| Description | Laughing Matters' with Arthur Smith (edited programme as broadcast on British Airways Radio).
[00:02] Audio begins, sting “You’re I’m Arthur Smith…” [00:09] Introduction to a clip of Bob Newhart, clip of Bob Newhart plays.
[06:05] Clip ends, Arthur Smith [A.S.] discusses Bob Newhart as a childhood memory, comic monologues, a single like The Laughing Policeman. [06:37] A.S. talks about being in school productions of Peter Pan and Tom Sawyer, the beginnings of his comedy ad-libbing.
[07:34] Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Peter Cook was funnier than everyone else in the world, Dudley Moore would “corpse” at Peter Cook [08:10] Clip of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore plays.
[14:17] Clip ends, A.S. says Dudley Moore knew he wasn’t the funny one. [14:33] Peter Cook was charismatic, had integrity and cynical view of the world. [14:52] Clip plays
[17:46] Clip ends, [17:56] Alan Bennett said Peter Cook’s life of excess could yield up its own wisdom [18:32] Laughing Matters Sting, [18:40] A.S. talks about radio, Jack Jackson, The Goon Show, Tony Hancock [19:19] watched Hancock on TV, he was of the period, Sunday Afternoon skit, [20:04] Clip of Tony Hancock plays.
[32:23] Clip ends, A.S. discusses Sid James being a wonderful comic foil to Hancock [32:43] A.S. gets compared to Sid James constantly. [32:58] Remaking Hancock with Paul Merton in the Hancock role with the same scripts [33:22] Laughing Matters sting plays. [33:36] Clip of Woody Allen stand-up plays.
[37:04] Clip ends, discussion about Woody Allen’s stand-up [37:29] Steve Martin also started in stand-up and went in film, not an option for British comic [37:51] Other American comics like Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd also started in stand-up and went on to do films, [38:04] John Belushi created Saturday Night Live as a success in the States, describes Belushi as self-destructive and dangerous [38:52] Clip of Chevy Chase and John Belushi on SNL plays.
[40:42] Clip ends, John Belushi was more rock-n-roll than comedy, most successful film Blues Brothers [41:17] Laughing Matters sting plays. [41:20] Americans didn’t have tradition of political stand-up comedy until Lenny Bruce and Bill Hicks. [41:17] Denis Leary is an actor, Bill Hicks was himself on stage [42:11] Clip of Bill Hicks plays
[47:44] Clip ends, A.S. talks about comic personas with integrity, [48:22] Laughing Matters sting plays [48:31] Clip of Noel Coward plays. [51:45] Clip ends, A.S. discusses Noel Coward going to America and being treated like Oscar Wilde. [52:53] A.S. describes Noel Coward as the high-priest of wit [53:04] Tom Lehrer is in the same tradition, with political input, Poisoning Pigeons in the Park [53:47] Clip of Tom Lehrer plays.
[55:52] Clip ends, Flanders & Swann did songs about Hippopotamuses and Mud, while Tom Lehrer did songs about The Bomb and killing pigeons [56:04] Comedy and music is difficult, [56:18] The Bonzos [Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band] and Vivian Stanshall [56:30] Clip of The Bonzos plays.
[59:14] Clip ends, combination of Neil Innes’s lyrics and Vivian Stanshall’s accent, [59:45] British Airways sting, silence for approximately a full minute
[01:00:57] Alternative comedy started in Britain in 1979 at the Comedy Store, A.S. was appearing in revues in Edinburgh, hangover from 1950s revues [01:01:28] Alexei Sayle was doing jokes about social workers and pine furniture [01:01:37] Clip of Alexei Sayle plays.
[01:05:38] Clip ends, Alexei Sayle and The Comic Strip opened up a new world for A.S. [01:05:50] there weren’t role models for young stand-ups, it was comics like Jimmy Tarbuck. [01:06:35] Clip of Arnold Brown plays
[01:09:23] Clip ends, A.S. discusses him at the Comedy Store and his delivery [01:09:57] Laughing Matter Sting plays, [01:10:01] A.S. discusses his career as a comic [01:11:07] people talk about Jo Brand as an overnight success because she had a series on but she’d been on the club circuit for years [01:11:33] A.S. talks about how there isn’t a tradition of female stand-ups in Britain, French & Saunders were a knockabout double-act, Jo Brand was a stand-up [01:12:25] Clip of Jo Brand plays.
[01:20:47] Clip ends, A.S. talks about heckling, [01:23:34] A.S. talks about stand-up comedy writing, and writing plays [01:24:44] A.S. wrote a play at university marked by Malcolm Bradbury, most of his early plays were autobiographical [01:25:54] A.S. wrote An Evening with Gary Lineker following watching England v West Germany in 1990, [01:27:34] Laughing Matters sting plays. [01:28:00] Clip of the radio show Radio Active plays.
[01:39:19] Clip ends, A.S. discusses Radio Active, it has been superseded by On The Hour. [01:39:57] Laughing Matters sting plays. [01:40:10] Clip of Harry Enfield plays. [01:42:16] Clip ends, A.S. calls Harry Enfield the contemporary Dick Emery, has a wonderful gallery of cartoon characters.
[01:43:22] Clip of Emo Philips plays. [01:45:24] Clip ends, A.S. discusses Emo Philips, compares him to Steven Wright [01:47:13] Clip of Steven Wright plays.
[01:51:32] Clip ends, A.S. discusses [01:52:20] Laughing Matters sting plays [01:52:24] A.S. talks about poetry, [01:52:43] John Hegley poetry and songs [01:53:06] Clip of John Hegley plays.
[01:56:20] Clip ends, A.S. discusses [01:56:59] Laughing Matters sting [01:57:03] The George Carlin Book Club [01:57:41] Clip of George Carlin Book Club plays.
[02:00:14] Clip ends, A.S. discusses doing a production of Hamlet featuring The Book Club. [02:00:42] British Airways sting. [02:02:26] Recording ends
|