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I have a few heroes: the legendary Tom Waits, genius wordsmith/artist Jeffery Lewis, footballing god Bobby Zamora, charity good-egg Sophie Epstone, supercool Jarvis Cocker... the list goes on. One man who would sit towards the very top of that list though, is unquestionably Jim Bob. I first saw him perform as frontman of indie/pop/dance/punk band Carter USM at Brixton Academy in 1993 and have followed his career very closely ever since, through his solo work over the past few years right up to his recent reincarnation as an author. So when the man who I spent my teenage years singing along to in various sweaty venues around the country headed to the small town in which I grew up, I simply had to grab a few words with him.
Eastbourne's Gildredge Park was resplendent in the early evening sunshine as it acted as the setting for our interview. With birds merrily whistling in the background and trees dancing in the breeze, Jim and I talked about writing, about music and about the upcoming Carter gigs, before the affable Londoner headed across the road to the ancient Lamb Inn, where he would perform a 30-minute set to a sold-out room.
Below is the interview, along with a few musical snippets from his acoustic performance (note: you might need to whack the volume up to eleven as it came out a little quiet after the upload to Youtube and I'm too much of a luddite to know how to fix it). If you like what you hear from Jim Bob, you can find out more about all of his current projects by visiting his website.
Interview by Rob Townsend For more stuff like this, follow Bobbysix at Facebook. Also, you can read my review of the gig here, and check out my previous interviews with Jim Bob here and here.
It's something I never thought I'd hear: Jim Bob - the man who once seemingly made it his mission to oust Maggie Thatcher Milk Snatcher through the power of bile-fuelled, politically charged indie music - quoting Phil Collins.
"I do still think of myself as a musician, I suppose," he shrugs as we discuss the fact that, when we spoke last year, he told BobbySix.com that he had no inclination to put out any new songs or albums in the foreseeable future. "In spite of all the books and stuff, that's what I'll always be I guess. I have moments when I think I want to write a new album, usually when I'm inspired by hearing somebody else's music that I either love or hate. Phil Collins said recently that he wasn't making new music because he had nothing to say. I hate to quote Phil Collins but I do feel a bit like that at the moment. I get confused if I think about it too much. I feel like I've betrayed myself as a musician by being lazy."
The good news for attendees of June's That Comedy Thing in Eastbourne is that Jim Bob's back-catalogue is bursting with quality. The singer/songwriter has released plenty of solo records and had best-selling singles and albums in the early 1990s as part of indie/pop/punk/dance crossover duo, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine. So, considering that he has to squeeze over two decades of music into half-an-hour, what can people expect from his performance at That Comedy Thing at The Lamb Inn? "I'm not totally sure," he admits. "I imagine a fairly short set of songs played on the acoustic guitar. I haven't done a conventional gig for quite some time, so I'll probably make things up closer to the night depending on how I feel at the time." He pauses. "I've made it sound rubbish, haven't I? It'll be an incredible set of my most popular songs interspersed with great anecdotes and probably a bubble machine."
The low-key and intimate night in the ancient Eastbourne alehouse stands in complete contrast to the gigs Jim has in store later in the year. While Carter may have been best-known for silly haircuts and angry social commentary, they were also an absolutely brilliant live band. So much so that, when, in 2007, they announced that they were to reprise the sweat-drenched live Carter experience with shows in London and Glasgow that would simultaneously serve as reunion and farewell gigs, tickets sold out in a heartbeat. Due to their popularity, rather than acting as the full-stop they initially intended them to be, the gigs marked the beginning of an occasional coming-together of Jim Bob and his old mate Fruitbat (below). In November, they'll be stomping around the stages of the Brixton and Manchester Academies, and preparations for these shindigs are coming along steadily. "We've been talking about the gigs and have a rough idea of the songs we'll be playing. We want to make the shows as good if not better than the previous ones. At the moment we have no surprises planned but I imagine there will be some. I tend to spend too much time thinking about what I'm going to wear and what to do with my hair. I'm incredibly shallow."
More pressing than these nights of singalong mayhem is their first festival appearance in a very, very long time. "Need to get fit," Jim says of their headline appearance at Beautiful Days at Escot Park in the heart of Devon in August. "Festival gigs involve more shouting and running than conventional gigs."
Carter concerts and entertaining Eastbourne's most discerning punters aside, Jim Bob's focus lies away from music at the moment. Having released the critically acclaimed novel Storage Stories last year, his new book is well on its way to completion. Storage Stories, a fictional autobiography told in words and pictures, was laugh-out-loud funny, gripping and often rather touching, as Jim Bob combined darkness with the wonderfully witty and surreal to create a strange sense of doomed romance in an otherwise mundane, miserable and menacing England. Will his new offering take a similar shape? "I don't want to curse it yet by giving too much away but basically it's about two blokes in a car driving from Devon to London and one of them has discovered the other's secret. It's similar in style to Storage Stories. It's funny and there are pictures. It's probably a bit darker. I hope to get it out in time for Christmas."
From the enthusiasm with which he talks about his burgeoning writing career, and the fact that he mentions an idea he has had for another book and also a film screenplay, it's clear that this is where Jim Bob's heart lies right now. His creative juices have obviously been stirred and it seems that his foray into the literary world has opened plenty of other doors as well. "I've been enjoying what has happened to me in the past year or so. It was pretty unintended and unplanned. The little bit of acting in the musical Gutted, the comedy-related gigs and the literary events. I've met some amazing new people recently and every now and then one of them asks me to take part in something."
However, while it may seem that Jim's future lies away from the recording studio, excitingly there is still some musical output from this outstanding songwriter. "I've got one newish song on the Miles Hunt Shared album and I've recorded a cover of a song [Mr Blue Sky] for a radio comedy drama theme tune," he tells us. On top of this, two brand new acoustic tracks appeared on his Soundcloud page last month.
With so many creative ventures on the go, these are exciting times for Jim Bob and he is ready to embrace whatever the future throws at him. "Anything could happen really," he beams.
Jim Bob can be seen performing alongside Isy Suttie at The Lamb Inn in Eastbourne as part of That Comedy Thing on Tuesday 7th June. Such a strong line-up will ensure that tickets will sell out fast, so don't delay in booking yours today fromOxboffice.com For more information on Jim Bob, visit his website. In the meantime, here's one of his brand new songs:
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.
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.
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.
