In today’s trip down memory lane, the ever effervescent Shaparak Khorsandi leads the way – with a quick stop off at Comedy’s figurative playground – via her own yellow brick road. We dissect second chances, shifting statuses, and how the pursuit of money stunts artistic quality...
Candid, nuanced, and not lacking in poise, Shaparak opens up on the difficult situations to which her early standup inexperience subjected her, and the realisation of how bullying is ultimately rooted in jealousy.
Stu's new comedy special "I Need You Alive" has a worldwide digital premiere on Feb 23rd, see the trailer and find the ticket link at www.stuartgoldsmith.com
This week we swing wide the comcom vault door and crack open a vintage 2012 with the indefatigable Sarah Millican.
We talk about her unbound positivity, the necessity to jettison pre-gig baggage, and managing her - as well as the audience’s - expectations. We also delve into Millican’s Law, Thermos pasta, and men’s proclivity to urinate in hotel kettles.
Stu's new comedy special "I Need You Alive" has a worldwide digital premiere on Feb 23rd, see the trailer and find the ticket link at www.stuartgoldsmith.com
On the tenth anniversary of the first release, our first ever ComCom guest Rob Deering returns to discuss marathons not sprints. One of Stu’s all-time favourite acts, we’ll celebrate Rob’s huge “Running Commentary” podcast with Paul Tonkinson, and its associated fandom; whether Rob is secretly serious; walking away from the desire to be liked; and the secret of Roger Rabbit’s handcuffs…
25 mins of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club includes Rob on meritocracy and the strange evolution of comedy from the 70s to now, as well as some informed speculation on its future!
Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Fern Brady and the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.
Stu offers remote and in-person talks to business, distilling insights from over 400 comics on cultivating resilience and the ability to bounce back, to all levels from C-suite to team members.
“Stuart was brilliant; he nailed the brief, and the balance of meaningful content and humour was perfect for our audience.” Jo Matkin, CEO Celsus Group
He’s back, he’s bad, and he’s pulled off one of the most surprising pivots of the pandemic: writing an incredibly useful and heartfelt self-help book, masquerading as an autobiography!
In this edited special edition, as Stu interviewed Jimmy live on stage during his “Terribly Funny” tour shows in Manchester, Birmingham and Cardiff, Stu navigates deftly between celebrity anecdotes to push Jimmy into territory which he’s a little less familiar with sharing.
In part one Jimmy talks about his friend and colleague the late Sean Lock; goes into real detail on his favourite heckles and his strategy for combative comedy roasts; and reveals his deep relationship with his late mother, and how her passing affected the rest of his family.
With offensive language from the start. Please bear in mind this is a live performance in front of an audience of Jimmy Carr fans who’ve just enjoyed an hour of his best stuff, so - far more so than usual - this takes place within the sacred circle known as “context”. Please continue at your own risk…
Stu offers remote talks to business on what the distilled wisdom of over 350 comics can teach you about resilience, especially in times of pandemic.
“The most inspiring talk I’ve had in years!” (LEGO staff member)
Stevie Martin has been generating excellent material for years, and is now starting to break through due to her jaw-droppingly funny online videos, packed with punchlines and with a genuinely unique flavour.
We talk about the huge amount of time and prep that goes into her work, as she battles to feel like a “proper comedian” in an industry that prioritises certain styles, backgrounds and looks.
We also explore her brilliant former sketch outfit Massive Dad, and whether their aesthetic made them “unapproachable” as performers; the relative loneliness of stand-up; and trying to love Edinburgh in the way that it deserves to be loved…
Insiders:
35 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Stevie on her murky past as an Edinburgh Fringe reviewer! She also shares some surprising insights about what works on Twitter and why, the inside editorial secrets of content creators, and we find out why her next Edinburgh poster might sell her in a very different way than previous years.
Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Fern Brady and the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.
How did a grumpy table magician find a way to turn “being pathetic” into 400 shows a year in his own theatre at Las Vegas? Only Piff The Magic Dragon knows!
We’ll discover how a shop-bought dragon costume flicked the switch from sackable corporate table guy, to deadpan bulletproof performer and self-styled “loser of America’s Got Talent”. Along the way we’ll find out why the perfect show will never happen, and why a fear of failure turns most magicians into “hack copycats”…
30 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Piff on the invention of his own tricks, and how something new with a block of jelly has already cost him two and half years and over $70,000; how own bad magic and guilty shortcuts; his evangelist uprising; and what comics can learn from magicians.
Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Fern Brady and the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.
Energetic, elastic and totally committed to being “the toughest kid on the estate” when it comes to his ability to get laughs, Russell Kane has firm ideas about his precise place in the comedy firmament.
We talk about the creative power of his exceptional on-stage energy; his surprising reaction to Stewart Lee’s material about him; his unerring ability to mind-map a topic and see the central idea immediately; and learn about the hour-long preview which he scripted in just eight words, moments before walking onstage…
25 minutes of extra content available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club includes Russell’s incredible advice for comics considering performing live standup on YouTube, and thoughts on his possible over-commitment to showing one particular critic who was boss…
The single confidant who suggested that his experiments with image were driving away his long-term audience…
@russell_kane
www.russellkane.co.uk
And subscribe to his channel on YouTube, home of the “Kane-ing”
Everything Stu's up to:
Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.
“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!” - Maria Kuzak (Fundraising Manager at CALM)
The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you." - Ben Gott, (SVP at Merkle)
For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.virtualofficeparty.co.uk
Stu also offers remote talks to business on what the distilled wisdom of over 350 comics can teach you about resilience, especially in times of pandemic.
“The most inspiring talk I’ve had in years!” (LEGO staff member)
Find out more at www.comedyinsights.com
This podcast is @ComComPod on twitter and instagram
There's going viral, and then there's Uncle Roger. His MSG-loving, rice-reviewing, phone-case wearing archetypical Asian uncle character has seen Nigel Ng jump from 20,000 to 2.8M YouTube subscribers during the pandemic. Now he returns after only a few months to talk about what winning the YouTube lottery has taught him. We talk about how he'd prepared the field for explosive growth, and how much of it was luck; how it feels to become a professional YouTuber; how he manages collaboration; what new challenges laid in wait for him; and whether his success would be repeatable in an alternate universe...
Look back a few months in the archive to hear Nigel’s first appearance on the podcast, and join the Insiders’ Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders to hear 20 mins of extra content from that podcast, as well as all the extras from every episode, and the exclusive 60min Zoom Q&A with James Acaster!
Find Uncle Roger and Nigel’s own stand-up @mrnigelng on every platform, and on www.youtube.com/mrnigelng
Everything Stu's up to:
Stu’s “Infinite Sofa” chat show is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties!
“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!” Maria Kuzak (Fundraising Manager at CALM)
For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.virtualofficeparty.co.uk
Stu also offers remote talks to business on what the distilled wisdom of over 350 comics can teach you about resilience, especially in times of pandemic.
“The most inspiring talk I’ve had in years!” (LEGO staff member)
Get your hands on a ComComPod shirt & other stuff here...