July 9, 2007
VARIOUS NEWS!
HI HO!
So much to crap on about inconsequentially, so little time to devote to it! I’m on the verge of giving up telling people about our Coke podcasts. There are now 9 of the little twats sitting there on the Coke website and on I-tunes, all featuring Joe and myself introducing music from unsigned bands and talking rubbish between the tracks as is our wont, but they haven’t exactly grabbed the nation by the joolies and gone supernova with Angela Bassett. Anyway, we recorded a couple of new shows last week (we’re aiming to make them half an hour each now!) and I filmed the sessions so I might put some of it up when the next one comes out, so you can see what our stupid faces look like when we’re coming out with our drivel. Actually, maybe I’ve talked myself out of doing that…Now, other news!
GRAHAM POOLE’S FILM NIGHT @ THE ALBANY 8PM THURSDAY 12th JULY 2007
Nick Tanner and Dave Armand have another of their comedy and short film nights at The Albany on Thursday this week and I’ll be appearing as Famous Guy once again. Details here. Amazingly I’ve actually written some new ballcrap for this character so I’ll be doing it for the first time that night! Just imagine, you could be witnessing the birth of a slice of future legendary genius that will be talked about by nerds for tedious aeons (or ‘tedaeons’)! Or it could be a lump of old cowshit. Come and find out!
Speaking of Famous Guy, I taped an appearance on the Paramount TV show Edinburgh and Beyond at the Bloomsbury Theatre the night before the 100 Club gig. I’m not sure when it’ll be on TV. It went OK but I haven’t done a TV thing in front of an audience that size before and I was a little too nervous. Also I think most of the audience was there to see Al Murray (the show’s host), for which they can’t be blamed because he is extraordinary. Properly funny and clever with it but totally unpretentious. Along with Graham Fellows, that guy is just about the perfect character comedian in my book. Still, I did alright-ish. I just got this nice message from someone, which sums it up:
I just wanted to drop you a message someway to say that I enjoyed Famous Guy at the paramount recording at the Bloomsbury last week. Very good stuff, although some annoying bugger beside me couldn’t understand and was just making confused noises the whole time. Very funny material, thanks for the laughs.
Thanks man!
ADAM & JOE ON BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC, AUGUST 20th – 31st
We’ll be filling in for our old Xfm chum Shaun Keaveny on 6 Music while he’s away on holiday for two weeks in August. Unfortunately he does the breakfast show from 7-10am every weekday morning so we’re going to be getting up earlier than we ever have done for almost 2 whole weeks straight, but we’re looking forward to being on 6 Music where we’ll be allowed to play a lot of our own choices as well as the excellent mixture of old and new that Shaun usually has on his show. I’ll let you know nearer the time if there are any changes or developments!
DAVID CROSS GIG & BUG 02
THE 100 CLUB
On Wednesday 27th June I did my Famous Guy character at the 100 Club as part of an evening of comedy from David Cross and his brilliant Stateside comedy pals Todd Barry, Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schall. I was pretty nervous about this one because Cross, being the highly respected comedian he is, was bound to attract a large crowd of rabid comedy scientists of the sort typified by this whiney review of one of the earlier nights from the charmingly named ‘Hecklerspray’. Sure, they love comedy dearly, but sometimes these kinds of audiences can really suck the fun out of an evening if they don’t get exactly what they have decided they want and let’s face it, Adam Buxton doing his stupid film star character is unlikely to be on that list.
As if to prove that I don’t know anything and should never prejudge an audience, my set went as well as it possibly could have. Also several people came up to me afterwards and professed to be readers of this blog, so if you’re reading this, thanks for coming along and it was great to meet you, I hope you enjoyed the night as much as I did. And yes, it would be amazing if me, Joe and Zac did The Robert De Niro Calypso live one day. I’ll try to line it up.
David Cross incidentally was fucking funny and very nice indeed as were Todd, Eugene and Kristen. We all went out for some Chinese food after the show and it was the perfect end to a perfect night, although I got into a strange conversation with David about drugs which left me looking like rather a prude, which is crazy of course because I’m one of the most dangerous, on the edge kinds of people in the area! I just think before you explore heroin and crack you should probably explore the Amazon or even The Lake District, you know?
BUG 02
I also had a very enjoyable night hosting the second BUG night at the BFI South Bank last Thursday and everyone who came along seemed to have a good time. The first one of these in April was way too long but this time it was a lot more concise and subsequently more pleasurable for everyone I think. Again, thanks if you came along and introduced yourself afterwards. I hope I didn’t stare through you blankly or ask you for sex. It can happen on Thursdays. The next BUG will be on Friday September 14th so why not call the BFI and book your comfortable cinema seat now! And don’t forget, if you’re a fan of booze, not only can you take booze into the auditorium with you, but there’s an amazingly swanky bar that’s just opened up in the building that stays open til 1am after the show! Pop video party time!
ADAM & JOE @ GLASTONBURY 2000
Watching the coverage of this year’s festival (and some of the hilariously rubbish moments provided by the Diana and Live Earth concerts!) made me nostalgic for the fun Joe and I had back in 2000 when we provided our own coverage of the festival for BBC Choice (BBC3 as it is now). As I’m not putting up so many new video bits at the moment (I’m stockpiling them for my BBC pilot later this year!) I thought I’d find some ‘choice’ (ha ha!) moments from our nutty, madcap coverage so I flicked through the old VHS copies I had of that weekend. Oh Jesus. It hasn’t aged very well. To be fair it was our first ever attempt at presenting live and there is the odd moment of ramshackle charm but more than anything I’m reminded of why I avoid this kind of thing now. Thing is, I was so excited about being at Glastonbury for the first time with my back stage pass, surrounded by musicians I liked and admired, I just got quite pissed and acted like a bit of a show off, but with nothing to show off. Kind of how Robbie Williams must feel all the time. Sorry! Got to stop being unpleasant about Robbie now that Joe’s met him and he was nice. I haven’t met him yet though…
Anyway Jimmy Bignutz has posted a performance by Badly Drawn Boy (whose debut album was coming out the following week) singing Once Around The Block with me providing black and white cutaways on my handycam. I’ve also put up one of the links that didn’t make me curl into a ball of embarrassment when I watched the tapes back, with me being Mellow Man Ace from Cypress Hill and Joe interviewing me. It’s a little embarrassing to look back soberly 7 years later on what was quite a drunken shambles, but I do remember having a fantastic time with Joe and a great crew, many of whom were as smashed as we were by the end of each evening. You wouldn’t get that nowadays eh? Perhaps that’s not such a bad thing…
Toodle pish!