Comedy double – Page 9

Good Friday Comedy Double Triple Quadruple

Published on April 6, 2007

After I’ve posted this I’m taking this weekend off blogging. The weather is gorgeous: the sky is blue and cloudless, the temperature clement; the garden is full of tulips in statuesque full bloom and all the waterside trees are dressed in a froth of blossom and fresh green. Thanks, global warming! The streets are thronged with what seems half the world’s youth, all en fete in their new spring clothes. Amsterdam has a barely suppressed air of freshness, gaiety and optimism, an all too brief moment in a city than can be so grim, grey and dour.

If I don’t do something a little more life-affirming than ponder death, destruction and the general shittiness of life for a while I swear I’ll rip out the spacebar from this kb and slit my wrists with it. But I didn’t want to just bugger off with no notice and without leaving a holiday treat, so to get us in the proper holiday mood, first up’s a seasonal classic.

(It’s Good Friday – how could I not?)

Staying on the spiritual enrichnment theme, today we’re going to spend this afternoon sitting under a tree at an Amsterdam canalside cafe in between shoe shops, watching the world go by and generally feeling smugly cosmopolitan. I already chose the shoes last week – the shopping is just a formality and an excuse to just loaf about gezellig cafes imbibing the holiday atmosphere. The rest of the weekend, who knows? What does one do when one does not blog?

Next clip is a relaxed chat to go with your hot cross buns (or regional paschal treat of choice should you celebrate Easter) and coffee -here’s some gentle comic iconoclasm from the sadly missed Dave Allen, who’s musing about the story of Adam and Eve:

Since no comedy double seems complete without a third video these days, here’s another and it’s -surprise, surprise – about religion again. I’d been looking for a clip of Louis Theroux’s documentary about the Westboro Baptist Church, which we watched on the BBC last week, when I found this instead: an elder male Phelps (the Phelps are known for their rigid fundyism and er, unique theology) being flirted with by an Australian interviewer who seems to know no fear. “…but they’re just so firm!” Heh.

What’s that you say? You want your Easter egg now?

Sorry, can’t do it – the chocolate clogs up the tubes and besides the Easter bunny has other plans this weekend.

Have a nice weekend – I’ll be back late Monday evening/Tuesday morning, euroweenie time, newly shod and spiritually refreshed.

Comedy Double Plus

Published on March 30, 2007

British comic Gina Yashere, whose video I’ve featured before on this blog, has been uploading lots of clips to her YouTube page and it’s such a big bag of goodies it’s hard to know which one to choose. In the end I just had to feature this one, of her recent concert trip to Iraq:

I went to Iraq to do some shows for the troops. 1- because I like a challenge, 2- because even though I am totally against this war, I’m also morbidly curious! This is a light hearted look at my trip

She’s got some gumption, as you’ll see in the video as she’s dangling over the edge of a helicopter. But now I want to see know what happened on the rest of the tour. More video please, Gina, if you’ve got it.

And now for something completely different – this little clip, on a surefire way to get and keep a man, is from Life Support, an old Australian spoof daytime lifestyle show. It being Australian comedy and therefore quite sick, this clip is not only NSFW but comes with a Great Big Red Warning Stickerfor those easily offended by humour about physical infirmity.

That seems all too horribly plausible after watching E! or a shopping channel or the like for any length of time.

Now for the bonus clip and a a real bonus it is too. This had us literally helpless with laughter when we saw it on the otherwise patchy new BBC3 sketch show Rush Hour last week. This is Adam Buxton (of the fondly remembered movies-with-soft-toys show The Adam and Joe Show) as a middle-class Rock Dad who plays his son NWA’s Fuck Tha Police, with live censoring.

Friday Comedy Double Triple

Published on March 23, 2007

First a classic clip from Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse, “Women! Know Your Limits!”

I’d forgotten how funny that show was but it’s odd how some of the sketches, cynical as they seemed at the time, now seem almost innocent. Enfield and Whitehouse’s recent work hasn’t matched the comedic heights of Enfield and Chums or The Fast Show and they’ve been overtaken by a younger, sharper and darker generation of comedians, although Whitehouse and former fast show colleague Charlie Higson have found a new home at BBC Radio 4 in the spoof call-in programme, Down the Line.

Given that the comedian-recycling loop is around 25 years (see the resurgent Goodies) I reckon a full-on Enfield/Whitehouse revival is due sometime between 2010-15.

The second clip is of Irish puppet talk-show hosts Podge and Rodge interviewing (well, that was the original plan) Johnny Vegas. It starts out quite sedately but then things go horribly wrong very quickly indeed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wooden puppet look quite so disconcerted before, but like Vegas says, they could’ve interviewed Dana so they deserve all they get.

Vegas’ hit UK series, Ideal is just starting it’s third series on BBC3; I don’t expect it’ll be shown on USAnian TV any time soon though given that it’s about Moz, a slob of a low-level dope dealer who never leaves his flat. Martin hates it, I love it; Moz and his inadequate, oddball customers may be sleazy and sad but that’s what England and the English are actually like. So as an added extra bonus because I feel homesick for grubby Britain, here’s a clip of the highlights from episode 5 of the second series.

Friday Comedy Double

Published on March 16, 2007

Todays clips are an exercise in the comparison of Irish and Australian male attitudes to women and sex. Guess which one is the one that says “If the female genitalia could sing it’d sound like Enya”….?

The first clip is another Comedy Store set, this time from Australian comic Jim Jeffries. This made me howl with laughter and scare the cats – but be warned, it’s absolutely, positively, indubitably NSFW or around anyone who’s easily offended. I’m looking at you, US feminist emo blogs.

So, if you’re at work save it for lunchtime or take the laptop into the loo. If you’re at home have a ball.

The second clip is of Dylan Moran (of Black Books)’ giving his own peculiar spin on women and sex in his Dublin stage show.

In terms of SFW-ness there’s not that much swearing in this one but it’s hardly coy. I’d say your desk-mates might appreciate it but the boss probably wouldn’t.

Friday Comedy Double

Published on March 9, 20072 Comments

I’m a bit late posting these this morning but I’ve been having way too much fun looking at comedy clips to find which ones to feature and the time got away.

Today’s first clip is from comedienne Jocelyn Jee Esien’s BBC3 show “Little Miss Jocelyn’ and is about the problematic British attitude to race, class and sex.

And that’s putting it mildly.

The second is a classic clip from those unsung heroes of British comedy, Punt & Dennis, in which they explain “Spot The Stiff”:

While we’re on the subject don’t forget the latest edition of Punt & Dennis’ topical radio comedy show, The Now Show, is on BBC Radio 4 this evening at 6.30 UK time (or on listen again at the same address a day afterwards) and features professional middle-class liberal grouch Marcus Brigstocke, the very tiny Jon Holmes and the very hairy and musical Mitch Benn. If you like British comedy you’ll love it.