Caroline Reid. creator of Pam Ann. agrees that her waspish flight attendant is very much an extension of her own personality and experiences. ‘l’ve never really been interested in straight blokey stand- up: I've always loved the avant garde. the alternative. anything with an
edge to it. So I guess character has always interested me in all aspects of
my life. This is just another extension of who I am. be it a character or Caroline. To tell you the truth. I don't know who is the character and who is the reality.‘
Adam Buxton. whose I. l’ui'r'l is one of this year‘s hot tips. believes adopting a persona is a means of passing the buck of responsibility for a show‘s success or failure to the character. ‘lf it goes badly I don‘t feel that it‘s a rejection of me as a person.‘ he says. “I admire stand—ups for not caring about that feeling. or at least being able to deal with it. It's frustrating sometimes though. because unless you‘re a total genius at the character stuff. it‘s much harder to really make an impression on an audience. It must be amazing to get a great response when you know that it's you they‘re responding to and not your funny voice. But then I suppose the feeling of power would send you mad and you'd start snorting coke out of little boys’ armpits: you know. the way all successful stand-ups do.‘
Will Andrews. who scooped the inaugural Tap Water Award for his portrayal of inept (ieordie New Deal comedian Tony Carter. uses his brainless brainchild to gently lampoon the naive conceit of all aspiring comedians. ‘lt started as a crutch. a way of putting a distance between
me and the audience. Taking on a role also allows you more freedom of expression as you can twist the character to suit your purposes.‘ ()1
course. the boundary between performer and character can be a subtle one. as Andrews discovered when a reviewer failed to spot that Carter was. well. not real. “()ccasionally people will say: “You know. you shouldn‘t really be doing this." So. some people really think that I'm this terrible comedian. I‘m not
really sure whether to be ‘IF AS llattered or annoyed.’
Andrews‘ is the dilemma that AS G faces all great character comedians. Warren Mitchell made such a convincing portrayal of racist. mean- spirited bigot Alf (iarnett that viewers largely missed the vicious social satire. In more recent times. Al Murray‘s Pub Landlord has attracted a degree of censure for the character‘s prejudices. the critics failing to realise that the pompous misogynist is meant to be a figure of ridicule. There‘s also the perennial problem of when exactly to recognise that a character has outlived his or her shelf life and should be dispatched forthwith in the gruesome manner of a traumatised Arthur Conan Doyle pitching his cash cow/albatross. Sherlock Holmes. headlirst over the Reichenbach l‘alls.
While superstar character turn Steve (‘oogan has consistently found ways to reinvigorate Alan Partridge. Paul and Pauline (‘alf have spent many a long year on the comedy back burner while his short-lived Portuguese crooner Tony l’errino disappeared without trace. lior Will Andrews. the longevity or otherwise of a comic character depends on the creator‘s attention span. ‘When I started writing this year’s show. I was tempted to chuck Tony Carter. But then I thought no. I really want to stick with this character: I actually still like him and want him to develop a bit further.‘
And so. the character comedy phenomenon seems set to grow and grow. But. aspiring turns. heed Adam Buxton’s word of warning: don’t expect that dressing tip and wearing a bit of slap will get you an easy laugh. ‘I think audiences are immediately suspicious when you come out in character. I imagine them thinking: “You‘ve obviously got no jokes. and you think you‘re going to get away with putting on a silly accent and crap clothes. Well this isn‘t the school play. If you‘re not as good as Ali (i or Alan Partridge you can sod off." Of course they might be thinking something else entirely but that‘s the basis I work from.’
See page 29 for full listings.
If you think Donald Rumsfeld is the funniest living American, you may not be far wrong. Here are a
few acts hoping to nab his crown.
Can you guess how many Americans have won the Perrier Award? Surely not just two? Well yes. And one of those. Otis Lee Crenshaw. was a C&W creation from Rich Hall. Only Demetri Martin remained largely
FANTASTIC VOYAGE MOONJOURNEY's Maggie Moss (AKA Alice Lowe) is filling the eccentric pop gap left by Kate Bush. Here, she reveals how to make concept rock.
true to himself while winning. The urbane New Yorker is back and a pair of his diverse friends are hoping to follow in his footsteps. Eugene Mirman (pictured) has dark. surreal visions and his short films about drugs. guns and art induced some hate mail. Mirman once had his revenge by humiliating one poison- penner on stage. Softer but no less direct is Kevin Brennan, who claimed the best stand-up award at the 2005 Aspen Festival. Rain Pryor has grabbed most of the US hype but plenty is expected of Joy Gohring, who you may know from offbeat sitcom Good Gi’r/s Don't. If you cruelly believe that the only good American is a dead one. then you'll be delighted to know that Bill Hicks is 'back' again with his S/i‘g/it Return. Less dead but equally crusading is Dave Fulton. who claims that We 're All Americans. Asking for it or what? (Brian Donaldson)
See page 29 for full listings.
PeOple often ask me how I come up With my songs and the answer is: ‘I don't know. I just don't know.‘ The truth is I don't write my songs: they come to me. begging to be let in. It's a bit like being a setip kitchen. My most recent song ‘Tribal Boy' came to me as an old African woman. I sent it away because I didn't
have room on the album.
i had a dream that l was glVng birth to the earth and when I woke up I wrote it down and now it's a number one hit and I think that's something that other women can relate to. in ‘Russian Doll' many people think it's a comment on society but it is about a man that married a doll. In terms of inspiration. I don't really have any. When a woman gives birth we don't ask: 'Who was your inspiration for this baby?’ There is no inspiration for a baby. Just sperm.
| only heard of Kate Bush very recently. when my style was compared to hers. by you just now. I don't really know her work. is she any good? lvltiSic. I think. has always been in me or around me. It's oxygen to me. I come from a very musical family and sometimes as a child we would sit around in the living room playing whatever we could get our hands on. An old Violin. a guitar. whistle. spoons. pans! Sometimes we'd look at the clock and realise a whole 24 hours had gone by and we hadn't eaten. This was a source of constant amusement to my father. He was a very kind man. a vicar. but incredibly creative and very thin.
As a musician. one has to be humble. You are just a conduit or a key as a performer. Or a plug. It is possible to be a bad plug though. of course. I like a song to have structure. As long as there is a beginning and end point. anything can happen along the way. I mean. I can meet ten lions or whatever. What annoys me most and clouds me is when peeple genuinely believe that I'm a witch or a pixie. I'm not a witch. Or a pone. I'm a human woman who's capable of releasing a number one album. I hope that sets the record straight.
I Plet’ist'irice Courtvard. 555 6550. 7-29/lug (not 10. I7). (HOp/ii, 5‘850—5‘950
(f‘7~--5‘8l. F’r'evrews until (5 Aug, 55.
-l l 1 Aug 2005 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 13