NINETEEN
STAND-UP COMICS : ONE UNIQUE BOOK
SIT-DOWN
COMEDY
ORIGINAL
WRITING by ORIGINAL MINDS
edited
by Malcolm
Hardee & John
Fleming
Now available as an iBook for the iPad
On your iPad, just go to the iBook Store and search for... sit-down comedy
and as a Kindle eBook from amazon .co.uk
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"An anthology
of short stories by some of the best-known names in live comedy....
the next best thing to a comedy cabaret, and only half the price of
the average ticket..... PAPERBACK OF THE WEEK" (Observer)
(Also chosen
in the Observer
BOOKS OF THE YEAR section as one of only eighteen 'Books
That Made Their Mark in 2003')
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| "Hardee
and Fleming are spot on about this not being the usual 'comedian who thinks
he can publish a novel' fodder.... Throughout these tales of psycho adventures,
life on stage, lyrical dreams and a sudden beheading it is the pleasure
of seeing proven talent. What Hardee and Fleming have done is given a
bunch of comedians the freedom to run with their ideas on the page. As
alternative as comedy gets..... FOUR STARS - RELEASE OF THE WEEK"
(The Scotsman) |
| "The
stories are a million miles from the light, laugh-out-loud comedy of John
O'Farrell or Nick Hornby. They're left-field and brutal and, when it comes
to expletives, make Tarantino look like Mary Whitehouse. And while there's
no knowing quite what's coming next, it's usually about sex or death.
Or sex and death. It's juvenile. It's sophisticated..... it's entertaining.....
FOUR STARS " (Daily Mirror) |
| "The credits
read like a fantasy line-up for some mammoth comedy benefit, featuring
the best names in the business.....it makes an intriguing read for any
fans of stand-up.....a breezily entertaining read" (chortle.co.uk) |
| "
An astonishing variety of writing styles and subjects...There's some seriously
good writing in here. The cliché would be 'something for everyone'
- In this case it's true." (amazon.co.uk) |
Published
by Ebury
Press in the UK & Ireland
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ED
BYRNE
WHAT
I DON'T TELL JOURNALISTS
That monogamous moment. The
girlfriend. The clinic they hid away. The embarrassing question. The
attractive young nurse. The machine that talked.
"excellent...enjoyable...autobiographical"
(Observer)
www.edbyrne.com
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JOHN
DOWIE
HELP
ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT
The Northern comedian has
a foul mouth, a foul mind and a bomb. His mother has a secret. This
is not good news for the speccy comic from Down South.
"a
wrist-slashingly brutal account of a Bernard Manning-esque comic who
plans blood-thirsty revenge. Funny? No, not really. Disturbing? Very."
(Daily Mirror)
"breathlessly
entertaining yarn" (chortle.co.uk)
"inspired
fantasy...deliciously dark" (amazon.co.uk)
www.johndowie.com
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JENNY
ECLAIR
METAMORPHOSIS
- BLUE STOCKING BLUES
She'd prefer torturing her
schoolchildren to teaching the little terrors, but then strange things
start happening - and what's with the breasts and the giggling?
"very
readable tale" (chortle.co.uk)
"Quite
spooky and unusual..." (Roobarb's DVD Forum)
www.camberwellbeauty.co.uk/jenny.htm
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STEPHEN
FROST
HIPPY
TRIPPY
A cup of tea on a movie set
takes Stephen into a world of Glastonbury hippies and strange meetings
on the night King Arthur may be out and about.
"enthusiastic
slide into a lost weekend certainly has the ring of truth" (chortle.co.uk)
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BOOTHBY
GRAFFOE
ARE
WE THERE YET?
When you kidnap an elephant,
you can end up with big trouble.
QUID
PRO QUO
He asked for her darkest sexual
fantasy. The bad news was she told him.
THE
WORST SERIAL KILLER IN THE WORLD
Getting through the door was
bad enough, but then he met the cat.
"Boothby
Graffoe's gruesomely slapstick Worst Serial Killer In The World
is, literally, bloody funny"(chortle.co.uk)
http://www.boothbygraffoe.com
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RICKY
GROVER
MY
FIRST JOB
The cafe. The robbery. The
mum who thought she was Mrs Kray.
JEKYLL
The posh bird.
The little dog with the broken neck. The steaming log.
"fictional,
I hope."
(Daily Mirror)
"at
once sweet and suitably disgusting"
(amazon.co.uk)
"Ricky
Grover is the standout by far with a deadpan gem."
(The Scotsman)
"Both are seriously superb pieces of writing. People like that
are exactly as he has captured them - I jumped when I read it. Ricky
Grover is a fine, splendid writer."
(unsolicited e-mail from a genuine reader)
http://www.rickygrover.com
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MALCOLM
HARDEE
INTRODUCTION
Well, someone has to do it.
Oy oy.
"The
spiritual father of Alternative Comedy" (Independent on Sunday)
"The
father of modern alternative comedy" (The Scotsman)
"Cast
your mind back to OTT's late-night nude balloon dance and Hardee's face
- and backside - will come back to you." (Daily Mirror)
www.malcolmhardee.co.uk
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HATTIE
HAYRIDGE & LINDA SMITH
A
DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN URBAN NOBODY
Without quality control, there
would we be sub-standard apple turnovers and that would never do. There's
a job to be done.
HATTIE:
"Witty lines like hers are a rarity" (Ben Elton)
LINDA
IS: "The wittiest living person" (BBC Radio 4 listeners) |
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JOHN
HEGLEY
EASY
ON THE BUTTER
John goes to Greece with a
tent. There are some references to Morris Dancers, potatoes and teacakes;
plus several charming drawings.
"John
Hegley shows he's as good with prose as he is with poetry with his captivatingly
offbeat contribution"(chortle.co.uk)
"surreal
miniature prose-poem"(Guardian)
www.johnhegley.co.uk
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DOMINIC
HOLLAND
HOBBS'
JOURNEY
When the tramp has a slap-up
meal at a Park Lane hotel restaurant, there's more on the menu than
he can ever possibly have imagined.
"Hobbs'
Journey is a real corker that leaves you wanting more" (chortle.co.uk)
"a
joyful ten pages that has me rushing to buy his two novels"
(amazon.co.uk)
www.dominicholland.com
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JEFF
INNOCENT
IN
DARKEST ENGLAND
The social history of The
Cockney explained from Bill Sykes to Del Boy, from Jews to jellied eels,
from the Black Death to the Queen Mother.
"Very
sharp" (Time Out)
"worth
the purchase price alone" (amazon.co.uk)
http://www.jeffinnocent.co.uk
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STEWART
LEE
I'LL
ONLY GO IF YOU THROW GLASS
The most-feared venue in Britain
has booked a legendary comic known for his harmonica, a pack of cards,
a pair of dirty Y-fronts and a bag of wigs.
"Written
as loosely rhyming verse, it's quite odd." (Daily Mirror)
"truly
exceptional....typically brilliant." (Jack magazine)
www.stewartlee.co.uk
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SIMON
MUNNERY
THE
TRUE CONFESSIONS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
Why is Watson wearing
a steel fez? Who is the Musical Detective? When you have eliminated
the impossible, what is left is a man with no face.
"If
The True Confessions of Sherlock Holmes is anything to go by,
Munnery is at the top of his game this year." (Guardian)
"classic
Munnery" (Scotsman)
"The
gem of the collection" (Observer)
www.leagueagainsttedium.co.uk
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OWEN
O'NEILL
THE
BASKETCASE
What use is a doorbell that
plays God Save The Queen in Ireland, especially when Ambrose's
wife is dying? And what is he building in the living room?
"The
short story is a difficult form...Playwright and stand-up Owen O'Neill
demonstrates how it should be done" (Observer)
"a cracking
piece in the finest tradition of Tales Of The Unexpected"
(chortle.co.uk)
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ARTHUR
SMITH
THE
MAN WITH TWO PENISES
The ultimate male fantasy
becomes the ultimate nightmare.
DISHONOURABLE
DISCHARGE
Bernie was king of the hospital
Smoking Room...then Roland arrived.
"Arthur
Smith....presents the man with two penises, revealingly named Ant and
Dec." (Daily Mirror)
"two
scabrous shaggy-dog stories" (Guardian)
"Arthur
Smith's tale of the extra phallus is bizarre" (amazon.co.uk)
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JIM
TAVARÉ & DAVE THOMPSON
KISSING
IN THE WIND
The retirement home like Colditz
plus Seahaven's sexiest funeral director and two aged escapees with
a secret.
"a
wry account of life in an old folks' home with a twist in the tale"
(chortle.co.uk)
"as
well as making me laugh out loud, the story had a dream logic. I read
it a second time, and the symbolism worked on a deep level without needing
any humour." (amazon.co.uk)
www.jimtavare.co.uk
www.davethompson.org.uk
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TIM
VINE
THE
MAP OF ELORZA
How to destroy the world with
a nuclear toothbrush, a 300 metre mechanical arm and some hysterical
paranoia. Not to mention the four dancing Osmonds.
"I loved
Tim Vine's, because it was so silly, but held an emotional truth "
(amazon.co.uk)
"a
quirky page-turner" (chortle.co.uk)
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TO
READ
MALCOLM
HARDEE'S
INTRODUCTION
TO THE BOOK
CLICK
HERE for the ONLINE VERSION
TO
READ
JOHN
FLEMING'S ARTICLE
ON
HOW THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN
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HERE for an ONLINE VERSION
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FULL UNCUT REVIEWS
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