I went to see Katherine Ryan on Saturday night - a very funny lady - had a great time. Saw Frankie Boyle a while ago in Bristol and he was DIRE, nothing funny just a lot of f**ks and c**ts to people in the audience - total lack of wit. I emailed him to ask for my money back, but didn't get a reply.

Other recent live gigs have been Marcus Brigstocke and Russell Howard - both very good, though Brigstocke made me think about stuff more, Russell Howard was just very silly but funny.

I have a shed-load of stand-up sets on my Ipod, downloaded through Morpheus and the like. Mostly, a lot of the people already listed above. Some or the early Izzard leaves you with a wet seat, and Robin Williams, Dave Allen. Chris Rock and early Eddy Murphy all do the same - geniuses all.

PLEASE let me see the email you sent to Frankie!! He's a bit of a tosser, just a shock jock really!

He does say some appalling things on twitter also.

PLEASE let me see the email you sent to Frankie!! He's a bit of a tosser, just a shock jock really!

He does say some appalling things on twitter also.

To be honest, I don't know much about the bloke, but I did read this column of his in yesterday's Guardian:

Blasphemy laws are deadly serious – we must stand up for Mohammed Asghar

A 70-year-old Briton suffering from paranoid schizophrenia is facing a death sentence in Pakistan. This is no joke

by Frankie Boyle

It is part of my job description to be offensive. I can, if I wish, make a joke hoping that Alex Salmond, now he is at the end of his political life, lays 20,000 fish eggs and dies. I can make a joke pointing out that David Cameron told off Sri Lanka for human rights abuses committed with weapons Britain sold it – like Ronald McDonald calling you a fat bar steward.

The most I risk from saying such things is alienating a stranger. The same cannot be said of Mohammed Asghar. He is 70, and suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act and admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Edinburgh. When they discharged him he went to Pakistan, perhaps to escape what he thought were the undue restrictions on his liberty. Before he had been there long – four years ago now, in 2010 – he was facing a death sentence for blasphemy.

There is no doubt I have offended many people. No doubt, also, that I have blasphemed. I sometimes try to offend as part of my routine – after all, the essence of humour, even in a child, is the effort to shock and surprise. I don’t advocate offending people purely for the sake of offence, but my own excuse is far weaker than Asghar’s: I do it for laughs, he does it because he is seriously mentally ill, and cannot help it.

Apparently Asghar claimed to be a prophet sent by God. As his Scottish doctor reports, if he said that it was definitely his psychosis talking. I cannot believe that the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Pakistan, Scotland or anywhere else think that he should be executed for this. Yet a small minority of vocal people do, and one of them – a police officer at the maximum security prison where he was being held – tried to murder Asghar last Thursday. The guard burst into his cell with a pistol and shot him in the back. He shot again, but missed, before being partially restrained by others. Then, as Asghar was being taken to hospital, the guard managed to get a last kick in, crying out that he wanted to “kill the blasphemer”.

There has been a recent epidemic of blasphemy charges in Pakistan. Forty-eight people have been killed before they could get to a trial. Many more are being prosecuted. It is difficult for a brave lawyer to defend a client, because if you repeat what the person is accused of saying, that is blasphemous too.

If you think I am joking, not long ago a prominent human rights lawyer representing an English professor accused of making a blasphemous Facebook post was shot dead – after the prosecution lawyers had threatened to kill him in front of a judge. A politician who discussed reforming the law on TV is now being prosecuted for what he said, and two others were assassinated (one by his own security guard, who is now lauded as a hero).

I realise that I am not the brave person who is walking the streets of Islamabad with a placard. But we need to stand up with the people who are brave enough to take this issue on.

To be critical is not the same as being anti-Islam – rather, it is to advocate for a rational, sensible interpretation of the religion. Islam does not allow for the execution of the insane; neither does it sanction those who, for their own reasons, take the law into their own hands. On the other hand, to fail to stand up for Asghar and others like him is to cede the ground to those who think it’s OK to kill people who say odd things.

This week Cameron is apparently planning to cede ground to people on the fringes of his own party, as he calls for Britain to renege on its obligations to the European Convention on Human Rights. Instead of moaning that there are too many human rights, Cameron should be focused on the very human plight of Mohammed Asghar.

Mohammad Asghar is being assisted by legal charity Reprieve, further information on his case can be found at www.reprieve.org.uk

 

Ross Noble is indeed a very witty fellow - who just happens (I think) to look rather like our own dear PloKoon13!

 

Ha, sorry, I only just saw this. You are not alone in that opinion - I was once stopped in the street by an old lady who asked me with a straight face whether or not I was Ross Noble's son!

Ha, sorry, I only just saw this. You are not alone in that opinion - I was once stopped in the street by an old lady who asked me with a straight face whether or not I was Ross Noble's son!

 

 

Are you sure that little old lady wasn't moi???????

To be honest, I don't know much about the bloke, but I did read this column of his in yesterday's Guardian:

Blasphemy laws are deadly serious – we must stand up for Mohammed Asghar

A 70-year-old Briton suffering from paranoid schizophrenia is facing a death sentence in Pakistan. This is no joke

by Frankie Boyle

It is part of my job description to be offensive. I can, if I wish, make a joke hoping that Alex Salmond, now he is at the end of his political life, lays 20,000 fish eggs and dies. I can make a joke pointing out that David Cameron told off Sri Lanka for human rights abuses committed with weapons Britain sold it – like Ronald McDonald calling you a fat bar steward.

The most I risk from saying such things is alienating a stranger. The same cannot be said of Mohammed Asghar. He is 70, and suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act and admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Edinburgh. When they discharged him he went to Pakistan, perhaps to escape what he thought were the undue restrictions on his liberty. Before he had been there long – four years ago now, in 2010 – he was facing a death sentence for blasphemy.

There is no doubt I have offended many people. No doubt, also, that I have blasphemed. I sometimes try to offend as part of my routine – after all, the essence of humour, even in a child, is the effort to shock and surprise. I don’t advocate offending people purely for the sake of offence, but my own excuse is far weaker than Asghar’s: I do it for laughs, he does it because he is seriously mentally ill, and cannot help it.

Apparently Asghar claimed to be a prophet sent by God. As his Scottish doctor reports, if he said that it was definitely his psychosis talking. I cannot believe that the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Pakistan, Scotland or anywhere else think that he should be executed for this. Yet a small minority of vocal people do, and one of them – a police officer at the maximum security prison where he was being held – tried to murder Asghar last Thursday. The guard burst into his cell with a pistol and shot him in the back. He shot again, but missed, before being partially restrained by others. Then, as Asghar was being taken to hospital, the guard managed to get a last kick in, crying out that he wanted to “kill the blasphemer”.

There has been a recent epidemic of blasphemy charges in Pakistan. Forty-eight people have been killed before they could get to a trial. Many more are being prosecuted. It is difficult for a brave lawyer to defend a client, because if you repeat what the person is accused of saying, that is blasphemous too.

If you think I am joking, not long ago a prominent human rights lawyer representing an English professor accused of making a blasphemous Facebook post was shot dead – after the prosecution lawyers had threatened to kill him in front of a judge. A politician who discussed reforming the law on TV is now being prosecuted for what he said, and two others were assassinated (one by his own security guard, who is now lauded as a hero).

I realise that I am not the brave person who is walking the streets of Islamabad with a placard. But we need to stand up with the people who are brave enough to take this issue on.

To be critical is not the same as being anti-Islam – rather, it is to advocate for a rational, sensible interpretation of the religion. Islam does not allow for the execution of the insane; neither does it sanction those who, for their own reasons, take the law into their own hands. On the other hand, to fail to stand up for Asghar and others like him is to cede the ground to those who think it’s OK to kill people who say odd things.

This week Cameron is apparently planning to cede ground to people on the fringes of his own party, as he calls for Britain to renege on its obligations to the European Convention on Human Rights. Instead of moaning that there are too many human rights, Cameron should be focused on the very human plight of Mohammed Asghar.

Mohammad Asghar is being assisted by legal charity Reprieve, further information on his case can be found at www.reprieve.org.uk

 

 

Thank you for posting this, BF. Frankie Boyle's comedy routine has grown very stale, but it good to know that he has a serious side and a social conscience.

Frankie Boyle has used his high profile to bring attention to a few individuals (including Mohammad Asghar) who have been victims of injustice.

 

Another example is when he donated £50,000 and went on hunger strike last year in support of Shaker Aamer, who is the last British prisoner at Guantanamo Bay and has been held there without charge for 12 years.

 

Whatever people may think about his stand-up routine, in reality he seems to be a very decent human being.

Frankie is one of my favorite comedians, I think he is an absolute genius.

 

A lot of his comedy is shock value mind but his jokes on science on mock of the week where brilliant, he has a very funny look of things from his perspective, dark but really clever. Some stuff he says is over the top I'll admit, his jokes on Harvey Price, Madelyn Mcann and down syndrome but some of his content is brilliant compared to some of the other comedians out there. I prefer the punchline joker rather than the story teller, but that's just me, it's why I don't really get into the play acting with Russell Howard and Michael Mcintyre. 

 

You got to say though to anyone who has been a fan of mock of the week that the show has never really been the same since has left, he used to run that show.

Henning Wehn is cracking me up seen him on a few things lately and doubled up.... Got see him live soon

I am off to see John Bishop in a couple of weeks, not a huge fan but wasn't a fan of Michael McIntyre until I saw him live so I live in hope

I went to the Greenwich Comedy Festival a few weeks back.

 

I went specifically to see Stewart Francis and wasn't that impressed. I think he used the gig to try new material for his more 'glitzy' shows and a few bombed. The real surprise though was Rich Hall. I've only ever seen him on the TV but live he is brilliant. I'd highly recommend!

Henning Wehn is cracking me up seen him on a few things lately and doubled up.... Got see him live soon

I am off to see John Bishop in a couple of weeks, not a huge fan but wasn't a fan of Michael McIntyre until I saw him live so I live in hope

Saw Henning at 1 of his first gigs, he was awful, but still had gag of the night.

He's much better now.

I went to see Mark Thomas's new show "Cuckoed" a few days ago and it was excellent. He's a bit different to most comedians as he doesn't just stand up and tell jokes, instead he mostly tells brilliantly absurd anecdotes about some of the stuff he's been up to as an activist infiltrating, exposing and embarrassing immoral/corrupt organisations. This particular show tells the story of his time working with a protest group called Campaign Against the Arms trade and how this relatively small group became the target of a spy ("Martin") working on the behalf of BAE systems (a huge UK-based weapons manufacturer who have sold arms to many dodgy regimes around the world). The spy was with the group for such a long time he became very close friends with some of the members (especially Mark) and when he was found out they were devastated. He's a very engaging and passionate speaker and I'm sure at one point he choked up while describing Martin's betrayal and was struggling to speak. This is definitely a comedy show for people with a brain, a conscience and a strong sense of the absurd. If you're missing any of those three then it's probably not for you, otherwise I'd highly recommend it.

Went to see Dave Gorman on Saturday, not as good as the last time, but still decent.

He had a support act, guy called Nick Doody, who was ok.

Went to see Dave Gorman on Saturday, not as good as the last time, but still decent.

He had a support act, guy called Nick Doody, who was ok.

 

Was the routine based on a topic, like "my name is Dave Gorman" or was this a more traditional routine? 

It was all new content, all based round his little internet projects to see what people do in certain scenarios etc (setting up user accounts to essentially troll people for experiments). The climax of the story felt very scripted and extremely unlikely, I just couldn't believe it to be genuine.

He did two found poems (internet comments turned into a spoken word piece). These were hugely popula with the crowd, as its a bit of a Dave Gorman thing I guess, but it wasn't all that funny to me really.

I think it just wasn't as good as before. Maybe running out of ideas!

It was all new content, all based round his little internet projects to see what people do in certain scenarios etc (setting up user accounts to essentially troll people for experiments). The climax of the story felt very scripted and extremely unlikely, I just couldn't believe it to be genuine.

He did two found poems (internet comments turned into a spoken word piece). These were hugely popula with the crowd, as its a bit of a Dave Gorman thing I guess, but it wasn't all that funny to me really.

I think it just wasn't as good as before. Maybe running out of ideas!

 

I've not really watched him in stand up but I've read a couple of his books. "My name is Dave Gorman" and "Googlewhack Adventure" were both very funny and I really enjoyed them. 

 

I tried reading one of his newer books recently, Dave Gorman Vs the World and I gave up on it... It was really half hearted in compassion to the previous two books I had read... He just kept commenting on how it wasn't a project or book or whatever and that he didn't want to be doing it and there's me holding a copy of his book I've paid for thinking "well if you didn't want all this why the f**k am I bothering to read this"... I don't know, the tone felt really misguided to me. 

 

I think he can be a bit of an acquired taste humour wise a lot of the time. 

Yeah his early stuff was the definitely the best I think.

Saw Mark Watson at the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd only ever seen him on panel shows like Mock the Week before and didn't think that much of him, but live and in person he's brilliant. He has a constant manic energy (due to him suffering from anxiety, apparently) and was out on stage before the show began directing people to their seats while jogging on a treadmill (he claimed he was warming up because it was freezing cold backstage). That was actually one of the funniest parts of the show because people would become confused and panic when they knew he was talking to them and start running around like headless chickens trying to find their seats, and usually getting it wrong. He also seemed like a very warm and likable guy and his audience interaction was very funny and spontaneous.

Saw Jimmy Carr again last night, in Brighton. Absolutely hilarious. He such a polite bloke as well. He stays after each gig to have a chat and sign merchandise/tickets.

Great night.

Glad you enjoyed it. It's me I know, I find him creepy, is it the tv, is he better in the flesh?

Glad you enjoyed it. It's me I know, I find him creepy, is it the tv, is he better in the flesh?

 

He is very, very funny in stand up. 

 

Saw him at the Orchard theater in Dartford a couple of years back and it was one of the best shows I have ever been to. 

 

He isn't much of a story teller, it's very much set up and punchline. The show I saw he must have told easily 200 jokes that evening. 

So much better in the flesh. He interacts a lot with the audience. I really like him as a comedian anyway so it could be me.

But definitely better than the DVD.

The man that does it for me at the moment is Jim Jeffries..
His Gun control routine is classic..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL8JEEt2RxI

Kevin Bridges is such a legend, love his stuff.