Kojo

If laughing grants you a longer life then be prepared to live for an eternity.

We’ve had the opportunity to sit down with one of UK comedy’s fastest rising stars Kojo the Comedian. He recently relocated to New York in a bid to gain global recognition with his comedy. But he’s now back on the British scene with a revamped monthly show, which is filmed for MTV Base. Here is what he had to say about his journey so far.

Muso’s Guide: You just re-launched your Sunday comedy show; what triggered the move from Cork’s to Sound Club in Leicester Square?

Kojo: Cork’s had served its purpose; we had hosted the show there on a weekly basis for five years and that’s a long time. Cork’s is an amazing establishment, but as the show grew, we gradually built into something else. Sound catered to what MTV needed, in terms of making a television show. But the show hasn’t lost its edge and I think it’s still raw, which is what I want on TV. We now include musical acts like Kano, showing that it’s not just about comedy. The formula is Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘n’ Out meets Def Comedy Jam.

MJ: So you’re celebrating your five year anniversary - how does that feel?

Kojo: That’s the only thing that makes me proud because it shows young black London, that there is an opportunity to do more things other than rapping. Even I used to MC when I was young due to my friends, and many of the young comedians we see today may have chosen that route themselves if it wasn’t for the Comedy Club. We’re five years deep and there is no black promotion in this country that has gone on for that long. That makes me proud.

MG: Why do you think your show has had such a successful run?

Kojo: Because I filled a gap. There was a need for laughter every week, especially with the world being the way it is and it changed a lot of lives. Veterans like comedian Slim have been doing this for years and its going to be nuts for him when this show finally airs on TV. It was important for me to bring him back because he was one of the people that started all of it.

MG: You have a successfully merged with MTV in a way; do you think that’s the future of UK comedy?

Kojo: It’s not the future but it’s definitely a steppingstone. Why have a great idea but not show it on TV, there’s no point of being a comedian and just sit at home. I can now get a booking from a comedy club in Aberdeen because of MTV Base filming my show The Fresh Prince of Hackney. People will call me from Scotland and tell me to come down and the club will be absolutely rammed!

Kojo: Who inspires you, are there any comedians that you would say influence you?

MG: I’m more influenced by business people rather than artists right now. I’m inspired by Russell Simmons every day, he’s my idol. I’m motivated by 50 Cent, I like his aggression and I like the flamboyance of P Diddy. So all three of these people become Kojo, bits and pieces of them. I think you need all of the characteristics mentioned to be successful and respected, you have to let people know when they’re taking the piss out of you, especially as a comedian.

MG: You’re a very funny guy, but you still manage to talk about the current and serious issues that affect the British youth. Do you think that’s why young people relate to you?

Kojo: I don’t try to be a comedian who over-thinks things. I talk about everyday situations like running for the bus and missing it or falling over in the street and styling it out. I am however getting more serious with my comedy now because I believe that I’m here for a reason. I don’t have to prove that I’m funny anymore since I could easily do a show with a 1000 people, which is why it’s now important for me to talk about things that hit the bone.

MG: You’re a frequent user of Facebook and Twitter, how important are these internet community sites to you and your work?

Kojo: I’m going to rinse those web sites until they ask me to pay! People always ask me why I have 5000 friends on Facebook because I surely don’t know all of them. But my point is that they know me. I’ve got people all the way in New Zeeland laughing at my statuses and the more people that know me, the more impact I can make. My status on Facebook usually says all kinds of things and people love it because somebody can always relate. The internet is really a good a market tool for what I do. I try to test it out as much as I can and I’m actually trying to formulate a talk show from it.

MG: Why did you decide to move to New York, have we lost you forever?

Kojo: No not all, I’m out there on an educational trip and everything I do over there is in aid of what I need to do here at home. I want to bring as much energy back to London because there are so many gaps to fill here. I went to New York for a couple of months and came back and revamped the show, which is now on MTV Base! That’s stemmed from me being around people like Nick Cannon and Russell Simmons. Imagine what I’m going to do when I meet Will Smith!

MG: Have you learned anything over there?

Kojo: I now know what hustle is and what it feels like to be broke and not have anything. People here in the UK complain about being broke and you still see them out raving in clubs. When you’re truly broke over there it’s real and I actually have a newfound respect for homeless people. Their hustle is the same as mine because I live in a world where I don’t have a 9-5, so I have to go out and look for work just like they have to look for food. I have to go and create that opportunity and you only know how that feels when you are in that position yourself.

MG: You were the first British comedian to be featured on a Def Comedy Jam tour, how did that collaboration with Russell Simmons emerge?

Kojo: That’s through to the internet and YouTube as well as working with Americans for a long time by bringing them down to Cork’s. We put up a clip from a show when we had Dave Chapelle come down onto YouTube and people went nuts. It had about 6 million hits! Gina Yashere was the first British person to do a Def Comedy Jam Show, but doing the tour was different because it was live and time consuming and I got to host it and work alongside Russell and Stan Lathan.

MG: I already knew most of the comedians from previous work, which made me feel right at home. The show we did in Brixton was by far the greatest show I’ve ever been on, I’ve never been a part of anything amazing like that in my life. It was really good to get that opportunity and build that network.

MG: You’re launching your DVD soon. Tell us about that?

Kojo: The DVD is called Live Your Life and it’s an insight to what I’m really about. It will show you what my projects are, what I do on a day to day basis and how I run my business. The grand finale is a performance and it was important for me that it was filmed at Cork’s, because that’s where it all started. Live Your Life is actually a compilation and I’m featured on the first DVD, we then go on to follow a different comedian on volume two.

MG: It seems like you’ve done everything now, what can we expect from you in the future? A fragrance, a clothing line?

Kojo: (Laughs) Yeah, get my new cologne. I actually just did an audition in the states for Martin Lawrence. It’s a stand-up comedy show which will air on TV, and I got the role so stay tuned for that! I’m trying hard at building a brand and one thing I know is that if you’re successful at what you love then you can do whatever you like in life.

You can catch Kojo’s Comedy Funhouse every month and the show is filmed and broadcasted by MTV Base. For more info visit the following site: www.kojotv.com

Magners Best Of The Fest

March 12th, 2009

I certainly had my eyes opened tonight. Up until now I’ve only thought of Fred MacAulay, on compere duty here at the Glasgow Magners Comedy Festival, as Ken Bruce-in-waiting, being carefully groomed at BBC Scotland to eventually occupy the elder broadcaster’s seat at Radio 2.

After his initial introductory stint, though, I’ll never be able to look at Donald Duck or Porky Pig in the same light again. Revelation number two came when he swore. It was like witnessing a Blue Peter presenter do the same. Fair play as he had the audience in stitches, roasted a few members to varying degrees (as ever some were comedic gifts from God – such as the girl who attempted to obscure the fact that she was from Grantham, cue a bout of Thatcher-bashing, and the lass who confused Kilkenny with Letterkenny) and managed to let off the steam that he can’t get rid of through his day job. Plus anyone that rips into Bono gets top marks in my book.

The first act on was Mark Nelson, of Glasgow by way of Dumfries. Totally unknown to me but definitely a good start to proceedings. Wandering on-stage looking as if he’d slept in his suit, he raised a lot of laughs with his drolly delivered set of equal parts deviant behaviour (jokes about rather than actions - let me be clear) and life lessons. Clearly a man with an eye for the ironic side of human existence.

Second on the bill was another new name to me – Eleanor Tiernan. A rather nervy girl but funny nonetheless, with a good line in subtly delivered secondary punchlines. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen a comic do so many Irish jokes but as she’s a native its obviously the bedrock of her set. Her closing wheelchair anecdote was a little weak.

The last act I managed to see (due to a lack of buses heading east after midnight I was forced to skedaddle before Reginald D. Hunter came on, a real shame seeing as he’s clearly well at the top of his game) was Des Clarke, the token Weegie, as he himself said. I pretty much knew what to expect from him and, other than a more adult countenance than the last time I saw him perform, he delivered in spades. Quick-fire repartee with bold jokes and a decidedly subversive line in bizarre impersonations. A treat every time.

Russel Peters - Red, White and Brown

As a general rule, DVDs of stand-up comedy aren’t nearly as funny as the live show. The atmosphere isn’t the same in a living room as it is in a packed out club or venue, be it the Comedy Store in London, or New York’s Madison Square Garden, the latter theatre being the setting for Russell Peters’ new DVD, Red, White and Brown, filmed last February to a full house.

Now close to 20 years on the comedy circuit, the Indo-Canadian comic has only recently broken through and become recognised (sporadically) around the world. His first major showcase came on Canada’s Comedy Now, and paved Peters’ route to fame, albeit through illegal downloads and word of mouth.

His comedy crafted out of impersonation, racial observations and his youth, Russell has gained a sizeable UK and North American fanbase, supported by his sold-out night at London’s O2 and sell-out dates through India, Dubai and Canada. His shows have become characterised largely by his mockery of Asian cultures and disregard for most social taboos, and there’s little change in his second DVD outing.

He kicks off almost immediately into his hallmarked impression of Oriental people and their supposed obsession with Dance Dance Revolution. Mixing personal experience with unashamed political incorrectness, Peters delivers laughs even from the people he’s mocking.

And that’s pretty much the same line he runs throughout the show. Indians bellow laughter after repeatedly being called cheap – an example of one of the running gags Peters uses in all his shows. It is at this point where any fan of his would realise that there’s not going to be anything particularly new in his routine. The same subjects from his Comedy Now breakthrough are regurgitated here, just a few jokes updated and changed, with very few new matters dealt with. Case in point being the new material regarding his visit to the Middle East, which, though still funny, doesn’t move away enough from his older stuff.

However, this is all said from a person experienced in his comedic stylings. Anyone new to Russell will find plenty to laugh about. Despite the aforementioned problems, he still is unique in his ability to provide colour commentary (metaphorically and literally) with almost any subject unspeakable in normal conversation. Even with his mother in the audience, he ventures into yarns about his sexual misadventures, his fear of deaf people and lack of Indian culture, not to mention more serious topics of media influence and body image.

Red, White and Brown delivers a complete snapshot of Russell Peters’ stand up capability. The special features are just as much value as the feature itself, with a documentary clip on Peters, deleted scenes, bootleg show tapings and snippets from his show onboard the USS Eisenhower. A brilliant orator with wit and a keen social eye, Peters gives the audience what they’re looking for in him, but those new to him should not expect much variation anytime soon.

Frank Skinner

Midlands funnyman Frank Skinner has announced details of a bargainous run of stand-up shows in London’s West End – at a tenner a ticket.

The Credit Crunch Cabaret shows are happening every Monday from February 9th to March 9th 2009 at the Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. The reduced price of £10 per ticket is possible thanks to the performers slashing their usual rates and passing on the savings to fans.

Other comedians confirmed include Russell Howard, Dave Gorman, Al Murray and Richard Herring, as well as Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Lightning Seeds singer, Ian Broudie.

Speaking about the anti-recession gigs, Skinner said: “Comedy is the best way to forget what’s going on in these dark, depressing days, but it costs about £30 to watch a big name in the famous venues so I’ll do it at an affordable price. Hopefully it will spread to other cities.”

The exact line-ups for each gig have not yet been confirmed, but tickets are on sale on Monday.

Andy Parsons

One of Mock The Week‘s key comedians, Andy Parsons, is to embark on a mammoth three-month tour of the UK.

The bald-headed funnyman pits his wits against other popular comedians such as Russell Howard and Michael McIntyre on the BBC’s top satire show Mock The Week. He has also starred in BBC1′s recent Live At The Apollo, as well as Stephen Fry’s QI, and Parsons’ acerbic wit is proving to be as popular as the wares of his Mock The Week colleagues.

His new stand-up show is entitled CITIZENS! and in it he considers how we might make the world a better place… if only we could be arsed.

Catch Andy Parsons live at the following venues:

JANUARY

Fri 30 Jan DIDCOT, Cornerstone Arts Centre

FEBRUARY

Fri 6 Feb FARNHAM, Maltings

Sat 7 – Sun 8 NORWICH, Playhouse

Fri 13 Feb LEICESTER, Curve Theatre

Sat 14 Feb BLACKHEATH, Blackheath Halls

Sun 15 Feb NOTTINGHAM, Playhouse

Sat 21 Feb MIDDLESBROUGH, Town Hall

Sun 22 Feb NEWCASTLE, Tyne Theatre

Wed 25 Feb ABERYSTWYTH, Arts Centre

MARCH

Sun 1 Mar BUXTON, Opera House

Fri 6 Mar CHATHAM, Central Theatre

Sun 8 Mar SALFORD, The Lowry

Fri 13 – Sat 14 GLASGOW, Garage

Sun 15 Mar COVENTRY, Warwick Arts Centre

Fri 20 Mar SALISBURY, City Hall

Sat 21 Mar SOUTHEND, Palace Theatre

Sun 22 Mar SALFORD, The Lowry

Wed 25 Mar MILTON KEYNES, The Stables

Thu 26 Mar BARNSTAPLE, Queens Theatre

APRIL

Wed 1 Apr YEOVIL, Octagon

Thu 2 Apr CHELTENHAM, Town Hall

Sun 5 Apr SHREWSBURY, Theatre Severn

Wed 8 Apr  DORKING, Dorking Halls

Fri 17 Apr KINGS LYNN, Corn Exchange

Sat 18 Apr NORTHALLERTON, Hambleton Forum

Sun 19 Apr  LINCOLN, The Engine Shed

Fri 24 Apr WESTON SUPER MARE, Playhouse

Sat 25 Apr BASINGSTOKE, Anvil

Sun 26 Apr BOURNEMOUTH, Opera House

Wed 29 Apr IPSWICH, Corn Exchange

Thu 30th Apr HODDESDON, Broxbourne Civic Hall

MAY

Sun 3 May WOLVERHAMPTON, Wulfrun Hall

Thu 7 May LIVERPOOL, Philharmonic

Fri 8 May BARROW IN FURNESS, Forum Twenty Eight

Sun 10 May EPSOM, Playhouse

As always, you can purchase your tickets from your favourite music, comedy and film website by clicking here.

Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding

Granted, I love The Mighty Boosh. And so do you. My friends like it too, and yours say they do because they’ve seen it twice. They say they’re ‘a bit random’ – “Ima bit random” – in their About Me on Facebook, they say their music taste is ‘eccentric’, and they’re currently sporting a checked shirt in combination with skinny jeans, grey socks, deaded Converse, and a Mighty Boosh t-shirt. Nothing worse than wearing the merch of the act you’re going to see, nothing worse I say.

There’s the classism… here’s the reality. This massive show is no trip through the minds of Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt; you can’t see it unfolding the way that you want to, the way that you’re used to. There’s too much space left for the devoted fans to coo extensively, a lack of interaction through the first half, and an almost complete lack of spontaneity. Disappointing in itself but in context, a tad bewildering.

The first half of the show is like a revue, a roll-call of your favourites being introduced in the same template. With the self-indulgent woops requested time and time again. Sure, we can’t blame the show for taking this route because after all, we’re in a massive venue and the fans are so over-excited that the majority’d probably be happy if there were no words or movement for the next two and a bit hours… but the expectations have catapulted themselves onto a level unpredicted by perhaps even The Boosh’s creators.

The structure errs on the wrong side of tame, and whilst that’s relative, the moments of greatness seeping out of the seams should have been emphasised rather than, say, the extensive filler and drawn out nonsense from any of Rich Fulcher’s characters. Bob Fossil is hilarious in the series but only because his less wordy, faster-burning humour is set up to appear in contrast to the verbose, five-second-delay-inducing humour of the show’s protagonists.

The difference between the live show and the television series lies in the timing – live, there’s gaps where the audience are left to think, or even digress, but when watching any of the episodes these gaps seem few and far between. Any gaps that may appear in, say, ‘The Strange Tale Of The Crack Fox’ (series three) are inevitably miniscule – and whilst it’s not laugh-a-minute humour, it’s certainly fast and imaginative. That is missing in the large arena, unsurprisingly. Casual culture clash-based humour and the recurring Kings of Leon pastiche aside, it’s a night where you can’t help but feel that you’d rather see an episode of series one replayed before you on the stage instead of this disjointed little number. The humour’s fluid as ever, but the lines become tired and the songs drawn out.

The appearance of The Moon is fantastic, bringing back just why the show has hit so hard, if you like framing its niche in a two-minute slot. I mean it’s a moon. Creepers. “I is a moon”. What is that? A revolving circular LED screen on the top left side of the stage talking rappers and brappers and blapsers (made this bit up) – so strange that you’d conceive of such an idea once and immediately forego your soul. But no, not for Vince and Howard! Not for them.

Tony Harrison’s appearance is also most welcome, arriving on a leather one-piece – i.e. with Noel Fielding’s torso squished into the insert of a leather one-piece with the H man’s eight-tentacled existence arriving out of the top like lava out of a volcano. It is funny. Funny in principle, and funny in practice. Not tired because he’s only an occasional character.

The songs don’t work so well, they’re just too familiar. The Hitcher feels passé, hell even ‘Eels’ has had its day. Even the crimping felt a bit tired. The realisation that it was stolen by the Honey Monster was funny in principle but we all knew that. And The Boosh has never before been about common ground in such an obvious sense.

The summation is this: if you’re new to The Mighty Boosh, this’ll have been a slap in the face. Otherwise it’ll have been a mere tap on the ear. Where Sammy The Crab was hilarious in its coming out of nowhere, there’s nothing like that tonight. New characters Sunflash and Booblay offer a slightly different spin on the idiosyncratic observations, but you can’t help but wonder what the future holds if even The Boosh has started to fee hackneyed… in the true Bethnal Green sense of the word.

Ed Byrne

Muso’s Guide favourite, Ed Byrne, has announced plans for a mega UK tour in spring next year.

Byrne has added a further 60 dates to perform his current hit show, Different Class, a namesake of Pulp’s biggest-selling albums.

We loved him at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the summer – read our thoughts here.

Tickets for the tour, which covers the length and breadth of our fair isle, are available through us by clicking here.

The Pajama Men at the Edinburgh Fringe

Now then, this is a way far too long ago retrospective but better late than never. Here’s my top finds from the Edinburgh Fringe 2008 – or more precisely, the last four things at the Edinburgh Fringe which were great. And oh boy, were they good. A special mention must also go out to Feast Of The Ants, The Return of the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre and Song – all of which were astoundingly unique, capitulating what makes the Fringe so special.

Ed Byrne – Assembly Rooms
The most naturally funny stand-up you’re likely to encounter this side of 2000, Perrier Award-nominated Byrne travels off unabashedly into none-too-obvious territory. His humour is beyond uncontained and veers close to word vomit. A true spectacular, where I was constantly playing catch-up with the speed of his wit.

The Frog Man at Zoo – The Pleasance
Culminating in the protagonist becoming the frog that was once the metaphor for his mind, seeing this in a mostly empty tiny venue proves a sheer delight. As dark as it was entertaining, the nostalgia provides impressively subtle in contrast with the exaggerated, pastiched dramaticism unfolding before your very eyes.

“For 3 years you YouTubers have been ripping us off, taking tens of thousands of our videos and putting them up on YouTube.” So begins the introduction to Monty Python’s own YouTube channel.

They promise high quality versions of the clips that have been going up in ‘crappy’ quality for years. All they ask in return is that you buy a few of their DVDs from time to time.

See the introductory clip here. The channel, which at the moment mainly houses clips from the films, can be found by clicking here.

Sam Kinison

HBO are making a film of legendary comedian Sam Kinison. Directed by Liar Liar and Bruce Almighty director Tom Shadyac, Brother Sam will star Dan Fogler as the one-time preacher. Fogler’s acting work is mainly on the stage although he appeared in recent films Balls of Fury and Good Luck Chuck.

Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, the writer-directors of American Splendor have written the script based on the book Brother Sam: The Short, Spectacular Life of Sam Kinison, by his brother Bill Kinison, and Steve Delsohn.

Kinison was a Pentecostal preacher before becoming an acerbic and controversial comedian acting as a particular influence on Bill Hicks. Kinison was killed in a car crash in 1992 at the age of 38.

Click here to see Sam Kinison perform on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1989.