'l'liose jokes will involve gay bombs. why she should be Spectacle Wearer ol' the Year for 2006 and an exploration of the online Romany eoirimunity. Not to mention a riff on why you should put badgers in your freezer. ‘l'm a huge fan of badgers] she baektraeks swil'tly. perhaps l‘earl'ul ol’ retribution from the animal rights community. ‘I actually know someone who found a badger on the road and put it in their free/er. so the routine is about free/er storage and how your worth is measured by how many eubie litres of freezer space you have. She didn‘t kill it; I want to be quite clear about that. It was already dead. She saw it and thought: “Well. I might as well. I‘ve got the space.”
Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 28 Aug (not 15, 22), 8.35pm, £9.50—210.50 (£8429). Previews until 5 Aug, £5.
Mild thing
Spending two nights in hospital surrounded by very old men has softened up the STEPHEN K AMOS approach to comedy. As Katy McAulay is relieved to find out, even Glaswegians are safe.
As it turns out. 100 Greatest Things [ll/er. the title of Stephen K Amos" seventh l ringe appearance. is a bit of a misnomer. 'l‘m not actually going to cover 100 things because I've found that it's quite impossible.‘ admits the comic who spent six months ‘beating up Christian Slater every night' in One /*/ei/v Over the Cuckoo's Nest. ‘l've found out that I don't actually have 100 greatest things. and I don't think that anyone else does either. which is surprising because all of those lV programmes think that there are t()() greatest moments in everything. We appeared in a lot of those shows. yet in my own life I can't even find 40. And that's what my dilemma is.'
The unexpected swerve to the flipside of a situation and the quick challenge to safely held assumptions are among his favourite techniques. llis act at last year's l‘ringe included him asking the crowd to vote on how many would drink their own pee to save their life. and then how many of those would drink it to save the life of the only member of the audience from (.‘ilasgo‘~.'./ ithe answer. to this doomed i'evie\.ver_ was nonet. 1
But then Gléth‘.-‘~.’()g|£lli8 are easy cannon fodder for the comic ~ if“ with a penchant for picking on anyone in the audience i I. " ii '4 deemed too short. too young. or too Australian. So who should avoid the front row this year"? 'l)o you know. it's going to be so different this year. I'm going to by and make everyone relax. l'veryone is welcome and nobody needs to fear. although when I'm doing a set at l_ate'n'l ive: bewaief
llis new waim and fu//y outlook on life could be something to do with a recent health scare. ‘When I was iii Australia. I did have a heart pioblem. It turned out to pericarditis [an inflammation of the heart]. Spending two nights in a hospital linked to a heart monitor machine in a ward with people of average age 9:") was quite an eye opener. I think that's where the 700 Greatest Hillith came from. I'm now evaluating my life: what are the greatest things l've achieved so far? What have been the greatest things that have happened to me? Plus. after doing so many vox pops for those shows. I want people to know that I am more than a talking head: I've got aims and legs and a torso.'
I Gilded Ha/loon lei/lot. (568 16:33. /' 2’8 Aug lnot 15)). 9.30pm, 5‘5) 5‘70 Il't‘l-f‘fh. Prey/ews until 6 Aug. 5‘6.
Considering the lengths that many people go to in order to reach the Fringe, it’s no wonder that some acts have travel themes. Here are a few. In these dark days. you may find it difficult to laugh at THE? subject of travel difficulties. But if you can’t have a laugh lll adversity. when can you? Never. that's wrieii. So. by bike, cab. bus and bath they shall come to us. Yes. you read that right: by bath. llie manic DJ Minicab/ Discocars 'l)l(3lllf(}(ll lot are back with the Elias l vans. seal of approval and Cab Happy! while Radioplay :>.‘fe"s up an overnight autobtis ;ourney with an eye chatty drivei. Cycling appears to be the most popular mode of transport wrth l- ringe types as we get musical comedy from [be Bicycle Men. the road trip to end then: ali if‘ The Bicycling Comedian’s One Man Show and Uneasv Hide/ in which Danny Hurst tells of secoxeiing from a traffic accident to get back in the saddle. And the bath chap? Well. that's Tim FitzHigham iAKA lrifu‘nfe Number of Monkeys; who rowed in a lhonias Chipper tub fiom l-rance to lower Bridge. lakes ail serfs. we suppose. (Brian Donaldson-
See page :95) for full listings.
' ‘. /\..(l :~ THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 15