sn‘t the internet a remarkable thing‘.’ Where
else could you find a global car boot sale.
an opportunity to hunt down former schoolmates and a place to swap obscure specialist pornography in one untidy portal'.’ And while there are men dressed in rags who went bust at the first dot com boom on street corners all over the world. Limmy. aka Brian Limond. has made a quiet living out of the internet for some years now: creating cheeky little flash games and animations for the websites of big companies. To most people. however. he is better known as Limmy. a genuine internet and comedy phenomenon.
Limnty's World of Glasgow is a series of podcasts that began to spew forth out of l.immy"s head a little over a year-and—a-half
ago. And. thanks to a dedicated early following and considerable word of mouth. he ended up nestling up with Ricky (iervais and Jimmy (‘arr in the iTunes most popular podcast top
ten. liach episode of Limmys World of
Glasgow features one of the comcdian‘s colourful cast of characters. each inspired by people he has seen and heard around Glasgow.
‘I didn‘t want to make it pure high quality. because it‘s meant to be the characters actually making their own podcasts.‘ he says. ‘So if you hear a bus in the background that’s because
3:24" MARCH | 07 I
W
Using only a computer, a video camera and his sick mind, Limmy has turned himself into a global phenomenon. Mark Robertson talks to him ahead of his live stand up debut. ‘
they‘re on the bus recording it.‘
So. whether it is Tom the homicidal preacher explaining how his aversion to enclosed spaces drove him dangerously close to killing an attractive woman in a lift or Wee Gary. an inventive schoolboy who fashions a copywriting device to flog to his classmates from a spirograph. I.immy"s world is an odd place. albeit an incredibly funny one.
llis path from the internet to the live stage —
‘I'M 32 YEARS OLD,
I'M BEYOND THE POINT OF TRYING TO PLAY THINGS COOL'
unconventional in the world of comedy — has given his style and content an edge. The internet is an egalitarian beast: it knows no boundaries when it comes to protecting the public frotn l.itttttty"s black. unflinching take on (ilasgow. Detractors have claimed that these characters are not the (ilasgow they know. The point is. however. we‘ve all crossed the road to avoid a psychotic ned like John Paul or overheard the life story of someone like his reformed heroin addict Jacquline Mc(‘afferty.
‘ 8:24" MARCI-ll07
GLASGOW COMEDY FESTIVAL
Unlike tnost comics. who learn their trade through the trial and error arena of the open mic spot. Limmy is making his live debut. in l.imtnyDothomLive. with a fully formed following. He admits to feeling under pressure to deliver something as good as that showcased on his website.
‘lt's weird. It feels like an electronic band or something like that. I‘m thinking: “Can I do this live?" But because it is pretty basic stuffl think it‘ll transfer fine. This is my first time doing it but I‘m really happy with it. I'm hopefully giving people what they want. I‘m going to have some videos in the background and back them up with wee sketches. but mostly it‘ll be tne and the mic.‘
Interest in the website and podcast remain high. but Limmy is already thinking beyond his live stage debut.
‘l‘m 32 years old. l‘m beyond the point of trying to play things cool. I‘d really love to do a TV sketch show. The people at the BBC (‘omedy [Tnit have been really supportive [he did a short sketch for this year‘s Hogmanay show with thetnl. I‘ve no idea what‘ll happen. but you might as well aim high.‘
LimmyDotComLive, Blackfriars Bumper Value Comedy Cavern, Sun 11 Mar.
1‘15) Mar 9001' THE LIST 21