Done! I've actually done this without giving it too much thought, As is often the way, I've been incredibly busy recently and of course being busy seems to be good for business! I've done some freelance work on all kinds of different subjects and also been invited to do a few entertainment reviews and intereviews at for my old workplace.
Here's the latest which was a review of comedian Arthur Smith:
Sadly, a superinjunction prevented comedian Arthur Smith from appearing at the Corn Exchange on Saturday night, so it was Canadian legend Leonard Cohen who replaced him, coming on stage singing “I’m your man”.....
After throwing off his hat and revealing himself as “Leonard Cohen’s only tribute band”, proceedings continued with one of Smith’s most anticipated and famous jokes; “My name is Arthur Smith, or if there’s anyone here from Streatham Tax Office, my name is Daphne Fairfax”.
“Arthur Smith Exposed!” continued thus with Smith flitting between a couple more old jokes, lots of new jokes (one told in French), poetry recital, audience participation in the form of a woman called “Miss Don’t you Dare!” and anecdotes about his life from his autobiography.
This kind of disjointed show could have been a bit of a mess, however, Arthur Smith is such an affable and likeable host that it all came together as an entertaining showcase of his life rather than an eyesore (although the same might not be said of his “funny pants” that made an appearance early in the second half).
The second half also unfortunately saw him omit his successful Leonard Cohen impressions, but in a reference to his regular appearances on panel shows, particularly the popular BBC show Grumpy Old Men from which he seems best known, audience members were invited to submit on paper the things that got them equally irked.
Smith is a funny man, and rightly described as comedy royalty, having been there at the birth of the “alternative scene”. His easy charm and man-of-the-world delivery endeared him to the crowd, not only thanks to his strength as a raconteur, but also as he’d clearly spent time researching Newbury ie making jokes about Thatcham and reading from the NWN.
In fact, it was his gentle story-telling in that mellifluous voice of his that seemed to be most appreciated. Stories such as his meeting notorious gangster Mad Frankie Fraser while playing Hamlet and about Eric Sykes’ feelings regarding Bruce Forsyth scored highly, as did his brave and deeply personal insights into his father’s WW2 experiences and Smith’s own brush from death from acute necrotising pancreatitis. However, there are plenty more of these anecdotes from his colourful life that he didn’t choose to share which would have been equally well-received, for example, meeting Bill Clinton, his adventures with Denis Healey, and his time at the University of East Anglia where he studied creative writing under the tutelage of Malcolm Bradbury.
His poems – one on Paris and one which paid homage to Rudyard Kipling’s “If” added poignancy and showed off his writing capability and originality, and there are not many comedians who would end their performance with a song about a dancing bear. Great stuff.
