Go back to standup? There are some I'd wish would go one step further... the audience.
Who should go back to stand-up? Page 2
The less Sayle the better. The notion of "just innovating again" is far more laughable than any of his act that I've seen.
Carrott can be brilliant though, if he'd only get back to his comic past.
Oh dear, we do not seem to gel on this one. Okay sir, resurrect your carrott, let him bring his acoustic guitar along, put Vicky Wood on her beloved piarno, Richard Digence can give him accompaniment on his guitar and why not have Mike Harding on mouth organ? Yes that'll fill up the Albert Hall or the Apollo with young comedy fans.
Quote: Aaron @ April 2 2010, 12:14 AM BSTThe less Sayle the better. The notion of "just innovating again" is far more laughable than any of his act that I've seen.
Alexei, unfairly in my opinion, gets lumbered too much with the burden of being held responsible for the birth of "alternative" comedy. Yes, he was one of the pioneers and, yes, his style did spawn a lot of imitators (mostly crap), but he was a massively skilled live stand-up comedian and also set the standard and template for the modern British comedy club compère.
If you listen to his comedy albums from the 1980s they really show what he could do, but most people just lump him in with the Thatcher and knob gag comics who said rude things loudly, which is an awful shame.
"Alexei Sayle opened the doors wide for the potential of alternative comedy. Then Ben Elton came along and slammed them shut." - Jerry Sadowitz (may not be the exact quote, but as best as I can remember)
Oh dear, we do not seem to gell on this one. Okay sir, resurrect your carrott, let him bring his acoustic guitar along, put Vicky Wood on her beloved piarno, Richard Digence can give him accompaniment on his guitar and why not have Mike Harding on mouth organ? Yes that'll push the boundaries of comedy...back to 1978.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ April 2 2010, 12:32 AM BSTOh dear, we do not seem to gell on this one. Okay sir, resurrect your carrott, let him bring his acoustic guitar along, put Vicky Wood on her beloved piarno, Richard Digence can give him accompaniment on his guitar and why not have Mike Harding on mouth organ? Yes that'll fill up the Albert Hall or the Apollo with young comedy fans.
Now you're just going to silly extremes.
And who said anything about a young audience?
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ April 2 2010, 12:35 AM BSTYes that'll push the boundaries of comedy...
Why do we need to push the boundaries? And if we do, why does every comic have to?
Quote: Tim Walker @ April 2 2010, 12:35 AM BSTAlexei, unfairly in my opinion, gets lumbered too much with the burden of being held responsible for the birth of "alternative" comedy. Yes, he was one of the pioneers and, yes, his style did spawn a lot of imitators (mostly crap), but he was a massively skilled live stand-up comedian and also set the standard and template for the modern British comedy club compère.
If you listen to his comedy albums from the 1980s they really show what he could do, but most people just lump him in with the Thatcher and knob gag comics who said rude things loudly, which is an awful shame.
"Alexei Sayle opened the doors wide for the potential of alternative comedy. Then Ben Elton came along and slammed them shut." - Jerry Sadowitz (may not be exact quote, but as best as I can remember it)
Well I must admit I'm not hugely familiar with his work - but what I have seen, I haven't thought much of.
On Sayle, I think the bloke would get a loyal following if he toured again just by way of his 'Godfather' status. The fact is his 1980s stuff would look very dated now, as would the so called new comedy thing, but he could update it to fit the times. Of course he could innovate, he did it once, he could do it again. He blew my head off when he first showed up on Friday/Saturday Night Live.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ April 2 2010, 12:51 AM BSTOf course he could innovate, he did before, he could do it again.
Just because he's made something change in one way - or contributed toward a change - doesn't mean that he can do again. In fact, it probably suggests quite the opposite. If he's a powerful entity enough to be such a force for change, then it doesn't really follow through that he'd suddenly give that up and go for something else entirely.
Quote: Aaron @ April 2 2010, 12:51 AM BSTWell I must admit I'm not hugely familiar with his work - but what I have seen, I haven't thought much of.
Although it's not the same thing as discussing his stand-up, are you familiar at all with Alexei Sayle's Stuff? May well be some sketch material you'd like in there. It had a very strong writing staff, notably David Renwick and Andrew Marshall (working as a team, highly effective...)
Alas, on my wage of £0 I am unable to afford the DVDs. It's something I'd like to try though.
I don't have them myself but I'm sure someone who has could loan them to you. That sketch show 1990ish was utterlly brilliant imo - that was more Sayle the surrealist satirist type thing than Sayle the Marxist standup who exploded onto Friday Night Live. I got to admit though, I thought he'd written all that show himself, but I suppose sketch shows do use other writers too. It was very much Alexei Sayle style though, I might look at getting that myself now I think of it.
Obligatory 'buy' links: https://www.comedy.co.uk/shop/?search=Alexei
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ April 2 2010, 2:12 AM BSTI don't have them myself but I'm sure someone who has could loan them to you. That sketch show 1990ish was utterlly brilliant imo - that was more Sayle the surrealist satirist type thing than Sayle the Marxist standup who exploded onto Friday Night Live. I got to admit though, I thought he'd written all that show himself, but I suppose sketch shows do use other writers too. It was very much Alexei Sayle style though, I might look at getting that myself now I think of it.
I loved Sayle in his day he was like a Ben Elton with out being a self regarding arsehole. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYtrhKEk0Y8
Maybe his best character, a sublime example of anticomedy.
N.B. I'd like to get back into standup, anybody got any gigs?
I love Alexi Sayle, so much better than Elton's middle-class BBC-safe interpretation of 'alternative.' I mean Elton as a stand-up, not Elton as the co-writer of some of my fave sitcoms.
And with "Ello, 'ello, 'ello, 'ello. 'Ello John, got an new mot-argh!" - Alexi rocked too.
Alexi kinda looked like he stood on the terraces at Millwall FC with the other 70s-80s football mentalists, and Elton, a private box at Stamford Bridge.