James, I can see I’ve only just scratched the surface when it comes to banana-related cultural treasures.
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You’re forgetting the ever classic pop hit “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani. (“This sh!t is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s!”
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Thanks Charlotte, having just watched the video I would say that it contains all the essential features of a modern pop classic – a catchy tune, a yellow car and lots of banana references.
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What they both said!! Bananarama featuring the Funboy Three was the first record I ever bought.
As for art, I have discovered the delightful Superlambanana, a cross between a lamb and the best of fruits, which resides in Liverpool. The fact it looks more like a Labrador with a deformed tail is beside the point…
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Superlambanana? I want one!
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That’s just bananas!
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As for great literature, I think there is The Bananas of Wrath, “A Clockwork Banana” (the Anthony Burgess novel version of the tale, of course) and Macbeth with Bananas. (I made up some parts of these titles, Jason, but don’t worry. I doubt anyone will suspect.)
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Clockwork Banana is a terrific band name, almost as good as Mouse Rat or Scarecrow Boat. (If you are not a fan of ‘Parks and Recreation’, please ignore this comment…)
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God Hates Figs is pretty good too.
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