I bumped into Burt Bigglesworth, one of the three fabled wise men who visited Jesus on the day he was born, in Starbucks this morning. I asked him if I could interview him for my site, and he said I could if he could have the wacky goggles I was wearing. I said yes; he put the goggles on, and we began the interview.
TACP: Thanks for allowing me to interview you, Mr. Bigglesworth, and, if you don’t mind my saying, you look dashingly handsome in those goggles.
Bigglesworth: Thanks. I’ve been looking for something to keep the damn bugs outta my eyes when I’m drivin’ my Harley on the highway, and these puppies are perfect for it. Plus, I’m bettin’ they’ll make me an even bigger babe magnet than I already am. You mind if I have a swig of your latte before we get rollin’? It looks better than this urine colored apple juice I just paid $7.95 for.
TACP: Sure thing. Go ahead. Now, I have to ask, what was it like being there for the birth of Christ on that first Christmas all those years ago?
Bigglesworth: Well, you see, people erroneously assume I and my group had gone to Bethlehem specifically for the birth of little Jesus. Not true. We were in Bethlehem because we were booked to perform that weekend at the Inn there.
TACP: Hold on there a minute. Your group was in Bethlehem to perform at the Inn? Weren’t you one of three kings who came to witness the birth of Jesus by following the North Star to Bethlehem specifically for that purpose?
Bigglesworth: Naw. I was part of a barber shop quartet called, “The Four Singing Shepard Kings.” We were on our way to Bethlehem to perform when one of us, Jeeves McDickens, got piss drunk and fell in front of a moving camel. Needless to say, only three of us made it to the gig. When we showed up at the Inn in Bethlehem, an Inn that was booked to capacity, BTW, the Inn keeper threw a hissy fit and told us to bugger off because no one wanted to listen to a barber shop quartet that had only three members.
TACP: Wow. I never heard about any of this before. Funny how the Bible leaves out SO many facts, eh? So, did you ever actually see the baby Jesus in the manger, or is the Bible wrong about that?
Bigglesworth: Oh, we not only saw him, his folks paid us two goats and three sheep to sing him to sleep. After the Inn keeper told us we didn’t have a gig anymore, we asked him if we could at least spend the night at the Inn cause we were tired and in distress from having lost Jeeves in that camel incident. We were told no, however, because the Inn was full. So, we started looking around for a place to crash when we heard a baby wailing in a manger not too far away. We popped in to see what was what, and when Mary and Joseph saw us, they cried out,”God has answered our prayers and sent these three kings to help our wailing baby stop wailing so we can get some sleep! Amen! Amen! Amen!”
TACP: Why did Mary and Joseph think you fellas were kings, if I may ask?
Bigglesworth: Because we were still in our “Singing Shepard King” outfits from the gig we just lost. We didn’t have time to change whilst seeking shelter for the night. Any who, to make a long story short, we told Mary and Joseph we’d be happy to sing the little tyke to sleep if they were willing to pay us the sheep and goats I mentioned before. They agreed, and we sang, anachronistically, I might add, a soothing version of “Down in the Valley”, minus Jeeves’ tenor solo, of course, and the little wanker nodded right out. I then fired up an “incense” doobie, and the rest, as they say, is wildly distorted history. Hey, sorry, bro, but I seem to have drunk all of your latte.
TACP: No trouble, Mr. Bigglesworth. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. Where are you off to now?
Bigglesworth: Got me a stand up comedy gig at a biker bar in Toledo. Wish me luck. Bikers can be rough crowds. See ya around, pal. And thanks again for the goggles.
TACP: Sure thing. Bye now