JUICE Chat with James Cook

“when my first joke got a big laugh the sheer force of it rocked me backwards”

James Cook started stand-up comedy a number of years ago, but left the circuit for seven years to become an NTL Award-Winning commercial radio presenter. Then James decided he’d had enough of completely conquering all of radio, so has recently returned to the grind of stand-up, where he performs for major comedy clubs such as Highlight, The Glee Club, Off The Curb and many more. JUICE got the chance to probe the very busy man with a few questions.

 JUICE: How would you describe your type of comedy?

James: A man behind a microphone communicating funny ideas in an entertaining way to an audience. If you like laughing at things, then you’ll probably like the things that I do.

JUICE: How did you get started in stand-up and why? What was your first gig like?

James: When I was a student in London I saw an advert in the Union for people to take part in a cable TV show – you needed 3 minutes of material and they’d pay you £25 – which to a student in London in the mid 90s was the most money I could possibly conceive of. I cobbled together 2 minutes 45 seconds of filth, went along and performed in front of a cameraman and about 6 people. It was great.

JUICE: What do you take with you to a show? What’s in your gig-bag?

James: Note book and pen (which I take with me everywhere). Phone wallet keys. Bit boring really. Let’s make something up to make it sound more exotic – I also take my lucky pineapple and a shotgun (just in case).

JUICE: Roughly how many miles do you think you’ve done on the circuit over the years?

James: Probably 100,000 or more.

JUICE: What’s been your most memorable gig to date, for either good or bad reasons?

James: First time doing The Comedy Store London, when my first joke got a big laugh the sheer force of it rocked me backwards.

JUICE: Where’s your favourite place to perform?

James: At comedy clubs. I’ve tried airport check-in queues, they don’t like it so much. Hot damn I’m facetious.

JUICE: Which comedians have influenced you over the years?

James: I’ll try and do this in chronological order….

Monty Python, Lenny Henry, Little and Large, Paul Squires, Phil Cool, Jasper Carrot, Andrew O’Connor, Cannon and Ball, Trevor and Simon, Newman and Baddiel, Punt and Dennis, Mark Thomas, Eddie Izzard, Harry Enfield, Jack Dee, Bill Hicks, Lee and Herring, Armando Ianucci, Chris Morris, Steve Coogan, Harry Hill, Paul Merton, David Letterman, Sean Lock, Rich Hall, Louis CK, Gavin Webster, Chris Stokes.

JUICE: Who are your comedy heroes?

James: Python.

JUICE: Who are your favourite acts on the comedy circuit right now?

James: Gavin Webster and Chris Stokes I will always watch.

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

James: You assume that there is such a thing, and that it is one of those two.

JUICE: Yes, we do. If we didn’t assume that there’s a best in the world and that it’s either Daniel Kitson or Louis CK, then it’s unlikely we would have written a question based entirely around that subject. Just go with it or say “neither”.

James: I prefer Louis CK, but I still really really like Kitson.

JUICE: If you weren’t a comic what would you be doing?

James: Crying and regretting not starting comedy.

For more in-depth insights into James, Follow him on Twitter!

Clean Comedy & Announcements

Exciting announcements this week in the J-Blog! The first refreshing glass of JUICE news is that the November New Act / New Material Show at Joxer Brady’s will be hosted by none other than Tom Allsopp! Tom MC’ing a comedy show for the very first time, and whilst he’s not done it before we think he’ll take to it like a duck-to-water.

JUICE brand expanding to Cannock? Stay tuned to the J-Blog for more details on that, dear reader!

JUICE was backstage at the Speakeasy Comedy show held up at Stafford Uni on Wednesday night. It’s always a fun show with some top comics and an entry cost of absolutely nothing!On the bill were two acts who’ll be performing at Cocktails & Comedy Part IV. The flatcap-wearing Freddie Farrell is a warm, cheeky personality from Birmingham who’s been on the circuit for a couple of years now, and also Freddie Quinn, who’s act is a funny mix of embarrassing personal stories with some on-the-knuckle dark material thrown in for good measure. They’ll be joined by pirate-musical-sketch troupe Jollyboat. Just read that sentence again, dear reader. Pirate-Musical-Sketch Troupe! You absolutely cannot miss these boys! Part IV takes place on Friday 23rd November at Number 15. Check out the video that JUICE Tube took backstage at the Speakeasy gig.

It seems like more and more Stafford businesses are after a slice of JUICE! One of the hardest gigs to put together is when people want the show to be completely “clean”. Now this doesn’t just mean “no swearing” it means no adult subjects. Now that’s a very restrictive remit to fill, not least because not all comedians can work what is considered “clean”. In fact, the list is much, much smaller. But luckily for Stafford, JUICE knows some incredibly talented comedians like Al Rudge, Craig Deeley, Paul Savage and Rich Wall who are all fantastic at working clean.

We’re hoping to be able to bring the one-man show by Paul Savage called ‘A Cheerful Shambles’ to Stafford before the end of 2012. Paul has been working hard on putting his first show together after being on the circuit for close to six years, and it made its debut at the Birmingham Comedy Festival. We’ll keep you posted on this.

Don’t forget it’s our legendary New Act / New Material Show on Monday 5th November down at Joxer Brady’s.

JUICE Chat with Darren Harriott

“I cried for days when he died. I didn’t realise as a guy, I could have such a connection with another guy who I’d never met.”

Darren Harriott has been a long-time JUICE Favourite, having performed at virtually every venue we’ve operated out of. In 2011 Darren won our award of JUICE Performer Of The Year and he once convinced Rob Halden that  he was related to Ainsley Harriott. Then called Rob a racist.

JUICE: How would you describe your type of comedy/performance?

Darren: I would describe my comedy as being very honest as I have always enjoyed comics who expose their failings as human beings and their inner thoughts no matter how messed up they may seem, you get a sense of who they are as a person rather than just laughing. I want people to know who i am, what kind of person I am and how i think, wether they like that person or not it doesnt bother me as long as they have an opinion on me and of course laugh…people will still laugh even if they dont particularly like who you are on stage…I’m a believer that you can’t please everyone its impossible so just focus on getting atleast 50% of people at a gig to laugh the other 50% should be horrified as you’re not their type of comic.

JUICE: How did you get started in stand-up and why? What was your first gig like?

Darren: It was always something I wanted to try from when I was 17.  Just after my 18th birthday while I was at college (hating it) I was handed a flyer for a talent show, 3 months later I did my first ever gig. Went really well considering it was a talent show for 12-18 year old performers, I went on after a dance troup which now as a comic i would be like “no way i aint following a bunch of ghetto bodypoppers dancing to a kanye west mash-up” but then I didnt know better. I remember swearing (dick,balls etc) during my act a few times and a parent heckling me “there’s kids in here” which I still hear in my head everyother day. But i just ignored it carried on with my act left the stage and felt like a WARRIOR! and that was it, I knew from when I was 18 this is what i wanna do with my life nothing else is gonna fill my needy-ness like stand up does.

JUICE: What do you take with you to a gig? What’s in your gig-bag?

Darren: Usually my joke book, diary, food and bottle of water, sometimes my video camera depending on the type of gig. I have alot of resepct for comics who carry props, guitars etc. to every gig. I always say that if I had to carry just a microphone to every gig I would quit the business let alone a giant prop box. Prop comics must have amazing triceps.

JUICE: What’s been your most memorable gig to date, for either good or bad reasons?

Darren: Few years ago I did a gig in loughborough there was a drunken lady in the crowd (eurghhh!) it was a wednesday as well so she had no day job.  Anyway, she was just heckling every one of the acts (shouting Off! Off! Off! etc.) belittling the MC. Admittedly it was an open mic type night. Anyway I went on stage (3 years into my ‘career’) she heckled me, I dealt with it, I carried on. Few minutes later she heckled me again. I then warned her “don’t heckle me again”, which is a dumb thing to say to a heckler, I was basically asking for it at that point. She then heckled me again ruining my last joke. Now I cant say what I said to this women, but it was mean and very, very horrible. During my rant at this woman 3 people walked out (proud!). Considering there was only 15 people in the room about 4 were laughing at what i was saying, the others were shocked. She then called me sweary words and walked out the room (even more proud). Reason I say this was memorable for me, I said things on stage I had never said before. It was like the chains were off and i was free (kunta kinte), before then I never really spoke about my true feelings and attitudes towards things I was just a normal set up/punchline kind of guy saying things that had no meaning to me. Ever since that day I had a new confidence in the fact that I have said horrible, horrible things to someone on stage which I dont ever intend on having to say again (doubt it though) and it felt good saying how I truly felt. I’ve incorporated alot more of my soul into my act and style of comedy because of that.

I could tell you stories of some amazing gigs and rooms I have played, but whats the point? Comics enjoy hearing about the bad ones, their the ones that define who you are. Anyone can ‘storm’ a gig.

JUICE: Where’s your favourite place to perform?

Darren: Best I have performed at this year was ‘The Stand’ Glasgow if your a comic and haven’t done that room…slap yourself (do it!). I enjoy doing open mic nights alot as you get a real test for your new material if it can generate big laughs in a poorly lit room infront of 20 people who are just there to see their university E4 type ‘hacky’ friend perform (what’s the deal with student loans??) then your new stuff should go down a treat when you eventually do it in a pro-room.

JUICE: Which comedians have influenced you over the years? Who are your comedy heroes?

favourite comic of all time is a pretty unknown (in the uk anyway) american comic called Patrice O’neal, he was like a comic’s comic. He passed away last year November. He just had the level of honesty I adored, he spoke openly and candidly about his failings and ilnesses. He was a 6ft 4, 300 pound black guy who had high blood pressure,diabetes,obesity, who never held back on his thoughts,  no matter what the consequences of that. And never wanting to owe anyone in the business which was why he turned down alot of tv work fearing it would somehow mean he would have to tone down his live act (beautiful). He wasnt your typical ‘black comic’ his race material was inventive and new not your ‘white people do blah blah,black people do blah blah’. His size meant he couldnt be this physical, high energy, Def Comedy Jam type guy, he was slow and much more thought out. I cried for days when he died. I didnt realise as a guy, I could have such a connection with another guy who I’d never met (comedian’s bond!).

Quick list of comics I love in no particualr order; Louie Ck, Bill Burr, Sean Lock, Rich Hall, Lee Mack, Hannibal Buress, Greg Giraldo and Frankie Boyle.

JUICE: Who are your favourite acts on the comedy circuit right now?

Darren: I have just came back from doing a weekend with Rob Deering and I was blown away by what he does, it really opened my mind to the stuff you can do on stage and the level of talent he has as a musician. I’m from Birmingham and I gig alot with Harriet Dyer, Masai Graham, Jonny Greatrex, Jonny Pearson, Jay Handley, Aaron Twitchen and Freddie Farrell (you happy now guys?). I knew most these guys when they first started out but to see the progression and change they have made is crazy I’m a big fan of hard workers and these guys make me wanna work harder as were all kind of on the same level more or less. You hear a lot of newer acts complain about travelling, writing, playing certain rooms etc. etc. these guys never do, they just gig everywere and anywhere because they know thats how you get better and make this a proper career. Which is what we all want at the end of the day.

JUICE: Where can we find out more about you?

Darren: I’m not on twitter yet as I’m still undecided about it, and i would only follow pornstars and wrestlers anyway. I am on facebook Darren Harriott, let’s be friends. No website yet. I was once told by another comedian (Andy White) a lot of terrible acts have fantastic websites. Great acts either don’t have a website or their website is bland and boring because their too busy writing jokes to care about it. So my website will be amazing!

Losing Money & Moving Office

We gave you a special BONUS blog at the start of this week (because that’s how much we love you) so you should forgive this week’s J-Blog for being a day late.

This week our friends over at Speakeasy Comedy put on a brilliant show at the Walsall Student Union. It was the first comedy show they’ve ever had and Speakeasy booked an incredible line-up of comics that included crazy-pirate-music-sketch-duo Jollyboat, Scouse comedian Rob Thomas, our very own Rob Halden and was headlined by star of ‘Mock The Week’ & ‘Dave’s One Night Stand’ Gary Delaney! 

Unfortunately for such a stellar line-up, the Union did bugger-all to promote the event. When JUICE rocked up to enjoy this sure-to-be-excellent show, there was only a small handful of students in attendance. Now, for them to have performing for their students a comedian who is currently appearing on the country’s biggest comedy TV show, that is huge! The Union should have put Gary Delaney’s face all over their website, they should have posters and flyers all over the place and they should have been crowing about it to the local papers weeks in advance. Walsall did none of them, and subsequently it appeared as if the gig would have no audience at all.

In the end, the Union sent people all over Halls Of Residence knocking on doors and letting students know what was about to happen. An hour later than the advertised starting time, the Union bar was packed with students eager for comedy. Unfortunately, they had also decided at the last minute to not charge any entrance fee to their punters, thus losing themselves a hefty stack of money.

It turned out to be a great show. Jollyboatwere so good, we’ve signed them up for future gigs in Stafford, and Gary Delaney was excellent. Still, JUICE sat back and scratched our heads at how amateurish and mishandled the whole night had been.

Now those of you who regularly watch our JUICE Tube Channel over on YouTube, will know that last week JUICE HQ had to move offices into what appeared to be a public toilet. Well that was just a temporary situation which has now been rectified. You can check out the brand new JUICE office in the latest JUICE Tube Video below!

We’re also floating the idea of changing one of our weekly features. Every Monday on our Facebook & Twitter sites we run JUICE News! We post ridiculous headlines from news stories that may or may-not exist. Recently though, we’ve been toying with the idea of switching this to JUICE Facts based on how popular our JUICE Tips on a Tuesday have been. It would certainly be easier for our comedians to write, as topical humour is notoriously difficult. If you’ve got an opinion on this, let us know.

Don’t forget that Saturday we run our weekly Caption Contest and on Sunday we’ll put up some of our favourite video & audio comedy clips as part of the Sunday Share. Both of those take place on the JUICE Facebook Page, so you should join in the fun by Liking us!

JUICE Chat with Kiri Pritchard McLean

“It was the second time I did King Gong and it was the May Bank Holiday and it was stuffed full of human detritus.”

In 2011 Kiri Pritchard-McLean did her first gig for JUICE Comedy at our monthly new material night. After blowing us all away she made it onto the bill of our very first professional show at The Gatehouse Theatre, and after smashing that gig she went on to win Break-Out Act Of The Year at the annual JUICE Awards. Which, by the way, was an award we created especially for Kiri. We love her lots and this week we got to chat to her.

JUICE: How would you describe your type of comedy?

Kiri: I always find this really hard to answer because, without sounding too wanky, I don’t think I’ve found my voice yet as a comic. Certainly, the jokes I’m most proud of and I find funniest are usually the first to get cut from my set. 

I suppose it’s just anecdotal stuff built around “gags”. I tend to think of a joke or a point I want to make and then manipulate the rest around that.

JUICE: How did you get started in stand-up and why? What was your first gig like?

Kiri: I used to work in a drama school when I was a teenager in to my early twenties and I used to write the sketches for the shows that we’d put on. I realised I really enjoyed writing and I really enjoyed performing- not acting, more showing off- so I went to University firstly to do a Bsc in Psychology and spent that first year drunk and trying to do performance things anyway. So, I did an audition at The University of Salford (The original University of Life), for the performing arts course, they asked me what I wanted from the course and I told them I wanted to write and produce and they were like “Don’t do performing arts, do this course”. So, they put me on this brand new course called Contemporary Theatre Practice and it was as wanky as it sounds. But it also did lots on autobiographical performance, which, if you have a sense of humour is basically stand up.

I then did the unthinkable and did a comedy course. That’s where I met my other half actually. I did the course and then wandered around telling people I did stand up comedy without actually doing it. I think I gigged three times in the ensuing 18 months? My first proper gig was King Gong at The Comedy Store. It was scary but luckily for me the MC, Mick Ferry, sorted of interrupted my set and I think that bought me some time as I got to 5 minutes. There was 28 acts on that night and 4 of us got to the clap off- needless to say I didn’t win but I think it was a decent baptism of fire.

JUICE: What do you take with you to a gig? What’s in your gig-bag?

Kiri: It’s just my usual hand bag because I can often pick up gigs in the day whilst at my day job so need to be able to go straight from work to the gig. Essentials are my notebook, mascara, eyeliner and Sat Nav. To contextualise, the make up isn’t as vain as it seems. I’m quite expressive on stage so I find it helps if I’ve emphasised my eyes a bit.

JUICE:  If you had to estimate, roughly how many miles do you think you’ve done over the years?

Kiri: The first 18 months of doing stand up “properly” – gigging regularly I would go anywhere for any stage time. I remember driving to Newcastle 3 times in one week for 5 minutes of stage time. I’ve tried to be a bit more selective now but I still rack up the miles. According to my tax return- I went self employed at the start of 2011, the first three months of the year I did 1322.2 miles. Last tax year I did 5130.7 miles and that’s excluding gigs where I’ve got the train eg Cardiff, London, Scotland.

JUICE: What’s been your most memorable gig to date, for either good or bad reasons?

Kiri: Hmm, probably the first time that I died actually. I had got to about 10 gigs and was sure I was the second coming because I’d yet to have a bad one. Then I did the Preston Frog and Bucket and there was some people there from university- supporting a mutual friend- that I thought were bellends and then I just bombed and, didn’t make the clap off and it’s the only time it’s happened. It was horrific. i was with my other half and I just remember being so upset and telling him I was quitting all my gigs and that I hated comedy. I handle rejection really well…

The other memorable one is another bad one! It was the second time I did King Gong and it was the May bank holiday and it was stuffed full of human detritus. They were literally seeing if they liked your first joke and then kicking you off if you didn’t. Awful. I did my first bit, went well. Then a stag party started heckling me and I replied, the audience laughed but the stag party lost their shit. They were standing up and booing me and shouting “get her off”. It was so lousy I had to turn my back on the left hand side of the room and just play to the right an centre and pretend there wasn’t a baying mob behind me. Horrendous. I got to the 5 and, again, didn’t win. I remember calling my fella afterwards and saying “yeah, I did a good job and I got them all eventually. But, I hated that. Really hated it, that’s not comedy”. Was a bit of a wake up for me as I had a good think about why I was doing comedy and what, if not that, did I want from it.

JUICE: Where’s your favourite place to perform?

Kiri: This will sound disingenuous but JUICE’s gigs are really wonderful. Smart people who are up for a nice night. I like the Crumbling Cookie in Leicester too. I always like gigging back in Wales too.

JUICE: Which comedians have influenced you over the years? Who are your comedy heroes?

Kiri: I was raised on Billy Connelly and used to watch his stuff over and over but I don’t think it’s a stylistic influence, I’d love his warmth and honesty on stage. Richard Pryor was the first comedian whose DVD I watched where my mind was blown. I was just baffled by how hilarious and new it was, to me anyway. Just before we got together my other half took me to see Richard Herring doing “Headmaster’s Son” and I’d never seen an Edinburgh show before, blew my tiny mind. Maria Bamford is my favourite. I look at her jokes and they work on so many levels and frequently she’s taking really prickly topics and dealing with them in such a deft manner people don’t even realise they’re engaging with a really powerful piece of social commentary. I just love her. Tony Law does it as well. People might think it’s weird voices and someone who doesn’t know what hes doing but it takes a lot of skill to make it look like that whilst making important points.

JUICE: Who are your favourite acts on the comedy circuit right now?

Kiri: Hmm, well, Tony Law obviously. I love the atmosphere that Barbara Nice can create in a room, it’s unashamedly feel good without a trace of “this will get bums on seats” cynicism.

There’s a new act called Jon Taylor who has wonderful writing it’s that ultra real Louis CK writing that’s so visceral but he’s not making the mistake I’ve seen countless others do and just perform a parody complete with american accent. Jordan Brookes is excellent too. A Welsh act (biased) and his writing and performing is superb, really really well honed.

JUICE: What else are you up to?

Kiri: I have a sketch group (I write and direct, I DO NOT ACT) and we have a full length show in the Lass O Gowrie in Manchester on the 9th of October. It’s the thing in comedy I’m most proud of.

Gigs & Stats

Recent activity with JUICE saw us run our first “private” function for a social club (that sounds seedy, it wasn’t, we were all fully clothed). We put together a dynamite bill of comedians including the larger-than-life Chris Norton Walker, the dryly sublime Phil Pagett, the energetically entertaining Chris Brooker and the marvelous Tony Jameson as the MC & Compere. Aside from a small technical issue with the microphone at the very end of the evening, this show went really well and the club members enjoyed themselves. If you’d like to arrange a comedy show for a private function, drop us a line.

The new working relationship with Speakeasy Comedy has seen JUICE get involved in a lot of their West Midlands shows this past week. Wolverhampton University had the completely awesome line-up of Andy White, Danny Sutcliffe, Kevin Shevlin and JUICE Favourite Katie Mulgrew on Thursday evening. Whilst three of the above acts were traveling back in a car together, one of them asked for the car to pull over as they felt sick, and then proceeded to run away from the car and the other comedians and leg it all the way back to Wolverhampton to go on a massive drinking binge. Nobody knows why, but thankfully everyone is okay.

Sunday night saw the debut of Paul Savage’s full-length show ‘A Cheerful Shambles’ and the brilliant venue of The Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath, Birmingham. The audience was sparse but it was a treat to see the beginnings of Paul putting together an hour-long show. JUICE hopes we can host an performance of Cheerful Shambles in Stafford sometime soon, as Mr. Savage is very popular in the area.

And tomorrow night Speakeasy Comedy brings another excellent line-up of comics to another Student’s Union, this time in Walsall. As well as Rob Thomas, the marvelous sketch troupe Jollyboat will be on the bill along with JUICE Founder Rob Halden. Headlining the show will be Gary Delaney, a comedian audiences will know from his appearances on ‘Mock The Week’ and ‘Dave’s One Night Stand’. Gary is a phenomenal comedian who is really hitting the big time now. This bafflingly brilliant line-up is available for a measly £3 entry fee! Yes, it’s a school night, but it’s still worth the short trip to Walsall to experience this show. If you don’t, then the next time you see Gary Delaney on TV you’ll kick yourself for not making the effort.

We’ll wrap up this short update. We’ll be back on Wednesday with the JUICE Chat interview, and we’ll have our regular J-Blog at the end of the week.

Savage Facts

To celebrate the debut of Paul Savage’s first ever full-length show this Sunday night in Birmingham, the J-Blog has compiled the following Savage Facts!

• When at a gig, Paul always has a second “performance t-shirt” to change into. If the gig goes well then he will frame the t-shirt, but if the show goes badly then he will burn it by moonlight.

   

• Paul once referred to women as “things you have sex with”.

   

• Paul has gigged in Britain’s oldest pub and also at Europe’s largest Paintball game.

   

• For his tea Paul once had 25 Pigs-In-Blankets and nothing else.

   

• A female audience member was so impressed with Paul that she called off her engagement and proceeded to ‘stalk’ him a little bit. She sent him a series of naughty photos and then emigrated to Poland.

   

• A Movember accident several years ago has left Paul permanently scarred with a Spiv Mustache that he cannot get rid of.

   

• His previous car was called The Slim Charles Appreciation Society and it is greatly missed.

   

• Paul Savage is afraid of bees.

‘A Cheerful Shambles’ will debut at The Hare & Hound in Kings Heath, Sunday evening at 7:30 – Click Here to book your tickets!

JUICE Chat with Katie Mulgrew

Katie Mulgrew was born funny. It’s in her blood and in her family. Since starting out on the comedy circuit, Katie has carved out her own niche and made her own identity. Over the years she’s earned a place as a Finalist in the prestigious & nationwide competition Funny Women, and has become a fixture on the stage of major comedy clubs such as The Frog & Bucket and Highlight. We sat down and had a good old chin-wag with ‘The Mulgrew’.

JUICE: How would you describe your type of comedy/performance?

Katie: REVOLUTIONARY. Much like Joan Of Arc. I imagine she too spent a lot of her life doing jokes about De-icer in a Lancashire accent. 

JUICE: How did you get started in stand-up and why? What was your first gig like?

Katie: I worked behind the bar of a comedy club in Manchester whilst I was at University. Which deepened my love of Stand up so I chose it as one of my modules as part of my course. (Yes, really. That was a thing).

My first gig was incredibly lovely because it was a showcase for all the people on the course to their friends and family. They HAD to like us, They were essentially in a hostage situation. A nice one. Like parents watching a Nativity play.

The subsequent two years of gigs where decidedly up and down.

JUICE: What do you take with you to a gig? What’s in your gig-bag?

Katie: I spend a lot of time in my Nissan Micra travelling to gigs so I guess my cup holder is my gig bag. It currently holds change (for parking meters), half eaten fruit pastels, a hair bobble, a pen and some berocca.

JUICE: If you had to estimate, roughly how many miles do you think you’ve done over the years?

Katie: It’s enough miles to probably make me cry hysterically if a translated the petrol back into money. But if you’ve been talking to the guys at Barclays car insurance then you will know my car is always parked in my garage. When not making very small short trips to the local supermarket. Once a week.

JUICE: What’s been your most memorable gig to date, for either good or bad reasons?

Katie: Worst death ever was a few gigs in when I did a gig for Manchester Uni in front of about four hundred students. Silence for eight painful minutes and to further add to my humiliation, I heard one of the lads on the front row say to his other mate “I can see up her skirt.”

Compering my first Beat The Frog at The Manchester Frog And Bucket will stick in my memory for a long time. I used to take part in the competition when I first started. I’d watch the compere there thinking ‘I’m never going to be able to do that’. That gig meant quite a lot to me.

JUICE: Where’s your favourite place to perform?

Katie: The Library bar in Leeds and The Stands are the first places that come to mind.

JUICE: Which comedians have influenced you over the years? Who are your comedy heroes?

Katie: When I was a kid I loved Lucille Ball and the Marx Brothers. Then as a teenager Partridge and League Of Gentlemen. I don’t know if I’d say influenced. I try and be a bit of a sponge. I think you can draw inspiration from such a wide variety of things. 

JUICE: Who are your favourite acts on the comedy circuit right now?

Katie: Benny Boot, Alun Cochrane, Seymour Mace, Jo Caulfield, Roisin Conaty, Dan Nightingale, Terry Alderton.

Katie Mulgrew is performing Thursday night October 4th at the Wolverhampton University Student Union. For more info on Katie visit her excellent website & then Follow her on Twitter

JUICE Speaks Easy

We can EXCLUSIVELY reveal that JUICE Comedy has inked a cross-promotional deal with Speakeasy Comedy. Speakeasy organise and promote comedy shows around the West Midlands, and are headed up by comedian Paul Savage.

The two groups have a number of long-standing ties between them. Paul Savage is the resident MC for JUICE Comedy events at The Gatehouse Theatre, and was the first recipient of the JUICE Performer Of The Year award back in 2009. Meanwhile, JUICE Founders Neil Reading & Rob Halden have performed at numerous Speakeasy Comedy shows over the years, including one where Rob did a lengthy impression of a bear in front of 6 people in exchange for half a pint of bitter.

This new arrangement will see JUICE & Speakeasy collaborate together to promote their combined comedy shows and ventures across the West Midlands, taking advantage of JUICE’s existing social media sites, YouTube Channel and this most excellent WordPress page what you are reading now!

Speakeasy Comedy currently includes shows at University campus’ in Wolverhampton, Walsall & Stafford, as well as the Blue Orange Theatre in Birmingham and The Walkabout in Wolves.

We spoke to JUICE Founder Rob Halden about the new deal. “I never really wanted to do this. But Paul Savage touched me. He touched me in my special place. And he took pictures of it. And because of the way the pictures were framed and, er, the lighting and stuff, it looks like I’m enjoying it. Which I definitely wasn’t. And then he blackmailed me into doing this.” Mr. Halden then proceeded to show us the photographs in question, which completely undermines the entire concept of ‘blackmail’.

We contacted Paul Savage to get a better quote, and he said “there has always been a long and deep relationship between Speakeasy and JUICE. Very long…and very deep.”Mr. Savage then started pointing at his crotch and giggling.

Neil Reading was unavailable for comment, due to being on his yacht with some bitches.