Yesterday’s blog ended with a mention of believable and unbelievable anecdotes.
Alexander Bennett’s bloody battle to perform
This morning, I had a long conversation with comedian Alexander Bennett – to whom all hail – in which we discussed the idea of simply making up some bizarre – completely false – event which allegedly happened during his Terrifying Smile show today… simply to promote the fact that he is performing at 2.00pm in the Dragonfly venue.
He, like Becky Fury, has been hit by the Curse of Cowgatehead, having previously been booked into the Opium venue, then Cowgatehead (re-named Bar Bados this year presumably to mask the Curse of Cowgatehead) and finally having to leave the Free Fringe venues altogether with no Fringe Programme listing and eventually, happily, ending up in the Heroes of Fringe Dragonfly venue.
We discussed making up a completely false event – well, OK, I tried to foist the idea on him – in order to publicise where he was actually now appearing… But how could we tell an untruth to this blog’s readers?
Alexander Bennett freshens his mouth today
Clearly we couldn’t.
A pity, as I was rather looking forward to writing about two members of his audience: one dressed as a dragon; the other dressed as a fly. Such a thing would not necessarily be unbelievable in Edinburgh during the Fringe. I remember years ago seeing the then-unknown Piff The Magic Dragon waiting at a pedestrian crossing on Nicholson Street. No-one gave any attention to a man dressed as a green dragon.
Truth and reality can vary depending on your viewpoint.
For example, in a Scotsman piece I read today, Kate Copstick describes me as “aged but still sentient”.
I would disagree with this very strongly indeed.
I certainly do not feel sentient.
Mike’s Frank Carson: If I Didn’t Laugh, I’d Cry
‘Aged’… fair enough, because I am so old I remember life before the iPhone 6S and things like a Blackpool lunch in the 1980s with stars of Granada’s TV series The Comedians where Frank Carson just never switched off and Bernard Manning (with some justification) seemed to think he was a bit ‘above’ the others. And I remember Saturday mornings on Tiswas with Frank Carson at ATV Birmingham where, again, he was constantly being Frank Carson.
Spike Milligan famously said that the difference between Frank Carson and the M25 was that you could turn off the M25.
In this blog a couple of weeks ago, fellow comic Mike McCabe said: “For someone to go on and on and on like that, there had to be some problem deep down.”
Mike’s current show about Frank Carson If I Didn’t Laugh, I’d Cry, tries to figure out Frank’s mindset and benefits from the fact Mike actually worked with him.
Steve Best amid his photos at the Stills centre this afternoon
I also felt slightly old going to the current exhibition of Steve Best’s photos of comedians at the Stills Centre For Photography in Edinburgh, designed to promote Joker Face, his second book of photos, quotes and quirky facts – featuring over 450 comedians.
And then I bumped into Gill Smith, the inspiraton for the Malcolm Hardee Cunning Stunt Award.
She is in Edinburgh for a week, reviewing shows for one4review. She was with her daughter Pippa, now aged seven. I think the last time Pippa and I were in the same room together was when she was a bump in her mother’s tummy.
Gill Smith and her 7-year-old daughter Pippa
In 2008 Gill, as a stand-up comic, sent me an email telling me she was nominating herself for the Malcolm Hardee Award on the basis that, by nominating herself, she could legitimately put on her posters MALCOLM HARDEE AWARD NOMINEE. She added that she thought Malcolm would have approved of this.
I had to agree with her and created a Malcolm Hardee Cunning Stunt Award before she could give herself one. Ooh missus. Since then, of course, all the Malcolm Hardee Awards have become increasingly prestigious.
Today it was confirmed that Malcolm’s sister Clare Hardee is coming up to Edinburgh to sing on the final Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards Show on 25th August.
Becky Fury’s Molotov Cocktail Party curse
Which brings us to terrorism and last year’s Malcolm Hardee Cunning Stunt Award winner Becky Fury (her suitably real name).
In the High Street and elsewhere in Edinburgh, giant obstacles have sprouted to deter and prevent random lorry attacks on the Fringe crowds, but none of the venues seem to make even cursory checks on bags going into shows.
Becky is another victim of the Curse of Cowgatehead and has been thinking of ways to promote the fact she is now in a different venue at a different time (10.00pm in the Black Market) to her billing in the Fringe Programme.
There was her appearance in a London riot the other night.
And she decided today that fire-blowing in the streets or wherever might attract attention. So she bought some paraffin.
..so she bought some paraffin…
It is relevant to point out here that her show is titled Molotov Cocktail Party.
Tonight, she and I went to see the always brilliant Milton Jones perform in the giant main Assembly Hall on The Mound.
In her back pack she had paraffin in a bottle – in essence, a Molotov cocktail. And, low on battery, I had a fairly large re-charger in my inside jacket pocket with a wire to the iPhone in my shirt pocket.
Just as well we were not given any cursory search. Or was it?
I look old and far from sentient with Becky Fury at tonight’s Milton Jones show in the Assembly Hall
SO IT GOES - John Fleming's blog 