Wednesday 28 February 2007

When Chat Shows Were King

With some money that my Mum gave me for my birthday I decided to invest in some entertainment. After some debate I plumped for The Dick Cavett Show:
Comic Legends. It’s 4 discs and 14 hours of legendary comics.

The box has such treats as hour long interviews with Groucho Marx, Bob Hope and Mel Brooks. It also includes pre-Cosby Show Bill Cosby, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny and Woody Allen.

Where else would you get to see Woody Allen take questions form the audience before rolling up his sleeves and doing push-ups? "I can’t take my shirt off. I have a pornographic tattoo on my chest. It can’t be seen on any major network."

Truman Capote appears unable to get a word in as Groucho talks incessantly. Cosby discusses race relations. Mel Brooks and film critic Rex Reed get into a lively debate with a film censor over the censor’s role in movies. Jerry Lewis discusses his fall out with Dean Martin. At the time of the show Lewis mentions his next picture, ‘The Day the Clown Cried’ a film that was infamously never released. Coincidentally in the next episode Capote talks about ‘Answered Prayers’ the novel he never finished, "Either I’ll kill it or it will kill me".

This is the kind of stuff you don’t get anywhere these days, probing questions, proper discussion and legendary performers entertaining the audience not merely fielding questions.

Cavett is a great interviewer too, a top comedian in his own right, he’s respected by all his guests, so they’re happy to open up to him.

Here’s an appreciation of Cavett by Clive James from Slate magazine.

Below is ten minutes of Cavett and Woody.

Following on from that, when I got in from last night’s gig I watched ‘The Year in Chat’ on BBC Four. This was a compilation of interviews from UK chat shows in 1973.

It was mainly made up of clips of Parkinson and Russell Harty. It featured a lot of legendary figures and some fascinating and entertaining chat.

Oliver Reed shows that he could be a charming raconteur offering anecdotes about George Bernard Shaw and impressions of Orson Welles and Michael Winner. Another famed drinker, Richard Harris provided some insights into the craft of Marlon Brando, that included an uncanny portrayal of Brando as Marc Antony.

Parkinson attempts to discover why Eartha Kitt performed in apartheid era South Africa, a line of questioning that the singer hotly objected to. Russell Harty and Malcolm McDowell get into an argument over the violence in A Clockwork Orange and Sir Matt Busby tells Parky how he ‘wanted to die’ while lying in hospital after the Munich air crash.

Some of the line of questioning was far funnier though, as Parkinson asks Liberace in all seriousness, "Why have you never married?"

Mathematician Jacob Bronowski discusses the coming to power of Hitler and the dropping of the atomic bomb as the two single worst events in the 20th Century. Jonny Speight, Kirk Douglas and Ingrid Bergman were also some of the many clips included.

Kenneth Williams was featured going on a rant to Parky about the TUC and the numerous strikes that were taking place in Britain at that time. Although the argument gets heated, at one stage Parky tells Williams he is talking ‘crap’, it never gets out of hand and Williams always manages to milk every available comedic moment.

Just like Cavett this is the kind of stuff that you don’t see on television nowadays. Not even Michael Parkinson is Parkinson anymore.

Below Dick and Woody is that heated argument between Parkinson and Kenneth Williams.

And just as a bonus after that there’s Jonathan Ross when he fronted a relevant chat show The Last Resort, speaking with Terry Gilliam around 1987.





Reduced Glue @ The Stand

A good night at The Stand last night in a packed Red Raw. Featuring something like a squillion acts, the place was mobbed; easily the busiest I’ve seen it since Doug Stanhope played.

There were all sorts of interesting goings-on. The BBC were there to record some stuff. Glasgow tour de force comic Raymond Mearns was there to deliver some material written by a cab driver, who was the subject of a documentary. Raymond is a total natural on stage and I’m sure the guy would have been delighted with the way he handled the material, which was pretty good stuff in the first place.

There was the usual smattering of acts who were ok, and a couple of folk who were well above average, like Rosalyn Hastings, who managed to blend some punchy material with a relaxed, warm stage presence.

American Carley Baker was very slick, with very funny well worked out material. The audience felt very comfortable in her obviously capable hands and she went down really well

The compere, Matt Reid, was ideal for the job – a very slick, smart and amiable lad who developed a good rapport with the audience from the off.

Highlight of the night though was a guy who died on his arse.

Yes, I know it’s a bit cruel, but there is nothing funnier than someone who gets on stage thinking “this comedy lark is a doddle”, isn’t prepared and makes a complete fud of him/herself.

It was an Asian guy, who appeared to be disabled and delivered a horrific set about how he finally “got the bitch”. In other words, his first sexual experience.

It was his profuse use of the word “bitch” that was hilarious – the audience were probably more than half women - and his wavering between a Barrhead and a Miami accent. He lasted 3 minutes before crapping himself and chucking it in. Brilliant.

We did pretty good. There were only four of us (me, Tom, Alison and Moira) but the new sketch we did seemed to go well and several folk were nice enough to be complimentary afterwards. I enjoyed doing it, but it’s a weird feeling coming off stage after just a 10 min set. You feel as if you’ve just got going and then you’re done.

Speaking of being complimentary, well know funny person about town Susan Calman (who has her picture in the Comedy Festival brochure and everything) was nice enough to say she enjoyed reading the rubbish we post on Pish, which was very nice of her.

Cheers Susan. There’s nothing we enjoy more than providing a wee 10 minute skive for folk who can’t be bothered doing what they are supposed to be doing.

All in all a good night, even though I got totally soaked on the way home. Boo.

Tuesday 27 February 2007

Ahhhhhh!

Imagine the horror. You fancy listening to Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (officially my daughter’s favourite rock band), you go and find your copy of Shake The Sheets and Gasp!!! The CD is missing!!!!!

It’s happened to everyone hasn’t it?

Well, no matter because those lovely lads have a braw selection of cracking complexo-pop available for you to fix on at their site.

Thank God for that.

Want to Be British? Grab A Rake...


More nonsensical remarks from the PM today, not Tony but our de facto PM Gordon Brown.

You have to wonder why no one thinks to stop what passes for our leading politicians spouting such drivel.

To suggest that a person applying for UK citizenship should be made to do something that is essentially a punishment for minor criminal offences is well, offensive enough, but my main problem with this whole proposal is that Brown seems to think that the definition of what makes a British citizen isn’t even up for discussion.

What is Britishness? Britishness isn’t even a word.

We all have different ideas of what it means to be British, so why should anyone have Gordon Brown’s idiosyncratic paradigm imposed upon them as if it’s something that actually exists outwith his head?

I’m all for folk serving the community and being aware of their responsibilities, but the idea that there exists a contract between a citizen and a nation suggests to me that Brown, Blair and their buddies have completely lost the plot.

They plainly think their Government is “the nation”. They are not. They are merely the custodians. They don't get to decide what defines Britain.

It’s Daily Express appeasing speeches like the one made today that indicates Brown plans to be every bit as gigantic a clown in office as his ex-pal predecessor.

Arrogant, deluded and determined to undermine basic freedoms, you have to wonder what the future has in store for us all should these balloons win any kind of appreciable mandate at the next election.

Who knows though. Maybe they are just trying to put people off coming here in the first place.

It'll be a pop quiz about the Queen at customs for tourists next.

Sandy Nelson @ Feel the Comedy

Here’s Sandy Nelson’s set from Feel the Comedy a few weeks back. it runs for just under fifteen minutes and probably isn’t safe for work. A move into multi-media comedy from a guy well known for his satirical musical style, It's well worth a watch.

Friday 23 February 2007

Support Tupac Shakur Boulevard

I knew they'd release this sooner or later.

Thursday 22 February 2007

Even The Nutters Are Turning On Him

This is pure gold. Go on the Chris!

He Used to Give Me Roses

All you DVD lovers out there it has arrived! Only £588.14.

Chuck Norris Ace Columnist

It’s finally happened Chuck Norris is a columnist. On Martin Luther King Day in a piece entitled What Martin Luther King Couldn’t Do' Chuck wrote...

“For 30 years I have had a dream to turn the excitement of the individual sport of combat martial arts into a thrilling team event. This dream is now a reality.

The World Combat League (WCL) brings together martial arts experts by region in a team format—six combat warriors against six combat warriors. Each team represents their city, their team, and their individual skills in an all out striking war. There is no wrestling or grappling to slow down the action.”


Go read all Chuck’s columns on World Net Daily. He talks about abortion, the threat to America, looking after children and what it was like to fight Bruce Lee.

In 1972, Bruce was directing ''Return of the Dragon'' and wanted me to be in it. ''I want you to be my opponent. We'll have a fight in the Coliseum in Rome,'' Bruce said with excitement. ''Two gladiators in a fight to the death! Best of all, we can choreograph it ourselves. I promise you the fight will be the highlight of the film.''

''Great,'' I said, ''Who wins?''

''I do,'' Bruce said with a laugh. ''I'm the star!''

''Oh you're going to beat up on the current world karate champion?''

''No,'' said Bruce. ''I'm going to kill the current world karate champion.''

I laughed and agreed to do the movie, after gaining twenty pounds at his request (he wanted me to look more formidable as his opponent).

Chuck Norris Fact Number 7 - The leading causes of death in the United States are: 1. Heart Disease 2. Chuck Norris 3. Cancer.

You Steal Shit!

Joe Rogan has been on about Carlos Mencia stealing jokes for a long time. Not just from him, but from a lot of other comics. Now however he has indulged in some ‘comedy crime fighting’. The video below was from two weeks ago when Rogan challenged Mencia on stage about his gag theft.

As you’ll see Mencia has no real argument mostly calling Rogan ‘a little bitch’ throughout.

The language makes this not really suitable for work though. There’s more info on Rogan’s site (link to the left) but again, there’s stuff on it not really suitable for work.

Dead Frog has a lot more on the fall out from the incident. Here, here and here. Oh aye and here.


Wednesday 21 February 2007

Errol Morris Season

More 4 started a season of Errol Morris films this week. A very short series. It started on Monday and ends tonight.

It started with Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. about a man who specialised in modifying electric chairs. His work with execution devices led to him being asked to become an ‘expert witness’ in a Holocaust denier’s trial.

This was to prove his downfall as he hamfistedly attempted to prove that Auschwitz housed no gas chambers. This led to his wife leaving him (the trip to Auschwitz was their honeymoon) and his career in ruins, so much so that the only people he could hang about with were Holocaust deniers.

Last night it was the turn of the legendary The Thin Blue Line, the documentary about the killing of a policeman in 1976. Gripping all the way through, it’s a great example of how misguided the death penalty is.

My favourite thing though was in the documentary A Brief History of Errol Morris where he discussed some of his unrealised projects. He spoke of reading about a 22 pound chicken called Weirdo who was ‘the size of a sheep’. Weirdo had a son Ralph who was even bigger. Along with his buddy Werner Herzog, Morris came up with an idea to make a film featuring an actor who Herzog knew who was just over 2 feet tall riding on the world’s smallest horse around the world’s biggest tree being chased by Ralph a chicken the size of a sheep. Such a shame that didn’t come off.

Science vs. Faith

The difference between science and faith explained. Via.

It's Just a Hobby

This little tale of a Polis who loves the Nazis amused me.

Tuesday 20 February 2007

Think You Deserve A Police Record? Tony Blair Does...


Our beloved PM today took another step in ensuring his legacy as the UK’s worst ever leader by revealing another “add on” to his brilliant ID card plans.

Contrary to information many people had including the opposition and the Lib Dems, police will be allowed to use fingerprint information gathered by the register to investigate what is apparently being described as “900,000 unsolved crimes” outstanding on coppers books.

The information will also be available to any of a vast number of Government agencies to protect what has been mysteriously labelled Britain’s “economic well-being”.

So basically, the police are going to be desperately trying to match crimes with prints as soon as they become available leading to obviously no mistakes at all eh? I envisage no miscarriages of justice at all, at great expense to the tax payer. Fingerprint evidence has never been misused to cover the ass of an incompetent police officer has it? And it’s infallible right? Remember that lie? Well, Tony and the cops still like the sound of it.

The danger of breeding a digitised West Midlands Serious Crime Squad mentality with innocent people being railroaded by information that presents itself as immutable fact but cannot be magically exempt from human corruption and error is immense.

Even more importantly, we are all going to be lumbered with what amounts to a police record. If the police can check your ID Card details without permission then it is a police record – it’s as simple as that, and what is more it is a police record for people who haven’t even been accused of let alone arrested for a crime. This is unacceptable.

Freedom is fundamentally about your own choices regarding right and wrong. How free are you when that choice is taken away from you by police and Government?

Of course The Government claim this was always part of the plan. It wasn’t. They are liars.

And here we find the reason why the ID card scheme will fail. For ID cards to work on the grand scale planned, the Government would need two things:

1) Effective systems and trustworthy, capable staff. They don’t have this.

2) The trust of the public. They don’t have this either.

Tony Blair’s biggest problem is that he just doesn’t understand that no-one takes him seriously anymore. Not just because he’s on the way out and has already handed effective control of the country to his successor but also because when his government of unelected lackeys haven’t been lying to the British public they have been ignoring us.

What right minded person would entrust their very freedom to this arrogant, incompetent, proven liar?

Of course, Tony loves trotting out the hurt bunny act when his integrity is questioned, as if the very notion of a self-serving idiot in Number 10 would cause the world to explode.

But the citizens of this country find themselves in a situation akin to Nick Leeson asking to manage our bank accounts then getting stroppy when he's told where to shove it.

Monday 19 February 2007

Tommy's 30th Birthday Bash


Tom
Originally uploaded by ЯØNN¡EBЯØWN.
Tommy was 30 last week. He had a birthday meal at Mono on Saturday, although I only went along for the drinks. I look happy about it, eh?

You can see my photographs of the occasion here.

Friday Night Glue

Aye, so Friday night there YOMG played at Blackfriars as part of a showcase of acts for the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

We performed 8 sketches and went down really well with the audience, though everyone went over well.

Also on the bill were Mark Nelson, Scott Agnew, Limmy and Gary Little. I’ve seen Mark Nelson a few times and this was easily the strongest set I’ve seen him do. Big Scott was edgier than I’ve seen him in the past, not so much of the gay stuff, although there was plenty of that too. Limy did a form of magic act, which he really pulled off, though plenty of folk with more live experience would have fallen flat on their faces. Gary Little has always been funny right from when he started about 4 years ago, but he keeps on getting better.

So a good night had by all. A shame that the journalist who was coming to see us thought we were appearing on the Saturday night. Still, never mind eh.

There are some photographs of the night here.

Saturday 17 February 2007

Richards Update

Here's the latest update on Michael Richards. I tend to agree with him. What's the guy meant to do? It seems he's to dance to Gloria Allred and these plums' tune until they tell him to stop dancing.

I Swear it Wisnae Me

I swear I didn't start this. Go have a look to read about your favourite comedy sketch show.

There will be more on our minor tiumph at the Comedy Festival showcase last night in the next day or too.

Friday 16 February 2007

Why Aren’t The Kinks Massive?


Yeah, ok, I know they are pretty famous, but they don’t get the same insane kudos that the Beatles, the Stones or even The Who get, despite being every bit as good and every bit as important to British music.

Do yourself a favour and beg, borrow or steal a copy of “The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society” straight away.

It’s listening to forgotten gems like this that makes you realise what an over-hyped bunch of piss we generally get from bands these days.

And another thing, kids today…

Fridays

Dead Frog has a post about the sketch comedy Fridays, which of course gave us Larry David and famed racist and funnyman Michael Richards. It links to an interview with Tom Kramer who worked on the show and you can also see their drug-addled Three Stooges sketch.

Thursday 15 February 2007

He Missed the Second Half?

Fraser’s been on the Rangers messageboards all morning arguing with fellow Bears fans about the good old days at the ‘brox.

As a wee reminder here’s a famous sketch featuring three Scottish comedy legends.

Wednesday 14 February 2007

Suffer The Little Children

With the unions crushed many years ago, it’s become the norm in this country for employers to dictate long working hours and increasingly poor working conditions.

It hasn’t been uncommon for me in my “career” to work for companies who don’t fulfil their contractual obligations and don’t bother providing facilities that match the legal standard.

Basically, the whip hand has been taken up by companies who have found themselves able to force people to place work, rather than family at the centre of their lives.

Can’t work overtime? Well, we know a guy who can. You know what I’m talking about.

Of course that’s all well and good until you read something like this.

To have lower child welfare standards than countries who have only recently emerged from behind the Iron Curtain is beyond shameful.

Unfortunately, my daughter is extremely close to being one of the 16% of kids living in a household that earns less than half the national average wage, that despite the fact that I have a full time job.

But at least she has a house – child poverty has doubled since 1979. Doubled.

What a disgrace, and all so our slave masters can buy themselves slightly fancier Mercs, Jags and Bentleys.

And it’s yet another entry in the catalogue of abject failures of our Government, who’d rather spend money on a racist war than on the nation’s lifeblood.

A country that doesn’t look after its children isn’t just neglectful, it’s insane – raising healthy, happy people should be the number one concern of any nation. Failing to do so endangers the very notion of a stable society.

But instead we have given ourselves over to churning out chattle for the bosses, to “staying competitive”.

Well, here’s one contest we performed pretty shambolically in eh?

Money or people? How hard a choice is that?

The No. 1-Selling Cold Medicine in Canada

This is an interview with Kids in the Hall’s Mark McKinney. It’s from a banking website and although it’s pretty interesting, covering KITH and Slings and Arrows it does focus a lot on business and stocks and shares.

Where is my Friend Herge?

I went along to The Stand in Glasgow last night to see my pal Charlotte do a spot. The Red Raw nights are a great mixed bag, 2 quid, ten comedians, some of them will be funny, some of them so-so, some of them rubbish and the best thing occasionally you’ll get a complete nutter.

Was I glad I he turned up last night? You bet I was. Craig Mungo, I believe was his name. Scott Agnew introduced him, only to discover that he was nowhere to be seen. After 15, 20 seconds, an eternity with nothing happening on stage, he finally ran on. He had his jacket on and a rucksack over his shoulder.

To begin with he announced he was Dutch, though he clearly wasn’t. For the next 2 or 3 minutes he did nothing but mumble in his faux Dutch accent, before getting out a small notebook and reading off that. Beside me a guy who looked liked a squashed Billy Idol, howled with laughter, as if Groucho Marx and Chic Murray were doing a double act. This guy was obviously the act’s pal.

When finally we could make out what Mungo was saying he seemed to be doing some sort of scatological bit. He had now ran over his allotted five minutes. Throughout his ‘act’ he routinely referred to his pal ‘Herge’ who was in the audience.

By the time he hit the ten minute mark he was on about Benny Hill and being chased. He asked if anyone wanted to come onstage. No one did. The lighting guy flashed the lights on and off furiously, as Mungo checked his notebook and started another bit.

At this point his pal was making his way through the crowd and toward the stage. That’s when I knew it was going to be good.

Mungo pulled him onto the stage and positioned him against the back wall. Now I knew he was his mate, but I don’t think anyone else in the audience did. Down into his rucksack he went, fumbling around for several seconds.

Then suddenly…bang! He walloped a big chocolate cake straight into his pal’s face. There was chocolate up the walls and all over the floor. He hit him so hard his pal bounced off the wall.

He then went back to reading off his notes as his pal staggered back through the crowd, wiping chocolate cake from his face and pishing himself laughing.

By now Mungo had been on for about 15 minutes and showed no signs of knocking off for the night. The lighting guy then shouted ‘You’re ten minutes over’, this seemed not to phase him. A few of us then started clapping, which spread round the room, the music went on, Scott Agnew reappeared and it was his cue to get off.

However he refused, complaining that he had been ill-treated. He then attempted to fight Scott for the microphone. After Scott fought him off he sloped backstage where apparently he made an awful lot of noise before leaving the venue for good.

Here’s some archive ‘Pish on more comedy nutters.

Tuesday 13 February 2007

The Face Of A Daftie


Have you ever asked yourself what a daftie who’d conspire to cause explosions with a delusional racist must look like? Well, you now have your answer. Allegedly.

Glue in Edinburgh

Last night was You Owe Me Glue’s first visit outside of the Glasgow area when we went to The Stand in Edinburgh. Surprisingly we found ourselves on first as there were 5 10 minute spots, including Kevin Bridges and Frankie Boyle, in amongst a bill of about 10 acts. I would have thought that putting the only sketch group on first was missing a trick a wee bit, but anyway…

It was the smallest, most cramped stage we’ve ever performed on and if we go back in future we probably couldn’t do any sketches with more than 3 folk onstage at the same time.

We went down really well, everything got big laughs and we coped fine despite having had zero rehearsal hours this week.

Since we've been out gigging with other folk recently I thought I would stick a few of them on here.




Limmy – How Far Would You Go?


Frankie Boyle’s Showreel


Des McLean – Bullshit Tour of India


Scott Agnew – Make Me a Lady

Monday 12 February 2007

Let a Smooth Operator Take You Home

As a late birthday treat, Jo took me out for dinner last night. We went to AdLib on Hope Street and it was really good. I had the Gumbo with prawns, chicken and vegetables.

Of course I got the bus into town. At Sauchiehall Street a young bam got on decked out in the good Celtic gear. He stood in the doorway winching his bird, who stayed outside on the pavement. This continued for several moments as if she was seeing him off to war. When the driver eventually shouted “Ho are you getting on?” the young bam broke off from his embrace, paid his fare and headed for his rightful seat up the back.

As he walked there, from out of his Celtic trackie he took a full pint glass of lager obviously half-inched from Campus or some other fine establishment. As I was getting off on Union Street, our hero got out his seat and wandered down the aisle. He was followed by the sound of a pint glass rolling along the floor then smashing into bits.

As I stepped off the driver had got out of his cab to inspect the mess as the bam pled innocence.

On the way home Jo got to experience the charm of the typical Glasgow bus driver, mid fifties, grey ‘tash, gruff voice… She asked how much it was to Finnieston.

“For you darlin’ 95 pence,” the driver mumbled.

“Pardon?”


“For you sweetheart, 95p.”

“Sorry, how much?”

“A poun’.”

After she put her fare in he gave her a big wink, which perturbed her more than slightly.

Ah to be a Glesca Bus Driver.

Friday 9 February 2007

"I Need That Seat..."

Coming back from town last night I got on a 62 to Partick. Mobbed of course, I stood near the door. A character I recognised through reading about on this blog got on at Finnieston.

Dressed in workie gear, fluorescent yellow jacket, orange trousers and work boots, this was augmented with a wide selection of love beads and bangles, several large earrings including a 4 inch hoop and a court jester’s hat covered in what appeared to be pink rubber bands, I realised this guy was The Electric Scarecrow.

“Some big homosexual’s just tried to feel me up,” he told a guy who seemed to know him. “I’m just going up here for a cerry-oot then I’m goin’ back hame.”

When his pal left he resumed playing SOS by ABBA at full bung on his Walkman. He then began singing along. He wished the driver a fond farewell as he got off, then stopped a woman getting on the bus to ask “Am I looking awright?” before warmly greeting everyone else at the stop on his way into the offie.

A few stops further along the road a red faced middle aged wee guy with dark glasses got on. Looking like he’d just been beat up by Regan and Carter from The Sweeney, he chucked his money in the vault and said to the driver, “Just a poun’. I’m only goin’ up tae the cop shop.”

Walking up the bus he insisted that an older guy get up due to the fact “I need that seat. I’m oot ma cunt.” He then mumbled something about “Taking a load o’ they eccies.” For his next trick he took his bus ticket, licked it, reached across the girl beside him and attached it to the window. Finally he hassled a young girl to take his seat.

Ah First Bus, you see bams in the street and you gather them all up in one place.

Thursday 8 February 2007

It Should Have Been Us

Stewart Lee and Richard Herring teamed up together again as Lee and Herring for the first time in almost eight years on Monday night at the Ted Stock benefit for Ted Chippington.

This is Richard Herring’s account of the evening and also the script they used on the night. Their performance centres around the mocking of Mitchell and Webb’s Apple ads.

You can actually watch video of their performance on the first link.


Here’s the pair of them in a couple of sketches from This Morning With Richard Not Judy.



Wednesday 7 February 2007

Glue @ The Grand

The show at the Classic Grand last night went really well. Not only that, I actually managed to stay to the end of an event I’ve been performing at for the first time in ages.

I have to admit, we didn’t thing the organisers had given themselves enough time to put an ambitious show together, but they pulled it off with some aplomb – kudos to Charlotte for that. Considering it was a blend of stand up, sketches and AV stuff in a venue that’s not known for comedy it ended up running really smoothly and was a really good night in general.

Compere Nick Davis kicked us off and Paul Pirrie and Dee Custace warmed things up for us.

We went down well, kicking off with Bertie for a change to try and grab folk from the off. We kicked ass as (almost) always in a short set that was well received by a smallish but very nice audience. Wendy, who came in with about one hours worth of rehearsal did a smashing job for us standing in for Alison.

It’s one of the few times we’ve been in a show with other performers and the “buzz” backstage was positive towards us as well.

We were followed by Paul Sneddon, a cracking and very experienced stand up who went on as his character Bob Doolahly, an ex-footballer and manager. It’s quite like Arnold Brown meets Stanley Baxter meets Alex Ferguson if you haven’t seen him. Paul, as always, was solidly funny throughout his act and is a lovely guy in person as well.

He was followed by Sandy Nelson, a guy I hadn’t seen before, despite this lengthy experience on the circuit. His bit was probably my favourite of the night; an AV presentation with a hilarious closer about the TV ad campaign done for the Daily Express. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone do political comedy that was actually funny for ages.

After some films, Dirty Pigeon were on, another sketch act. Thinking there were films on at this point, I’d gone downstairs to ask some folk to do the No2ID gig we’re helping with, so managed to miss most of their bit. They went down extremely well right enough, because I could hear the cheering from a floor down. They were also a very nice bunch to chat to as well, although I think I annoyed one of their number Toni by pestering her about her various appearances on Cbeebies, my daughters favourite TV channel. Got some great goss on her co-stars there though.

Limmy followed on and did a very brave and very funny one man sketch about two pals talking about films. It was a slow burning bit that built expertly to a very funny climax. You’d never have known that this was only his second live gig. Having made his name doing podcasts, short films and animations, it looks like Limmy can add the string of solid live performer to his bow. These talented folk just make you sick eh?

Des McLean headlined the show, preceded by a hilarious short film taking the rip out of Billy Connelly, a ripe target if ever there was one. Des has a great talent for doing everyman type material and still managing to be irreverent and edgy. He’s already doing stuff for Radio and will go on to do much more I’m sure. Again, a very talented and genuinely nice guy.

There was a bit of glad handing and chat afterwards and we all left feeling pretty good about how the night had gone.

For me anyway, it was great to have met and performed alongside so many really good folk. It felt good to have held our own in that kind of company.

Now of course I’m in work, trying to deal with the “good gig/back to the grind the next day as if nothing happened” feeling of total anti-climax you always get when you do well on a week night.

Ach well, it a cher o'bowlies eh?

Tom says: It was a complete turnaround from the other week there. The audience went for it from the get-go which made all the difference. Frankly I was embarrassed sitting in the dressing room afterwards when I had a crowd of comedians round me telling me what their favourite line in their favourite sketch was.

As Fraser outlined, pretty much every act was very funny and everyone was very friendly and complimentary backstage.

I took a load of photographs and you can see them here.

Katie
has put up a brief review of it. As is becoming the norm with our American friend's reviews, they're usually about something else.

Tuesday 6 February 2007

My Take on Fuzz


I also went to the film house of pictures last night to see the new Pegg thing.

It was very good. Out of all the films I’ve seen I’d say it is twelve.

Many times we laughed. Many more times we laughed when the stars joined us. Nick Frost is funny and fat and jolly, like a crazy hilarious Santa with beer.

Now I am back here in my normal life and I am sad. I yearn for the magic pictures and the guns and the funny.

Caught by the Fuzz

A load of us from work went to see Hot Fuzz (*****) last night. Brought to us by the same team that made Shaun of the Dead it lived up to the success of their first film by providing all the things you’d expect from 'Lethal Weapon meets Miss Marple.’

With Simon Pegg as a hot shot cop sent to the country and Nick Frost his bungling country bumpkin sidekick, a serious of suspicious deaths occur in the sleepy village.

The relationship between the pair of them is the central point of the whole thing, as Frost’s Danny looks up to his new mentor.

It’s gag after gag, with hilarious action sequences and a vast selection of amusing characters. Timothy Dalton takes on the main bad guy role, but the whole cast is great.

Paddy Considine, Kevin Eldon, Jim Broadbent, Edward Woodward, Anne Reid, Olivia Coleman, Steve Coogan and many other familiar faces from British TV and film make up the supporting cast.

After the screening we were treated to a Q & A with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The session was hosted by Evening Times film writer Andy Dougan, who despite his attempts to be hip was wholly tedious.

Several of the audience questions pretty much went “Simon I think you are brilliant. I really want you to like me. Can I tell people we are pals?” Of the first two ‘questions’ one guy bought them both a Cornetto and another guy took his Fratellis CD down to be signed.

Of the noteworthy things that came out of it were; there’s pretty much no chance of a third season of Spaced and Simon Pegg thinks he has missed his chance of playing Rorschach in the film of Watchmen because he slagged off director Zack Snyder’s previous film, the remake of Dawn of the Dead.

All in all a good night out and a film I’ll definitely go to see again.

Katie has a kind of review of it up at her blog.

Monday 5 February 2007

What is Sexy?

I discovered this little video while reading about some Canadian actresses who had staged a video of a hysterical bride to be in order to generate some heat on their burgeoning acting careers.

Anyway this is part of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. I just thought the short video was quite entertaining.

A Lost Cheers Script

To celebrate yesterday’s Super Bowl Ken Levine posted a script he and his partner wrote for a Cheers/Super Bowl cross over. Amazing that in all the DVD sets of Cheers they haven’t found a place for this.

Down below I’ve posted a video for something that was mentioned in the comments on that post. It’s a Frasier/Star Trek crossover.

Saturday 3 February 2007

I Was Walking Down the Road...

Here's another article on Ted Chippington, as Stewart Lee writes about his influence.

Thursday 1 February 2007

The World Is Irretrievably Fucked Part II


As an orphan and a father, I hope those responsible for the events in this story are slowly raped to death.

A Good Mate...

Here’s a really enjoyable article about an anti-hero of comedy, Ted Chippington.

“I suppose I never classed myself as a stand-up. I'm an orator, or something like that - more of an anti-comedian than a comedian. And, when I started off, I only did it to annoy people. It worked."