Rob Gilroy: Making A Stand #11
I’ve mentioned before about why I became a character comedian, haven’t I? The fact I’m so frightfully dull that even cold callers refuse to engage in small talk with me? Thought so. Another reason I arrived at this decision, though, was because of one man: Steve Coogan.
I have a very clear memory of my first introduction to Steve Coogan. I was about 11 or 12 and at a friend’s house for a sleepover. His mum kindly let us watch some over-aged videos in a move that had a lasting effect on both me, at the hands of comedy, and her, at the hands of the Social Services.
Amongst these videos was the usual stuff; The Sixth Sense – billed as being “like Die Hard but he’s dead from the beginning”, some WWF matches (a bunch of men dicking around in silly costumes) and Steve Coogan Live: The Man Who Thinks He’s It (one bloke dicking around in silly costumes). From this moment I knew that character comedy was the way for me. And if that failed then it would be wearing fluorescent pink chaps while cracking someone round the back of the head with a ladder. It was 50/50.
There was something about it that immediately appealed to me. Was it the man in a dress? Was it the young, fresh faced Simon Pegg and Julia Davis? Or was it the Kate Bush medley? It was all these things and more. The most important of which being; it was funny. Unbelievably funny.
I bought it on video and immediately wore it out, along with some other videos I could mention. (Babe: Pig in the City, cracking film.) For me, it remains to this day, the finest live comedy show, ever. Everything about it works; there isn’t an ounce of fat on it, much like a sirloin steak or Cheryl Baker circa: whenever those slimming adverts were filmed. Everything I have ever done on stage has been in an attempt to recreate the feeling I got when I first watched that show.
A couple of years back I was very fortunate to catch Steve Coogan’s recent live show. No longer being 12, I felt I may appreciate it more this time round, as well as being able to buy myself a Skol from the theatre bar.
I was hesitant at first, they say you should never meet your heroes – which is why I never attended that Peter Sissons book signing – I was scared that the show wouldn’t live up to my hype.
But it did. I can safely say I have never laughed so much. At several points, tears were streaming down my face. This is something every comedy fan, or audience member, wants. So far, the only way I’ve managed to elicit this response from the people who watch me, is to slowly pump tear gas into the auditorium throughout the evening.
To create one good character is incredibly difficult, trust me; I’m still trying to crack it, to create six is just incredible; every one of those characters has a unique humour and resonance, which is both inspiring and hair-pullingly infuriating for a wannabe character comedian – Paul and Pauline Calf, Duncan Thicket, Tommy Saxondale and Tony Ferrino; every one of them, brilliant. And then, of course, comes Mr. Partridge, which leads me on nicely to this week; and the arrival of the first full trailer for Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.
If you haven’t seen it; do. It truly looks like everything it should be and more. For me, this feels like a culmination of all of my comedy experiences, a defining moment in my generation; like when David Hasslehoff drove his Knight Rider car into that big German wall.
The date of 7 August 2013 will be forever etched in our minds as Alpha Papa Day. I think the Cineworld near me should have some sort of white smoke-to-black smoke signal to indicate when the film reels have been delivered. That’s if they still use film reels, I don’t know these days. It’s probably just a bloke from Parcel Force with a USB.
The excitement I feel towards this movie is very hard to describe. I feel I have grown with Alan Partridge and have come to love him beyond words, or as Extreme once sang; ‘More than words’.
Watching anything with Alan Partridge, is watching a master class in character comedy. Every word, every nuance, every Pringle jumper is perfect and that is down to the genius of, not only Coogan, but Armando Iannucci, Patrick Marber and Peter Baynham. Not forgetting Neil and Rob Gibbons, who seem to have heavily contributed to a new golden age of Partridge.
I think a lot of the success of Partridge is down to fact he is so believable. Everyone is convinced he’s real. Even though we know he isn’t, when he appears on our screens we can’t help but think; not this idiot again.
Before I had even heard of Steve Coogan, I had heard of Alan Partridge. When I went to see the …And Other Less Successful Characters tour a couple of years ago, the sense of anticipation before Alan Gordon Partridge took to the stage was incredible. It was, I imagine, how people in North Korea feel before Kim Jong Un rocks up to the mic, but somewhat more jovial. I knew greatness was just around the corner and he did not disappoint.*
This is how I now feel when I think of Alpha Papa. A sense of excitement and magic is in the air as 7 August draws even closer. Yes, it may not live up to the hype – let us not forget six bladed razors; a tragic waste of an opportunity – but I am quite certain that when I see that film I may as well pack in this whole character comedy nonsense. Never mind; I’ve still got my bright pink chaps.
*In case anyone has been confused by this sentence; I am not equating Kim Jong Un to greatness.
