Die for your Queen
Exciting gig news about the far future; Johann Hari unleashed
I think it’s good that they’re cancelling breast cancer patient appointments because the Queen died. It’s what she would have wanted. Nothing gave her greater pleasure in life than causing the deaths of women.
Remember when I had the energy to post occasional long essays on this list? Those were the days. Or maybe you thought they were too long and boring and you prefer to get your opinions from over-excited people on TikTok.
Anyway, here is an essay about the plagiarist and grifter Johann Hari I wrote and put behind a paywall back when I briefly tried to monetise this newsletter. Now unlocked for your, uh, enjoyment:
Gig dates
I haven’t gigged much recently because I forgot to book anything while I was in Edinburgh. However, I have some very exciting upcoming dates, including my first Fringe show plus a mini-tour of Scotland and the North of England!
Sunday September 18th 7:30pm (doors 6:30) - Sunday Shtick, Kentish Town
Always a great night. I need to bring someone for this so please get in touch if you want to see me.
https://www.designmynight.com/london/pubs/kentish-town/the-rose-and-crown/sunday-shtick-comedy
Rose & Crown, 71-73 Torriano Ave, London NW5 2SG
Monday September 19th 8pm - Virtue Comedy
Alarmingly, I also need to bring someone to this. Please get in touch.
The North Star pub, 104 Finchley Road, London NW3 5JJ
Sunday September 25th 7pm - Ding Dong Gong, Vauxhall
Can I get through a gong show with a crowd who have just enjoyed 90 minutes of bottomless booze? Probably not. I think I’ve forgotten how to stand-up. Don’t come.
Vauxhall Comedy Club, 6 S. Lambeth Place, London SW8 1RT
Thursday September 29th 8pm - Top & Bottom
Not clear on what this is but I think it’s hosted by two gay men, one who prefers to be the receptive partner for anal intercourse, while the other prefers to be the active partner.
The Book Club, 100-106 Leonard St, London EC2A 4RH
Tuesday October 4th 7:30pm - Rats Open Mic Comedy
A night dedicated to curating the dregs of the open mic circuit and putting them off doing comedy for good. Recommended.
NEW VENUe: Central Station,
37 Wharfdale Rd,
Kings Cross N1 9SD
Friday October 28th 7-8pm - One Man and His Dog (And Another Man)*, Faversham Fringe Festival
Ed Mulvey, Rover the dog and I will be splitting an hour as part of the Fringe Festival in picturesque Faversham, Kent, organised by the lovely Ribs Norman. One night only! Tickets £6 - on sale soon.
*provisional title
Sunday October 30th - Sunday Shtick
This is a ‘dark’ night so I’ll probably be going off with all the stuff I’ve kept bottled up about the Queen.
Rose & Crown, 71-73 Torriano Ave, London NW5 2SG
Monday October 31st - Double Bubble Halloween Special
I’ll either be dressed as a Dracula or a dog.
The Victoria, Dalston, 451 Queensbridge Rd, London E8 3AS
Sunday November 27th to Wednesday 30th - ON TOUR OUTSIDE LONDON
Sunday: Hot Water Comedy Club, Liverpool
Monday: The Stand, Edinburgh (10 minutes)
Tuesday: The Stand, Glasgow (10 minutes)
Wednesday: The Stand, Newcastle (10 minutes)
Recommendations/links/juicy titbits
Craig Smalls and Mark Flynn are very funny comedians who are doing Roast Battle UK on 11th November. I think this will be a good one. Come and see two proper Londoners shit-talk each other: 10:45pm at the Bill Murray, Angel.
I’m probably going to be doing at least one roast battle in October, dates/victims TBD.
From July but I don’t think I ever posted it: ‘Standup was a weapon to him’: Ian Cognito, the comedian who died on stage – literally - there is a documentary about him that you can buy/rent on Vimeo.
The Adam Friedland Show (the show formerly know as Cum Town) has pivoted to video, with amazing results. Here is an illegal pirate copy of the latest video episode. If you haven’t been listening to podcasts like Cum Town and Red Scare for the last 5 years then you may not understand certain aspects of this but I recommend watching it anyway.
Sitcom Geeks podcast episode with comedy sketchwriter Gemma Arrowsmith.
Stewart Lee’s Snowflake is out on iPlayer in case you missed it. Tornado is postponed to Sept 29th, because what if the Queen’s mourning family saw Stewart Lee talking about a mistake in the Netflix description of his TV show for an hour? And poking fun at our nation’s most beloved queen (Alan Bennett). It would be disrespectful to show that until another fortnight has passed.
Roadwarden is a cross between an old-school text adventure and a multiple-choice game with light RPG elements. You explore a bleak and melancholic low fantasy world. The writing is extremely evocative and is backed up by beautiful pixel art and spare but effective sound design.
The overall effect is like playing some lost classic that came out on the Mac in the 80s but somehow anticipated all the modern advances in interactive fiction and interface design since then. I’ve only played the demo but it’s currently £7.46 on Steam.
