MY COMEDY HERO PAUL SINHA
Back in my salad years, as an earnest student at St Georges Hospital Medical School in Tooting, London, a trip to a local comedy club at the weekend was an occasional and immensely entertaining diversion. One night we made the trip to a now defunct venue called the Cartoon Club in Clapham to see a much touted young man who, as legend would have it, had qualified as a doctor from our own alma mater. Expecting witty middle-class platitudes and medical anecdotes, what we witnessed was something altogether more life-affirming: a bizarrely-collared fool with a mousetrap attached to his nose delivering fast- paced one-liners mixed up with seemingly pointless non sequiturs.
The one-liners were uniformly funny, but that wasn’t what made him memorable. It was the way that, later in the set, he would drop in comments which acted as punchlines to non sequiturs delivered way back in the set which created an unstoppable momentum of mirth. By the end he was already my comedy hero, but many years later, I performed one of my first sets at a gig where he was headlining, and promptly died a miserable, soul-destroying death. Rather than mock, or avert his gaze, he took the time to have a friendly chat and offer unpatronising advice, the comedic equivalent of Cristiano Ronaldo trying to teach the school nerd to play keepy-uppy.
Harry Hill is my comedy hero for three reasons. For bringing to the increasingly homogenised world of stand-up comedy a persona that is both unique and uncompromisingly hilarious. For allowing his leftfield perspective to illuminate the mainstream to such a spectacular degree with TV Burp. And for being a gentleman during one of my early moments of darkness.
(Interview by Brian Donaldson)
I The Stand. Giasgo'xx. Thu 77 i'\.4.’i)./; the Stand. Edinburgh, i-"ri «’8 ti Sat 75) i/itrx.
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.
Thursday 10
Glasgow
The Thursday Show The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 000 (i055. 8.30pm. £7 (£6 £3 members). Radio St‘tillitlith l‘red MacAulay is the host yyith a \lllt)t)llllle\\ that can lloor a middle-aged woman at 30 paces. He‘s on yy ith Jason Rouse. (iraeme Thomas. the cheeky Danny l)eegan and .-\ll\;l Jolilixlotl. '
Edinburgh
Out to Lunch - Live! The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 1.05 1.55pm. £2.50. A \plilxlt ol comedy. designed to lit into your
lunch hour. JllSl £2.50 to get in. then \rumptioth edihlex start l'rom the \ame price. \Vlto needs high street pic sltopx eh‘.’ Heresy 'I’he Jekyll (Si llyde. I I2 llanoyer Street. 225 2022. 8.30pm. £3. Sink doyyn to the depths in the basement ol' Jekyll and Hyde. its .\l(‘ Rick .‘ylolland lords it met another night of depray'ed laughter. .\1oo ha ha ha.
The Thursday Show The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £7 t£o £3 members). Lovely loy‘ely Susan ('alman hosts the eycning. yyith l)a\c Fulton. Mike Milligan and Stan chan. 'l‘here’x hot food ayailahle to fuel your laughter and soak up the gin.
Glasgow
Watson’s Wind-up (ilil\gt)\\ l-‘ilm 'l'heatre. l2 Row Street. 332 8l28. lptn. liree. Weekly topical comedy fun at the
recording ol~ BB(‘ Scotland's popular sketch shoyy. \lttl'l'lllg Jonathan Watson. lmprobabble 'l'he Brunxyy ick Hotel. 100 108 l3l'tll].\\\'l£‘l\' Street. 552 I552. 8pm. £4 (£3 ). Improlnihhle present another show. jammed full of comedy and sketches. .\'o [no shoyy .\ are eyet‘ the same. like fingerprints on the crimexcene of life. See Profile. page 30. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jonglettt‘s. l'(i(‘ Building. Renl'reyy Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £l0. Big old hairy (’raig ('amphell is on a la Jongleurs \yith .‘yliles ('rayy-l‘ord. liddy Brimson and Rick Right. 'l‘here's grub then dancing al‘teryy'ardx so you can stay and Iiye the dream. The Stand The Stand. 33.3 Woodlands Road. 0870 000 (i055. 8.30pm. £9 (£8 £5 memberxi. See 'l‘hu l0.
Edinburgh
Out to Lunch - Live! The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. I05 1.55pm. £2.50. See Thu 10.
Live at the Canon’s Gait 'l‘he (‘anons' (iait. 232 ('anongate. 556 4-18]. 8pm. £0. Wandering llllSlllS ol the the at' creyy haye gone from the “he. to the l.ol't. to the 'l‘ron and now the (’anon'x (iait. l-‘olloyy ing their comedy trail are .\'eil .\lcl’arlane. Bill l)eyyar. l)a\'e llel'l‘ron. .\lark Nelson and regular .‘\l(' Stey en l)ayid\on.
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. ()mni ('entre. (ireenxide Place. 08707 870707. 8.l5pm. £l0. Adam (row and Karl Spain are joined by Kitty l‘lanagan
\\ ho. despite the name. isn't a World War II entertainer. and llitl\ yyon't sing a text \0032\ for the boys on the front. l'nlesx you ask nicely.
The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £9 t£8 £5 memhersi. Stlxitll .\l0l'l‘t\oll llt)\l\ the eyening yyith frightening ley els ol‘ energy and \ery nice hair. She introduces Day e l‘ulton. .\like .‘ylilligan and Sian Bey‘an. llot l‘ood ix ayailahle to eat and/or lhroyy.
Glasgow
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jotlgletll‘x. l'(i(' Building. Renl'reyy Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £13. See Fri 1 l.
Comedy @ The State The State Bar. H8 Holland Street. 332 2|5‘). 8.30pm. £5. \l(' Rick ‘llerexy’ .\lo|land introduce\ more line into the State Bar comedy night. This yyeek \ee\.-\t1dy Vaughn. l)ayc llel‘lron and Jojo Sutherland perl'orm. topped ol‘l' yy ith the legendary Ricky ('allan. The Stand The Stand. 333 \Voodlaltdx Road. 0870 (i0() (i055. 0pm. £l2. See l‘ri
l l.
Edinburgh
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jonglettrx. ()tlllll ('entre. (ireenxide Place. 08707 870707. 8.15pm. £l2. See l’ri ll. Saturday Circus Red. 73 ('oyygate. 22.5 I757. 0pm 3am. l‘ree. (iarth (‘ruikxhank iSnatchl \\ ill he ringtnaxter at llltx comic take on Saturday cluhhing.
The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £l2. Sec liri l I.
Glasgow
Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand. 333 \Vootllallds Road. 0870 000 6055. 8.30pm. £5 l£~l £1 members). Mr Redmond returns to lllx \yeek‘ly pulpit to deliyer a charming end to the \yeekend. Popping out to my their piece are (iraeme 'l‘homax. Danny l)eegan. l)erek' Jt)llll\l0ll and Martha .‘ychrier.
Pam Ann King's 'I'hcatre. 297 Bath Street. 0870 (lot) (ms. The unreliable flight attendant tell\ more tales ol' li\ in' the high me “till her \hoyy ()m' lliii‘li/.-l//irtlu't’1 l’ain Ann is a l'ayourite ol‘ lilton John and ('her. You decide it that\ a good thing. See .v\n\\\ er Machine. page l0-l.
Edinburgh
Whose Lunch is it Anyway? The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. lpm. l-‘ree. ('ure your hangoy er hluex yy ith some ey er popular itnproy from the Stand (‘omedy
lmprobabble A riot of ad- libbing and improvised japery with a revolving set of the nation's favourite young comics. See Profile. page 36. Brunswick Hotel, Glasgow. Fri 7 7. 78 May
Pam Ann The trolley dolly with the tongue of sulphur will be landing on us for one night only. See Answer Machine. page 104. King Theatre. G/asgow. Sun 73 May
The Amazing Bastards! A marathon session of stand- up. sketches and character creativity from Teddy. Allan Miller and Steven Dick. The Stand. G/asgow. Mon 74 May; the Stand, Edinburgh. Tue 75 May
Paul Sinha Can laughter actually be the best medicine? I'm sure this medic might prescribe pills for ailments which a good chuckle won't cure. but You get the drift. See My Comedy Hero. left. The Stand. G/asgow. Thu 77 May; the Stand. Edinburgh. Fri 78 & Sat 79 May
Richard Herring Dealing with being on his own has given Stewart Lee's former showbiz buddy (pictured) a new lease of comical life and his A/Ienage a Un is a brilliant one—man show in its broadest terms. The Stand. Edinburgh, Tue 22 May; the Stand. Glasgow. Wed 23 May.
Frankie Boyle You may have seen him on BeebS's silly road comedy. Rush Hour. but back on our stages is where he truly belongs. The Stand. Edinburgh, Thu 24 May
l’lil} L‘l‘\. ll3\ tree and there\ l'ootl ayailahlc so just put your coat in er your pyjamas and head do“ 0 there.
The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4 £| members). Young Key in Bridges is
joined by a-little-hit-older Sian Bey'an and
a-\\ ee-hit-older-too Bruce l)ey'lin. 'l‘here'll he a couple more acts which makes it a
jolly exciling yyay to spend a Sunday.
10-94 May 2007 THE LIST 35