| Description | Sean Hughes interviewed by John Pidgeon at The Sound Company, London, for 'Laughing Matters', a British Airways Radio programme in which comedians talk about the people that make them laugh.
[01:00] Interview begins, John Pidgeon [J.P.] asks Sean Hughes [S.H.] what first made him laugh, [01:24] S.H. hated Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em as a kid.
[02:02] J.P asks if making people laugh was something S.H. did as a kid. [02:49] J.P tells S.H. that Frank Skinner said he had a comedy career aby being funny at school ten years before going on stage. [03:37] J.P asks S.H. when he first realised he could make a living from comedy. He did an audition during work experience at RTÉ.
[04:57] J.P. asks S.H. whether the comedy he watched as a kid was on radio or TV [05:24] Bob Monkhouse brought over American comics like Emo Philips and Steven Wright, [05:39] as S.H. got older he got into Richard Pryor.
[07:38] Bob Newhart [08:09] Bob Newhart on David Letterman [08:40] J.P. asks about Lenny Bruce [09:26] S.H. talks about the Dustin Hoffman film, and why Lenny Bruce is so important.
[10:07] Using the word comic to describe Lenny Bruce is almost demeaning, he wasn’t like Hale & Pace, [10:27] Bill Hicks was Lenny Bruce for the 1990s. [11:10] J.P. asks why Bill Hicks was better than other comics of his generation. [12:56] J.P. talks about Denis Leary, who puts on a Bill Hicks-style act [13:35] Andrew Dice-Clay also put on an act and wasn’t himself on stage. [15:16] Vic [Reeves] & Bob [Mortimer]
[15:44] J.P. asks if there’s anyone he used to find funny [16:44] J.P. asks how he’d compare stand-up with Sean’s Show [17:22] Robert Smith and The Cure were guests, as well as the Crystal Palace football club, Vinnie Jones, The Bay City Rollers. [19:00] J.P. talks about being a fan of Garry Shandling, doing a show on Capital Radio with Angus Deayton and DJ Paul Burnett.
[19:55] S.H. talks about people accusing Sean’s Show of ripping off the Garry Shandling show [20:00] Sean’s Show was based on a stage show which won the Perrier award called One Night Stand [20:29] S.H. says The Larry Sanders Show is the best show on TV. [20:57] J.P. talks about Garry Shandling at the Grammys.
[21:25] J.P. asks S.H. about Fawlty Towers, John Cleese & Connie Booth wrote a simple format yet to be topped, [22:20] S.H. says the Young Ones doesn’t stand the test of time in the same way. [23:00] J.P. talks about how the Fawlty Towers script was fatter than most from the Terry & June days of sitcoms.
[24:23] Blackadder, J.P. says first series wasn’t good, second series was better because of Ben Elton. [24:38] S.H. says the last series was the best. [25:08] S.H. talks about the acting from Hugh Laurie, Tony Robinson and the understated Rowan Atkinson [25:18] S.H. says Mr Bean is tosh.
[25:52] J.P asks who was around when S.H. came onto the London scene. [26:05] Arnold Brown, Michael Redmond [26:36] S.H., Rob Newman, David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and Jack Dee were all young comedians at The Comedy Store. [27:25] J.P. asks if the Perrier award made a difference. [28:00] Channel 4 approached him with the idea to make into a sitcom.
[28:18] Discussion about Arnold Brown at the original Comedy Store. [30:39] J.P. asks about Irish Dublin influences, [31:00] S.H. has never read James Joyce or Samuel Beckett, [31:45] S.H. talks about influences other than comedic, musicians, writers, magic realism, Milan Kundera, Mario Vargas Llosa. [32:10] J.P. talks about The Commitments, is that Dublin humour or is it Roddy Doyle, Dick Clement, Ian la Frenais? [32:44] Alan Parker gave S.H. a part in the film. [33:53] S.H. says there isn’t really Dublin humour, in the same way there isn’t London humour, but says there is Jewish humour.
[34:35] J.P. asks about note taking for material, mentions Ben Elton. [35:41] J.P. asks about Billy Connolly, S.H. compares him with Richard Pryor. [36:58] J.P asks about the importance of constantly doing stand-up [37:43] Anecdote from being backstage at Project Art Centre Dublin. [38:20] J.P. asks S.H. if he ever goes to see stand-up comedy himself.
[39:05] J.P. talks about Woody Allen, [39:41] S.H. mentions that Woody Allen started writing for Sid Cesar. [40:37] J.P brings up the recurring American tradition of stand-ups going into film, gives Steve Martin as an example. [42:28] S.H. says Steve Martin makes people happy in a way that Ben Elton and himself don’t.
[43:10] J.P asks about music references in comedy, and how S.H. makes references to The Smiths in his stand-up [44:20] J.P. asks about comedians who use music, S.H. says he’s never laughed at a funny song. [44:45] J.P. mentions John Hegley as one of S.H.’s choices. [45:47] Discussion about Alexei Sayle
[46:46] J.P. asks about that world of comedy festivals, Melbourne and Montreal [48:02] J.P. asks whether certain jokes don’t travel. [50:07] Norman Gunston, [50:18] Ian McLagan Small Faces and The Stones, Norman Gunston interviewed Mick Jagger at the gig. [51:09] Norman Gunston press conference with Warren Beatty. [51:54] S.H. compares it to Alan Partridge Steve Coogan but with real celebrities. [53:40] S.H. talks about the Fast Show, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson.
[54:34] J.P. asks if S.H. finds it hard to let go of old material. [55:29] J.P. asks about hecklers. [56:30] Morecambe and Wise, Eric Morecambe and Tommy Cooper were the clowns of the day, but doesn’t want to taint the memories of watching them by watching them now [57:40] S.H. feels the same way about Richard Pryor Live at the Sunset. [58:08] J.P. feels the same way about Steve Martin Wild and Crazy Guy [58:50] S.H. listened to Bill Hicks tapes on tour. [59:45] J.P. asks if S.H. has ever laughed at something in spite of himself. [01:00:00] Bill Hicks and Richard Pryor has said things S.H. disagrees with but he has laughed at [01:00:38] Bernard Manning [01:01:22] S.H. discusses New Lad-ism bandwagon and the c-word, Jerry Sadowitz.
[01:02:41] J.P. wraps up the interview and asks S.H. to do the jingles “You’re listening to Laughing Matters...”; general chatter. [01:05:11] recording ends.
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