list.co.uk/comedy
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2. Monday night new talent and new material night with the occasional old- timer dropping by. Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. Weekly showcase for new comics, some of whom are stepping out for the very first time, so keep your eyes peeled for the next big thing. With Paul Currie.
Tuesday 25
Glasgow ✽ Jack Dee King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0844 871 7648. 8pm. £22. Expect the usual deliciously dry takes on life from TV rent-a-grump Dee. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 24.
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2. See Mon 24.
Wednesday 26
Glasgow FREE Comedy Night The Lee, 100 St James Road, 564 1218. 9pm. Monthly night bringing up-and-comers to the fore. New Material Night Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 810.30pm. £3. Comedians trying out their latest gags. Best of Irish Comedy The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £7 (£6; members £3). Michael Redmond introduces you to the funniest of his countrymen and women with Brendan Dempsey, Paul Currie and Gar Murran. Edinburgh Beatnik Comedy The Tron, 9 Hunter Square, High Street, 225 3784. 8.30pm. £3 (£2). Comedy newbies show off their rib-tickling skills. Hosted by Liam Withnail. Best of Scottish Comedy The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £3). A monthly showcase of the finest comedy talent from north of the border.
Thursday 27
Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Your chance to check out wee Susan Calman to understand why she totally stormed the Fringe this year. Plus Brendan Dempsey, Steffen Peddie and Paul Currie. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Tonight Vladimir McTavish is host to the surreal charms of David Kay, plus Michael Fabbri and Gar Murran.
Friday 28
Glasgow The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 27 for line-up, but Paul Currie is replaced by Eddie Hoo. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. Barry Dodds, Liam Speirs, Gary Little and David Hadingham making you lot laugh. Hopefully. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171.
Comedy
MY COMEDY HERO ANDY ZALTZMAN The Stand, Edinburgh, Sun 14 Oct; The Stand, Glasgow, Mon 15 Oct
I do not have a single comic ‘hero’, but The Day Today is the comedy that most influenced and inspired me. I chanced upon it in the communal TV room at university, halfway through the episode which culminates in war between Australia and Hong Kong. Its radio precursor, On the Hour, had escaped my notice (I grew up in Tunbridge Wells, where the local council blocked all potentially subversive comedy from the airwaves – I assume), so The Day Today’s Molotov cocktail of satire, high-tech parody and serious silliness exploded directly and instantly into my comic soul, with its unrelenting comedic ambition and phenomenal sharpness of performance and presentation. It lasted only one series, leaving six glorious half-hours of visionary, almost perfect TV comedy, before its extraordinary collection of the most influential writers, performers and producers in modern British comedy went their various ways, splintering off to create much of the best comedy of the last two decades.
In terms of stand-up, seeing Robert Newman do an hour and a half of unadulterated politics at Edinburgh
in 2000 made me suspect that everything I had done in my year-and-a-half in stand-up to that point was pointless rubbish, and made me attempt to be less pointless and rubbish. I also studied the Ancient Greek comedy whizz Aristophanes at university. If the Dutch pioneered total football, Aristophanes was the master of total comedy, from high-end political satire and intricate literary parody, to puns, slapstick and a healthy smattering of cock jokes. His comedy spanned from war to wanking, sometimes within the same joke. He would have been sensational on a 21st century panel show. Sensational. (Interview by Brian Donaldson)
8.30pm. £5. See Fri 21. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 27 for line-up.
Saturday 29
Glasgow FREE Wasasa Comedy Night The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8pm. Original comedians who steer clear of racism/sexism/ homophobia to make this a thought- provoking night. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £16. See Fri 28. Comedy @ The State The State Bar, 148 Holland Street, 332 2159. 9pm. £7 (£5). See Sat 22. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Fri 28 for line-up. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £5£7. See Fri 21. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 27 for line-up.
Sunday 30
Glasgow Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). See Sun 23. Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 23. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). See Sun 23, but with Michael Fabbri and Steven Dick.
Monday 1 Glasgow Black Comedy: It’s Not All History The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8pm. £5 (£4). The Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights launches Black History Month with laughs from Bruce Fummey and Susan Morrison. Improv Wars The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £4 (£2). Improv experts Garry Dobson, Stu Murphy and Billy Kirkwood.
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2. See Mon 24. Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 24, but with Bryan Lacey. Tuesday 2
Glasgow The Midnight Beast O2 Academy, 121 Eglinton Street, 0844 477 2000. 7pm. £17.50. Comedy hip hop from this London rap trio as seen on E4. Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Tue 25, but with Bryan Lacey. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2. See Mon 24.
✽ Wicked Wenches The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm.
£6 (£5; members £3). The Stand’s monthly offering of the funniest ladies out there, including Susan Murray and the musical stylings of Vikki Stone.
20 Sep–18 Oct 2012 THE LIST 59