Cracker: LOL
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Well, I myself find it useful as photoshop source material...
as you do, excellent, more mash ups of michael cullen spliced with a schoolmaster (or a woodpecker) please
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Oh, cheers Felix Five, I knew there was something missing in all this; late 90's, post "Melody-Rules" gross generalisation. Just to update you though, Brendhan L's only day job in all the time I've known him has been filling in on breakfast Radio - something he only does because they know who he is through his comedy. Cal Wilson is working fulltime in comedy television in Melbourne, so handed in her Akl Mafia Membership card quite some time ago. And, for the record, Billy T has passed on, John Clarke left for Oz and has done the odd bit of work over there (quite well received, apparently) , and neither Bic Runga or Carly Binding are comedians.
Apart from that, I'm sure you're not being simplistic that all NZ comedy does, in your opinion, suck. Just like ALL New Zealand music, dance, theatre, film and food. And I can now categorically say that ALL the posts on this discussion are inane and outdated, based on only reading yours. Phew. Doesn't that make it all so much simpler? -
tell us a joke Jeremy .... a funny one ... </baiting>
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Well, I'm here to categorically state that not only does NZ comedy not suck, it is absolutely delicious at it's best. I had a lovely time tonight at the Comedy Club. It was Te Radar's take on the history of the South Island, and it was hilarious. He really is a very clever man - another one who makes his living doing what he does well. And the thing I liked about it the most? It was very, very NZ specific. Gotta love it.
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Brendhan L's only day job in all the time I've known him has been filling in on breakfast Radio - something he only does because they know who he is through his comedy. Cal Wilson is working fulltime in comedy television in Melbourne, so handed in her Akl Mafia Membership card quite some time ago. And, for the record, Billy T has passed on, John Clarke left for Oz and has done the odd bit of work over there (quite well received, apparently) , and neither Bic Runga or Carly Binding are comedians.
Jeremy Elwood on the other hand, does voices for half the adverts on TV.
The other half are done by Craig Parker as far as I can tell.
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Just thought I’d add to this discussion from a slightly “foreign” point of view. I do stand up in New Zealand and the USA, mainly Los Angeles, but all over the USA when the opportunity presents itself. Although I’ve written comedy for individuals and contributed to TV and film scripts for “punch up”, I only started performing my own material in 2004, in New Zealand. Performing comedy is more an avocation for me at the moment, a tool to help my writing, but I’ve been getting more and more paid gigs and working my way up the chain to the point where I am getting to a decent “mid-level” area. I’ll never headline – don’t have an ambition to or the talent for it – but I’m happy in my niche of political/topical humour and warming up an audience or filling a gap.
The “process” of comedy is as varied as the individuals who perform it. Every person has a different method, although there are some points in common. There are comedians that rely primarily on their personality, those on the strength of their material, but mostly it’s a mix of the two, again, depending on the individual. Some are topical, some are observational, some do more a “performance art” thing. Some tell “jokey” jokes, some sing comedy songs. Some perform as a developed character or persona.
New Zealand is rich in all of these areas. After observing many comedians in New Zealand and America, I’m kind of ashamed to have to say that in Los Angeles, most comedians are really auditioning to be in the next hit sitcom, rather than pursuing true comedy. There are exceptions, of course, but that is the trend. I am very impressed with the overall quality of comedy in New Zealand.
It’s rare to find a comedian that is strong in several categories – Brendhan, Jeremy, and Michele are good examples. It’s up to the individual to balance his or her routine with old and new material. One has to read the audience to a certain degree to find the best mix on a given night, but when you are performing a show that has been advertised, one that promises (or implies) a certain set of expectations, there’s a bit less latitude there. That’s one reason why festivals can be much more hit or miss than a gig at the Classic or other venue which promises no more than you’ll see a certain performer on a given night.
One trap I’ve noticed a lot of new comedians fall into (and some veterans) – they work very hard to develop a solid six-minute set, find they get a good response to it – and then their incentive to create more disappears. I think a lot of artists can fall into this trap. Once you are no longer starving, either monetarily or by signal of appreciation, the incentive to work very hard is somewhat lessened. Also, once a comedian has learned what pleases an audience, you want, as a responsible artist, to make sure your audience gets their money’s worth from a show, so “guaranteed” laughs offer a great temptation to be repeated.
For me, as I’ve read elsewhere on this thread, the “sweet spot” is to have enough material in the tank that can be drawn upon for a given audience in question. Once you find the level of your audience, you can supply accordingly.
An example: Whenever I gig at the Classic, I always observe the audience, from the lobby or the theatre. One night, we had a large party from a New Zealand company, Pacific Retail Finance. When I cam out on stage, I said: “I understand we have a group from Pacific Retail Finance in the house tonight – should I consolidate my jokes into one big joke or just put them on an installment plan?” It got a big laugh from the group, also a nice response from the general audience who knew the company, and now this large group was “on side” with me because I acknowledged them and made them laugh. It effectively broke the ice. Now, was that evil and contrived, or simply clever and responsive to the paying crowd? You could probably argue for either viewpoint.
Comedians often do a similar thing. And it’s all a balancing act. We, or at least most of us, really do try our best to make sure an audience leaves a show in a better mood than when they came in. After all, our futures depend on it!
If a comedian continues to be a draw and sell tickets, he or she may not be EVERY punter’s dish of tea, but that particular level of success is very tangible. When audiences are tired of a routine, a comedian, or a given show, they’ll stop coming.
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I just thought you'd all like to know, that mrs.peacock won the Billy T Award on Sunday night, now this in itself is not that interesting (someone wins every year), but mrs.peacock is Dave Smith and Jarrod Baker, Jarrod draws newtown ghetto anger which infrequently appears in Keith Ng's column on Public Address.
There we go, isn't that nice?
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speaking of LOL .... how do you think they got that little girl in the Pet Med banner ad above to cry? Did they:
a] smack her in the face
b] tell her Mummy is dead
c] show her a picture of a really bad car accident
d] made her drink 6 glasses of water and then wouldn't let her go potty? -
Apparently the comedy fest isn't the only place he did it. Critic, in its review of M2 magazine, commented on his orientation show being the same as last year (and said some other things about him as well):
Mr Lovegrove (at least I presume it's him, Critic certainly thought so), got letter of the week in this week's Critic for a fairly aggressive & threatening letter attacking the reviewer. It's not online yet (or particularly literate, apparently his keyboard has no shift keys). But I quote (I've tried to maintain the typos):
the reason i found out if critic has mentioned anything is because pseudo intellectual dickheads like u make the mistake of getting personal in reviews and i like to pass the names of those who do on to people in various publications so in future they can avoid having to employ a gutless fuck like u. i have worked on tv ,am working on radio and write for news papers and mags. the guy who wrote the article is highly respected and i will make sure he knows what u said.if u have a prob with me u had the chance to tell me on the night. dont hide behind yr pen u pathetic loser. i have hrs of material but every yr in otago they let students under 18 in ,and alot of them. it is regarded as the most difficult student gig by far. i would change my act there more if the students were older,but i can only do what i think they will get.
anyway u got personal, u made an enemy and thats clearly how u operate. fine i will pass yr name on so people know yr a fucking tool.
ps go on publish the letter in yr student mag, wow yr so hard core
[Brendhan] Lovegrove
There's a reply from Critic which I won't bother typing out.
Interesting in light of Graham's recent comments on reviewing.
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If it really was Brendhan's writing... I'm pretty sure Mike King managed better than that.
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Jeremy Elwood on the other hand, does voices for half the adverts on TV.
I wish! I have actually never done a TV voice over in my life. Be interesting to know who sounds like me though....
Anyway, my real point is this. The festival is now over, and I'd like to thank both the writers on this site for their (mostly) intelligent and pertinent discussion of our industry, and the audiences who made this the most successful festival to date. More local shows sold out than ever before, and Wellington in particular really stood up and made us welcome.
Keep coming to regular shows, and I for one will try and keep it fresh for y'all.
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I for one will try and keep it fresh for y'all.
That's all we ask for.
Well, actually we ask for it to be funny most of the time too.
Demanding bunch aren't we :)
Thanks Jeremy. Stick around, there's heaps here to talk about.
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I wish! I have actually never done a TV voice over in my life. Be interesting to know who sounds like me though....
Really? That's not you doing... one of the insurance companies TV adverts?
Man, a Jeremy Elwood sound-alike. You should sue.
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Really isn't me. Interesting.
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Unless Kyle's thinking of Jeremy Corbett...
All us Jeremys start to run together after a while...
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I'm pretty sure Oscar Kightly(sp?) or similar does the NZI "People keep stealing your stuff" one. I'll have to keep an ear out for other ads.
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Yep, that's Oscar. Peter Hambleton, Peter Elliott, Joel Tobeck, Oliver Driver and Johnny Lee have the rest of the tv v/o's pretty much covered. I'm not sure which one sounds most like Jeremy...
Oh, and shameless self-promotion: I'm on at the San Francisco Bathhouse next Thursday. I have 30 minutes of new material since my last gig there... Some of it may be amusing... You can let me know.
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See, this is what I love about living in a little teeny tiny country with very few people. You think that wellknown comedians would bother with discussion forums in the UK or the US? I don't think so. Hats off to you, Michele, Jeremy and Brendhan for adding to this discussion.
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I'm a little hurt that I wasn't thanked. Clearly I'm not the crowd puller I thought I was.
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You need a better agent, or I can sell you my taped lecture series on Viral Marketing for Wellington Comedians
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Sorry David! And you, chickie, and you.
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