list.co.uk/comedy Previews | COMEDY
MY COMEDY HERO COLIN HOULT AS ANNA MANN The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 20 May
I have a lot of comedy heroes but the ones I’ll go for today are Steve Martin and John Candy, specifically in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It’s a beautiful movie with two beautiful leads: Steve Martin as the sour, pissed-off ‘straight man’ (although, of course, extremely funny) and John Candy as the annoying but horribly vulnerable and lonely funny guy who latches onto him. I think they might be the perfect double act, and in everything I’ve done I’ve always instinctively tried to work out who’s the Martin and who’s the Candy in any situation or even within a joke. They’re that iconic to me.
Of course, I remember the movie more for the moving and sad moments, but I think they’re only
earned because the comedy is so spot on. And sometimes it’s unbearably raw. When Candy says ‘you want to hurt somebody: go ahead, I’m an easy target’, it’s so tragically comic, kind of like a prototype David Brent. If you haven’t seen the film you really should. Honestly I’m weeping now just thinking about it. There’s a beautiful bit near the end where they get a lift in the back of a freezer truck and Candy says ‘we’re moving now’. I often say it to myself when I’m feeling lost and confused by life and it sort of sets me back on track. Thanks John Candy and Steve Martin! (As told to Brian Donaldson) ■ For more about Colin Hoult’s comedy heroes, go to list.co.uk/comedy
TRIBUTE EVENT SPIKE MILLIGAN IN HIS OWN WORDS CCA, Glasgow, Tue 24 Apr
Anyone that’s enjoyed a surreal-ish spot of Monty Python, Vic ’n’ Bob and Mighty Boosh has plenty to thank Spike Milligan for. The dark comedy genius who would have been 100 on 16 April is the subject of a tribute night at Glasgow’s CCA courtesy of the Scottish Writers’ Centre. Led by the SWC’s former director Derek Parkes, this 18+ event is being driven by the spirit of Spike. ‘I’m hoping to tell Spike’s life story through his writing, with a bit of additional input from myself and a few quotes from his fellow comedians,’ states Parkes. ‘If I can get my head around the technology, there may even be a video back-up. Like Spike’s life, it’s not going to be a rollercoaster of humour: there’s a lot of sadness and darkness in there.’
While his work on The Goon Show and projects such as his Q TV series brought him widespread acclaim, for later generations Milligan may well be remembered as the guy who called Prince Charles a ‘grovelling bastard’ while receiving a lifetime achievement prize at the 1994 British Comedy Awards. For Parkes, this lack of concern about public protocols was a huge part of his appeal. ‘With television, Spike ignored the standard sketch show formats of the time. I don’t know what he would make of current trends in comedy, though. It would probably be too PC for him but it would simply come down to whether something made him laugh or not.’ (Brian Donaldson)
LOCAL LAUGHS MEGAN SHANDLEY THE EDINBURGH-BASED COMEDIAN, WRITER AND ACTRESS HAS A GO AT OUR Q&A
Can you tell us about the moment when you thought: ‘stand-up is for me’? After a couple of months of doing stand-up, I had eventually written and honed a pretty good five minutes. I performed it at an open-mic night and it went really well. I remember how exciting and liberating it was that people were laughing at words I had written, at an act I had created. The buzz was pretty addictive. How do you handle hecklers? Mostly, the heckles you get aren‘t particularly clever, so it‘s not too difficult to shut them down. Most of the time the audience are on your side, because they want to listen to your jokes, not to one drunk person at the back trying to impress their friends.
Where do you draw the line when it comes to ‘offensive comedy’? The term ‘offensive comedy’ is so broad: something you find offensive may be something I don’t find offensive, but I do think there’s absolutely a space in comedy for saying
the unsayable. Just look how successful TV shows like Roast Battle are. You’re curating a ‘legends of comedy’ lineup. Tell us the bill’s top three acts This changes for me all the time, but if curated today I think a solid, diverse lineup would be Robin Williams, Dave Chappelle and Eddie Izzard.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from another comedian so far? One comedian told me that right before I go on stage, I should say to myself: ‘one, two, three . . . who gives a shit?’ It makes me feel more relaxed and in turn I normally have a better gig. What’s the worst that can happen? ■ Megan Shandley is at Basement Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 20 & Sat 21 Apr; Junkyard Jokers, Hamilton, Thu 3 May; Craigpark Masters, Glasgow, Sat 5 May; The Stand, Edinburgh Thu 10– Sat 12 May. For a whole heap more of this q&a go to list.co.uk/ comedy.
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