Comic songs.

So much for writing every day. Ho hum.

I'm thinking that the way to add to my act is to add another comic song. I've had a lot of short gigs, (The Chortle Awards, The gong show.) so I've lost track of what I'd do in a 10 - 15 minute act. I think the guitar is one way to stand out and I think I have some talent for it. Also, people doing songs is still pretty rare - at least in Newcastle - there's only me and Les Paul Marshall, While it seems more common among big comics - Bill Bailey, The Mighty Boosh, John Shuttleworth etc.

But a lot of people are resistant to the comic song. Al Dawes is still not convinced, saying a song was 1 minute of material stretched to 5 minutes of time. This certainly can be the case. The warm up at the Gong show was a comedy Neil Diamond impersonator, He couldn't impersonate Neil Diamond - but that's hardly an act. He had a Song about a Pizza Delivery boy from Hell - which didn't seem to contain any funny lines - it was just the fact that a heavy rock song about a guy who (get this) delivers pizzas, was supposed to be enough of a crazy idea.

On the other hand, some songs can be beautifully crafted bits of stand up that would make you laugh even if just spoken. Bill Bailey does an amazing over blown love song about falling in love...

You made me see so many things that I had never noticed
like the snowflake that lands upon the eyelash of a startled deer
or the duck who lands on a frozen pond,
but the power of our love turns this simple act,
into an anthropormorphic drama,
where Mr. Duck's embarrassed and the other ducks are laughing...

And falling out again...

The snowflake on the eyelash of a startled deer,
Has turned to puss that oozes from an open wound,
the deer, now blinded, stumbles into a ravine.
The duck lies shredded in a pancake,
soaking in the hoi-sin of your lies...

Magic. This is what I'd like to do. I think too many comic songs are twisting the lyrics of existing songs into funny shapes. To me this is like getting laughs by drawing a moustache (or a knob) on a painting as opposed to painting your own funny picture. I want to paint my own pictures. Still, I'm not quite at that stage - at tommorow's show you can expect the A-team theme tune with funny lyrics. Oh well.

NEXT GIG:

TUESDAY 21ST OF MARCH. 8.00.
THE SECOND NIGHT OF 'LONG LIVE COMEDY'
THE DOG AND PARROT (UPSTAIRS)
-OPPOSITE THE CENTRE FOR LIFE, 2 MINS FROM CENTRAL STATION.
ONLY £2.