I've been a fan of live comedy for almost 30 years. One of the first comedy shows I ever went to see was Alexei Sayle at a theatre in Chelmsford around 1980/1981 (I know I had school the next morning!). But my favourite environment for comedy has to be a 'comedy club' venue. With the theatre setup there is very much a divide between artist and audience, but with the 'cabaret seating' arrangement of the comedy club, these lines become merged, and a much bigger element of danger is always in the air! Of course, you have to take the risks that go with the territory, and after 20+ years of attending comedy clubs I've had a few encounters of being 'chosen' by comedians (being 6ft 4 doesn't really help me to blend into the crowd at times!!). One encounter that particularly sticks in my mind was at the Edinburgh Festival in 2004, where Gary Le Strange strutted up to me and sung pretty much the whole of his song 'Modern Disguise' directly at me! Literally a couple of feet from my face!Gary Le Strange was\is the comic, musical creation of comedian Waen Shepherd... "The idea was simply to find a way of combining various pursuits at the same time, like writing, acting, making music and trying to be funny. Specifically, I wanted a way of making my strange sense of humour seem acceptable to a comedy audience, and a fake pop star seemed the way to go, complete with real proper albums to make him seem even more real and proper" First dreamt up in 2002, the character was
originally a send up of the 'New Romantic' scene from the early 80's.... a time which, looking back on it, has comedy gold written all over it! I was a massive fan of this era of music (and still enjoy much of it today), but much of the pretentious, pompous and over-arty attitudes that went with it are quite laughable these days. Waen has since explained why he chose this era "It started out as a New Romantic/New Wave pastiche, partly because of the software I was using at the time and partly because the genre allowed me to be weird, pompous, extravagantly-dressed and socially inept all at the same time". Waen honed his character to perfection, taking those original attitudes and pushing them just that little bit more for the comedy market. This Frankensteins monster of a creation was a combination of anyone and everyone who mattered during that period of music. He's Gary Numan, he's Steve Strange, he's Marc Almond, he's Adam Ant, and many many more. There is even a generous dollop of that architectural New Romantic David Bowie in there too. It was a very original idea for stand up comedy, and it's no wonder that at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003 he won the Perrier Award for the best newcomer.
Waen Shepherd is obviously a very talented song writer, and his knack of being able to extract the essence of so many classic bands and songs and cram them into his own work is nothing short of genius. Some are a complete pastiche of a single artist ('Warriors of Style' is a combination of most of the Adam and the Ants back catalogue, 'Seedy Pimp' is virtually the whole of Soft Cells Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret album wrapped up in about three minutes, and 'The Outsider' encapsulates Bowie's output from the 70's!), where as others are a take on several bands all in one song... I actually found it an added bonus trying to work out exactly who he had 'borrowed' from for each one! If you are a fan of Soft Cell, Gary Numan, Japan, Spandau Ballet, ABC, Visage, Depeche Mode, Adam and the Ants etc etc (oh, and you have a sense of humour!) then these songs are bound to appeal... and much like another humorous singer I've blogged about, Richard Cheese, underneath it all, you can't help but admire the talent underpinning all the mirth.The thing that can make some of the original New Romantic era songs sound so dated is their obsession with futuristic technology. I guess it was quite arty at the time to do so, but we've moved on so much that many of them sound quite funny now. Waen tapped in to this for a number of his songs and again upped the ante for comedy effect, producing a selection of po-faced tunes about photocopiers, washing up robots and toasters! Oddly, I met Waen Shepherd once, and unsurprisingly, in chatting he told me what a big fan he was of this era of music.
Somehow I fully expected to hear that, I don't think you could do a pastiche that well without having a genuine love (and a good knowledge) of that scene.So, the songs were clever, but what really made it for me was the way he created the whole package. The clothing and bad make-up were both spot on, but just pushed that little bit more for extra ridiculousness! However it was the live persona of Gary Le Strange that was the real masterstroke... delusions of grandeur doesn't even come close! World domination was what GLS had his sights firmly set on... but it wouldn't be achieved with weapons, oh no, he planned to do it with fashion!! As Waen himself has since said about the character "Essentially he's a tragic, eccentric, outsider pop star who has never had any success, and probably never will". I saw Gary live a few times around the mid 2000's, and it was this carefully crafted pompous image that really nailed it for me. Seeing him taking it all so seriously, and even getting visibly annoyed at any laughter that his manifesto and songs created (a very bold stance for a comedian when you think about it) was a pure joy. I was always intrigued to see the reactions of the audience at his live shows, it was always
very 'marmite' (love or hate)... They were either rolling around crying with laughter (like me!), or completely straight faced with a puzzled look, never much in between. I honestly think that to fully enjoy an act like this, you need to be a pretty big music fan, or at least have an understanding of the New Romantic era. Maybe there are people who didn't get Spinal Tap and the like too, because they just couldn't relate to what they were poking fun at in the first place.Despite really enjoying his act for a few years, I have to confess that until this week I'd all but forgotten about Gary Le Strange. A conversation with Planet Mondo about possible themes for our future podcasts threw up the idea of 'humorous\comedy' records. I had a flick through my CD collection, dug out the GLS albums, and they have been on the player all week! They are still very clever, and looking back, were yet another piece of the 'complete package' jigsaw... even the design of the CDs is perfect. Slip these albums in the middle of your early 80's collection and they would blend in without a second
glance. But on closer inspection they are hilarious! Particularly the Steve Strange-esque pose with the bald, silver tailors dummy with the unfeasibly long neck!! Having been reunited with GLS, I did a search on the net to see if I could find out what's happened to him. Not only is he still going, he appears to have sensationally spurned the New Romantic scene!! His new image and most recent album, Beef Scarecrow, have seen the man reinvent himself as a pompous, suited n booted art rocker! I've already ordered it, so I'll be sure to let you know!
LINKS
The Official Gary Le Strange website (where you can stock up on GLS CDs)
Gary Le Strange on MySpace
Finally, here are a few Gary Le Strange songs for you to try.
Metal Boy
The delightfully pretentious Human League\Blancmange inspired 'Photocopier'
Video to 'Seedy Pimp'
Piley
Fast forward to the weekend just gone. My dads sister-in-law is currently in the process of moving, having lived in the same house for over 40 years. A venture into the loft to clear it out unearthed.... yes, you guessed it, two 'reel-to-reel' tapes labelled 'Mick + Don'. There's no further information than that, so they could contain anything. They are on the smaller 'CD-sizeish' reels rather than the larger master tape ones, so the likelihood is they contain some home recordings that they made themselves. Nonetheless, for my dad and his remaining siblings, the possibility of being able to hear their brothers sing again is very exciting... although having endured 40 odd summers and winters in a loft, they are also resigned to the fact that perhaps there will be nothing left on the tapes. But whatever the outcome, they are desperate to find out exactly what they do (or don't) contain.
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I've seen Blur live a lot over the years, but none more so than when I followed the Parklife tour in 94, with the added bonus of blagging all the after-show parties too! which is why, dear reader, I'm oddly quite nervous about going to this gig. Reform shows can be a dicey business... If it's a band you never saw originally, then the risks are low. But a band you used to see at the time is a much bigger gamble. I have such wonderful, warm memories of those days... but if tonight's reunion show is disappointing, there's a real chance of it tainting all those happy days locked away in the memory bank.
The band walk on stage to the sound of The Debt Collector from Parklife, there is thunderous applause to greet our long lost heroes.. so much so that the band almost look embarrassed at just how long it continues. Eventually they are allowed to launch into their opening track, She's So High. The track is almost twenty years old, but it sounds as fresh as a daisy, and already I'm starting to relax! When you have a back-catalogue as strong as Blur's, you don't need to save the big-guns for the encore, so we're treated to an early appearance of Girls and Boys. It's the signal for the crowd to go ballistic... and they don't stop for the next two hours! Girls and Boys is our first glimpse of the Parklife, an album which dominates the evening more than any other... no less that 8 of tonight setlist are taken from the 94 masterpiece. I already know this is going to be a show to remember!
The setlist at any reunion show tends to be a bit of a no-brainer, a general run through of the hits is usually the order of the day, but I'm delighted to see some real 'non-single' gems pulled out of the bag too... Tracy Jacks, Jubilee and the glorious Badhead are all unleashed early on with more treats to follow. It honestly feels like I've been transported back to the mid-ninties! The band look great and sound incredible... the energy being generated on stage is frightening! Damon has the energy of a man half his age, Graham is proving once more that he is the finest guitarist of his generation, Alex keeps his hands on the coveted title of 'coolest bass player in the world' and Dave too shows perhaps how underrated he has been over the years... The setlist has been compiled very intelligently too, so rather than a hotch-potch 'lucky dip' feel, it has been carefully crafted to hone in on specific periods and\or tempos.
Beetlebum finally allows the heaving crown to catch their breath a little, and sets the scene for a few slower paced tunes, Out Of Time, Trimm Trabb, Coffee And TV and Tender... which evokes possibly the biggest applause of the night (and a nice sideline of impromptu singing from the crowd!). There is a massive reception too for Country House... not a particular favourite of mine, but it goes down a storm!
One thing is for sure tonight, this reunion is for real... sure there's good money to be made along the way, but theses guys want it bad. There is a hunger about them, passion, and a spark... the kind of spark usually reserved for new bands who are still genuinely excited by what they do, before the music industry makes them jaded... Blur are genuinely excited by what they do. There is a fire burning in Damon's eyes that tells me that there are certainly more chapters to come in the Blur history book.
The spotlight switched to Modern Life is Rubbish as we are treated to a trio of songs from that album.. Oily Water, Chemical World and Sunday Sunday. Before starting the latter, Damon tells us that he's not really into audience participation, but when he starts jogging on the spot, we're all to start pogo'ing!! The moment comes when the frantic Sunday Sunday guitar solo starts, I swear I can feel the floor moving! We move seamlessly back to the Parklife album, and the title track (no Phil Daniels this time!), followed by End Of A Century and To The End... During the midway instrumental, I notice Damon look up to the ceiling with both hands raised aloft. After a few moments he turns to look at Graham with a mock confused look... It's a nod to the Blur shows of old, where at this point a large 'mirrorball' used to take centre stage. Graham grins like a schoolboy as Damon continued to search for the elusive disco accessory! There is an emotional rendition of This Is A Low and the band bow out to an incredible reception.
On their return we are fortunate to get what is likely to be a one-off rendition of Essex Dogs. I guess it's been added especially for tonight's location, and Damon tells us it's unlikely to remain in the set after tonight. He then asks the audience if they have some more energy.... they are going to need it, because the tempo is about to go off the scale! Popscene, Advert and Song 2! Damon is leaping around like a man possessed, including a trip or two into the heart of the audience... the grin on his face says it all... he's missed this interaction with his people! After another farewell, they return for the final three numbers.. Battery In Your Leg, For Tomorrow and the simply beautiful The Universal, which again leads to an impressive audience singalong.
There is genuine emotion from the band at the end, particularly Damon.... He tells us we have no idea how much the reception means to them. It's like they somehow had something to prove, and boy did they prove it.
Two hours ago I was worried the gig might not live up to my memories.... now I stand spellbound, having witnessed the best I've ever seen them... it really was that good. From Mod-life through Park-life and now into Mid-life... the years have been kind to the Blur back-catalogue, every song sounding as fresh and contemporary as it ever did. These songs may have shaped a generation, but now they are the anthems of a broad section of the population.... teens, twenties, thirties and forties were all bouncing together tonight in unison.
It's weird to think that having played to 1500 tonight, they will play for 100,000 in just a few days time as headliners at Glastonbury. Then it's onwards and upwards to their own Hyde Park shows. This is indeed the summer of Blur!
