Goodies are coming for you and you …

Well, in less than a month I’ll have seen my first show on the Goodies UK Tour! And in less than a month there will be another Goodies DVD in the shops! It definitely is “Year of The Goodies”.

The tour is the same show that I saw in Edinburgh (but without the time constraints), with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden live on stage and Bill Oddie’s contributions via video. But it was so good I’m going to see it again – four times! I think I might be obsessed … [Of course, this obsession has nothing to do with the chance of meeting (and hugging) Tim and Graeme. ]

The DVD release is of what turned out to be the final series of The Goodies done at LWT. This is the series I remember most fondly, probably because it is the one I remember seeing most. So I’m really looking forward to seeing them all again. It’s good to get a whole series too, not just the ‘best of’.

As part of the tour promotion Graeme Garden was on Radio4’s Midweek last week. It was interesting that the presenter pointed out that it wasn’t a kids show, as it is often perceived, but had some good satirical stories which tackled, still relevant, issues of the time. It’s good to see some revisionism coming in to the general assesment of The Goodies and this does seem to reflect a general move towards a better apreciation of the show.

Tim Minchin makes the world substantially better

Well, I saw Tim Minchin live again the other night. That’s the third time in six months! Ok, but he is that good and I can’t say more than – if you have the chance to see him, go. His songs are funny to listen to, but you don’t get the full experience until you see him perform them live.

The show was a mix of his two album shows, Darkside and So Rock. He opened with the opening that got me hooked back in Edinburgh; Playing ‘invisible’ instruments and singing. Not only is it funny, but it’s fascinating to watch (and it doesn’t really work so well on CD). The rest of the show was, as I said earlier, a mix of songs from the albums, most of which I had seen him do before. One of the best bits was watching Tim get the giggles while performing the Peace Anthem. He seemed to be having fun too.

The end was quite funny as well. Tim went off stage after his last song to great applause and came back on quite quickly, explaining that because the venue was so small and the stage had no wings he didn’t have anywhere to wait for shouts of ‘more’ so he had to come on again anyway! He did Not Perfect as an encore, which is fast becoming one of my favourite songs. (He explained that it’s kind of like being the tiniest Babushka doll, which made it even more beautiful). It’s not replaced Canvas Bags though! (check out a new video for it)

The venue was probably the smallest venue I’ve ever been to. If there were 100 people there I’d be surprised, but that was a full house. Because it was so small it did make it a more intimate gig, and even though I was sitting on the second row I could still have almost touched the stage. I managed to sit opposite Tim (again), so spent most of the gig with him seeming to look right at me. I’m sure he couldn’t see me for the lights, but it was a nice feeling.

I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Tour

Or is it?

Debate has been raging regarding the possibility of a tour of I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. I first came across this in a brief mention in New Statesman where it seemed that the idea had had the kibosh put on it before it even started. A short article on Chortle supplied a bit more of the story. By all accounts the guys (Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Humphrey Lyttelton) were all keen to take the show on the road, but the BBC was putting it’s little foot down like a stompy toddler not getting it’s own way.

It seems despite the fact that Graeme Garden devised the show back in 1972, the BBC own the copyright to the programme’s name and weren’t allowing it to be used by the group for a tour. As Barry Cryer said, they were being “bloody stingy”.

But now it seems auntie Beeb has changed her mind. The tour can go ahead using the name. And at this news the nation rejoices! Well maybe some of us. I think it’s a fabulous idea. Having been to my first Clue recording last year I would love to see more. The atmosphere of a live show is indescribable! This way more people will get to share the joy of seeing Clue live, possibly without the mad scramble for tickets.

I await further news …

All the right notes

I think I may have been listening to too much Clue (again!)

And I have come to the conclusion that Jeremy Hardy can sing.

Ok, bear with me on this one. I will explain … It all began when I was reading Humphrey Lyttelton’s book, in which he points out that although Jeremy Hardy struggles to sing in tune, he can play the kazoo in tune. So I began to listen, and sure enough Humph was right (not that I ever doubted him). But while I was listening I also noticed that Jeremy sometimes sings whole phrases in tune, but then begins the next phrase in a completely different key, which makes him sound out of tune. This seems to happen whether he’s singing with the piano or not. So maybe it’s not so much that he can’t sing, but rather that he has difficulty in pitching (which is something which can be learnt). He could be a good singer.

But then that wouldn’t be as funny.

Comedy Appeal

I was reading something today when the following sentence jumped out at me

“What do comedians do that makes them look so damned attractive to the members of the public?”

Answers on a postcard please …