Radio & Controversy

Some shocking news came this week. JUICE Founder Rob Halden’s radio show on Stafford FM, called The Comedy Club, has been cancelled. The show has been on the air since Stafford FM first broadcast last September, going out at 10 a.m. every Saturday morning. The show brought a mixture of news and stories from the world of comedy as well as playing clips from stand-up and sit-com alike. But it hasn’t been a smooth ride. The Comedy Club has been beset by controversy almost from the very start. Objections and complaints have been made about the content of the comedy clips played on the air (it’s too “adult”), the odd swear word that accidentally slipped passed the censors, and Rob’s own comments about sponsors, co-workers and members of the public have also raised eyebrows.

On Wednesday this week it was confirmed by Stafford FM that The Comedy Club is to be cancelled. Tomorrow morning’s show (Saturday 28th July) will be the very last. A source at Stafford FM (who wished to remain nameless) said “the show has proven to be too edgy and too controversial to carry on”. So tomorrow morning at 12 p.m. The Comedy Club will air for the very last time . . .

. . .  and in it’s place will rise JUICE Comedy Show!

On Thursday 9th of August at 10 p.m. Rob Halden will host a brand new, weekly, late-night radio show on Stafford FM! JUICE Comedy will have it’s very own radio show! The show will maintain the edgy content that made it difficult to broadcast on a Saturday morning. They’ll be a heavier emphasis on playing great stand-up comedy (yes, content of an ADULT nature being played for ADULTS), they’ll be guests and comedians dropping in to the show, as well as profiles on the lives & careers of some of the true greats of the stand-up stage.

It’s new! It’s late-night! It’s JUICE!

JUICE Chat with Paul Savage

“If we’d have finished by asking them to rise up and overthrow the government, I think they’d have done it.”

Paul Savage is an accomplished and acclaimed comedian who has been performing on the stand-up circuit for six years. A versatile comedian, Paul has performed at Britain’s oldest pub, Europe’s largest paintball game, the most haunted pub in York, Nottingham’s Real Ale festival and the Special Olympics. He’s also works for top comedy clubs & promoters such as Off The Kerb, Mirth Control, Hilarity Bites and Hilarious. Currently he is the resident MC for JUICE Comedy at The MET Studio.

JUICE: How would you describe your comedy?

Paul: It’s a subtle blend of stuff that’s happened to me, stuff that’s happened to my family and close friends that I’ve appropriated, and stuff that sounds like it could have happened to me but was actually a collection of jokes that I developed into stories because I couldn’t remember jokes. And then I add bits to it onstage as I go. It’s now got to the point where I can’t remember which are which, and have been known to tell amusing stories back to the people they’ve happened to.

JUICE: How did you start out in stand-up?

Paul: I’ve always loved comedy, but I was amazingly shy. I had a huge fear of being anywhere near the centre of attention. I had a huge debilitating fear about loads of stuff, to be honest. Anyway I got dragged to a church weekend away, I got prayed for, became a proper Christian, all the fear fell away and I booked my first two open spots the next day. They went “not hideous” enough for me to book two more, and 5 years, 750 gigs and about a hundred thousand miles of driving later, here we are.

JUICE: What’s been your most memorable gig to date?

Paul: First time playing my gig at Staffordshire Uni was pretty special. Giving the “comedy will start in 5 minutes” announcement, and them booing the announcement, because they were so up for it starting. Closest I’ve come to a standing ovation. Well, lots of people stood up very quickly at the end, so I choose to believe they were congratulating me and not just making a quick getaway

JUICE: Where’s your favourite venue to perform?

Paul: There’s a few. The Hollybush in Cradley Heath was where I first got a taste of the circuit as a support network, if you will. There was a point in my early days where I was on a gig without one of about 6 other acts who all played there regularly. Me, Pete Smith, Matt Turner, Dave Dinsdale, Johnny Sorrow, Steve Dunne, Rich Wall. Being asked to MC and close [the show] there were very proud moments in my early days, like I’d earnt my wings. The Stand Glasgow is the best room in comedy, would love to paly that again. And I’m not just saying this but MCing The MET Studio for JUICE is often the highlight of my month. The first one, if we’d have finished by asking them to rise up and overthrow the government, I think they’d have done it. As it was, we asked them to come to the pub afterwards to carry on the party, and they did that. Which is probably for the best.

JUICE: Who’s your favourite circuit comedian at the moment?

Paul: This is hard, because there are so many, and for so many different reasons. I gigged with Tom stade the other day and he was nothing but nice, spent 9 hours in a cramped car with him whilst he asked me to tell him my material and he riffed on it. That was fun. Rich Wall is my best mate outside of comedy, but happens to be a brilliant comedian too, so that’s always fun to gig with him. I think I’d have to go for David O’Docherty.

JUICE: Who’s the best in the world, Louis CK or Daniel Kitson?

Paul: Louis CK, because he at least has an excuse for me never seeing him (though not much of an excuse. Play the UK, you dick). I’ve wanted to see Kitson for ages, but he has such a fanbase he sells out in minutes and doesn’t advertise his shows outside of the fanbase, because he doesn’t need to. Plus, you can actually watch him. Because Kitson has never released his stuff, it’s passed around on poorly recorded bootlegs, so trying to get into the mood of a piece and then hearing a chair scrape that cuts off a punchline is infuriating. Plus, the sitcom Louie is incredible. There’s an episode about God that’s 22 minutes long, 18 minutes in the middle are laugh free. One of the most powerful thing I’d ever watched.

JUICE: Do you have any comedy influences or heroes?

Paul: When I was about 11 I loved Paul Merton, and tried for years to get his aloof, sarcastic deadpan. Then I was really into Bill Bailey and Eddie Izzard. Then I really got into Denis Leary. It’s tremendously unfashionable to say, but I really love Denis Leary, especially as I got into him after reading a book about Bill Hicks, who I can take or leave. To Hicks fanboys, that’s like watching Raiders of the Lost Ark and getting into the Nazi party. Then I got massively into Stewart Lee, to the point my first 15 gigs I was essentially doing my awful material in his style. Outside of stand up, but still influential, I loved Bill Bryson and Clive James’ books, and Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. It’s amazing there isn’t one strip that’s wasted, no lame joke or dead reference. It’s dangerously close to perfect.

JUICE: You’re at the Edinburgh Festival this year, when & where can people see you and what’s your show about?

Paul: No, I’m not. I’m taking this year off to watch the Olympics. I bloody love the Olympics. If you want to see me during that time, you can pay money to see me in my pants at half one in the afternoon, weeping because a British person has the chance for a medal in the synchronised shotput.

JUICE: What do you like and dislike about the Festival?

Getting to see people you only see at gigs, getting to see world famous comedians sitting on a bench, the feeling after you’ve been where your material has been honed by doing hundreds of gigs in 3 weeks. The bad part is it’s expensive. I don’t mind paying for a show, but I do mind paying £8 for a burger.

JUICE: Where can people find out more about you?

Paul: I’m @comedysavage on Twitter, when I remember to use it. And paulsavagecomedy.com recently went live, which will have some podcasts and comic strips I draw and such. It also will be the new home of my blog “A tedious waste of everyone’s time”, which I’ve not updated in months.

Big Shows & Problems

What a hectic, amazing few weeks it’s been for JUICE Comedy. Apologies for there being no J-Blog last week, partly we’ve been incredibly busy, but we also wanted to wait so that we could report back on our big show at The MET Studio, after which our hard-working Internet bods took some time off.

The other week was our monthly New Act / New Material Night at Joxer Brady’s. Rob Halden was in rare, ranting form, jumping up and down as he yelled at people and co-hosted the night with Neil Reading. Ben Brennan, who has returned to stand-up comedy after an 8 year sabbatical, continued to deliver an assured and confident performance. So much so that JUICE staff firmly believe his pants are on fire when he says he hasn’t done it for 8 years. Mick Crisp returned to Joxer Brady’s and finally exhausted all the jokes he’s written so far. Hopefully Mick will write some more and come back soon.

A star turn came from Ben Briggs, a comic from up north who’s been on the circuit for a number of years now. Ben performed for JUICE  a few months ago, but even that short space of time there’s been a real and notable improvement in his work (that’s not to say he was anything near ‘bad’ a few months ago). Ben attacked the stage with gusto and confidence, grabbing the audience and taking them with him through his set (throwing out an inside-joke for the comedians in the audience didn’t hurt either). We look forward to seeing more of Ben in the future.

Another star turn was from the one-and-only Lou Chawner. Lou would be the first to admit that his material is, what we in the business call, ‘dark’. Dark material is not easy to do, but Lou pulls it off with both skill and aplomb. He’s not afraid of the topics he talks about, and this gives the audience ‘permission’ (if you will) to laugh at the dark material. Lou framed his set with two “Callbacks” to his opening joke, which worked beautifully. As he approached the big, final pay-off many audience members were a step-ahead, already knowing where the joke was leading and laughing in anticipation of the punchline. That takes real skill.

The rest of the week it was all-hands-on-deck as JUICE prepared to take over The MET Studio at The Gatehouse Theatre. The publicity we received from our recent Pride Of Stafford Awards win didn’t hurt, and the Stafford Newsletter published another photo-piece featuring Rob Halden. Ticket sales had progressed well in advance of the show, but then seemed to stall as we approached the final week.  Now the vast majority of the time, people wait until either a couple of days before or, indeed, the night of the show before buying their tickets. This is almost always the case. Yet as a Promoter it’s very hard not to panic and think that those seats will remain empty. It happens to us at every show, and we’ve always sold-out, yet it’s still difficult not to worry. When all was said and done we were once again very pleased to have packed out The MET Studio.

The pre-gig shop for refreshments is always interesting. JUICE usually ask the performing comedians if there’s any particular refreshment they’d like before or during the show. It’s important to get this right, as the more comfortable a comedian is then the better their performance is likely to be. Bottles of water, tea and coffee are obviously a standard. Bottles of beer are also the norm, but it’s usually crappy lager, which JUICE does not agree with! We got some bottles of BrewDog Punk IPA for Tony Jameson, some bottles of red wine for Tom Allsopp and Rob Halden and some light, hoppy ales for Paul Savage. We also always lay on a plate of biscuits and a bowl of fruit. We provide the bowl of fruit in the full knowledge that NO COMEDIAN WILL EVER TOUCH FRUIT! NOT EVEN THE GIRL ONES! Biscuits will be scoffed up en-masse, maybe a couple of grapes will be popped, but the rest of the fruit will sit sad and alone in the corner of the dressing room.

The day of the show we were hit with a number of problems. Local film-maker Kate Gallow acts as our resident camera-person, but unfortunately she was taken ill and unable to work. Having good-looking photographs of our live events is essential, as it shows people who weren’t there what a brilliant time everyone had and encourages them to come along to the next one. A call went out and luckily radio presenter and music producer Christopher Dickens a.k.a. Gurusoul came to our rescue and hooked us up with photographer Thomas Wojtulewicz.Tom was on his way to a job in Birmingham when we got in touch with him at 5:30 p.m. and so was only able to photograph the last section of the show, but his picture were brilliant none-the-less.

Our opening act for the evening was the absolutely fabulous Tony Jameson. Now Tony contacted us at 2:15 p.m. to let us know that he was setting off early from Manchester because the heavy rain might hinder his journey. Tony gave himself over five hours to complete a two-hour journey, and due to severe traffic problems (no fault of his own) he was still late! As we awaited Tony’s arrival the Floor Manager at the Gatehouse was getting very panicky (she has obviously never worked with comedians before) and had received phonecalls from audience members who were on there way, but also caught up in heavy traffic due to the weather. We decided to delay the start of the show to allow both audience members and Tony himself to arrive.

The show was due to begin at 7:30, Tony had called to say he was in Stafford and would be arrive any moment (traffic allowing) at which point a HUGE horse truck backed into the Gatehouse Theatre’s car park, blocking all access! Even if Tony did arrive immediately, there was nowhere for him to park! This led Rob Halden to have a blazing row with the numpty’s driving the horse lorry, who refused to move it out of the way.

At 7:45 with no sign of Tony Jameson we had to re-arrange the running order and ask our headline act Tom Allsopp to go on first and open the show. This was Tom’s very first headline spot on a large scale, and it was very much supposed to be “his night”. Asking him to sacrifice that and instead open the show was not ideal, but Tom very graciously agreed and didn’t make a single complaint. As MC & Compere Paul Savage made his way toward the black curtain and the “go-position” to start the show, Tony Jameson came tumbling through the backstage door! All would be well!

It was a great night with top performances from Paul, Tony, Rob and Tom who all brought the house down. We look forward to our next show at The MET Studio in September, with another great mix of top comedians.

Speaking of The MET, JUICE has a meeting with Derrick Gask, the Artistic Director at the Gatehouse next week. We’ve got some SECRET PLANS to discuss with him, and we’ll also be booking in our dates for next year’s shows at The MET Studio. Once the SECRET PLANS have been arrange and confirmed, we will of course let you know about them right here on the J-Blog.

J-Blog has seen some more artwork and scripts for the upcoming JUICE Comix and we’re very excited! The comic strips are being written by Rob Halden and drawn by local artist Jade Thompson. The strips will be splashed all over the JUICE Website, Facebook Page, WordPress Site, Twitter, YouTube Channell and anywhere else we can think of!

That’s all for this week! We’ll leave you with an announcement about Cocktails & Comedy Part III at Number 15!

JUICE Chat with Billy McGuire

This week’s JUICE Chat is with a true veteran of the comedy stage and one of the most unique voices on the circuit today. Billy McGuire, who sometimes performs as Anonymous The Poet, has been a stalwart at JUICE Comedy shows and a fixture of the comedy scene for years.

JUICE: How would you describe your comedy?

Billy: I’m in day nine of thinking about this question. Makes me look a bit of an idiot but its never really come up. And when I’m doing it, I’m doing it. What I’m trying to say is I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask it often ends in me licking things. Windows . . . phones . . . but I don’t know why. I would like to think its easily accessible, it’s important to me that everyone gets to play. To paraphrase Gary Delaney “there has to be the occasional stupid gag…that!..or an IQ test where they take the money”.

JUICE: How did you start out in comedy?

Billy: During the Eighteys I realised that despite being a very average singer and a very bad guitarist I could cover all costs without need for work or responsibility if I merely sang songs in which Margaret Thatcher died in pain. Or prince Charles was a bit of a twat. I got fed up with that it was too easy, took a job with community support, met a girl, fell in love, moved to holland . . . what were we talking about? Thats right stand -up. In 2006 I went to a Funhouse gig to watch and [Promoter] Spikey Mikey made me do it. I delved into the bag of tricks I had acquired killing Maggie and it went well. I liked it, I did it again . . . sorry I got distracted then.

JUICE: What’s been your most memorable gig to date?

Billy: If I have a spiritual home as a Comic, I mean, if comedy clubs were to form  a funny Darts League then I suppose, assuming my wit was sharp enough, then I’d chuck arrows for the JUICE. It’s the source of so many memorable moments, mainly because there’s a quality to the pause, a warm round ambience in the centre of the silence that you can rely on. That’s not an answer to the question you asked, sorry about that. Next!

JUICE: Who’s your favourite comedian on the circuit at the moment?

Billy: Johnny Sorrow, Johnny Sorrow, JOHNNY SORROW! It astounds and saddens me that he is not in LA LA land making movies as we speak. Others who humble me as I wonder Nick Page, Ian Cognito, Steph Lane, Ashley Freeze, Gary Delaney. Up and coming you would have to feel Paul James’s ability to build a gag, Chris Walker Norton …eh Norton Walker…(where did I leave that business card) for pure hard work and how quick he absorbs…stuff. Harriet Dyer at the moment for the incredible stage presence “the buzz” but her material is improving rapidly. Just watch the lady rise post Ed Fest. TV will not be long spotting her Panel-Show potential.

JUICE: Who’s the best in the world, Louis CK or Daniel Kitson?

Billy: George Carlin.

[EDITOR’S NOTE] Billy has failed to grasp the concept of “in the world”

JUICE: What’s the worst thing in comedy right now?

Billy: The worst thing in comedy, well actually the worst thing everywhere, is a place that poor people can’t get a bus to called ‘Oxbridge’. Their Drama Class get a free ride to all the riches in Entertainment and their Debating Society get to rule the world.

JUICE: What’s the best thing in comedy right now?

Billy: The best thing in comedy right now is a gag I’v only told to my wife and which will remain in my pocket in its untold state fermenting, intensifying, maturing till I have loved it so much that I, for the good of both of us, must set it free. Then, on a Monday in the fall, I will take it to a little spot I know called Joxer Brady’s.

JUICE: What do you hope to achieve in comedy?

Billy: In comedy, as in life, I aspire to be of little inconvenience and do no real harm.

JUICE: Where can people find out more about you?

Billy: If you want to know about a comedian, come and see a show.

You can see Billy performing in Stafford on 14th September when JUICE takes over The MET Studio.

JUICE Chat with Harriet Dyer

For this week’s edition of JUICE Chat we sat down with the living whirlwind of comedy that is Harriet Dyer.

JUICE first experience Harriet when she performed at our New Material Night a few years ago. Her manic and energetic performance prompted more discussion and debate from our audience than virtually any other comedian we’ve had. Due to overwhelming requests, we’ve booked her time and again. In February Harriet stormed the stage at The MET Studio in the Gatehouse Theatre, and in June she gave us a Preview of her upcoming Edinburgh show. We managed to get her to sit still for ten minutes by promising her some sugar.

JUICE: How would you describe your comedy?

Harriet: Personal story telling with a surreal twist?!

JUICE: How did you start out in stand-up?

Harriet: It was a module on my drama degree and no-one would work with me because I was an alcoholic. One day I turned up stinking of meths and everyone was like, ‘Are you ready for the stand-up comedy assessment?!’ I was like, ‘NO.’ So I got on stage and waffled about my foof and when I died twice when I was 17… It went quite well.

JUICE: What’s been your most memorable gig to date?

Harriet: Two dogs were in the audience and started humping on stage.

JUICE: Where’s your favourite venue to perform?

Harriet: JUICEY JUICE JUICE!!! Or the Glasgow or Newcastle Stands.

JUICE: Who’s your favourite circuit comedian at the moment?

Harriet: Paul foot is my fave because he’s like no other trout i’ve ever seen. He’s the whole package for me, from his style to his performance skills… Although admittedly all of that is probably better than his jokes… As often I’m laughing like a hyena before he’s even said anything!

JUICE: You’re at the Edinburgh Festival this year, what’s your show about?

Harriet: My Edinburgh show is about the fact that I think i’m a pawn in a recently modified version of the film, ‘The Truman Show’ as fooked up shizzle ALWAYS happens to me which leads me to believe that everyone in my life are actors. Even Rob Halen! Apparently this is an actual disorder that people suffer from in America. Essentially I guess it’s just crazy stories from my life.

JUICE: What do you like and dislike about the Edinburgh Festival?

Harriet: I love the Edinburgh Festival as everyone who’s anyone in the comedy world seems to be there and you don’t have to spend hours travelling around to places, everything’s in walking distance. It’s such a hub… I love to mingle with folk I wouldn’t usually come across. Also I see it as an intense training course as sometimes you’re gigging up to 4 times a day so I think you can really build as an act.

The bad thing about Edinburgh is the bloody price of it all!

JUICE: Who’s the best in the world, Daniel Kitson or Louis CK?

Harriet: I love Daniel Kitson because I feel like whenever I watch him it’s watching a master at work! The way he links and ties in his story’s leaving you always wanting more… Well yes, his general story telling ability! Also I love the way he tests himself by not having a compere or anything so that it’s soley his job to warm up a completely cold room. I think it’s really important to keep testing yourself.

JUICE: Do you have any comedy influences or heroes?

Harriet: Paul Foot or my mum… She’s swell… And well hashtag funny… Probably makes a better roast than yours too!

JUICE: Where can people find out more about you?

Harriet: My website is harrietdyer.co.uk and I’m on Twitter with @dyerlinquent

Harriet will be at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from the 2nd to the 26th of August, performing her one-hour show every day at The Laughing Horse at Espionage. Click here for for more information & to book tickets.