'Friends, Romans, comedians, lend me your ears.'

 

I only just heard about the death of one of comedy's greatest figures - the incomparable Sid Caesar.

Sid's life and career spanned ten decades - as a comic actor and performer, on stage, screen and, famously, on television. Less well known, however, was his musical prowess - as a saxophone player - for musicians and bandleaders as forward thinking and as indomitable as Art Mooney and Benny Goodman.

It's the small screen however, that has the most to be thankful to Sid. His imperious 1950's shows signalled in a new era in comedy writing initiating the careers of Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen...the list does go on and on.

Unfortunately for us, human beings don't last for ever. We are all extraordinarily lucky to have basked in Sid's talent, his appreciation of it in others and his overwhelming generosity of spirit in developing these then new custodians of comedy.

Thanks Sid.

Louie CK Louie CK...

Sometimes, I feel this way..

Louis Szekely has been a stand-up for over twenty years, performing and writing for, amongst others, David Letterman and Chris Rock.  It's only now, how and ever, with the relatively recent broadcast in the UK of his *stand/sit show on post-terrestrial TV, that's he's gained recognition. 

And, pleasantly surprisingly, popularity.

Like all trenchantly funny things, his comedy will not appeal to everyone.  However, if you're a fan of the slightly surreal - and we'll deal with the greatly surreal later - then you might just like Louie CK.

Cue, the greatly surreal:

 

*stand/sit - a show which features a combination of 'stand-up' comedy and 'situation' comedy. (copyright, S. Lee)

As an adjunct to the above, the Glasgow Comedy Festival starts today. 

Spread over a number of venues, the vast majority of which are conveniently located in the centre of the city, there's something for everyone, whether you're a fan of Jerry Sadowitz or not (and if you're not, why are you reading this blog?)  

Anyway, here's David Kay, the undoubted star of Stewart Lee's 'Alternative Comedy Experience.'  

 

Knock, knock...

So. 2011? A poor year for comedy? Discuss. No calculators, no books allowed.......

Of course everyone has their own opinions. They are of course entitled to them but, not on my watch. Write your own bloody thing. Jesus, this IS Twat Bubble y'know...........

I digress, because I feel I have to. 2011 has been something of a frustrating year for those of us obsessed with the gilded, slightly deflated balloon, the clown face with the dagger teeth, the captivatingly haunted smile.

I digress again, because, I'm stuck. I don't know what to write.

One post. All year. On comedy.

Oh, dear.

And yet, salvation did come, in painfully small dribs and speckly coated drabs. Although patchy, 'Limmy's Show' pulsed the way in quietly sinister mayhem. In particular, the 'Dee Dee' sketches - some of which were sublime in their unexpected sophistication, in their ability to induce helpless laughter...



Ian Pattison resurrected his finest creation in a new series of 'Rab C Nesbitt.' By turns, good and excruciatingly bad, it was nice to see Gregor Fisher back - if a little older, a lot fatter and a whole lot more stupid.

'Rab C Nesbitt, Series 10, Episode 1'

Vic and Bob returned. Not to terrestrial screens - 'Shooting Stars,' despite stellar (pun intended) ratings, was cancelled due to, well, why was it cancelled?

Anyway, easily the comedy moment of 2011 was this paeon to war, bollards and environmental damage.



For the first time in a long time, The Fringe at Edinburgh offered little of interest. Stand-Up comedy generally seems to be currently plagued by an innate ordariness of late, where tenth rate comics stand behind eleventh rate material. We seem to have returned to the smug, self-congratulating comedic aggrandisement of the 1980's and, especially worrying, to a comedy landscape where questionable commentary and thinly veiled scapegoatism has replaced real insight and courageous words.

I'm not saying comedy should be the new social commentary - maybe I fucking am.

What I am saying, and what I truly believe, is that in a world where war and terrible injustice is everywhere, when the poor and the disenfranchised are more cruelly marginalised than ever before, and where accountability, integrity and basic human decency is dismissed as being trivial and unimportant, comedy, with all its nuances and in all its guises, can help bring people and more people closer together through the unimpeachable, irreducible gift of laughter.

I digress. One last time.

'Stewart v Armando - Television'

Yes, it IS Giro day...

Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer have been tickling our skeletons for over 20 years now (can it be?).

In a comedy landscape curently devoid of anything but tired cliche, crass 70's style observational stand-up and mawkish shite, shite, more shite shit-com, Vic and Bob stand out like a very large beacon, thrice painted, with fluorescent yellow paint.

Then painted again.

Vic and Bob represent one of the last bastions of comedy - a truthful, truly unique and highly sophisticated comedy of non-sense. Like the Marx Brothers before them - surely their rightful comedic antecedents - their work exudes a childlike joyfulness/wantonness which, wide open-mouthed, marvels at the silliness-of-it-all.

We look forward to more of their Afternoon Delights.

Thank Christ the 1981 Show...

Stewart Lee is curating a show aimed at capturing the spirit of the early years of alternative comedy. At Last the 1981 Show will feature Arthur Smith, Norman Lovett, Nigel Planer and Chris Lynam - South Bank Centre, 29 May 2011

And Arnold Brown....

And here he is!



And more. Probably.



Also, the second series of Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle has been given a BBC2 slot on Wednesdays at 11.20pm, starting May 4.

...educate, inform and entertain...

It was something of a pleasant surprise to see the return of, 'Getting On' to BBC4's Autumn schedule - rarely has a sit-com been willing to exhibit such resolutely dark tendencies, such a complete lack of artistic compromise, such quality in writing and performance. Jo Brand, especially, has been a revelation. The same, although in a very different way, can be said of Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan's, 'The Trip;' now showing on BBC2. It's a wonderful, gently sardonic little gem - full of melancholic insights into the world of celebrity and the hubris associated with it. New comedy on television worth getting excited about...who would have thought?

'Getting On'

'The Trip'

Word, up...

By the sounds of it, Richard Ayoade's debut feature could be a small classic in the making. An adaptation of Joe Dunthorne's acclaimed novel, 'Submarine,' the film, which is yet to be given a UK release date, is a love story - but the kind of problematic love story you would expect from the co-creator of the still criminally neglected, 'Garth Marenghi's DarkPlace.' It's not a surprise that Ayoade's film has been so lauded: his music video work with the Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs showed rare comedic touches - it was obvious, even then, that he was destined for greater things. In the meantime...

'Mr Smanks'

'Oxford Comma'

'Dean Lerner - Women'

Warp Records

Additional - 2011 saw the general release of Ayoade's film. The film has garnered many positive reviews along the way - see the film and judge it for yourself. It is reminiscent of Wes Anderson and the later fims of Richard Linklater. Sadly, however, from the point of view of this observer, the film is a huge disappointment - lacking any cohesive narrative, with poorly defined acting performances, bereft of any real direction, and is, at best, good naturedly contrived, at worst, a waste of time, intelligence and money that could have been directed somewhere more deserving. A shame.

Golden Wonder!

Appearing at the unjustifiably small 'Stand,' venue at this year's Edinburgh festival - Ladies and gentlemen, the unfashionably, the unfeasibly great Stewart Lee. It says much for the ego of the man that he spends his pre-gig time handing out fliers advertsising his own (and others) comedy wares. This year's show - and we would never spoil it for those yet to attend - is split disproportionately into two parts. Each proportion, however, is suspiciously beautifully formed, one, about six feet, the other, an equally startling five feet four. Which is about the size of it. And the median size of the comedy God that is Stewart Lee. If you miss out on his appearances this year you could do far worse than buy his latest book - available from the website.

'About the size of it'

Kevin Eldon - almost live...

This is any excuse to show Kevin Eldon, Mark Heap and Amelia Bulmore together. Jam was a quite extraordinary programme. Ostensibly a comedy sketch show, many of the episodes contained little in the way of traditional comedy narrative - instead the content was jarringly surreal, at times, genuinely unsettling, but always, and this is the important bit, incredibly funny. Eldon will be titting about in Edinburgh, as part of the comedy fringe, from the 6th of August 'til the end of the festival. Get your tickets now - if only to see one of this country's finest comedy actors in his stand-up 'kind-of' debut.

Timperley mourns...

Of course, Frank Sidebottom was an acquired taste. Papier-mache headed comedians have rarely been in vogue, incredibly more so even now - his brand of reverency appears entirely anachronistic when compared to today's sickly, glitzy diet of pomp and no circumstance. Chris Sievey's creation was everything that conventional pop music and Royal variety performance wannabe's could never be - genuine. And, often, genuinely funny. Thanks, Chris. And thanks too, to Frank.

In Bill we trust...

Bill Hicks - comedian. There, we've said it. The recent docu-pic , 'American: The Bill Hicks story' chronicles the incredibly full and rich life of one of America's greatest performers. Bill's life and contribution to stand-up comedy has been well documented. However, this most recent film shows a side to Bill that few will have been privy to - that of the relationships with his family and friends and how these relationships comprehensively defined him. It's a story absolutely about love. Love of, and for Bill - more though, about the things that Bill was passionate about, consumed by, moved to tears and fury over. One of his most celebrated comedy monologues begins with the oft quoted phrase, 'It's just a ride.' Watching this film is exactly that - just a ride. A ride that lasted, for Bill, just 32 years. What never fails to move and inspire though is that his work NEVER seems to date. The performance never fails to exceed even the most jaded of expectations. The words, and the truth inherent in those words, is never lessened by Bill's inability to breathe with them. Bill Hicks - comedian. There, we've said it again.

Like, so good...

Julia Davis has been upsetting people for many years now. She is a monster, an aberration - someone who shouldn't be allowed near a computer, a camera, hell, a pen even. She has masqueraded as a comedy performer since the late 1990's; working with many of the so-called comedy luminaries currently plying their nefarious trade. As if working with Chris Morris wasn't bad enough, she has recently written and, 'performed,' with Jessica Hynes, a pilot for the BBC. Lizzie and Sarah is one of the crudest 'sit-coms' ever to have been considered for commission. It is cruel, gratuitous and bears all the sadistic hallmarks typical of Davis. Twat Bubble is outraged at how outrageous this shit gutter comedy is. In election year, I, and we, urge all right thinking Cosmonauts of comedy to contact their local MP - Davis, and others of her barbaric ilk, MUST BE STOPPED...!!!

Lizzie and Sarah Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

...on me 'ead son...

We're really going to be spoiled for comedy choice soon. Anything with Omid in it is worth seeing three hundred times - David Baddiel's new film, 'The Infidel,' promises to be the funny movie of 2010 - possibly even funnier than Chris Morris's forthcoming opus. Omid Djalili is one of the truly great comedy performers and this new film could be his most celebrated role yet. Released in April, the official trailer can be viewed on the Guardian website 'The Infidel'

'Nothing to do with me'

...All we really need is Neil...

'Protest song'

Neil Innes was 65 at the beginning of 2009 - and we missed it.

It's almost impossible to adequately contextualise Neil's contribution to comedy/comedy songwriting. His groundbreaking work with Python and the Bonzo's was merely a precursor to his finest work - on the criminally underrated 'Rutland Weekend Televison,' and, in 1978, 'The Rutles,' film - possibly the greatest mo-vie ever made.

Neil Innes - you're a bloody genius!

..it was 40 years ago today...

Well, what a lot of sexist, elitist, homophobic shite that was....Yes, October 5, 1969, saw the arrival to British television screens of the most important, most influential comedy sketch show in history. Monty Python's Flying Circus was, and always will be, FUNNY. Laugh out loud FUNNY. Hilarious EVEN. And that's the whole point - revisionist comedy historians, or 'cunts,' as we should more properly refer to them, often seem to miss this most important of facts. Monty Python successfully changed the landscape of comedy - in the case of Terry Gilliam's animations, often literally. The broadcast of their first series of shows - and their subsequent forays into performance and film (most famously), is to be celebrated as an important event in the cultural history of this country, this Britain.

And now....

Genital torture, anyone?

Forget about House and Stephen Fry's recent increasingly accomplished efforts to disconcert and discombobulate - this is the realest of deals. Fry and Laurie's late 80's/early 90's shows were things of, sometimes, often, not infrequently, quite regularly, rare beauty. This is one of their finest moments and reinforces the belief amongst fellow twatters (that's Twatters, Stephen) that their shows rank, alongside Python, as the very best of the sketch format. And also the dirtiest.

Hit Hitler...

Richard Herring is currently performing at the Edinburgh festival this year - until the 30th of August, at the White belly; part of the Underbelly complex on/at George IV bridge. Herring has long had a problem with facial hair and this, his latest attempt at exhibitionism, should be unavoided at all costs. Especially as it's only a tenner...

Tedstock Part 1

Tedstock Part 2

It was 43 years ago today...

Lenny Bruce passed away 43 years ago on Aug 3, 1966. Every comedian performing today owes him an incalculable debt - without him, stand up comedy would not exist - certainly in the myriad, occasionally unconscionable forms that it does today. The clip shown here, much like Bruce's own life, is very brief, and includes a truncated version of one of his most famous observations.


Thanks, Lenny.

Want to know?

The year 2000 was a special year for comedy from the BBC. Two of the finest comedies ever produced by the corporation were shown - both starred and were written by Rob Brydon. Human Remains, written by Brydon and Julia Davis; of Nighty Night and Jam fame, is one of the darkest and most quietly subversive pieces of television ever broadcast. Davis and Brydon forge a unique partnership - there is an almost symbiotic relationship between them - as further witnessed in the extras accompanying the DVD release. In turns, viscerally funny and achingly poignant, Human Remains is matched only by Brydon's other comic masterpiece - Marian and Geoff. Written by Brydon and Hugo Blick, it is difficult to imagine any other show since attempting and achieving successfully the same levels of tragi-comic brilliance. In the intervening ten years nothing has come close to their genius - Amazon has all three DVD's available at a ridiculously low price - enrich your life and enjoy them now.

Fantastic things begin...

We at Twatbubble towers are huge fans of the genius that is Doris Day. Incredibly, it's 50 years since the release of this wonderful film and it showcases Day's talent for comedy just as much as 'Love me or leave me,' did her dramatic prowess. Doris remains, to this day, the all-time female box office star - a wonderful dancer, a fine actress and one of the most memorable interpreters of the modern song-book - she is, quite simply, magic.