audience can provide. but straight stand-up is not his bag. Instead. he‘s ‘reinventing the variety show‘ with all-singing. all-dancing extravaganza including a ten piece band. (‘oogan takes centre-stage as five of his stable of characters: Alan Partridge. Paul/Pauline Calf. crooning Portuguese lothario Tony I’errino. rookie stand—up Duncan Thickett and jumped-up safety officer lirnest Moss.
The inclusion of Tony l"errino reeks of a deliberate two-fingers to critics who hailed the character as (‘oogan's first flop. Perhaps justifiably protective of his comic babies. he goes on the defensive. The reviews of the programme were. in the main. very positive. he says.
‘I got the idea for l‘errino after watching a documentary on Julio lglesias.‘ he admits. ‘l've made him more pleasant and less misogynistic for the tour. but he‘s still a sexist shit.‘
So what about his comic inasterpiece‘.’ Will Alan Partridge be getting a third TV series‘.’ ‘lle‘ll probably get something. but you‘ve got to be judicious. All the classic shows only ever had two or three series. In the fiction of it.
'I dare say there are worse people in the world than journalists . . . like fascist dictators in
Colombia.’ Steve Coogan
he‘ll probably get some sort of crummy late night or mid—aftermmn slot. btrt in reality he'll
thejesusan
iloverockn roll
1i*:18.5.98 on
STEVE COOGAN
:' it“.
Seen at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall,Wed 11 Mar admin:
The publrrrty poster says rt all ‘Steve Coogan Is The Man Who Thinks He Is It’ lhose who sensed a (roWn-slrppaoe after the lorry Ferrino lrasro and the less-than-glorious rerent Alan Partridge series should get their
utterrnr; the kind of double- entend'e whrrh would make Julian Clary blanrh But we know that all she really wants is to settle dovvn \V’Iil‘. the right bloke, a Saturday sztrrn rn'rro- (urry, and a settee—luT of s<ieamrri<; means Her brother
Parr? fears the 'atter \‘.'llll(‘ adoptrw; a fata‘rstzt (Hl;"()\\.’l(‘(l(}("t1(‘tif of its
rnevrtabilrty puttir‘d it off for a
Even the tillers are a rnrludrnq ('oodan's own vorre-over warm—up and Simon Pedd's failed dtit)! whose (areer tonsrsts of 'tiridrnd my parn'
And of (ourse there is Alan Partrrdde, the that-show host from hell and Norwrrh's rrrost intar'ious invention srnre Sale Of The (errtr/ry, who makes up the bqu of the show's serond halt
tirket (quukly, mind) for (iooqan's (urrent run At the heart of his (omedy, the (ore is .still inta(t that life rs Just one big disappointment fuelled by failure and embellished by raw embarrassment all, but his
The qurntet of (hararters he puts on stage exemplify this perfe<tly Pauline (‘alf struts and slaqs her way through life,
possible
dissatislat tron
while by (onsurnrnd as many (ans of Red pummellrnq as many students as
ierrino, the Portuguese sinrrrnq phenomenon, appears to have rt lust for assassination lrrnts at deep [)unran ill|(l'((‘l, the slowly (lyrnd stand-up, is simply the arrhetypal disaster
You Will never be able to listen to Kate Bush arrain Without srnrrkrnr) wrdely
(oodan’s mastery has always been in the frightening detail he invests in his (reatrons, never failing to drag thern far away from the stereotype /one Rumours of Steve (ooqan's demise are a bar; o' sliite' (Brian Donaldson)
Stripe and
ere~
probably land a prime-time comedy slot.‘
He admits to not caring very much for
journalists. And despite keeping publicity for the tour to a minimum. he‘s still managed to sell out every gig so far. ‘I dare say there are worse people in the world.‘ he concedes. graciously. ‘like fascist dictators in (‘olombiaf
A+oasseHe
And on that bombshell. he‘s off to reinvent himself again. this time in the role of family man. The kid is crying and the demands of a two-year-old rank well above those of the media scum he's made his name satirising.
Steve Coogan plays Edinburgh Playhouse, Saturday 16 May and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Monday 18 8: Tuesday 19 May.
id 28 May r998 rm: lIST15