31 guide 12-18 Aug 2017 clubs
In early 2015, Robin Ince
(pictured) – veteran comic
and frequent collaborator
with pin-up physicist
Brian Cox – announced he
was quitting standup. And
nobody in the comedy
industry believed him.
Ince’s relentless capacity
for highly articulate
indignation against the
world’s iniquities meant
he was guaranteed to
pick the microphone up
again before too long,
and so it has proved. He’s
running in new material in
Edinburgh in advance of a
tour (The Stand Comedy
Club & Gilded Balloon at
the Museum, Sat & Sun;
touring 23 Sep to 8 Jun,
tour starts The Witham,
Barnard Castle ). Also at
the fringe, Arthur Smith
pays a “fi nal tribute” to
Leonard Cohen. Smith
has been singing Cohen’s
songs onstage since
2000, showcasing a
warmth not often seen
in his grumpy standup
(Pleasance Courtyard, Fri
to 20 Aug). Meanwhile,
fringegoers looking
for after-hours action
may want to visit The
Asylum, a mix of music
and comic cabaret that
is the eccentric creation
of Edinburgh comedy
award-winner Phil Nichol
(Heroes @ Monkey Barrel,
to 26 Aug). James KettleBooking now
The funniest thing Simon Brodkin
The prankster character comic
behind Lee Nelson on the things
that make him laugh the mostThe funniest standup I’ve
ever seen Jerry Sadowitz. His
seething, bile-fuelled, offend-all-
and-don’t-give-a-fig approach to
standup floats my boat.The funniest sketch I’ve ever
seen Ben Willbond’s spot-on,
uber-posh character Fulham Ed
at Edinburgh a few years back. A
travesty that it’s not known to all.The funniest item of clothing I’ve
ever owned I spent time in the
Middle East as part of my medical
school training and lost all sense
of fashion. I returned to the UK
the owner of a skin-tight orange
tank top and leather sarong.The funniest thing that shouldn’t
be funny Most people’s Instagram
posts.The funniest TV show I’ve ever
seen Recently, Netflix’s Wet
Hot American Summer: First
Day of Camp. Not only hysterical
in its own right, but you get to
see the same actors from the
original 2001 film, many of
whom are now huge movie stars,return to play younger versions
of themselves.The funniest book I’ve ever read
Dr Seuss. The man’s a genius.
Anyone who can come up with
“Do you know who’s asleep out
in Foona-Lagoona? Two very
nice Foona-Lagoona Baboona”
deserves to be a doctor.The funniest hairstyle I’ve ever
had Jason Bent, the preening,
narcissistic Premier League
footballer character I play
has had some hilarious barnets
over the years.The funniest dream I’ve ever
had A few nights ago I dreamed
that I went for a picnic with
Will Ferrell. It wasn’t that funny
but I woke up thinking that was a
useful meeting.The funniest word Diffendoofer.The funniest meal I’ve ever
eaten Last month I ate some
off tuna at an Italian restaurant
and ended up in an ambulance
thinking I was going to die. You
had to be there
Lee Nelson: Serious Joker is at
The Pleasance Courtyard: Cabaret
Bar, Edinburgh, to 27 Augcomedy