MY COMEDY HERO ROBIN INCE
I’m an enormous fan of Alistair Sim and no one has been a better Scrooge than him. There’s something very real and humane but also very otherworldy too, which few comic actors have. It would be ridiculous not to include Laurel and Hardy; just that slow look to the camera as the final pot of paint falls on Oliver Hardy’s head. I won’t even bother with Peter Cook and that lot because it’s too obvious.
But I decided I would go with my teenage comedy hero, the kind of person who I would scrawl the names of his shows onto my exercise book and rucksack: Rik Mayall. He’s going through a kind of doldrums period but if you look at what he created in the early 805, the manic intensity of his performances is just phenomenal. I didn’t go to the New Statesman stage show for similar reasons why I wouldn’t go to a Smiths reunion. Where it went wrong for him was that moment which happens to a lot of actors and musicians when the ego perhaps gets too much in the way and they get an anger and annoyance when new, younger people come along; it’s like this midlife crisis that they’re no longer the angry young bucks. He was the perfect small screen comic, which is why things like Drop Dead Fred didn’t work; on the big screen, the manic intensity just seems like a man showing off, on the small screen it’s something more repellent.
(Interview by Brian Donaldson)
The Stand. Edinburgh. Tue 21 Nov; the Stand, Glasgow. Wed 22 Nov.
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least ten days before publication to comedy©list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Sian Bevan.
Glasgow
The Thursday Show The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870600 6055. 8.30pm. £6 (£5 £3 members). Nit/ml Rtli‘iyl l’hil Nichol headlines the 'liilul'sdtl) Show in ltis inimitable style. Hosted by Raymond Mearns. the evening also features Pete (11in. Andy Mcl’at'tland and Stan Beyan. Sec caption for Philly.
Edinburgh
Heresy The Jekyll & Hyde. l l2 Hanover Street. 225 2022. 8.30pm. £3. ('ome and release your comedy demons at Heresy.
40 THE LIST 1“) iii“, Nov 9000
the stand-up night that relishes the dark side and would love to show your soul a damn good time.
The Thursday Show The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £6 (£5 £3 members). The most excellent Paul Kerensa is tip from l.ondinium to share more of his nerdy ponderings. Tonight also features Jason Rouse and (iraeme Thomas.
The Snatch Social The Liquid Room. ()c Victoria Street. 225 2564. l lpm 3am. £5. (‘omedy capers from Harry Ainsworth and Tony ('arter at this cheeky cabaret- cum-disco. Babes and Trendy Wendy (tnonthly resident) supply hip hop and funky tunes.
Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. l'(i(‘ Btiildittg. Renfrew Street. 0870 787
0707. 8pm. £l0. A leagtte of extraordinarily funny gentlemen are set to amuse the Jongleurs audience this weekend. Watch Quincy. Barry ('astagnola. (‘arey Mars and Alex Boardman. then dance the night away in ('lub—Risa.
The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 08706006055. 8.30pm. £8 (£7 £5 members). Saute lop line-up as yesterday. but it’s Friday so you can enjoy your evening gttilt free. You could have a kebab on the way home! You could drink pitta coladas and get caught in the rain! ()oh. the possibilities.
Edinburgh
Gervase Phinn Queen's Hall. 87 8‘) (‘lerk Street. 668 20l‘). 7.30pm. £14. The popular writer shares his hilarious tales of life as at schools inspector in the Yorkshire Dales.
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. ()mni Centre. (it’eenside Place. 08707 870707. 8. l5pm. £l0. Another weekend of fun. with comedy. drinking. hot food and dancing in the after-show club. This week‘s entertainment comes from .Mike .Milligan. .\'eil l)elamere. Pierre Hollins and John Bishop.
The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7 £5 members). Mistress of wit Susan Morrison is the weekend’s M('. She's helped by Jason Rouse. (iraeme Thomas. Paul Kerensa and Nick Davies. There's hot food available. so go and shake off the winter chill with some amusing company.
Saturday 1 8
Glasgow Bumper Value Comedy Blackfriars. 36 Bell Street. 552 5924. 8pm. £6. \‘enture down into the ('omedy (‘ay'ern to see Alan Anderson. (iordon Brunton and (ieordie (iay in Webster and his ukulele. Jongleurs Comedy Club .longleut‘s. l'(i(‘ Building. Renfrew Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £l3. See Fri 17.
The Stand The Stand. 333 thxllands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £l0. See Fri 17.
Edinburgh
Phil Kay’s Gimme Your Left Shoe North Edinburgh Arts ('entre. l5a Pennywell (‘oun. 3l5 2i5l. 2pm. £5 (£3.50; £3 good neighbottr). (‘hild- friendly fun in the hands of (ilasgow‘s favourite surrealist. Warning: children must be prepared to temporarily part with their left shoe as part of the show. See 5 Things. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. ()mni (‘entre. (ireenside Place. 08707 870707. 8.15pm. £l2. See liri l7. The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £l0. See l-‘ri l7.
Glasgow
The No Faces of Mitchell and Webb King's Theatre. 297 Bath Street. 0870060 6648. 7.30pm. £l7.50 £l‘).50. Fresh from their Beeb sketch affair. the Peep Show lads indttlge in some Nttiiiberwang! and wonder if they indeed are the baddies in the war. See feature. page 18.
Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand. 33.3 Woodlands Road. 08706006055. 8.30pm. £4 (£3 £1 members). Regular host Michael Redmond brings the week to a satisfying end. with Pete ('ain. Andy McPanland. Allan Miller and Antony Murray. Amen.
Edinburgh
Whose Lunch is it Anyway? The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. lpm. l‘ree. Banish that morning-after feeling with a dose of free (form) laughter from improy stars Pattl (irahant and Stuart Murphy. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £4 (£3 £1 members). The week's end is hosted by Kevin Bridges: the child(ish) prodigy who. along with his material. is
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT . . .
1 The manically surrealist one was the second ever winner of the prestigious SO You Think You're Funny award. Fellow Scot Bruce Monon won the inaugural prize in 1988 and the likes of Rhona Cameron. Dylan Moran, Lee Mack and Tommy Tiernan won it before a certain other Mr P Kay got his hands on the gong. 2 Never one to hide a light (0r much else) under a bushel. he made his Channel 4 debut in 1997 for Phil Kay Fee/s . . . by running on stage stark knackers naked. 3 He was also a pioneer of the prankish call to normal members of the public. Though one incident when he phoned a lady whose pet had just died put him off that particular comedic device. 4 Phil has never sung about garlic bread or dressed up in gaudy colours and harassed celebrities while talking like Groucho Marx as two of his comedic near-namesakes have done. 5 He has. however. been the TV face of whisky folks Whyte and Mackay. Perhaps because the product had the word ‘kay' in its name. (Brian Donaldson)
North Edinburgh Arts Centre. Sat I 8 Nov.
growing up fast. He's joined by Joe Heenan. Dougie Munroe and Paul Kerensa.
Monday 20
Glasgow
Dance, Monkey Boy, Dance The Stand. 333 \Voodlands Road. 0870600 6055. 8.30pm. £4. Sandy Nelson. Allen ('halmers. Patil Pirie and Raymond Mearns join together for this popular night of stand-up. sketches aitd songs.
Edinburgh
Red Raw The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £l. ('ure your Monday blues by watching people risk their dignity for a sltot at comedic success. Martha McBrien and Keir McAllister giye the evening that professional edge.
Glasgow
Red Raw The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road, 0870600 6055. 8.30pm. £2 (£1 members). They We all got to start somewhere. haven't they" New comedians try the stage. under the super\ ision of M(' and headliner Michael Redmond and Mark Bratchpiece.
Edinburgh
Capital One Lunch and Laugh Festival Square. l.othian Road.
noon- 3pm. Free. l’estiy'al Square w ill be taken oy er by an event designed to help