Savour the finery of Bailey's comedic cream
DEMETRI MARTIN
An astounding analysis bordering on perfection 0.000
If l‘tftllifv. tliitrt» IT .109.) “(T I?t'i?‘.t'(,'1?:(il,t:l\,ltlttl. I't: [:zr'l (3' I‘.|(f’. °' .25.»..1: lm' f' " ,u. 41' flaw
of (Mitten, Hi‘ 5‘» ::<::::;<:'t;t;t:.l U" .m ill.l'.lll ".(l. 4)li:3é‘i§t3".{i "ifl‘il twin 1:: .19.": .832 'i".}t" : .lm‘ttf‘st'ticf ill-9 ;‘_>"‘.-;?'it<>".'i.. "T'wrm't; :1 mm 0| .'.<>'.:i '=;l"f r‘ 'r:"". .“ ..é: THAT?) 't:.':£:'.,"} f" .2 r; .;"f :;l1ilf W: ;‘ ?':;:‘<>.if‘.~.‘r,' W? :;.i.t;, M. lit; 1:.” <>Lit;l‘. minus.) fo'wzna Rm: 3:. " :; Quint mm " . :;<>".‘t:-lm'.'. Huangmw; 1:7 t;‘.t;tur“.afiz:zlll‘. Assoc? '15; it:- or stage. °_."~;> "1r ;..::' in; w-: _:: z, » \7.‘,lltlf‘tIl;ill‘;1'"itfl‘ldliSt‘titiéiikV‘Lill. 'lt sum". 4‘: ngj l"? " ,f .: ig'm'
luv- n‘::;.iif :; astoiirnimg. A {Hm-<3 ii\(?li}(i storyliwzi'lg; (Nil? :73: I<: :l fuming)" ".atf. :;I<:»:,-:l, .'..'W i" q!" Hit: j1fm7lx)i.:<é:; Io, H.120. If HUII stuck :n a“. s;<:l‘.:>:>:. mil liéi ll‘i? ins. 71m: 5:»kvi2r. ll “(:11 '-:,-l;-_:Wi;.:, -:,-"‘:,r..e:-.:
film innitll: .a‘. rm; Gruokfln‘m van jx’lmnts' Nos. Jersey :ln‘iw. l nuk‘. in: . throat) oxpln'os f“a- realms; of mentally. offl‘o .il‘ilé?”Lil‘illli?"§}(71iY“r"(li ‘21; L‘wgitv .1 30 his.“ .a;t":z>‘.-:‘~"1(>"t .El :“Rr-y.) i‘ r'7: .:t..'.' “(‘3‘ 4‘ sleek. {mt not c: slwu. m". I’m-cam: LIMKITLIT; l5§'."if‘£7""ii'f t"~:-::t., 1,-5.2- ‘m't‘lllcfmé.:.c:.o".ai‘. .It‘il'i'thif;C‘t'li?‘.'.i7'iiIII.Lif31"(‘53.3' "tel ‘-.,-_’f...=.. ‘.'.lllt‘ill\.1;il‘.l":".Ml..tft’:l"\lgynfnxu‘t'l‘:)r:;<=::;,>f"girl,
The newt-m. often: that}; Uni? lx‘ui'fm's afook :7" wk? 1:: .1:>";7"".‘: MOST lk‘u‘l‘lt‘ 806‘ J. "M. c.1't. “<~ tlz‘t‘f‘» ta :‘inl'Mimrizlc .1::'t”"..."'°_.. [13273 pui‘cno .‘ Nt‘l wt. :mf nine" .2 ::<7::;:;.":; an.) :1 '..;:_ "-5 nu..." lnr' than hwutvs .1.'..‘:\. f‘d‘. ":1 ."v. [low .‘l'u ". f" 2. war ".lmls "‘d'm? look :w‘t. ‘FD'nlmlw. in". "<53. 7‘;‘:‘.:: 5: {‘91: .a'. f.. Amorw who til‘i?f‘tit1 4w. tint.” '13.le guru Sl‘ouki no (0031.107le 503- “Jun-34".. 81.2 Ma”. " ; '9..r".-;v"f:: t" \" WOW" d "‘!\?Lilt‘ of C’X‘J‘SWJ sun: .i.s;ii:‘~i~.‘:‘.
Ant: I'm mnemonic of /" l 7' wk; :znuculf Alarms Lit" ' ot'ws s.“ ;:". " ‘ tilts: "itll‘t. ll‘iLTilith‘tl .1 giggling; TV .‘z‘rlvl‘ and .1 tv‘XfiTvW‘g .7' 9" "gli- l‘t’li\\,'llli‘l8‘ i‘m‘r‘ \.-.?:i'r::;1'\: .'.vr‘.:::-':; t"-;t- "vs. '."»;-~ cartoons, the ivtxgrammc's a {xi-3'72: an.) 2’»: :zzicmv‘ 'mltm‘a! lr‘t'o. "BO “ace-f It sa- 9 ». «JUMP. " c: A
7H".
.Abst . *1. J s.--b._~e.,.. . _. v .. -
Ii b.\‘\1—§_:.).\‘U
\‘Or‘f.1;i‘.f§.. ll ORGY thou? was two.
A blazer glory: Martin’s outlook is quite astonishing
22 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE '-'- .3' -\...: .T
BILL BAILEY Tells the funniest joke of the Fringe 0000
This West Country bugger knows funny. For the first ten minutes of his set, Bailey rambles on virtually incoherently, not finishing a single sentence. Eventually he shouts: ‘OK, comedy!‘ and starts to tell a three-men-walk-into-a-pub joke only to leave it unfinished, without a punchline and completely deconstructed. Within these minutes Bailey‘s got the full house laughing like a pack of hyenas.
Moments later, he leaps across the stage to grab one of a number of instruments for a daft musical interlude. Songs punctuate Bailey‘s observations about all that‘s ridiculous in life. One is the British national anthem rewritten via Portishead to emphasise the nation's melancholy spirit. Another cuts and pastes quotes from the American president into break beats and is called ‘Drum'n'Bush‘, punctuate Bailey‘s observations about all that’s ridiculous in life.
He makes another stab at telling a conventional funny story. but this time it's three-men-walk—out-of-a- pub, back into their lives and thus out of the joke. Deconstructed again. Bailey admits he doesn't do regular jokes. He does tell surreal stories, though. Like the one about his conversation with a car insurance salesman that becomes a heated theological debate after he finds out the policy doesn‘t cover ‘acts of God‘.
Now the audience is howling with laughter, which makes it difficult to follow Bailey's labyrinthine train of thought and quick-fire delivery. From theology he jumps to pop culture and then onto philosophy and metaphysics, barely pausing for a breath. Once or twice, when a gag doesn‘t get a big enough laugh, or maybe when he loses track of himself. Bailey changes tack, so swift and easy it‘s barely noticeable.
Finishing the set with his fourth attempt at telling a conventional joke, Bailey floors the audience with what might well be the funniest of the entire Fringe. Again, it‘s of the three-men-walk-into-a-pub variety, only this time it‘s the Holy Trinity walk into a pub and this time he delivers the punchline. It‘s amazing what Bailey can cram into a single hour. (Miles Fielder) .;:"..‘. I" ..",.." 'r'VI 1" .' ’I‘::'