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FESTIVAL FEATURES | David Baddiel
is on!’ he laughs. Early on, he suffered class snobbery from bookers for being ex-Cambridge Footlights; he was one of the first comedians to use the term ‘lad’ pejoratively but was himself saddled with its boozy, misogynist associations; and he really upset the liberal media, as much for suggesting that a sense of humour confers social status as for being a comedian-turned-novelist who unashamedly extolled pornography in his novel Whatever Love Means. ‘Because I’ve been around for quite a long time and done a lot of different stuff, there’s a shifting idea of who I am,’ he points out. ‘And I deal with these in the show: the comedy rock’n’roller, token Jew, football singer-songwriter, idea of new lad. I imagine David Bowie got to choose his personas. But it’s not been like that for me.’
One review in particular still irks. ‘It said: “David Baddiel has a relentless need to muddy his image.” And I remember thinking do. I think I have a relentless need to at the time, I don’t think I do. I think I have a relentless need to at’s who I am as a comedian. Everyone explain who I am, because that’s who I am as a comedian. Everyone ou’re famous, you have to be pigeon- is complicated, but when you’re famous, you have to be pigeon- uff, that’s rubbed up in holed. By doing different stuff, that’s rubbed up in culture.’ complicated ways against the culture.’ na gigs, believing He’s not enamoured with arena gigs, believing e right size for 1000-seater theatres to be the right size for he’s had a more the most popular comics. If he’s had a more s, it was as part positive influence, he suggests, it was as part d-up away from of a generation that took stand-up away from into the realms exclusively political material into the realms eone who knew of the personal. ‘I was someone who knew nd pornography, about pop music, football and pornography, n of that, which and presented a comic vision of that, which r a while. Also, if was the way comedy went for a while. Also, if d claim, it was that there is a laddish thing I could claim, it was that male things and not it was OK to be interested in male things and not .’ to have to apologise for them.’ ect of that watershed Another, less-discussed aspect of that watershed his final performance Wembley show was that it was his final performance twithstanding, he with Newman. Groupies notwithstanding, he with fame than reckons that he coped better with fame than don’t think his colleague, ‘insofar as I don’t think . I was it changed me very much. I was places, really glad to be doing big places, ause doing well and on TV because But that’s what I wanted to do. But d I never had a big, yawning need to be famous.’
Their
‘One of t fallout wasn’t the overplayed. reasons Rob and I ended up arguing was that he never t liked the things I said about e him in interviews. Because o I was honest and just used to ve say, “Oh, he seems to have ic gone mad.” Fame was toxic ed for him. He became obsessed n” that “Baddiel and Newman” nd had to change to “Newman and up Baddiel”. He got very worked up age about which of us came on stage ing first. And I found that jostling ble- for position within the double- live act was something I couldn’t live ds of with. I’m sure he had loads of o be in reasons why he didn’t want to be in seemed it any more but they always seemed to be scatter-gunned at me.’
hip isn’t Even so, their relationship isn’t him from acrimonious now. ‘I see him from him and time to time. I really like him and seen have the shows of his that I’ve seen have ught he’s been great. I’ve always thought he’s performer perhaps the most talented performer I’ve been I’ve ever worked with. And I’ve been d with some lucky enough to have worked with some incredibly talented people.’
David Baddiel – Fame: Not the Musical, the Musical, 623 3030, Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 1–11 Aug, 7.30pm, £15–£17.50. Preview 7.50. Preview 31 Jul, £7.50.
14 THE LIST FESTIVAL 1–8 Aug 2013 013
SOLO HANDS Brian Donaldson finds five acts also going it alone
NADIA KAMIL With Wide Open Beavers!, the female 50% of the Behemoth sketch pairing is threatening to unleash a chorus of puppet Mary Wollstonecrafts. As brilliant as that sounds, we’re expecting even better things from this long-awaited debut hour. The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, 2–25 Aug (not 12), 3.30pm, £7 (£6). Preview 31 Jul, £6.
NICK HALL You may recall this chap as one of the thoroughly excellent sketch crew The Three Englishmen (even though there were four of them: confusing or what?). He’s flying on his tod with a ‘charmingly cantankerous’ stand-up show. Bristo Bar & Kitchen, 226 0000, 3–24 Aug, 1.45pm, free.
CATRIONA KNOX No Boom Jennies kicking about this year, so Knox is all on her lonesome for August. With Player, she will be dragging her characters through ‘seven circles of hell’. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 3–26 Aug (not 13), 3.15pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9). Previews 31 Jul– 2 Aug, £6.
BENNY DAVIS The Axis of Awesome dude breaks out from his trio-based shackles to become The Human Jukebox. Improvised musical comedy at its most Australian. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 3 –25 Aug (not 12), 10.45pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £6.
ADRIENNE TRUSCOTT The Wau Wau Sister takes a break from her neo- vaudevillian collaboration with Tanya Gagné with Asking For It: A One-Lady Rape About Comedy Starring Her Pussy and Little Else!. Relax people, it’s the Fringe. Bob’s Bookshop, 226 0000, 3–26 Aug (not 12, 19), 10pm, £5. Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £5.