Roadtrip of Heroes

I had intended to post this a while ago. I know I promised some sort of regular soundcast - I have been recording them, but we waffle far more than we should and I have to find time to edit and I could think of a billion more excuses but it still wouldn't mean they were ready to be uploaded. I'll try though.



So daughter two and I battled the most horrendous weather to get to Cardiff in order to watch the recording of two episodes of the second series of the utterly brilliant "Pantheon of Heroes". What can I say but that you should make sure you listen! Even if you missed the first series, definitely catch this one!

First episode is tomorrow (or today, dependant on when your feed of choice picks up this post!) Friday 7th December at 6.30pm on BBC Radio Wales. Don't live in Wales? No problem: Sky customers can listen on channel 0117, you can listen live online via the Iplayer or those who use the Iplayer app (which won't let you hear regional shows) can use Tune-in Radio which I find to be a good reliable app. No excuses! (Oh and it'll probably be repeated after Rhod Gilbert's show on a Saturday too, dependant on a lack of sport!)

So here is the soundcast. Apologies for the poor sound quality in the mid-section. I spent a lot of time editing out background noise, but wasn't able to clean it completely.

C2: Elis James with Daniel Glyn

Those amongst my readership lucky enough to know me in the real world will be fully aware I have been dysgu Cymraeg for, ooh… around six months or so… therefore my grasp is not brilliant. To practice, though, I watch a lot of S4C and occasionally listen to BBC Radio Cymru … and for the most part can just about tread water – so only an idiot would attempt to translate two hours of radio under those circumstances, eh? Ummm… yea!

But bear with me, because I know some of my regular readers in particular will appreciate my efforts here.


One of the shows I love to listen to is that of Daniel Glyn, part of the C2 programming aimed at the younger listeners – because of my youthfulness, I guess…

And this week his guest was the absolutely fantastic (and this is where it starts to get relevant to you people!): Elis James.



And since I know some of you will be interested in what he had to say, I figured I’d try somehow to make it available to you all.


The sound files are here for you to listen to – and to be honest, if you find yourself with some time to spare, you may want to listen even if you don’t speak Welsh, just for the little English moments within – and for Elis’ brilliant David Bowie impersonation! I haven’t joined the files together, because I figure it will be easier to digest in smaller pieces – and it makes the upload faster, too, so it’s better all round!


I will paraphrase rather than a direct transcript… no surprise there, as my Welsh is obviously poor… but hopefully it should give enough for those of you with no knowledge of the language to catch on to the little snips of English scattered throughout.

If there are any proper Welsh speakers looking in and I have made huge, glaring mistakes (which I possibly will!) please get in touch and let me know!

In the interest of getting this posted for you to listen to the files and given that this is a huge task, I will be posting outlines for now and filling in details as I complete. Updates will be announced as and when!





Part one (18mins):

The discussion started, rather predictably with Elis’ current tour “Do You Remember the First Time?” which leads into a conversation about the Glee Club in Cardiff, as Elis remembers struggling to get a gig there early on in his career.

Daniel suggests that Facebook/Twitter make it easier to get instant feedback on new material rather than waiting until you have an audience for it and there is a little chatter about people complaining that material used in live shows is often the same as that on TV appearances. (as an aside, I never understand this complaint as it is impossible to expect new stuff absolutely every time we see someone on the television – in fact, I have seen many different versions of the Rhod Gilbert luggage sketch and every one makes me laugh as though I am hearing it for the first time! Some people expect too much!)

With some discussion as to whether Elis always wanted to be a comedian, which leads to discussion over how Elis got started in the industry, having thought there were only seven other comedians so it would be easy for him…

The conversation moves onto other jobs – Elis has a History degree and talks a little about other jobs he had before he started to get paid properly for gigs.




Part two (7 mins):

The pair chat about the music played and recording tunes off the radio as a youngster.

A listener messages via FB telling Elis he’s ‘fab’ (a little Cymraeg joke here, as she says “Mae’n fab” – which in literal translation means ‘there is the son’ hence you will hear a rather cute little “Hi mam!” from Elis! – I did tell you it was worth listening for the English moments!)

Elis talks about how his management company set up corporate gigs for him. There was a recent one for the Growers’ Association which went really badly – only ten minutes to talk so there isn’t a lot of time to get in the flow and it’s poorly paid.

A discussion on Elis’ time as a warm-up for Deal or No Deal and Buzzcocks which is quite easy to follow to be honest!




Part three (10 mins):

The pair chat about Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, first kisses and a little about Isy (of course!) and Elis reveals how incredibly busy he is right now having been preparing his Edinburgh show and recording for radio alongside his current standup commitments both within his tour and other gigs.





Part four (8 mins):

A little discussion on panel show appearances: 8 Out of 10 Cats, Chris Addison’s Show and Tell, a chat about why he hasn’t been on Mock the Week, his first experience at Up the Creek and the Montreal and Melbourne festivals.




Part five (10 mins):

A little about the comedians Elis likes to watch, how dysfunctional comedians can be and stealing other people’s jokes with a little about his brilliant sketches with Isy on Hwb.




Part six (4 mins):

A discussion about this years’ Edinburgh Festival at which Elis is doing some Committee meetings with the incredibly sexy Chris Corcoran* (His words, not mine... possibly!) and some solo shows. They also had a quick chat about Elis’ appearance on the Rob Brydon show…


And there you are:

Check back for updates when I get around to a more complete write-up – but to be honest, there is enough English scattered within that you should be able to get the gist from what I have provided…


Since it was mentioned early on in the interview, here is a snip of Elis' fantastic ‘Paintballio’ routine:




And because it was played on the show and it’s a tune I really like:

Richard Herring’s Objective

I know this is old, but it’s being repeated right now on R4 so that makes it completely relevant!

Besides, I think when this was around before I was far too deeply in a state of shallow pretentiousness to appreciate what Herring has to offer.


The premise of this show is that Richard Herring is claiming back things which have acquired a bad name over time, discussing why they became icons of negativity and how we can once again make them popular.

There have been two series thus far and they are currently being repeated in a somewhat hotch-potch fashion on a Tuesday evening at 11pm.

This is really worth a listen. I have to say, I feel somewhat cheated of the comic genius of Herring having wasted so many years with an irrational, unqualified dislike of him but I am catching up gradually and very much liking what I hear.

In the current episode which you will find on the Iplayer, the point for discussion was the hoodie. It will surprise no-one that the conversation ridicules the notion that hooded tops are worn only by the young and the idea that anyone wearing one is automatically pre-disposed to cause trouble whilst also pointing out the irony of hoodies being sold in the very places which were first to ban them. Very funny as well as making us stop and think about our own prejudices.

Catch the current ep here: Richard Herring's Objective
Or tune in to BBC Radio Four next Tuesday for the discussion on the St George Flag.

Social Club FM

I promise I will get better at doing these right away… once again, though, I have to admit that I have had to rewrite many times (not that it should surprise anyone!)

So anyway, having just listened to the third instalment of this show I can only say it is every bit as brilliant as you should expect!

*Deleted bullshit gushy nonsense*

See I did once say I would never attempt to review anything Chris Corcoran had touched on, but I am supposed to be a professional – I should be able to do this, right? So here goes; I have plied the inner-fangirl with what some might consider dangerous levels of caffeine, so she should be quiet for a while… let’s see how well this goes…

Brilliant, original, unique… and hugely funny.

That should do, no?

What you actually wanted full sentences? That might be harder to do…


Okay:

The main characters of Rex (Elis James) and Mr Chairman (Chris Corcoran) are already well-established, having stemmed from the live Committee Meetings so there is already a certain chemistry between them. The relationship between the characters is clear and uncomplicated and is played out perfectly by Messers James and Corcoran. There is a subtlety to the dialogue which I love because it isn’t always obvious where the laugh will come from, drawing the listener further into the story and whilst at times the plot might seem to descend into an almost farcical slapstick situation, it never feels contrived or sensationalised; a testament indeed to the sheer brilliance of the pair!

And I will leave it there, I think, whilst it still seems *fairly* professional!


I am afraid as always if you have awaited my go-ahead, you have missed the first episode, but episodes two and three are available on the Iplayer (if you hurry!). New episodes air on Fridays at 7pm on BBC Radio Wales.

I will add a sound-bite later, but for now you can see the pair on this collection of Committee Meeting videos:

Pantheon of Heroes

Maybe it’s just me, but were I reading a review blog which lauded something and promised a proper review at a later date, I probably wouldn’t wait for the review before actually listening. But it seems that some of you have been. So I am sorry to have made you miss the first three episodes of this brilliant radio show, but I take no responsibility for your lack of aptitude to just listen and make up your own minds. In fact, it is sometimes better if you land on a review with some idea of your own thoughts, as that creates a space for debate (as borne out in my review of the Irish show, Sketchy and the ensuing conversation – and the rather interesting list of search terms on my google report which lead people to that particular post!)

I didn’t lie to you, it was written long ago. In fact, I first wrote it immediately having listened to the initial episode… and have re-written many times since. It seems that whenever I think it’s done, I have one last read-through before posting and just think it sounds as though I am fangirling in the worst way – and I am not. I can offer little as evidence but for my own words but that should be enough. You can see the blatant signs of my fangirl nature in many posts here (not naming names, as that messes with the search engine thing, but regular readers will know well enough… and the tag cloud probably has an inkling!)

I do love Elis James’ work though; he just oozes a natural funniness which is most apparent in the fact that whilst most comedians will hit with some and fail with others I have yet to meet anyone who claims not to find him funny.

With that in mind, I shall attempt one last time to hammer something out for you…

The principle behind the show is thus:

Elis James, ably assisted by Ben Partridge and Nadia Kamil and with the use of the custom-made totaliser, is setting up a pantheon dedicated to the heroes of Wales. In each episode, we are given a breakdown of the achievements of a group of candidates to represent a category of history via sketches and dialogue before one icon is chosen to be immortalised in the garden of statues.

There really isn’t an element of the show that isn’t funny. The interaction between the three stars is natural and really funny, the sketches are hilarious and indeed the whole concept is just brilliant!

There is not much more I can say than that, really.

I have tried and the more I say the more it gets gushy and ridiculous until it comes across as completely insincere… so just listen and make up your own mind. I have struggled to find a clip to embed, mostly because much of the content relies on what comes before and after it but also because when everything is funny it is hard to find a moment which stands out. This particular clip from the Religion episode features Elis affecting a brilliant Irish accent to impersonate the singer, Enya which very much made me chuckle! Enjoy!



Catch the show on I-player, or on BBC Radio Wales (available outside Wales via Sky TV or through "Listen Live" on the BBC Radio Wales website). New episodes air on Fridays at 7pm.

Newsjack

Thursdays at 10:30pm, BBC Radio 4 Extra



Newsjack takes a light, satirical look at the week’s new events through a series of sketches and one-liners.

Just starting its fifth series, this programme shows no sign of pausing for breath: headed this time round by the brilliant Justin Edwards, it is every bit as fast-paced and entertaining as previous offerings.

It helps, of course, that the show does not have a formal writing team; this stops it from feeling tired as can so often happen. I love the magazine feel to the show, reminding me a little (if I can reference without glaringly giving away my age!) of watching KYTV in my youth, although to the “now” generation I guess it is more like a verbal version of Tumblr! I note that this show even holds the attention of my teens; no mean feet indeed, considering they (and most of their age) have horrendously short attention for anything without a visual. This can only serve to reinforce my point that the punchy delivery, quick-fire scripts and dynamic performances really do contribute to a fantastic piece of radio!

As always, you have probably missed the first episode by now but be sure to “tune in” (does anyone need to tune in nowadays?) for the next this week – or, yes you can search the I-player for it!

Andrew Lawrence - What To Do...

...IF YOU ARE NOT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE (Radio 4, Wednesdays at 11pm or on I-player until the following Weds)

I have mentioned this show before: series one was absolutely brilliant and I had been anxiously awaiting series two since I first heard it was being recorded!

Having watched one of Lawrence’ preview shows in the summer, much of the material is familiar to me but in all honesty it really does not matter; with much of his performance being more down to his effortless delivery and general attitude of indifference towards his audience, it doesn’t feel that you are just waiting for the next punchline to arrive. I did note when I reviewed his live show that I found he had developed a slightly darker, edgier tone: happily this has remained for the current series and I am looking forward to seeing how much further he dares push it in the future.

I have said before, though, and will re-iterate… this show needs to be more than thirteen minutes long! Okay, so it will require the writing of much more material, but I am sure that is not beyond the capabilities of a comedian such as Andrew Lawrence!

Sad to see him still referred to through the media as an unknown... I would like to think that the efforts he has put in should have his name imprinted on the minds of most who pretend comedy matters to them by now!

It would be nice to see something a little different from him down the line, although with his current material touring well into the spring of 2012 I doubt he will find the time to do anything else.


Tune in and listen… or I-player it - but be fast because as with all radio shows, there is only server space for one episode at a time and you have already missed a couple!