US Comedy: Not so much to laugh at?

 

It seems I disagree with TV reviewer Lucy Bellerby on what makes a good US sitcom. I agree that Parks and Recreation is decent, and does indeed have a great cast, although Amy Poehler and the character are too brittle and unlikeable for me to really latch onto it. I don’t deny Poehler’s comic ability, but give me Tina Fey every time.

My major issue comes when it comes to The New Normal. This show is everything wrong with TV today. It has taken a serious issue, and inserted bland stereotypes into the mix.
The lead couple, David and Bryan, are supposed to represent the 21st century gay couple, when in actuality all they are is the stereotypical overtly camp gay man and his long-suffering, not very gay at all, partner. That this show comes from Glee creator Ryan Murphy should be of no surprise to anyone, given how broad and generalised all of his characters seem to be. Even Ellen Barkin, as the demon mother, is nothing more than an easy pot-shot at Republican, conservative America.
I will hold my hands up, I only watched the first two episodes, but by the end of the first I was ready to give up. I only went back for a second episode because I wanted to give it a chance to escape from the pilot episode constraints. It didn’t. I found the show horribly offensive, and I’m not easily offended.
If we are talking funny American shows, 2 Broke Girls has just the right level of broad jokes and snark to make it edgy and clever, while retaining a few good belly laughs an episode. It does this without tipping over into smug, self-indulgence, like HBO/Sky Atlantic’s Girls. It helps that Kat Dennings (also known for her role in the Thor movie) is delightfully vicious but also sweet.

You should also check out Happy Endings, Cougar Town and Community.
While it is true that in Britain we have been lacking in really good quality comedy in recent years, there are still gems to be found: Sky’s Trollied and Moone Boy, and BBC’s Heading Out are all worth a look.

Starting a comedy club in York is serious business.

When the lovely people at YorkMix asked me to write them a blog about comedy, my first thought was “How the hell do I narrow all of comedy down to a few hundred words?” So I won’t.
What I thought I would do is focus on the aspect of comedy that I deal with, starting a new club and the challenges it involves.
I launched Knock Knock Comedy Presents in December, with a launch show made up of comedians I genuinely really like watching. I found a venue I really like, The Post Office Club, and booked the line-up.
What I didn’t factor in was the first snow fall in nine months. At 5pm on our launch night it snowed, leaving many of the people who intended to come, fighting to get home in horrible weather. Sometimes the world works against you.
We had an audience, a small but friendly one, and enjoyed ourselves. Now the real challenge begins.
I decided we’ll run a show on Valentine’s Day, an odd choice, but with good logic behind it. Our headline act is known collectively as Mace & Burton and bring their show Rom Com Con to York for the first time. I thought it would be a great show to programme, considering many people’s apathy towards Valentine’s Day.
We booked a support line-up, all comedians I am a fan of and the show is now set.
The big challenge is finding an audience. In York there is a fairly big comedy scene, but it is oddly expensive.
Regular shows include Hyena Lounge (City Screen), Stand Up York (Barbican) and Sitting Room (Monkbar Hotel), not to mention the regular touring shows at the Opera House.
For me, although they provide household names, comedy is becoming too expensive to attend live, especially with shows like Live At The Apollo, Stand Up For The Weekend and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow regularly broadcasting stand up shows.
Take into account tickets, parking, a drink or two, maybe a babysitter and you can be looking at £50 or £60 for a two-hour show, more for a big name. Our intention is to bring up-and-coming acts, on the verge of a mainstream breakthrough, to York for a reasonable price by keeping our tickets prices low. The venue is a social club so drinks are reasonably priced and there is free parking.
We want to be the gap in the market between free open mic nights like the one at The Gillygate pub run by local comedy collective Can’t Sing, Can’t Dance, Don’t Care’ and those much higher-priced nights.
Finding the correct balance is proving to be a challenge, I am funding this club out of my own pocket at the moment, so for every Sara Pascoe (Live At The Apollo, Stand Up For The Weekend) who is coming to play for us in April, there are lots of massive names I can’t afford to hire.
We are not going to be able to book Michael McIntyre or Peter Kay for a gig with a £5 ticket price, but what we can do is bring exciting, experienced comedians to York, and sprinkle in a mix of young hungry comics.
The coming months will see us promoting Sara, Andrew Ryan (Russell Howard’s Good News) and John Scott (pictured left) shows, along with giving headline spots to people who deserve them, but haven’t had the chance.
Our Valentine’s show is the perfect example. Mace & Burton’s show should be occupying the same spaces as Dave Gorman’s shows, and I can’t wait to have them appear in York.
Hopefully, next time I write here, I will be telling stories of some of the responses and demands I have received from comedians I have tried to book… I have had some astounding ones.

SixMix: My 6 favourite comedians.

Stand up comedy is a very subjective thing, but I consider myself to have pretty good taste in the matter. I wouldn’t have started promoting my own comedy shows if I didn’t.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and I have narrowed it to comedians who may not be the nation’s favourite. I have a long standing argument with my in-laws over Billy Connolly (they are Scottish), who I don’t like, having a purple beard and saying f*** a lot don’t make me laugh. And I have left off comedy “megastars” like Peter Kay because while he is very good at what he does and connects with audiences, what he does is basically remember things from the past.
Therefore, the six I have chosen here are favourites of mine for very different reasons, but I would urge you to check them out!
In no particular order…

Ross Noble

Noble is not so much a comedian as a randomist. I have had the opportunity to see him perform about 8 times, all on big tours, and I can honestly say every single time I have left the theatre with a sore face from laughing. I saw his show twice in the space of two weeks at opposite ends of the country and the show was completely different both times. Two different two-hour shows a fortnight apart? I don’t know any other comic who could do that, because he doesn’t have routines, he has a very, very strange brain…

Jon Richardson

Now making his mark on the comedy world thanks to spots on 8 Out Of 10 Cats and Stand Up For The Week, I first saw Richardson at The Hyena Lounge about three years ago. His material, well crafted and self deprecating, was carried with a very humble charm. Jon Richardson is finally stepping out of his flatmate Russell Howard’s shadow. Should be a much bigger star!

The Boy With Tape On His Face

I know what you are thinking, that is a stupid name. Yes it is, but it is also technically correct, for he is a mime, with tape over his mouth. Yup, me too, but the man is genius, finely-honed timings, a perfect soundtrack and brilliant audience interaction. See him before it costs you £40 a ticket!

Tim Vine

The punmaster general, perhaps better known as Lee Mack’s sidekick on Not Going Out, is one of the cleverest comics in the game. He is also the world record holder for most jokes told in a minute. If you don’t find one of his jokes funny, don’t worry, there will be another along in 4 seconds. There are lots of one liner comedians, in my opinion, none finer than Tim Vine.

Lucy Porter

The cutest, most adorable comedian on this list, but also one of the finest working comics in the country for years. Lucy Porter has always been on the edge of becoming a massive star, making TV appearances all over the place, while still gigging hard. A clever comic brain combined with easy charm makes her a joy to watch.

Peter Marshall & The Lomos

The name on this list you are most likely to not recognise, this musical comedy duo make crazy, addictive songs and mix the odd charisma of Peter Marshall with the musical ability of nominal straight man Spencer Vale (The Lomos) to create something insane and beautiful. Watch this space…

So there it is, my top six comedians, all very different, but perhaps giving a flavour of the mix of styles I am looking to bring to Knock Knock Comedy Presents.
Our newest comedy club comes to The Post Office Social Club, Marygate on Wednesday, December 5. The line-up is headlined by York’s very own Peter Marshall & The Lomos, and also features James Christopher, Jerry Bochum, Al C McWilliam and will be compered by Nick Banks.
A really strong line up for our first show, the aim being to mix rising local stars with experienced professionals from the comedy circuit.

Best in the world?

A few months ago I wrote a post about how CM Punk (http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/cmpunk) is better than you.  And now it is time for a follow up.
Over the course of the last several months CM Punk seemed to be a little lost in repetition, feuding with Rey Mysterio, again.  Not any more.  CM Punk has become the hottest thing in wrestling for a long time.  And all it took was him threatening to leave and being allowed to be himself.  It is fairly widely known in the wrestling industry that Punk has a high opinion of himself, but as Kid Rock says 'it's not bragging motherfucker if you back it up'.

One of the finest moments of TV I have seen in years is the now infamous episode of Raw where Punk closed the show by speaking his mind, calling Triple H a doofus and waving to Colt Cabana.  It is mostly shocking because it was so unexpected.  We have been treated to a steady diet of safe, secure content on WWE TV for years.  Hearing someone call themselves a wrestler and speaking the names of former employees, even going so far as to talk about John Laurinitis, was unheard of a few weeks ago.  Now it seems as though there actually is 'faith' in Punk, at least in the short term.  Having just watched Raw, I felt compelled to ask, is John Cena now a heel? I don't think he is, it is just that Punk has appealed to that whole audience that doesn't like Cena. The men in the crowd love that Punk now sits in a similar position that Stone Cold was in after King Of The Ring 1996.  Made a big bold statement, and now needs the brass to have the balls to go through with it. If they do, we could be in the midst of a revolution, a whole new era, if not, it could just be the Nexus all over again.  The wrestling fan could be about to hit a high, or we could be short changed in favour of girls and the under 12's.
When you have a talent of the verbal ability Punk has, you let them talk, when you have a talent who can wrestle like that, you let them wrestle.  Or you do if you want to make money.  Now the question is...does Vince have the balls he showed in '96? Will he let an actual self made star be the flagship?  Austin was wild, DX seemingly uncontrollable, Punk has the same edge.  Can the Straight Edge Superstar become the biggest star in this generation of wrestling? The chemistry Punk and Cena have seems pretty natural to me, Austin had Vince, The Rock had Triple H, Hogan had Savage and Undertaker has Kane.  All Punk has ever needed is someone with a little faith in his ability, Paul Heyman style, and a nemesis with as much ability (in very different ways) to contend with.  I look forward to the outcome of this feud, and hope it can be the catalyst for change in wrestling that we have needed for a couple of years now.
Best In The World? At this precise moment, the Cult Of Personality is making a very strong case for it...