Comedy

Comedy either works or it doesn't, regardless of what format it comes in - to me, it is one of the purest artforms out there, and I regularly see parallels with other, progressive forms of art - jazz, comic books, rock and roll.

It is a field where the most mundane, journeyman hacks sell out stadiums, and you would face the awkward silence that is normally reserved for an acquaintance making a racist comment, were someone to admit being a fan of them.

The artists that serve as iconoclasts, that advance the craft more often than not suffer, if not in obscurity than without the adulation that they would clearly reject. You get your Peter Kay and Dane Cooks, or you go for Stewart Lee, Doug Stanhope or anyone of the working artists who go onto a stage and have conversations, point out harsh truths and make people feel something.

In much the same way that some people like Robbie Williams or The Jesus Lizard, music and comedy share so many things, mainly because they are both artforms - vehicles of the purest expression a human being can endeavour over.

The differences between them are in the lack of solidarity within the moment of performance - I discount situation comedies because the good ones are rare and the funding for new writers and voices is woefully discounted. It is cheaper to produce something with Kris Marshall making that face where he looks like he is passing a pinecone whilst Penelope Keith asks him to pass the coconut macaroons than something like Spaced or the I.T. Crowd, which is par for the course I suppose.

The greatest thing you can evoke is emotion, and laughter is in itself a vehicle of the purest kind.

I will, over the next few posts, talk about my favourite comedians and point out some places online where you can get a sample, and where you can buy their material.