Exclusive Diane Spencer interview

Flame-haired, award-winning comedian, Diane Spencer, shares a few words with Bobbysix.com ahead of her Edinburgh Fringe show, All Pervading Madness: 

What can people who come to your Edinburgh show expect?

They can expect, in a physical sense, a woman standing in front of them telling stories, and whatever pictures appear in their minds, will provoke laughter. I really enjoy telling stories, and quite often they are personal in nature. I don't deal in politics, yet... I more deal in the everyday, the emotional, the interpersonal relationships we all have whether with someone we love, or someone we meet on a train. My show is about a journey home, and there are some tangents on the way.

How did you first get into stand-up? Was it something you always wanted to do?
I just wanted to find out if I was funny. And no it certainly wasn't, but once I did it the first time, I simply had to do it again, and again and here I am. Stand-up is something so different and instantaneous. When you listen to how a comedian - a really amazing comedian - talks, it's incredible. They take your mind into new places.

After Edinburgh, what else have you got planned for 2011?
Whatever writing projects emerge from the Edinburgh Fringe really. I'm going to a comedy festival in Denmark, a place called Arhaus, which I've never been to before.

Longer term, what artistic aspirations do you have?
I love science fiction, I'm currently working to write a sci-fi sitcom... watch this space for beehives and lasers.

What music will you be listening to on the journey to and from Edinburgh?
John Williams - 40 years.
It's outstanding, it includes Indiana Jones, Superman and Jurassic Park.

Find out more about Diane - including tour dates - at her website.

Interview by Bobby Townsend. 

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Josie Long and Jo Neary preview their Edinburgh shows at That Comedy Thing

As venues go, The Lamb Inn in Eastbourne on south coast of England is perhaps the perfect place for a comedian to try out new material. The crowd - made up of curious locals and people simply excited that something interesting is happening in their sleepy town - are warm to the acts that stand before them and wouldn't even dream of attempting a impatient sigh, let alone a heckle. So this is perhaps why so many quality comedians are taking the opportunity to run-through their upcoming Edinburgh performances in the old ale-house. Recently, Isy Suttie brought her embryonic show to town and this week Josie Long and That Comedy Thing compere and organiser, Jo Neary, stood in front of a healthy turnout and set about workshopping what they had come up with thus far.

Opening the night, Neary performed her one-woman show about a bunch of schoolkids in the west country who were building up towards a local talent contest. Set in the 1980's and alluding towards some level of autobiography, Neary's story contained countless references to life in those days, all of which certainly resonated with audience members of a certain age. Mentions of Touché Turtle and Five Star were cleverly weaved into a narrative which wonderfully demonstrated the humiliation of being a teenage girl. In amongst some fine wordplay (the "virile shadow of a future moustache," on Gavin Pascoe's upper lip, for example), Neary also demonstrated some fun dance moves to Jack Your Body and Star Trekkin and painted a lovely, funny picture of the embarrassment and awkwardness that teenage love and lust can bring. To be honest, so sweet and disarming is Jo Neary's stage presence that I could happily watch her read the phone book for 45 minutes, so the fact that she has crafted something which struck such a chord was doubly pleasing.

Josie Long (pictured, top) is similarly affable to Neary and, armed with a fistful of scribbled notes, she launched into an impassioned and funny political diatribe. Venturing down a kinda Mark Thomas route, she spoke with intensity, knowledge and intelligence about subjects such as tuition fees, the protest in Fortnum and Mason, David Cameron and the like. While her anti-Tory stance may have fallen on a few deaf ears (Eastbourne has more than its share of right-leaners), generally her opinions were met with concurrence. After all, when someone is arguing for the importance of manners, free art and decent education for everyone, it would take a fucking idiot not to agree.

While Neary's show seemed pretty close to completion, Long's clearly was very much in the early stages of being written, but it was still a pleasure, in an increasingly apathetic world, to hear someone talk about political wrongdoings with such passion. That said, the moments when she veered into less heavy territory were always welcome, and her tangential ramblings about The Beatles and the Bronte sisters brought some of the biggest laughs of the night.

A couple of very different shows then, by two equally lovely performers. We've said it before and we'll say it again: That Comedy Thing at The Lamb Inn is a brilliant night out featuring acts of amazing quality. And the fact that you can buy a ticket and get change from a tenner is quite remarkable. If you live in the area and haven't been along yet, then, frankly, you're a ruddy fool. Why not head along to this Tuesday's show (28th June), featuring Steve Pretty and sketch group Jigsaw - comprised of Dan Antopolski, Tom Craine and Nat Luurtsema? Book your ticket now at oxboffice.com or email thatcomedything@gmail.com to secure your seat.

Review by Rob Townsend
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Kerry Gilbert brings sex and culture to That Comedy Thing. Oh, and wigs.

 
This Tuesday, Eastbourne's Lamb Inn on the South Coast of England once again plays host to the brilliant That Comedy Thing. This month's line-up sees Terry Saunders, James Sherwood, Thomas Hardie and Clint Westwood perform alongside Kerry Gilbert. On the eve of her debut visit to Eastbourne, Kerry tells BobbySix.com a bit about herself.

What can people expect from you at That Comedy Thing?
I’ll be presenting a small array of silly characters and strange behaviour, including a sexy bit, some culture and most probably some sort of wig.

Are you looking forward to your first trip to Eastbourne?
I’m quivering with anticipation. I’ve heard they have great fish n chips…

How did you get into comedy? Is it something that you always wanted to do?
I always liked playing the funny parts in school plays, despite being very shy and quiet in general. Being funny enabled me to come out of my shell a bit. Then at University I studied Performance Art as part of my English and Drama degree. It was the only practical bit of the course where we got to script and perform our own solo performance pieces. Most of the pieces I came up with were pretty twisted and self-indulgent performances about domestic abuse and sexuality, but the one I enjoyed the most was dressing up as a Bond Girl and belching my way through a rendition of Nobody Does It Better. I’m not proud of it, but I think that was probably the beginning.

After University, my friend Kelly and I decided to take a comedy show up to the Edinburgh Festival, as we’d been offered a free venue by someone she knew. We were on at midnight in an old church hall and had an average audience of about three people, but had loads of fun and even got a decent review so decided we’d keep at it. We called ourselves ‘Kerry and Kelly’, which I think probably indicated the level of effort we put into the whole affair, and spent most of the time eating humus and gossiping. But we did manage to put on a few more shows which were quite well-received. After a while, Kelly decided to pursue a proper career and is now a successful TV producer, whilst I decided to carry on, finally taking my own solo character comedy show up to last year’s Edinburgh Festival.

After Eastbourne, what else have you got planned for 2011?
I’m working on a new live comedy show which I’ll be taking up to next year’s Edinburgh Festival, so am doing gigs to try bits and pieces out in London. I also have a few writing projects on the go, including a sitcom set around an old-fashioned sweet shop in a small seaside town.

Longer term, what artistic aspirations do you have?
My dream is to write and perform in my own television sitcom/sketch show. I’d also love to be in a Mike Leigh film and a period drama one day. Preferably as one of those neurotic women they usually have in them, like Imelda Staunton’s character in Cranford or Julie Walters in Pride and Prejudice.

Check Kerry out at That Comedy Thing at Eastbourne's Lamb Inn this Tuesday night (April 5th). It all kicks off at about 7pm and entry is a bargain £8.50 (£7.50 concessions). You can pay on the door or get tickets in advance at oxboffice.com.

Interview by Rob Townsend.

That Comedy Thing at The Lamb, Eastbourne

Last week, That Comedy Thing took place once again at The Lamb Inn in Eastbourne, on the South Coast of England, and, as always, the wealth of talent on show in the cosy 12th Century boozer was impressive. Robin Ince headlined the night, with less a routine, more a 40-minute rant from a man aghast, confused and angry at a world he increasingly fails to understand as he edges further into his forties. Red-faced, he breathlessly jumped from topic to topic in a performance that was filled with truths. Funny truths too.

Before him was the Canadian Mae Martin (pictured, below), who was natural and effortless as she chatted affably between playing some well-known covers on her acoustic guitar, replacing the lyrics with her own tales about - for instance - her unhealthy obsession with Don Cheadle. Her turn was especially pleasing in that she didn't reel off jokes, but just chatted away conversationally, as if she were just talking one-to-one with each member of the audience. Indeed, she was so engaging that I could have happily listened to her talk for 30 minutes without any musical interludes at all.

Before these two performances came the absolute triumph of the evening. Rachel Pantechnicon cleverly used repetition and a strange, awkward stage-presence to create a well-crafted character. Poems about elves on shelves and tiled bathrooms were rattled off at the kind of frenetic pace that demanded the audience kept up. Visual aids were frequently used, like the previously missing end section of the Bayeux Tapestry, which told of a plague of cats - one of which ended on William the Conqueror's head instead of a crown. Obviously it doesn't sound funny when I say it, but when spewing out of Pantechnicon's mad brain, such weird tales were side-burstingly hilarious.

The whole night was compered by organiser Joanna Neary (pictured at the top of the feature), who set the evening's warm tone with some chucklesome observations, some killer dance moves and a wicked impression of Bjork.

Neary deserves massive credit for putting on such a charming night and managing to attract such fine acts to a south coast town that isn't exactly on the circuit, so, if you live in the area and want to see more of these kind of events cropping up, then you need to put your full support behind That Comedy Thing. The event takes place on the first Tuesday of every month, so email thatcomedything@gmail.com to get yourself put on the mailing list.

Review by Rob Townsend.

Robin Ince graces That Comedy Thing

 

Once again, That Comedy Thing is set to hit The Lamb Inn on the South East Coast of England, and it offers a typically cracking line-up this month, with Robin Ince headlining a bill that also includes Mae Martin, Rachel Pantechnicon and Suzi Payton.

You can reserve tickets for the event, which takes place in the lovely Eastbourne pub between 7.30pm and 10pm this Tuesday 1st March, via thatcomedything@gmail.com. It'll set you back a pathetic £8.50 or just £7.50 with an NUS. You won't find a better bargain than that so get yourself to The Lamb and be sure to bring a spare pair of underpants, as you are more than likely going to wee yourself laughing. And who likes to sit in their own wee? Weirdos and pervs. That's who.

Find out more about That Comedy Thing here.

Words by Rob Townsend.

That Comedy Thing

 

Sleepy old Eastbourne, in the south of England, is probably best known for the plethora of blue-rinsed pensioners that meander along its quaint seafront in the summer months. What it is not known for is its diversity when it comes to things to do of an evening. And as for luring out-of-town entertainment, well, let's just say that Eastbourne is hardly on the the circuit. However, on the first Tuesday of every month, something is happening to steadily change all that.

That Comedy Thing is bringing a smile to the face of those who want a quality night out that combines outstanding stand-up talent with some musical magic. December's event saw Josie Long do her thang, while the legendary Darren Hayman provided the sweet tunes. In future months, you'll be able to see the likes of Robin Ince, Stewart Lee and the incredible musical talents of BobbySix.com's hero, Jim Bob.

The next That Comedy Thing is on the 1st of February, is compered by the wonderful Jo Neary (pictured, above) and features the immense talent of Isy Suttie (Dobby from Peep Show), Tony Law, George Egg and Dyball and Kerr.

If that weren't enough to make you want to venture into the cold winter night, then That Comedy Thing's venue is one of the most intimate and welcoming pubs ever. The Lamb Inn was built in the 12th Century and is a lovely little ale house in the quiet Old Town part of Eastbourne.

Still need encouragement to miss Holby and go out on a Tuesday night, you lazy arse? Okay, well how about the fact that tickets are a ridiculously cheap $7.50. Amazing, right? You can secure yours by calling 01323 749643 or emailing joannaneary@hotmail.com.

Words by Rob Townsend