Hard News by Russell Brown

Lovely review of John there Russell. It was a great show, and one that shows that despite some recent comments about the nature of comedy, or moreso it's content, stand up can be intelligent, thought provoking, and change inducing. It was a brilliant example of the art form.

May i also recommend, especially for those of you who aren't stand-up fans (i know you are out there) the wonderful work of Trygve Wakenshaw. Beautiful modern absurdest buffonery. If you aren't familiar with him, he has been lauded at many overseas fests recently, and is currently one of our best humourists IMO.

http://www.comedyfestival.co.nz/auckland/show/squidboy-trygve-wakenshaw-

http://www.comedyfestival.co.nz/auckland/show/kraken-trygve-wakenshaw-

If you haven't seen anything yet, pop online and take a chance, especially with the crop of great young comics we have.

It was a brilliant show on Monday. John Gordillo is my pick of the festival so far

Totally seconded. Kraken was one of the funniest shows I've seen, and a great antidote to all of the stand-up (I love going to stand-up but it is nice to have a change). It contains one of the greatest entrances I have ever seen on the stage at Bats.

Oh, that entrance! Quite possibly the best of any show I've ever seen.
Go just for that. Stay for the rest.

John Gordillo’s show in Auckland on Saturday night ridiculed the current Air NZ safety video especially the tenuous link between the Cook Islands and the 50th anniversary of the swimsuit mag. While trying to make light of it he was genuinely astounded that the airline actually endorsed/created the video.

I was appalled when I saw the video recently, but it certainly doesn't take a rocket surgeon to imagine the pitch to the marketing people at Air NZ.

[A Boardroom, midday. 12 white, middle class and heterosexual guys are sitting around the table]

Charles from Saatchi BBDO: "Okay guys, so we're thinking we shoot this thing in Fiji or the Cook Islands over a week with 10 - 15 swimsuit models. We'll all be required to be on set at all times."

Jim from Air NZ: "Sold. When do we go?"

tenuous link

so. polite.

genuinely astounded

same

In truth, I don’t think we’re as far down this road as mega-brand Britain. But we’d be fools to think it’s not coming.

It's definitely here already... I saw John Gordillo on Monday as well , and was thinking the same, that it wasn't really a thing here - then today I saw this...

and this...

It’s definitely here already… I saw John Gordillo on Monday as well , and was thinking the same, that it wasn’t really a thing here – then today I saw this…

Great spotting!

We went and saw John Gordillo tonight. Really neat show - thought-provoking and funny. It's one of my pet hates - corporations trying to pretend that they are a person, and, moreover, a friend. Recommended.

It’s definitely here already… I saw John Gordillo on Monday as well , and was thinking the same, that it wasn’t really a thing here – then today I saw this…

I tweeted him the image and he replied:

"Ugh. Fantastic."