STAND-UP, POETRY JOHN HEGLEY The Stand, Glasgow, Wed 1 Jun

Even those who would rather hitch a lift with a blind, suicidal truck driver than sit through an evening of performance poetry seem to like John Hegley. Since the 1990 publication of his first volume of verse, Glad to Wear Glasses which followed a decade of performing his own work up and down the country and on radio - the former bus conductor from Luton has successfully confounded sceptics by cleverly refusing to be a one- trick-pony. As well as the six books of poetry, Hegley has also garnered plaudits for his pithy prose and comic songs, witty line drawings plus reams of entertaining verse for children.

The abiding obsessions with potatoes and dogs, cheeky puns and amusing inversions characterise Hegley’s lighter, shorter verse. Meanwhile, certain of his poems, such as those dealing with his difficult relationship with his father (as in the volume Can I Come Down Now Dad? whose cover depicts a youthful Hegley hanging from a cross) are rather close to the knuckle. And Hegley is never afraid to hold up the mirror to his own less- than-saintly behaviour, as in The Cub Scout Diary, in which John’s sister is blamed and beaten for her brother’s defacing of the eponymous jotter.

Hegley’s return to the Glasgow Stand forms the latest leg in his Uncut Confetti tour (billed as ‘the 2004 Edinburgh Fringe show with bonus bits’). Aficionados will recall that Hegley boasts a poem in his back catalogue called ‘Glasgow’, in which he asks of a distant companion: ‘Must we remain as strangers like the Pope and Glasgow Rangers?’ (Allan Radcliffe)

42 THE LIST 26 May—9 Jim 200:3

Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least ten days before publication to comedyGlist.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Rachael Street.

Thursday 26

Glasgow

Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. L'GC Building. Renfrew Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £7. Smug Roberts keeps the laughs rolling in the company of Christian Reilly. Paul Thornc and more comedy

The Thursday Show The Stand. 333 thxllands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £6 (£3—£5). Full-force host Raymond Meams invites up and coming laughter-gurus Josh Howie. Chris Henry and Keir McAllister to the stage.

Edinburgh

The Three Tuns Comedy Night The Three Tuns Wine Vaults. 7—l 1 Hanover Street. 0131 225 5412. 9pm. Free. Jokes and japes from the likes of John McGuinness and Susan Calman.

The Thursday Show The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £6 (£3—£5). Please welcome veteran stand—up Peter Berman from across the pond. plus the magical Mandy Muden. Glasgow teenager Kevin Bridges and free thinker Idil Sukan.

Big Word Performance Poetry Roxy Art House. 2 Roxburgh Place. 0871 750 0077. 10pm. £3 (£2). Rush Festival special featuring lightning-tongued Califomian slammer Derrick Brown. Edinburgh lass Elspeth Murray and Ash Dickinson.

The Snatch Social The Liquid Room. 9c Victoria Street. 225 2564. l().3()pm—3am. £4 (£3.50). Harry Ainsworth and Tony Carter mix it up at this cheeky cabaret-cum-disco with Babes and Trendy Wendy supplying the tunes. Check www.snatchsocial.com for more info.

Glasgow

Watson’s Wind-up Glasgow Film Theatre. 12 Rose Street. 332 8128. 1pm. Free but ticketed. Topical comedy fun at the recording of BBC Scotland‘s popular sketch show starring Jonathan Watson. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. L'GC Building. Renfrew Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £l2. See Thu 26.

The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £8 (£7). ln-yer-face Canadian Phil Nichol shares a stage with Josh Howie. Chris Henry. newcomer Keir McAllister and host Susan Morrison.

Edinburgh

Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. ()mni Centre. Greenside Place. 08707 870707. 8.15pm. £12. Fun-loving Aussie Mickey D entertains in the company of Kiwi A1 Pitcher. laid back Jamaican Tony Hendriks and Jocko monkey boy Sandy Nelson. The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7). See Thu 26 but with the compere duties taken on by Jane Mackay.

Saturday 28

Glasgow

Blackfriars Comedy Blackfriars. 36 Bell Street. 552 5924. 8pm. £6 (£5). Janey Godley shows off her unique comedy style. aided and abetted by hard man Gary Little. Paul Pirie. stand-up whippcrsnapper Keir McAllister and MC Alan Anderson. See caption. page 43. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. L'GC Building. Renfrew Street. ()8707 870707. 8pm. £l3. See Thu 26. Madcap Comedy Club The State Bar. 148 Holland Street. 332 2159. 9pm. £5 (£4). Laughs from high liyer Parrot. Kirsty Moss and Lee ‘the gay Bernard Manning' Ness.

list

AI Pitcher The delightfully odd New Zealander goes straight for the comic jugular with ample help from Tony Hendriks, Mickey D and Sandy Nelson. Jongleurs. Edinburgh, Fri 27 8. Sat 28 May.

Blackfrlars Comedy Some hot summer Saturday night laugh-ins with the laconic likes of Janey Godley. Keir McAllister. Raymond Mearns and Jo Jo Sutherland. Or should that be laughs-in? See caption. B/ackfriars, Glasgow, Sat 28 May a 4 Jun.

John Hegley Luton's number one comically poignant poet brings us his scattergun literary theory with Uncut Confetti. See panel. The Stand. Glasgow, Wed 7 Jun.

Junior Simpson Cor blimey guv, it’s the second Luton lad to make the hitlist this issue as the Hackney Empire veteran (pictured) shares billing over the weekend with the local likes of Raymond Mearns and John Flint The Stand, Glasgow, Thu 2—Sat 4 Jun.

Rough Cuts Sketches galore with this new project involving Comedy Unit scripters and hosted by the benevolent Tony Carter. The Stand, Glasgow, Wed 8 Jun.

The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. ()870 600 6055. 9pm. £l0 (£8). See Fri 27. but with compere Jane Mackay.

Edinburgh

Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. Omni Centre. Greenside Place. 08707 870707. 8.15pm. £l3. See Fri 27. The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£8). See Thu 26. with

Susan Morrison acting up as your

compete.

Edinburgh

Whose Lunch is it Anyway? The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 1pm. Free. Ease yourself into the moming after the night before. with some freestyle comedy offerings from improv wizards Paul Graham and Stuart Murphy.

The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £4 (£l—£3). Playful yet cruel host Bruce Devlin welcomes banter-meisters Josh Howie and Mandy Muden. plus some of the rising stars from the Stand's Red Raw evenings.