Comedy listings

bOMiNic HOLLAND Traverse Theatre. Edinburgh, Tue 10 Jun

Anyone who mourns the arse falling out of Scottish football (stand up Steel Men and Airdrieonians) will identify with Dominic Holland's latest novel. The Ripple Effect is a satire on the knife-juggling act most lowly football clubs play with their books, forced into remission by the over-spending superclubs. As the storyline goes, one man, Bill Baxter, isn't prepared to let his local team go under and sets about campaigning to stop the property developers moving in. Unbeknown to him. he provokes a parallel chain of cataclysmic events which,

as luck would have it, save the day.

It‘s easy reading and Holland makes no excuses for that. ‘lt’s supposed to make you feel good and make you laugh,’ explains Holland, ‘and when you

finish the book you think: “I‘d love that to happen to me." It's not a book that’s supposed to change the world; it’s just supposed to be a book that you take

on holiday which makes your holiday better than it would have been if you

hadn't taken it.‘

The Ripple Effect is Holland’s second novel. The first, Only in America, was a similarly light-hearted romp, based on an aspiring screenwriter who, following a sequence of unlikely events, makes good in Hollywood. ‘They’re both fairytales where the small guy wins,‘ he says.

Holland is currently writing the screenplay for Only in America for BBC Films. A third novel, The Talent Spotter, is in the pipeline and there is talk of a three-part television adaptation of

The Ripple Effect.

First, though, the 1996 Perrier Nominee is touring to promote his latest title. The live appearance is a mix of stand-up, Q&A, and book signing. Now that he‘s a twice-published author, do audiences respect him more? ‘Perhaps so,’ says Holland. ‘You‘re no longer just a stand-up comic - you can say stand-up comic/novelist. I‘ve written two books so that gives it more weight again. I’ve written two and the first one is becoming a movie. so I think people probably do take me a bit

more seriously.‘ (Maureen Ellis)

Friday 13 continued

Edinburgh

The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. .553 7272. ‘lplll. [7 (UT). llollyltppcd. inulti auard “inning: comedian John lll\lltlp llt'iltlllllllt'\, \i ith \llpptil‘l lroin Northern li'cland'x \cil Dougan and the magical Stt'wn Dick. 'l‘hix mening'x coiiipcrc l\ Siixan .\ltll‘l'l\tlll. Captured Peppermint lounge. Ia ('liainhcrx Street. 225 520‘). 0.3llpin. £7 (Uii. ('ult (‘anadian 'l'\' \tar ('i'aig: (‘ainphcll headlines llli\ iicu \\L'Cl\l_\ Cllll‘. (itlt‘\l t‘oinpcrt' Vladimir \lt‘l‘ax I\ll alxo lllll'tltlllk't‘S John Scott. .\lll\L‘ Boon and open \polx.

Dunlermline

The Long Riders Tour (Hunt-git- llall. l'.;l\l l’ot‘l. lll3S3 3l-lllllll. 7.30pm. [X it“ {7). SCC l‘ll (i.

Saturday 14

Glasgow

West End Festival t'niil Sun 2‘) Jun. Yai'ioux \L‘Illlt'\. “at end. 3J| llh‘J-l. Various priccx. Ilillt' \ll't'k‘lS ol' the next L‘lltl conic aliw \\ till a No \wck multi- tll'l\ lt‘\ll\;ll.

Jongleurs Comedy Club .longlcun. l'(i(‘ Building. chl'i‘c“ Sti't‘t‘l. llSTl) 787 0707. S.|5pin. U3. Sec Jim 12.

The Stand lllt‘ Stand. 35.3 \thtltllillltlS Road, (JSTU (ilKl 60.5.5. ‘lplll. LS. .SL‘L‘ l'il'l l3 onl} \\llll t'oinpt‘rc Siixan Morrison. Madcap Comedy Club State Bar. l—liS llitllalld .Sll‘L‘L‘l. 9-10 0.28", 0.30pm. (5 (Lil. lk‘x Mt‘lt‘an and ('lti‘ix Brooinlicld join Bill) Bonkcrx.

Noah’s Late Night Craic \oah. sit .-\ll\ion Street. 552 304-1. lll.J5pni 2am. 9.5 US). ('oinpcrc Jane} (iotllc) introduces more late night laughs l'roin Ra) inond .\lcarn\ and Archie l-‘udd.

Edinburgh

The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 0pm. £8. Sec l-‘i‘i l.3 but “llll coiiipcrc Jane Macka).

Livingston

The Long Riders Tour llomlcn

l’ark ('cntrc. lloxxdcn. (H.506 43363-1. 330an 1'8 i£5i. See in (i.

72 THE LIST 1:1.J..nv.?.‘rt\3

Glasgow

The WhY Front (ilaxgim l'lllll 'lillt‘alt'c. l2 Row Slt'L‘L‘t. 3.32 Sl2iS. 5.30pm. l‘rcc. hut ticketed. Sec Sun h‘. Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand. 333 Woodlanth Road, 0870 (illll (305.5. S3llplll. U) ([5 l. Neil Dougan and Marjorie join the ltlt‘tllllc lrl\llltl;lll.

Edinburgh

Whose Lunch is it Anyway? the Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. lpiii. l‘l'L‘C. SCC Sun S.

Bruce’s Sunday Social Fund the Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 830an £4 1(3). The \\ lL‘kt‘dl} \ IL‘toux llthl Bl'tlt‘t‘ l)c\|in lllll‘tltlllL'L‘\ “and Ka} and natural born \tor)tcl|cr Jainic McKcn/ic.

Holland lines up a novel hat-trick

Monday 16

Glasgow

Monday Rhymes Brcl. it) 4% .-\\llliill lane. 342 4960. 8pm. live. \‘i\ (iL'C and her \xat'k} llltllL‘\ l'L'ltll'll l'oi' \oinc iiioi'c cabaret l'iin. I’urr n/ l/lt’ lli'\l Izml I'i'xlii'ul.

Edinburgh

Red Raw The Stand. 5 York l’lacc. 558 7272. S3llpiii. £1. lloxt ('hrix ('oopci introducu Blair Wall and a clutch ol aspiring t‘lllllL‘tllillh.

Edinburgh

International Myeloma Foundation Gala Benefit The Stand. 5 York Place. 553 7272. ‘lpm. to

It'll Ihc Stand lt‘ll\ out the it‘d carpet in aid ot the bone inaiioxt t'ant‘t‘i chaiil)

Wednesday 18

Glasgow

The Stand lmprov l'ht- Stand. Ht \Voodlandx Road. “3"” Nil) (M55 ‘lpin H it'3i liiipiox mpcrh Stu and Paul L'iiiltaik on .i \Illt'Sl into the git‘at unknoun \\ iih special guests lioin the (Hunt popping up in piot‘t‘cdingx. aii}thiii; can happen. and \\llll lllk'\t' t\\o at the helm. it pioliahh \\lll

Edinburgh

A Kick Up the Tabloids the Stand. 5 Yoik Place. 558 7272 “pm {5 iUi Hit-akin; nmxx lioiii aioiind the \xoild l\ llL‘dlk'tl \\ llll t‘hct'k. lllt'\t‘lt‘ll\'t' and hlataiit contempt in wine \idt' \plittin; topical \atiit‘ lioni acting political polt‘init‘ixtx l’aul Sncddoii. Suxan .\loiii\on and John l‘lllll

Thursday 19

Glasgow

0 Jongleurs Comedy Club .litllfllt'lllS. l'(i(' Building. Rt'llllt‘“ Sum-i. iik“ii “3‘ Wu“ .\‘ l5plll to l)t‘;ltl]‘.tll \l|\\lk' .\lt'\ Hoaidiiian intiodut't'x \‘llt't'lx'\ lad Hit-iidoii l)t'lll]l\t‘}. the tl|\lllt'l_\ t-nt'igt'tit’ -\dain Bloom and Rogci I)

The Stand I’lit- Stand. HS \Yiiiiillanilx Road, (LS—7|) (illll (ill55 ‘lpm [.5 lt-ll. RL‘Sltlt'lll llllSl l‘lallklt‘ llii}lt‘ \wlt‘oiiicx to the \tagc Jaiiit'x l)i)\\tlt‘\\\ L'll. 'lt‘tltl} .llltl (‘lll'IN (.Utllk‘l'.

Edinburgh

The Stand “w Stand. 5 Yoik Place. 553 7272. ‘lpni. £5 iHi. l’|a_\lu| hiiiiiour lroiii .-\nd_\ \Yhitt' II) the headline spot. “llll \tlpptll'l lroin Blaii Watt and Watch).

The Snatch Social 'l‘lit- l.lt|llltl Room. ‘lt' Victoria Sll't't'l. 225 2504, Ill.3(lpin 3am. £3 5” WM St't' Thu 5,

Dunfermline

Dr Phil Hammond: 89 Minutes to Save the NHS (‘ariicgic Hall. liaxt l’oi't. M333 3Hlltlll, 7,3llpni. {l2 lillll. 'l'llL' 'l'Y tlilt‘ tlt'llH'l'x lll\ ll‘l'L‘H‘l'L‘lll llt‘allll l't‘\iillllliitl.

Falkirk

The Long Riders Tour l-alluilt

limit Hall. Wot Bridge Street. lll 32-1 5063.5” S 30pm. LS (£6.50). St't' l'il'l (i.

black-lire storm upon you.

feeling alive from.

ore-migration rates.

catalogue

Bemoaning the demise of a famous erection

righton Pier, the old one. is still smouldering. It is smouldering in that way that gathers momentum; really. it is still

burning, practically. I stood beneath it where it is jUSl by the shore and bits were dropping off it and si/zling into

the salty sea. Man. it was terrific. I was exalted to see something gangrenous around. You could yen; easily waltz out there wrth your new born twms and get hugely hot-ashed Or even charred-debrised. What a smashing way to sue the counCil. Getting thirty-two hundred for tripping over a wonky paVing stone or whatever for drunk uncle down manhole is nothing compared to what you might get for Famous Structure Widely Known to be Still Fairly Lethal raining a hellish

I love it and shOut at some people: ‘Keep back. she's still a-b0ynin‘.' They look at me oddly. I roll all my trousers straight up to the knee and go in hoping to get a little dusty. It is great they haven't put it out there. There is too much safety and timing at Cyclists on pavements and dogs in Boots. too much eyebrow height accompanying things that people are

I love it that people have a chOice to go near it.

It used to be a pier without any piers as good as it, now it IS a spindly skeletal ex-palace on-legs. shell all burnt wrntertime black except fer the old gypsy lonunes tellers kiosk. The birds have not left; they hover. the seagulls. making a slightly deeper souawk and it strikes me it might be like therapy for them: to go primal. make a prehistoric sound. 90 back to when yOur pterodactyl progenitors were Circling the smoky volcanoes. The sessions are in groups of 12. SpeCIaI

l feel the pier's pressure on me to climb up into it: how can I not. how can l pass the chance to climb into a burning structure? Sadly. barbed Wire decorates the entrance like elaborate Nazi Christmas decorations.