Tonight saw the first ‘Twitter Comedy Night’, a review of which can be found here.
Posts Tagged comedy
Bea Arthur R.I.P.
I just read on BBC News that Bea Arthur has died.
Bea played Dorothy Zbornak in ‘The Golden Girls’ between 1985 and 1992 – a part that saw her deliver some classic put-downs at the expense of the other three stars of the show – Betty White, Rue McClanahan and the late Estelle Getty.
I have the first two series of ‘The Golden Girls’ on DVD, and they are a great tonic when a good laugh is needed at the end of a long hard day. It was such a quality show, and should act as a reminder to today’s TV commissioners that there is still a place on TV for well-written sitcom that has some great performances at its heart and doesn’t pander to the current trend for shock-value.
Bea Arthur was, paradoxically, the lead in an ensemble piece; such was her presence and the strength of her performance. She was a joy to watch.
Click here for a look at Bea through the years to the sound of some incredibly uplifting music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apk_ymHWr94
And here are some (not altogether carefully) edited clips of her in the role for which most Britons will remember and love her:
Pacman Comedy
I have laughed so much at this video today.
Silly visual comedy at its best. Even the security guard plays his part.
Watch and smile:
2009: Diary Update
This is the first update of 2009 (*edit – it’s clearly not, look below), and I’m afraid it’s a bit of a me-me ramble. I’ll label this type of blog as ‘diary updates’ as that’s really what they are. So if you’d prefer to read more focused content instead of a few random mutterings, then please skip these entries.
The new year has started pretty well, with me sticking to all the plans and intentions I had in mind at the end of ‘08.
I’ve got back into my health and fitness regime which had slipped from about the middle of November. I didn’t go mad on the Christmas food, but it is really tough to be good when other people are doing all the cooking and it’s all very tasty (but naughty) stuff. My trainers at the gym are getting me to lift some frighteningly big weights which I’m managing to bench, so I suspect they’ve been weighted with helium. That said, I can do 50 press-ups in a hit which is 49 more than I could manage a year ago. The guys responsible are at Reaction PT and they are a must-see if you’re thinking of getting fit in Birmingham.
Writing-wise, the last two weeks have been positive, if not hugely productive. It’s weird how my comedy writing goes in phases: at the moment, I’m in ‘ideas’ mode, which means that I’m writing down lots of funny ideas, situations, plots, characters and lines, but nothing that really links up. At some point, I’ll go into ‘flood’ mode, and will probably write an entire CLP in a weekend. Then there’ll be a two-week block, and then I’ll spend another two weeks making good progress on the sitcom or stand-up, and so it goes on.
Yes, the sitcom is back. I was looking through my note-books the other day and was amazed at how many times I’ve returned to the same idea to work on it from different angles. So I’ve added it to this year’s ‘things to complete’ list. I was also inspired by the DVDs of the ‘IT Crowd’ (series 1 and 2) because I’ve been listening to Graham Linehan’s commentaries. It’s my favourite sitcom of the noughties, and appeals to me because it’s silly and funny and just makes me laugh. As a good comedy should.
I’ve thought of some cracking characters for my show – many of whom are recurring bit-players with quirks that the audience will enjoy spotting from week to week. I’m not revealing the idea on here as original sitcom ideas are hard to come by (and much sought after). I just wish I could skip to the end and have the finished script ready to market – at the moment it feels like one of those impossible double-sided jigsaws which you know will fit together eventually, after a huge amount of toil and sweat. It’s not going back in the box this time.
I’ve got some good stand-up material too, but I need to decide how I’m going to deliver it before I can fine-tune it, and that’s the real sticking point. I’ve been watching quite a bit of stand-up on TV and have noticed how a lot of the comedy is enhanced by larger-than-life expressions – whether visual or verbal. I will need to use this, as some of my material depends on being exaggerated to absurdity for its laughs, and so I need to be careful that any comic persona I take on enhances this rather than restricts it. The conundrum now is that I could probably exaggerate better as myself, but that’s not how I want to perform. More thought needed…
As for the distractions – I’m still on my self-imposed ban from Facebook and Twitter (Ha! Up yours Doctor ‘You’ll be back!’ Linguist) and haven’t watched a single second of Celebrity Big Brother. (We’ll ignore my unfortunate viewing of the new ‘Dancing on Ice’ as an aberration; I shall continue to chant ‘Jeremy Edwards in a lycra top is no justification for watching ITV’ and hope that I am mentally strong enough to resist this weekend.)
Great things about this month: the Anne Frank dramatisation on BBC1, George Bush finally on his way out, and discovery of miracle £2-a-day car park in the city centre!
Rubbish things about this month: the looming 07/08 tax bill, endless doom-and-gloom news bulletins, and the fact that it’s followed by February.
Christmas Podcast
Here it is – your Christmas ‘Clever Little Pod’…
Hope you’re having a great day! (Don’t eat too many Quality Street…)
Comedy Masterclasses #2 – Absolutely / Frank Hovis
‘Absolutely’ was a sketch show shown on Channel 4 during the 1990s. It had many fondly-remembered characters such as the Nice family, ‘Stoneybridge’, Denzil and Gwynneth, Calum Gilhooly and Morwenna Banks’ Little Girl character who pronounced ‘because’ as ‘febus’.
My favourite Absolutely sketch is without a doubt this one featuring Frank Hovis, played by Welsh comedian John Sparkes. There were a number of Frank Hovis sketches, most of them featuring him ‘On the Lavatory’, including a memorable one where he sits there and just farts (a LOT funnier than it sounds).
This one has some killer lines, including the first big laugh which is a genius piece of writing. It’s also brilliantly performed. Enjoy.
gazuky Survey Results
I recently put out a short survey to get some feedback on my comedy output.
I did this because I’ve been out of the loop for a little while, and wanted to gauge what people felt my strengths and weaknesses were in terms of content and branding.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to complete the survey – it was a really worthwhile exercise, and I really recommend it to anyone.
The main two pieces of feedback that came through loud and clear were (i) to increase the frequency and regularity of the shows, and (ii) to make use of guest voices as was more the case in earlier shows.
I definitely agree with these comments; the frequency of the shows is something that, unfortunately, I have little control over, as it relies solely on the amount of free time I have during the year. Nothing else motivates me as much as comedy and podcasting, and so if I am unable to deliver shows, there is usually a very good reason for it. However, what I perhaps haven’t done is make a sterling effort during the time I do have to get ahead with shows, so I have a few ‘in hand’ during the more difficult periods. I’m now going to make this a priority so I have a bank of sketches I can draw upon.
The second point about guest voices is also down to time issues; when I record CLP, I often do it from hastily scribbled notes, and am often re-writing during recording. Involving guests in the process means I have to spend extra time formatting scripts for others, and then making sure the script that gets sent through is the absolute final version. Of course, I also need to wait for the guest to record their lines too. However, I do agree with the points made that there is a need for greater variety in the voices on the show, and so I will attempt to include one guest voice at the very minimum for each show.
In the survey, I also asked whether people felt ‘gazuky’ or ‘Clever Little Pod’ was the stronger brand. The response was split 50:50. People liked ‘gazuky’ because it transcended all media, but then not all were sure what it actually stood for. CLP was liked because it was the most recognised part of my output and had been associated with me for longer.
I think gazuky is probably the more flexible brand because it doesn’t have ‘Pod’ in it, but then the show title doesn’t necessarily have to accurately define it.
The question really is where to go from here. If all of you guys who support me in my comedy were here in Birmingham, I feel sure there would have been a CLP live in front of an audience by now. But I can’t do it on my own, and there’s a distinct lack of a ’scene’ here in Brum. I’ve explored setting up comedy groups, and I’ve had meetings about live shows, but ultimately it’s a bit like pushing jelly/jello.
So I’ve been thinking more and more about a second go at stand-up comedy, but this time as a character. The last time I had a go, I was 25 and didn’t really understand how difficult it is. Plus, I was delivering it as myself, and that’s definitely not the best way for me to exploit my abilities.
I’ve started writing down ideas for routines, and I’m watching more stand-up comedy than ever to try to identify what I can offer that’s new. Certainly there are fewer comics appearing as characters than as themselves; if I can develop and sustain routines as a fictitious persona, then it might be different enough to get me noticed. The question is… which persona?
Comedy Masterclasses: #1 – Two Ronnies/Crossed Lines.
I am going to start regularly posting links to classic pieces of comedy that are examples of the highest levels of writing and performance.
The first is the sort of silly, clever comedy that I wish I could write. It is absolute genius and, most importantly, very very funny.
Anyone who can get a laugh just out of the word ‘Hovis’ has my vote.
Watch, enjoy and laugh.
CLP Show 42
Clever Little Pod Show 42 is finally here:-
Please click here to vote at Podcast Alley.
To say it’s been a tough one to do would be an understatement. I was left with writer’s block after show 41, and was then distracted by various changes in my routine and lifestyle that meant I was robbed of my usual writing slots. If that wasn’t enough, I’ve been ill with severe vertigo for 2 weeks which has been an absolute nightmare and left me in no mood to write comedy.
I don’t think the resulting show is really up to scratch.
The first sketch, set in the stone age, was written several months ago, and so was used as a fallback option. I’d tried to record it before, but the challenge of doing two distinct female voices was too much, and so I left it alone with the intention of getting a guest voice to play one part. However, I;ve gone ahead with it anyway, and made one of the women sound ‘posh’ which wasn’t the real intention of the sketch and perhaps compromises it somewhat. They are, after all, meant to be two washer-women.
The second sketch is based on Autumnwatch with Bill Oddie and Kate Humble, which has just left UK TV screens for the year after a fortnight watching deer rutting and seals flop about on a beach. So who knows what the rest of the world will make of my spoof.
The last sketch is the one I’m quite proud of, simply because it’s a real distinct character piece, and is the sort of thing I’d like to do as a comedy act. It is a restaurant review with a drunken old lech called Henry. Although he’s a little difficult to understand at times, I think that’s part of the charm and probably is no bad thing, encouraging repeat listens.
And that’s it for another show. I’m very relieved that it’s done, and out there at last. However, there’s no format to speak of, and I’m struggling for music as the PMN seems to be pretty dire at the moment.
It’s never a positive step, to release something you’re less than happy with, but I think I’ve got the show to an acceptable standard that at the least maintains my presence on the podcasting rosta. The next one needs to be a happier experience though, and the main priority is for me to find those time-slots for writing once again.
I hope you enjoy the show.
Clever Little Pod Show 41
This show is made up of the bulk of the content from the live show, but is not a recording of the event itself. I wasn’t happy putting the recording out as a podcast because the sound quality wasn’t up to the usual standard (and it was a soft-launch test anyway). There will be more live shows in the future, and they’ll be much more widely publicised.
Until then, enjoy show 41 which is definitely my favourite show so far. I hope it is yours too.
Click the play button below or download the mp3 here.
