Comedy listings
STAND—UP DAVE JOHNS Stand, Glasgow, Fri 26 & Sat 27 Jul
There's often quite a distance between the way comedians come across on stage and the way they come across in inten/iews. No Such danger with Dave Johns. who talks in a rapid. Irregular jumble of words in the kind of Geordie accent that seems made for st0rytelling. and makes a lot of Jokes Over the phone. mostly at his own expense. Johns rs Currently working on a sitcom for BBC Wales called Cutting Corners. about a dodgy management agency. as well as performing at clubs around the c0untry.
‘One of the best things about the job." he says. ‘is gett:ng to travel. I think was the first British comic to do a gig
north of the Arctic Circle: I went to Tromso. in Non-tray. and rf you can do a gig in front
Professional dosser
of a hundred drunk Norwegians you can do a gig anywhere. I was Sitting in my hotel about a hundred yards from the bar. looking across at this poster of me that was up. and there was snow piled up against the walls and it'd been dusk .‘or about two months and l jtlSl going to go On and be like: “Hi. I'm tricky Dave." But the
gig ended up going really well.’
Johns' first gig was it 1990. on the same bill as Jack Dee and Jo Brand. He sun'ived that test. and soon gave up his (00 as a bricklayer to write and perform full time. althoth he claims most of his gags come to him onstage rather than in front of the computer. He's looking fonvard to 'llS trip to Glasgow's Stand. as well as a c0uple of dates in Edinburgh at the ASSB'tlDly Rooms' Best of the Fest. before taking a show to the Fringe next year. It doesn't s0und like he'll be givn‘ig up any lllllC' soon. 'lt's a great dosser's rob. as lO'lg as you can keep th;nking of stupid things to say. If I wasn't doing this I \.-/oulo've been a tramp. talking to myself on street corners. So (in very grateful' «James Smarti
Sunday 28 continued
Stirling
Gordon Brunton Tolhoolh 'l‘lieatre. Jail \\'_\‘nd. 0l78(i 274000. 8pm. £6 (£4). .-\ sneak preview of Vs hat is to come at the (iilded Balloon this l‘ringe with lidinburgh put—down master (iordon Brunton.
Monday 29
Edinburgh Sandy Nelson: Bedroom Popstar! The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4). Ifrui'r'lu'url star Nelson and his celebrit} -pursuing chums perform a soul-searching stand- up musical exposing the braindead of POP. Hang the VJ The Three Sisters. 13‘) ('owgate, (i22 (i800. 9pm lam. Free. See Mon 22.
Reg Anderson’s Big Fun Quiz Night l’in .\lac(‘ool's. lol l.othian Road. 622 7l0‘). 9pm. U to play. See Sun 2 1. Stand Up Scotland The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 10pm. £5 (£4). Six of the Stand's young guns line up to face the firing squad.
Tuesday 30
Edinburgh
Keara Murphy: Sllver Scream The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 7pm. £5 (£4). Expect a celebrin bloodbath as over-inflated egos are cut down to size by this character comedian.
Bob Doolally: The World
Cup is Not Enough The Stand.
5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4). The former football manager turned vodka-soaked commentator tackles our obsession with the beautiful
Reg Anderson’s Big Fun Quiz Night Noble's Bar. 44a ('onstitution Street. l.eith. 554 2024. 9.30pm. U to pla). See Sun 2l.
David Kay: Some Like a Scone The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 80 THE LIST as .i‘..-. '
Act; 7.2;»
7272. l0pm. £5 (£4). Tales of alien abduction. club culture and scones from the u'r} and original comedian.
Glasgow
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. l'(i(‘ Building. Renl'reu Street. 0870 787 0707. 7.30pm. £(i. Scotland‘s ballistic ranter Ra) mond Mearns introduces one-liner specialist Bruce (iriffiths. impressionist .\lark Walker and (‘urtis \Valkcr. \\ ho recently fronted BB('2 shots ('r/um llr‘ul.
The Why Front (‘(‘.t\. 350 Sauchiehall Street. 338 3274. 7.30pm. l-‘ree. but ticketed. See Tltll l8.
The Stand The Stand. 333 \Voodlttnds Road. 0870 ()00 ()()55. 8.30pm. £5 (£3). l‘rankie l3o_\lc introduces a selection of the liringe's hottest acts.
Edinburgh
Fred Anderson: Professional Goofball The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 7pm. £5 (£4). The [as Vegas shou man presents his rollercoaster ride of comedy. characters. juggling and magic.
Sandy Nelson: Bedroom Popstar! The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8pm. £5 (£4). See Mon 2‘). Reg Anderson’s New Talent Night Pin .\lac(.‘ool’.s. lol Lothian Road. 622 710‘). 9pm. £2. See Thu 18. Keara Murphy: Silver
Scream The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9.30pm. £5 (£4). See
Tue 30.
Snatch Club The Liquid Room. 9c Victoria Street. 225 2564. 10pm Jam. £3.50 (£2.50). See Thu 18.
One Man’s Business
Traverse 'l'heatre. ('ambridge
Street. 228 I404. 10.30pm. £10
(£4 £7.50). (‘larc Bartholomeu ’s physical comedy combines slapstick and ch)“ (1 in the tradition of Blister Keaton and Mr Bean \\ ith this irre\erent insight into the absurd world of a silent. loncl} man.
gaydlist.co.uk-
GAY GOTH FlLM GYPSY 83 GFT, Glasgow, Mon 29 Jul; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Wed 31 Jul .00
Wacky road movie
Todd Stephens grew up in Ohio listening to Siouxie and the Banshees, the Cure and especially Stevie Nicks, the lead-singer of Fleetwood Mac, and this permeates every frame of Gypsy 83. It’s a delightful new movie by the 34-year-old New York-based director, touring as part of London’s Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
A wacky road movie, it follows two lonely, outrageous goths, the larger- than-life Gypsy and gay virgin Clive fleeing smalltown Ohio to attend a Stevie Nicks tribute concert in the Big Apple. Along the way, they meet a weird assortment of personalities, including a washed-out lounge singer played by Oscar-nominee Karen Black, a hunky Amish runaway and a closeted college jock.
Although slightly hindered by the road movie format, (the influence of Thelma and Louise looms large), Stephens offers a refreshing take on the world, sprinkled with great one-liners. For anyone who has ever felt like an outcast in their home town, and found solace in a chanteuse, then Gypsy 83 is the movie for you. Stephens gets remarkable performances from his two leads, Sara Rue and 19-year-old Kett Turton, who won the best acting award at LA’s gay and lesbian film festival.
‘l’m fascinated by younger kids coming out today, who don’t really connect to gay culture and the gay civil rights movement,’ he says. ‘We’re raised in a society where all your parents, and role models for the most part are straight, though I do believe that’s changing. There’s now people on TV, Ellen, celebrities that have come out. Still you feel like a freak, or very much alone. I’ve met lots of younger kids who say: “Yeah I’m gay but it’s really not who I am. It’s just a small part of me,” and they don’t really connect to being gay. That bothers me to a certain extent.’
Gypsy 83 is Stephens’ second movie after the equally autobiographical Edge of Seventeen about a 17-year-old misfit growing up in the Midwest. He collaborates on the script with his boyfriend of 16 years, Tom Kaltenecker. ‘I love working with Tom. He’s incredible. He has a totally different real life - as a high school maths teacher. He keeps me grounded and real. We have similar sensibilities. We’re both from the same kind of place in Ohio. We have a harmonious way of working together, which is drama-free and effortless.’
Asked whether he feels marginalised as an ‘out’ gay filmmaker, Stephens chortles. ‘l’ve been lucky enough to do projects I want to do. You can be stigmatised but I use it to my advantage. It’s a great way to network. There are so many gay execs in Hollywood. In some ways, it’s an advantage.’
Stephens has just completed a new script, a teen gay raunchy sex comedy called Another Gay Comedy, about four high school kids who just want to have anal sex before the end of the summer. ‘lt’s political,’ he says. ‘None of the characters have issues with coming out: they’ve all done that. All they’re trying to do is get laid like everyone else.’ (John Binnie)