omdy-
STAND-UP TAM COWAN LIVE King's Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 12—Sat 14 Sep
Motherwell’s multimedia man
With Tam Cowan, what you see is what you get. Or to be more precise with Tam Cowan, what you see, hear and read is what you get.
Because television presenter, radio broadcaster, writer, comedian, football pundit, columnist and restaurant critic Tam Cowan is bloody everywhere at the moment. The chubby Motherwell fan seems to have his stubby little fingers in every media pie going, no doubt thanks to his down-to-earth, cheeky style, which is just as apparent in interview as it is in his work.
‘Nah, you’re all right,’ he says when I apologise for calling him at home on a Friday evening. ‘This is just part of my usual Friday night - on the phone to a dug.’
Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom. But seriously though folks: Cowan, not content with making comedy out of Scottish football on telly, radio and in print, is taking his show on the road, with a handful of appearances at the King’s in Glasgow under the hilarious title Tam Cowan Live.
‘Aye, the producers at the Comedy Unit have laboured long and hard to come up with that,’ he says with a chuckle. ‘That took some thinking.’
Essentially an extended and freer version of Cowan’s hit BBC Scotland show Offside, the live gigs will be based on the intrinsically joke—worthy world of Scottish footy, with plenty of audience participation, topical gags, daft stuff and apparently, ‘two Scottish ex-internationalists - nae names, nae pack drill’.
Offside and Off the Ball - the Radio Scotland shows Cowan co-hosts with Stuart Cosgrove - have proved hugely successful additions to what was previously some pretty dry Scottish football coverage. The reason is simple, says Cowan.
‘A lot of women, especially, say: “I don’t like fitba but I love your show,” and I think that’s because we’re just trying to have a laugh,’ he says. ‘We’re not fitba anoraks trying to bore folk fucking stupid.’
Not exactly shy of talking, Cowan goes on to give an example.
‘Football coverage was all a bit formal, and hopefully we’ve broken that down a bit,’ he says. ‘I mean, last Wednesday on the radio we ended up having the Livingston chairman Dominic Keane singing his favourite Elvis Presley song, and that’s just unimaginable in a previous era.’
To be honest that sounds pretty unimaginable in any era. Scottish football seems in a permanent state of crisis, but it will never run out of opportunities to take the piss, according to Cowan. ‘A while ago there was a really quiet week and we thought: “Christ what are we going to do today”,’ he says. ‘Then on the back page of the Record it just said “Celtic Sign Scheidt” and that was us.’ (Doug Johnstone)
comedy@list.co.uk
Joking aside
Where the ughter matters
OUR WHOLE-HEARTED
congratulations go to the very brilliant Doug Stanhope who blew the festival away with his blistering material. Following a clutch of deserved five star reviews (one from The Guardian no leSSi and some extremer favourable comparisons with the great Bill Hicks. Stanhope picked up the Strathmore Select Press Award. While not guite as prestigious as the Perrier. Doug's first week in Europe earned him a cool 521 K and the right to a feature in OK magazine. Rumours are abound the American tirestarter Wlll be back on these shores very soon. and we suspect he'll be playing slightly bigger venues than the Tron. We will endeavour to keep you posted.
Stanhope’s five star glory
ANOTHER COMIC WE LOVE IS Daniel Kitson who deservedly grabbed this year’s Perrier Award with his tragi-comic epic Something (though we would equally have been happy seeing Omid Djalili holding the trophy high). The unbearded Yorkshireman may have thoroughly lambasted one brand of comedy- sponsoring liquid during his act this year, but we can only assume that crates of fizzy water will be cascading their way into his humble home sometime soon.
NOW THAT THE FESTIVAL FRENZY
has ebbed to a quiet murmur. it's all quiet on Edinburgh's comedy front. folks. Glasgow IS brimming with new clubs and Fringe iOLlfS. and naturally York Place is a seven-night den of laughing gas. but Reg Anderson's Comedy Cellar and the Rabbit Warren Comedy Club are both taking a wee break following their festival exertions. Don't fret though. both will be back With a bang in October. OUTRAGE! AS YOUNG MARK Watson ambled on stage in his Super Furries t-shirt, combats and leather jacket to collect his Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award, the audience had expected a continuation of his little- Welsh-boy-lost-on-a-big-bad-stage act. Instead, a slightly posh English voice was heard when he made his speech. Wrong wrong wrong. Imagine hearing the good Reverend speaking in his dulcet East Kilbride tones — it just shouldn’t happen. The young Bristol lad also came runner up in So You Think You’re Funny, losing out to Matthew Osbourn. Nina Conti, who scooped the BBC New Comedy Award, came third.
listings Comedy
Glasgow
The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 600 6055. 9pm. £5 (£4). ('hirpy humour from Parrot. Brendan Moohan. ('olin Mc(iill and Raymond Mearns.
Edinburgh
The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £5 (£4l. Straight-talking lady Shappi Khorsandi stands up alongside (ilasgow's (‘harlie Ross. Rachel Ame} and host Donna Krachan. Snatch Club The Liquid Room. ‘)c Victoria Street. 225 256-1. I0pm 3am. £3.50 (£2.50). Resident compere and DJ llarry Ainsworth hosts this weekly ('urry (iii-ineets-Hi'-I)t'-llr debauched cabaret. liach week there will be a selection of guests. and competition host Daye Strong conducts the participatory fun and games.
Stirling
Stirling Comedy Club Tolbooth Theatre. Jail \\'yiitl. 01786 274000. 8pm. £4 (£2.50). A double bill of stand up as (ilasgow gag guarantor Des McLean headlines with John McBride in support.
Glasgow
Susan and Janice: Out of our Heads Tron Theatre. ()3 Trongate. 552 4267. Screwball sketch comedy from this acclaimed female double act. See preview.
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. l'(i(‘ Building. Renl'rew Street. 0870787 0707. 7.30pm. £12. Miles Crawford. Irishman Johnny (‘andoiL Luton‘s lapsed choirboy Junior Simpson and Liyerpool lad Steye (iribben.
The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 (100 (3055. 9pm. £7. Acclaimed Manchester comedian John Bishop. plus John Him and (‘harlie Ross. Jane Mackay cracks the whip as compete.
Edinburgh
The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £7. Perrier nominee Parrot perches atop a bill which includes Shappi Khorsandi and Brendan Moohan. Stisaii Morrison takes charge of the proceedings.
Glasgow
Susan and Janice: Out of our Heads Tron 'l‘hcatre. (i3 'I’rongate. 552 4267. See Fri (1.
The Stand The Stand. 33.3 Woodlands Road. 0870 (i00 6055. 9pm. £8. Sec Hi (i only with coiiipcre Stisan Morrison. Madcap Comedy Club State Bar. 148 llolland Street. 883 233-1. 9.30pm. £5 (£4i. Billy Bonkers introduces a selection of acts from the local circuit.
Edinburgh
The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £8. See Hi (i only with compei'e Jane Mackay.
Kilmarnock
Best of Scottish Comedy Palace Theatre. 9 Green Street. 0l563 523590. 7.30pm. £8 (£6). The Stand Comedy Club presents a hot line-up of Scots comedians.
Glasgow
Velvet Cabaret (TA. 350 Sauchiehall Street. 338 271
F). 7.30pm. Free. but ticketed. live recordings of BBC‘ Radio Scotlanth hit comedy show. Join Julie Duncanson. Mark McDonnell. Steven Mc.\'icoll and (iayin Mitchell for their romp through the characters inhabiting the twisted world of li'li'r'l ('ulmn’l. (‘all for tickets or email
bronwen.tulloch(0 hbc.co.tik.
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