|
Without The Comedy Store, the most famous stand-up venue in
the country, would we have the live circuit we have today?
The answer, of course, is yes. Had Peter Rosengard and Don
Ward not stolen the idea wholesale from the States, someone else
surely would.
But its name is still synonymous with stand-up not just because
it was the first - but also because, unlike other, arguably more
influential venues, it endures today.
As is well documented, the Store first opened its doors above
a Soho strip club on May 19, 1979 - the same year Thatcher swept
to power.
Since then it has undergone various transitions - both physically
and spiritually - from its seedy beginnings where hostile, rowdy
punters would gong off a seemingly limitless supply of hopeless
hopefuls, to its present day slick, corporate operations off
Piccadilly Circus and in Manchester.
And, of course, a comedy club doesn't exist for 23 years without
boasting a string of now-famous names among its alumni.
The list of people who've played here - as the cliche goes
- is a real Who's Who of comedy. And the first chapter of William
Cook's new history is really little more than a triumphant listing
of this hall of fame.
Thankfully, the rest of this biography - if that's the correct
word for a book about a club - is considerably more entertaining.
Stand-up is essentially a verbal medium, and that's reflected
here. The book isn't packed with facts and figures - but is a
collection of anecdotes and memories that paint an oral history
spanning the Store's three homes.
Cook, the comedy correspondent of The Guardian, uses the Store
to parallel the development of the comedy circuit from strictly
amateur beginnings through radical art form and TV breeding ground
to the slick, sanitised experience today's punters expect from
what can be an expensive night out.
Although the Comedy Store's most exciting years are behind
it, Cook doesn't mourn the loss of some of the ideals on which
the circuit was founded - rather, he accepts it as inevitably
mirroring the progress of society and politics.
Such analysis is never laboured, though, it emerges from the
stories of those who have passed that famous open-mouthed logo
through the years.
Anecdotes are packed in tightly, making for a cracking read,
and one that is surely essential for anyone interested in stand-up.
Contained in these amusing tales of stage deaths and storming
gigs are countless nuggets of advice for anyone wanting to brave
the comedy stage.
By concentrating solely on one venue, though, parts of the
history of stand-up are bound to be glossed over, although Cook
makes an effort to include at least the basic facts about such
significant sidelines as The Comic Strip, where the likes of
Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson and French and Saunders really found
their voice.
But any smaller clubs are pretty much ignored, no matter how
influential. This is, after all, a book about - and partly sponsored
by - The Comedy Store.
Such a tome is, of course, only going to be as good as the
interviewees - and Cook has persuaded an impressive line-up of
comics to talk to him, even if a couple have only the most tentative
of links to the Store, with a couple of gigs there to talk of.
But it's not just the big stars, Cook also gives credit to
those whose names mean nothing to most audiences but whose influence
has still been felt.
Most notable of these is the one-time strip-club choreographer
turned Store booker Kim Kinnie, whose encouraging (and disparaging)
words to aspiring comics helped them form the acts that made
them famous. But there's also words from everyone from the lighting
engineer to the open mic acts who still see the Store as a breakthrough
gig.
So if the book is a little scant on details, making it a little
flawed as a reference source, it more than compensates by being
an evocative anecdote-crammed work, perfectly capturing the changing
mood and spirit of the club and the live scene over
the decades.
February 9, 2002
 Buy The Comedy Store from Amazon
|