HOT 100 2010
53 BOB SERVANT/NEIL FORSYTH Anti-spam hero and his biographer See panel, right.
52 DAVID LEDDY Theatre maverick One of the most innovative theatre practitioners at work in Scotland today, David Leddy revived two of his most exciting works, relocating the gothic melodrama of Sub Rosa to a Masonic lodge for the Edinburgh Fringe, and returning to Glasgow’s Botanic Garden with his boundary-pushing piece of promenade audio theatre, Susurrus. (AR)
51 ALICE THOMPSON Top rated crime novelist The former List editor and Woodentops keyboardist published her finest novel to date with The Existential Detective getting the big five stars from her former employees, as we dubbed it ‘remarkable’ and ‘a deeply moving and compelling read’. (BD) 50 DOUGLAS GORDON Workaholic art superstar He may live in Berlin these days but the fêted contemporary artist can still draw the home crowds. Having revisited his earliest success, ‘24-Hour Psycho’, as part of this year’s Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, and designed the sets for Rufus Wainwright’s tour, Gordon also found time to create a special souvenir cover for The List. (AR)
49 TRAVERSE THEATRE Theatrical hit factory Scotland’s new writing theatre goes from strength to strength, and has established itself as a benchmark of quality at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This magazine awarded its Fringe programme no less than four five- star reviews for outstanding shows such as DC Jackson’s My Romantic History and Daniel Kitson’s It’s Always Right Now Until It’s Later. (AR)
48 CRY PARROT DIY scene-makers Glasgow's finest DIY promoters have brought us some wonderful shows this year, the highlight being The Ex with Brass Unbound. While earlier DIY scenes have been guitar based, Cry Parrot have done a great job of reaching out to the city's different underground scenes, so you can hear noise, dubstep and indie on the same night. Their parties at SWG3 have been a blast too. Cheap, non-profit, ethical, non-elitist: Cry Parrot, we salute you! (SS)
47 KAREN DUNBAR Funnywoman turned serious actress Ayrshire-born actress, singer and comedian Karen Dunbar added another feather to her already richly festooned cap with her acclaimed performance as Mrs Harris in the English National Theatre’s revival of Ena Lamont Stewart’s classic play Men Should Weep. (AR) 22 THE LIST 16 Dec 2010 – 6 Jan 2011
GONE PHISHING This year, former burger van magnate turned Dundee’s most famous anti-spam vigilante Bob Servant (pictured, on the bench) hit the bestseller lists with his book Delete This At Your Peril. Assembled by Servant’s biographer Neil Forsyth (pictured beside Servant), the book is a compilation of the Broughty Ferry resident’s correspondences with fraudsters the world over. In each case Servant successfully manages to whip the scammers into a baffled frenzy with his
questions, complications and non-sequiturs. He took time away from the computer to answer our Q&A. What’s been the highlight of your 2010? A few months ago I was in Doc Ferry’s bar in Dundee and bought a round of five drinks just before a joiner crashed his Ford Transit into the traffic lights outside. He broke his collarbone but, amidst the confusion, I never paid a penny. Are you considered a celebrity in Dundee? Are you taking the piss? I’ve been
a celebrity in Dundee since before the word was invented. My books have taken things into a different realm, though. Men want to be me and women want to carry my shopping. Who are your favourite emailers? Probably the Russian brides. Some of them were absolute corkers. They looked like they were out of the Argos catalogue. And not the shoe section. Who would top your personal Hot 100 list? The boy that does the horoscopes in the Dundee Evening Telegraph. (Jonny Ensall)
46 DF The big boy of big gigs DF endeavoured to bring King Tut’s back to greatness in its 20th year. Rock’n’Roll Damnation and Summer Nights showcased the cream of the local crop, while T in the Park brought diverse treats like Broken Social Scene and Jay-Z. To cap it all DF head Geoff Ellis won a Lifetime Achievement gong at the UK Festival Awards. (LM) 45 CORA BISSETT Acclaimed actress and director While Cora Bissett cemented her reputation as one of Scotland’s most respected performers in 2010,
turning in a fine performance in the revival of David Greig’s Midsummer, she also won plaudits as a director, with the harrowing exploration of teen prostitution and sex slavery, Roadkill, as well as a production of Franca Rame’s powerful An Arab Woman Speaks (in which she also starred). (AR)
44 ALASDAIR ROBERTS Trad folk troubadour Gracing the front cover of leftfield music bible Wire’s March 2010 issue marked a moment of well-earned recognition for the guitarist and songwriter, and 2011 promises a European tour with kindred spirit and similarly unique explorer of the folk tradition, Joanna Newsom. (HB) 43 ROCK NESS Award-winning fest Kevin Bridges, The Strokes and Howard Marks brought comedy, indie and a working pub respectively to Rock Ness in 2010, complementing the typically heavy barrage of dance titans, and making it a splendid three days. The event was rewarded at this year’s Festival Awards with the Best Line-up prize. (JE)
42 KHALID ABDALLA Rising Glaswegian actor You may remember him from Spooks or as a terrorist in United 93 or as the adult Amir in The Kite Runner. This year Glasgow boy Abdalla went global with a nuanced and intense performance in Paul Greengrass/Matt Damon conspiracy thriller Green Zone. (PD)