The way that live comedy has developed – gigs are on-line nowadays for comics to fight over in public – putting their name down and hoping – and often for gigs which pay less than they did 20 years ago…
My favourite alert of late was – “Ipswich – on-stage 8.50. 20 minutes. £80. Ideally, […]
Bit of a landmark for team Holland today with my twins, Sam and Harry marking 20 years on planet earth. This is Motorola and Ericsson to the anyone who remembers my old stand-up routine.
“Nokia (Tom) – he’s hands free now… obviously.”
I remember doing that routine so clearly at The Comedy Store and elsewhere and […]
Dinner last evening with one of my oldest comedy mates.
Not a funny man like me?
This sounds terribly arrogant and also rude?
But what I mean is, he is not a comedian.
He is a sound man and in more ways than one.
As well as a sound engineer, Graham is in charge of the red light at […]
This week on BBC R4’s The Today Programme, was a lovely tribute to Seamus Heaney – with the presenters speaking in hushed and suitably referential tones about the great writer. And it struck me how fortunate I am to have met the revered poet. (The Hay Literature festival, back in the day when my […]
Golf is a sport that has faces much opposition…
It is an old man’s sport.
It is posh. Expensive. Exclusive.
It is slow and takes too long.
It takes up too much land and too much water.
It is bloody difficult.
It is too traditional, requiring a jacket and tie. Who wears a tie these days?
And worst of all, it […]
I am reminded of a passage in my book, Eclipsed when back in the day, Eddie Izzard came to watch me at a comedy club in London with a view to taking me under his wing.
Maybe the audience knew somehow because they granted me an encore (rare for a club) and after the gig, […]
On twitter recently, I noticed some unusual activity on my account. Lots of comments that made little sense to me and then some abuse which further piqued my attention.
Have I tweeted something insensitive? I didn’t think so. And yet, it seems I am in the middle of my first twitter storm. More squall […]
Having been away for three weeks and not gigged for a month, my first gigs back were this weekend at The Comedy Store – which is a little foreboding and might garner some sympathy – albeit this might evaporate when I reveal that our weeks away included Namibia and Hawaii.
The Comedy Store is the […]
I spent my entire youth working in various shops at weekends and during school holidays. In various branches of Marks and Spencer including the flagship Marble Arch store amongst others and I seem to remember that I absolutely loved it. Indeed, these remain possibly the happiest days of my earning life even though […]
Anyone setting out in show-biz will dream of seeing their name in lights. On Broadway, the West-End, a billboard…
The Comedy Store in London doesn’t have a thrilling Front of House…
But for comics, it remains the club to play and the benchmark we set ourselves with the five show weekend including two late shows. […]
