Ringcraft

It's one of those things that piss you off. Where people turn around and say things like "Jim Davidson isn't allowed to tell a joke any more because of some perceived made up PC bollocks, because it's harmless old school stuff".

No it isn't. It's shit. Here's "old school" stuff that quite frankly still stands today because you have people of that tradition still up there delivering and engaging an audience how they should be at no-one's expense save for those who are parodied:

Not so much a fire station, but this could be a call centre before its time



This is brilliant - applying a business scenario to the justice system. George Osborne thinks this a documentary...

Chic Murray. Favourite story about him was (in his matter-of-fact, fairly deadpan style) doing the gag "A woman asked me did I fall over. I said no, I've a bar of chocolate in my back pocket and I'm trying to break it without taking it out."

Bobby Thompson, the "Little Waster"

Eddie Flanagan. He was brilliant because even though he was up there, it's as if he was in the crowd. He could stand on stage for up to thirty seconds without saying a word, just looking as if he were about to say something and his mannerisms would have you laughing.

Mid-80s and still going in live shows time and again. The comedy equivalent of The Who.

A routine within "a routine". Takes real craft to play incompetence so competently

"Welcome to my world". Manages to sell Stonehenge to the septics



As for this, everything from irony and sarcasm to surrealism and internal monologue

The angry lunatic surrealist in us all (well, all right, in me then) who is clearly ahead of his time as the point he makes has never been so apposite as now - the high impact insert (0:28) just makes it all the more pointed



This is equally valid in many walks of life as well, and he does it in literally seconds through tone and visual impact. Not technically stand up but might as well be.

Some fantastic stuff there Bert.
Alexi Sayle was a true fucking genius.

Love Alexei Sayle, Tone, and it's a shame how little he is acknowledged for his influence - he carried the new wave almost single-handedly at one time in the early 80s and he gave important "first" jobs to the likes of Linehan and Matthews, but how far ahead of its time is Robb Wilton standing there saying "can you keep the fire going until we get there?" Fuck me, if you've ever phoned Sky or a utilities company, it's like their handbook.

As for being offensive with it, none are as good as, nor more offensive than, Jerry Sadowitz.

There's a good reason why it's hard to get video footage of him. The BBC refuse to release his work (The Pall Bearer's Revue) on video, though, even now "or indeed, ever". Yet also he is an accomplished close-up magician - he has that ringcraft missing from the journeymen.

Sayle, Moran, Murray and Sadowitz at the end won't support an upload

In honour of Tone

"Madam speaker". And the second gag is fucking brilliant. First time I heard it, I laughed for about a week. 2:16 onwards

Bobby is my ultimate hero

NotBert wrote:In honour of Tone

"Has anybody here ever had electrodes attached to their genitals"?

Saw Alexei Sayle live last night in Manchester. Absolutely fucking phenomenal

I envy you man.

Tone, for a 67-year-old bloke with a paunch, he still does all the physical stuff. His first word was simply a screamed 'Fuck!', had dropped a 'cunt' inside five seconds and had torn a new arsehole in every Old Etonian ever to be a parliamentarian inside sixty. He was projectile vomiting, collapsed and was admitted to hospital in 2015 and he related how, as a doctor did his cognitive and memory checks on him, asked him who was the current PM.

"That cunt Cameron" he replied. Linda, his wife, shouted "Lexi!" at him. recognising that involuntary swearing can be acknowledged as a sign of pre-dementia. "It's OK Mrs Sayle" said the doctor. "After all, that is his full title"

There were a couple of gags I was laughing at this morning, twelve hours later, just out of memory. Can't remember laughing so much in one hour and a bit. Support act was decent as well, put a tidy set together (Peter Brush) which was well appreciated, then a fifteen minute break and this ball of fucking energy, wit and lunacy ripped through the room. Not a soul in there under forty and there's an entire generation missing out. Has written two books of memoir (Stalin Ate My Homework, Thatcher Stole My Trousers) wants to call the third Blair is a Cunt. "Might have a problem with WH Smith..."

This was far, far funnier live as it had the luvvie voices and accents as well, but he told a tale of when he was doing a book reading at a launch in the Phil in Liverpool and the Q and A after.

He sought his first question and a bloke asks. He thinks he's going to say, 'oh yes, how much of an influence was Thomas Haaaaaardy on your work, only we can see the pastiche almost, mmm, yah?' and he was totally wrongfooted when this broad Scouse accent delivers 'Errrr, what's the latest you've ever stayed up, like?'. He said, utterly bemused 'can't say, really, wouldn't know. How about you?' and he replied 'Errrrr... Wednesday'