A merry old troll
From kipping in a bath in 1985 to selling out 1000-seater venues, BILL BAILEY is back with an ofi-the-wall cosmic fusion of music and tall tails. wins; Maureen Ellis
yerything l'eels wrong. llammersmith station is
bustling with as many people wearing (‘eltic strips as
non-hooped persons. The intery'iew' with Bill Bailey is taking place in a ptib called the (how and I‘m eny'isaging a murky old man's social. but instead it's a swanky bar—cum- caterie. And just to add insult to injury. (iuy .\Iasterson has claimed that Bailey has shorn his I'low’ing locks to play a consery'atiy'e stockbroker in /3 Angry Men. Does a parallel uniy‘erse exist in “'6'? Has Bailey experienced a Samson—like drainage ol’ his comedy powers‘.’
I needn't hayc worried. As Bailey strides into the bar
wearing a floral print shirt and jeans. his trademark tresses llow behind him. "I‘his used to be an old Irish pub.’ he says. laughing. ‘It was a real. traditional Irish pub. with old l'ellas sitting round on like waiting room chairs. drinking (iuinness and playing pool. I went on tour for tour months. came back. and it was this. (‘ompletely changed.’
Reliel'. And ('eltic are playing l-"ulham.
Bailey has come straight from rehearsals for his juror role (l‘or which wigging tip might he a possible mane concession) and despite the intense schedule. he's surprisingly upbeat. (iiy'en his prey'ious acting choices as hyper punch-bag Manny in Black Books. temperamental Bilbo in Spaced. a lrtistrated magician in .lonuihun ('rt'ek. and wide-eyed dope dealer in Surng (imcc —- I wonder il‘ this is his lirst straight acting role'.’ ‘What. not playing an eccentric loon'." he teases. ‘I did quite a lot of acting in l‘rench when I left college. They were odd pieces. like The limp/re Built/mix by Boris
Vian. which was a surreal. black farce. But in terms ‘IT'S
ol‘ playing against type. this is the lirst time.’
like the erstwhile rockers who appear as panellists on Netti ,llmt/ I/n HII.’.( Ht As. Bill Bailey wants to recapture liyg‘ttllt‘ _\t‘.tl'\. ()l~ ttl lt‘;t\l t't‘cl't'alt‘ IllL' I‘ll/l llc‘ It‘ll when starting otit back in the days ol the Rubber Bishops and his award-winning l'cstiyal show (mum- .lum. 'I‘hc crowds were smaller. experimentalion was paramount. and during the testiyal ol IUSS he ey en slept in a bath.
llis Ill-week stint as a \irtual tmknown in New York was the regression catalyst. “You get to the point w here the \enues get bigger and bigger. I don‘t want to be in a stadium tumbling around with notes. going: “hang on. where are we?" The New York c\pericncc means that the material is more inyolycd'. more thought goes into it. It‘s more layered. more structured. 'I'herc's monologues. characters. yoices and things happening. Music comes lrom nowhere and it turns into a Rttssian musical and goes back to a joke. and you think: is this {t jttlsc‘ mm 1’ St) it's more HI~ tt c‘ttllllt‘c‘lt‘tl. Ilttitl PIL‘CL‘.‘
It's the oyerall package that makes a Bailey gig tmique: the capricious music and ol'I-kiltcr storytelling juxtaposed with a btnnhling stage persona and a heightened sense ol' the ridiculous. th he‘s entirely dil'lident. ‘l lind it really tmlikely that people come to see me. btit that‘s what I like about it. You understand why people would go and see .lim l)a\idson. because that appeals to a certain mentality. Bttt my soul seems to appeal to something other than that.'
Not eycryone w ill get to see him. though. He turned down the tiller ol' play ing a l5llll—sc‘dlc‘l' \cnue in layour ol' the more intimate 35(l-capacity I’lcasance. So what‘s with the tail and suit publicity shots'.’ ‘In \orse
Mythology lt‘olls would lake on the shape (ll liighth juror ()wen ()‘Neill suggested the Play humans.’ Bailey upluins. ‘lillt the (ml) thing lhc}
last year at a time when Bailey was considering a couldn't get rid ol‘ was the tail. It represents a
return to lidinburgh with a stand-up show. I
whole swathe ol history bel‘ore religion and we
actttally missed going. pm the actual going to blamed mythological things lor eyents in the
another city for a l‘ew weeks. (ioing tip to Iidinburgh is quite a big thing now — to take the ' whole family tip there. my wile and all the animals.
We have to decamp to lidinburgh and it's quite a big shil't. So I want to make the best ttse of my time when I'm tip there. so I might as well do both.’
It the acting role marks a departure in style. then l’url 'I‘ro/l is a distillation ol‘ Bailey nectar. At lidinburgh's l'sher Hall in September 2002. he rode high on the laughs gleaned from his cockroach heresy and musical l'us'ions. Btit who would believe a 5(Xl-strong audience could be dumbfounded by the curious existential ending'.’ 'I like to be able to push my'sell' in terms of what you can do that qualities as stand-up.' he says. ‘I loye comedy and l love going to see comedy but I like to see something that pushes your expectations ot‘ what you might think ol’ as stand-up. You think: “.-\m l listening to someone trying to explain the Trinity to me'.’ ls this . . . 1’" I want people to catch themselvesf
Bailey says Par! 'I'mll will have theatrical elements. but will be adventurous in content and less polished. TV work has been relegated to the baekbumer while he has tried out new material in Tokyo. Kilkenny. Belgium. New Zealand and the Hague (‘which I found otit. brilliantly. means 'the hedge'. It's fantastic. isn't it‘.’ So yeah. I played the Hedge . . .'). lle's modest about his storming Glastonbury appearance. which iny‘oly'ed a dance re-mix ol‘ Coldplay. tour encores and Bailey trashing his instruments so that he couldn't return to the stage.
12 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 5‘ JL. —‘ Aug;
world. It ruins. it must be the rain gtitlf
'l‘ake that notion one step l‘urthcr. and you hay e the l‘oundation ol' Bailey‘s show. '.'\t that time we were still liying in an unknown world. Since then we'ye tried to make sense ol' the world. “eye been to the moon and we know about all the planets. but there's still things we don‘t know. like why are we here‘.’ How does it all cnd'.’ I don‘t know any (it these things. but I shotild know how it w ill all end in a couple ol' w eeks.’
()l~ course it‘s not all serious. The In)“ is one (it Mark I.amarr's pet names Mr Bailey tothcrs being l'seless. llippy. \Yi/ard. l.ord ol' the Rings) and it‘s a moniker Bailey has taken to heart. ‘I say: "It's \cry nice under the bridge-"f he laughs. "‘I'ye done it up really well." Bttt I quite like the idea ol‘ being a l'reak. I like being an oddity. a noy'elty. and something a bit odd which people stare at.’
Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 25 Aug (not 5, 12), 7.10pm, £5-£14.50; EICC, 226 0000, 15 &16 Aug, 9.15pm, £12.50.
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