Brunström nails grapes on Justin Bieber’s face
Last night, I went to see Stand Up Greek Tragedy in Brixton, South London – one of the regular Stand Up Tragedy nights organised by Dave Pickering, a man with an obvious and commendable taste for the bizarre.
Last night’s wildly diverse show somehow included genuine Oxbridge Classics scholar Michael Brunström aka The Human Loire (recently blogged about) using a hammer to nail grapes onto Justin Bieber’s face – well, a large cut out of it – while gargling Sophocles’ Ode To Man using Listerene antiseptic mouthwash. Fears that Michael may go mainstream seem unfounded.
Joz Norris claimed to have mis-calculated act
The show ended with Joz Norris (recently blogged about) taking his clothes off to sit in a plastic container he had brought along simply so he could do an Archimedes/Eureka gag.
Joz claimed not to have thought-through the fact that, by STARTING his act with this, he had to perform the rest of his routine disrobed with a pink plastic shower cap on his head.
Somehow, it seemed natural that the show should end with the whole audience (including Joz sitting in his plastic container) singing along to Jarvis Cocker and Pulp performing Common People.
The show will be uploaded as a podcast on the Stand Up Tragedy website but, alas, sans visual surrealism.
My night was not yet over, though, because it was the first night of the World Cup in Brazil and, outside Brixton tube station, I passed as a man holding a two-foot tall cuddly penguin was in mid-argument with a man who had one-and-a-half arms. His left arm was cut off into a stump at the elbow. I have no idea what started the argument but, when I passed by, the Penguin Man was saying:
a football
“…didn’t go to a fucking interior design school.”
To which the man with one-and-a-half arms almost visibly spat: “Brazil is the fucking HOME of football.”
“IN MY ARSE!” shouted The Penguin Man.
“AND THAT’S WHY!” shouted the man with one-and-a-half arms.
The penguin remained mute and immobile throughout.
SO IT GOES - John Fleming's blog 
Ha, great blog John. Wish we could get a few of the more bizarre comedy acts down here in Cornwall…it seems almost to be basic standup to a man (or woman). Not that there’s anything wrong with standup but a wee bit of variety wouldn’t hurt occasionally!
Yup. Both variety and Variety are sadly missing in many bills.
There might not be much variety but there’s always Verity Welsh though. But, yeah, the anarchy’s missing from the scene. We need to organise some anarchy, cos organised anarchy is the answer.