Thursday 10 September 2009

Hey yo, im a pundit now.


http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/player.html?20090901,

Reviews I don't even remember writing.

Aparently these were in an issue of Verbal. I dont rememeber writing this.

Hulk Smash!


As far as mainstream recognition of comic book characters goes the Hulk is right up there with the big guns (chiefly those who wear their pants outside their ludicrously tight tights).

So it’s something of a shame that most people remember him as either a giant, green, radioactive simpleton; jumping round the desert shouting “Hulk smash!” (as portrayed in the early comics), or as a hitchhiker in awful looking flares, walking down the road to sad piano music; alternating between thumbing a lift to the next town and turning into a giant, emerald steroid addict. Which is a pity, because the Hulkster has spent over 20 years in the hands of some of comic’s best creators, and writers like Peter David and Bruce Jones have taken what is a simple spin on Jekyll and Hyde and transformed it into a tragic, modern day Hamlet. Albeit a Hamlet who has been bombarded by Gamma Rays.
Recent events have taken an even more tragic turn as the leading superheroes on the planet have decided that the Hulk’s rampages must cease. Their solution: stick him in a rocket and send him away. Planet Hulk is an account of the Hulk’s Proustian travails on the planet Skarr, where he becomes a Gladiator, an outlaw, and eventually King. It’s a little heavy-handed to be frank, considering it is almost the Plot of the film Gladiator in reverse, however it never drags and the art and dialogue are excellent. It’s FUN, like a Hulk comic should be. Unfortunately, being who he is, it all goes belly-up for the Hulk when the planet he is king of explodes. Being who he is, the Hulk decides to raise what is left of his army and return to Earth to seek revenge on those he holds responsible (because inevitably, Hulk will smash). World War Hulk is a big, bold, ballsy crossover that encompasses the entire Marvel universe and took up nearly 150 comics. Fortunately for us it has been condensed down into one easy to digest mouthful and I’m happy to say it loses nothing in terms of storytelling.
Both these books are fine as stand-alones, but act as excellent compliments to each other. THIS is the way comics should be. Good times.

Sunday 12 July 2009

War Journal : Masons Comedy Club 4/6/09








Me doing stupid voices.

This one was a bit crazy. The harsh financial reality of our impending Fringe trip had begun to set in and it became very obvious that we needed to make a shit load of money on this one or else we were gonna be up cack alley. As a result of this i was absolutely shitting myself for a few days before hand. The acts had all agreed to perform for free, and Masons were behind us , so i don't know what exactly it was i was worried about , i just knew i was worried. Basically we all needed a shit load of people to turn up.
When people talk about a picture being worth a thousand words they mean this picture

As it turned out we needn't have worried about it . All the acts were awesome , in particular new friend of the Concept Shane Todd, and the crowd was massive, so large in fact that i was reminded of the days when DR Page would stand behind the curtian and ask " who are you people ?" over and over again. Our set went quite well, although I felt there was an awful lot me doing stupid voices. There were a couple of sketches that i felt flat out did not work ( propaganda) , but overall the set goes well. Sorcha stole the show with her monologue. FUCKING BITCH. Post show activities inclue the usual drunken madness , with the strabane contingent in particular doing themselcves proud. A good time was had by most.


Two more satisfied customers seeking shelter neath the Freebirds wing

Saturday 20 June 2009

War Journal . 12/06/09 Fibar Magees Ballyshannon


So as it turned out, Leckys' mate Christian ( a fine man) , had taken over running what could be best described as a caberet style club in the mighty city of Ballyshannon and thinks we might be the right type of act . Therefore The Concept ( as the kids call us) were Donegal bound for the first time. There was a great deal of concern going into this , that some of our material might be considered a little.......inappropriate for such a place . We therefore were compelled to remove all the blasphemy(boooo) and blatant excuses for bad words ( double boooo) from our set list. Fortunately for us hard ons and general bad taste are all right in Tir Connal , so we still had a rather cheeky set list.
Our hosts for the evening was Eavan King ( Ballyshanon resident, comedy promoter par excellence , and our Brian Epstein) and her lovely mum Mary , who made us feel right at home ( which they will come to regret I'm sure. A little nervous before this one, being that it was a new audience , and also the first gig we've done without Sorcha ( which felt like working with a missing limb). Always interesting to watch everyones pre show rituals. Pete seems compulsively to organise and reorganise things over and over , often it seems to me on details that are ultimately inconsequential. Lecky retreats into himself, going over lines and bits and accents in his own head ( as i imagine a real actor would). Me ? I get pissed up and schmooze with whoever is available.
The venue is great , sadly the crowd is small ( but appreciative ). It seems most stuff is well received, Philomena goes over great ( bah!!!) , and Pete steals the show with his Emu bit. The bastard. Post show we get pissed up and have a great time , i get some good advice from Maura, and a lesson in knowing my rights from Christian and his lovely partner Catalina ( who tells me at length about how she does not really drink, but has a full bottle of wine while telling me this). We return to Ches King were our requests to go and investigate the nearby hydro electric plant fall on deaf ears , and we instead drink more. Ireland's' Oldest Bridge!!!!!

The next day is just brilliant as we visit Ireland's' oldest fridge( sorry, bridge), have fun on the beach , and i renew my attack on all the birds of the world, starting with the majestic swan.


FUCK YOU SWAN

Anyway long story short it was a great show that hardly any fucker saw. We had a great time and a great night, got some good feedback, and had a much needed day of fun after all the recent stresses infighting and general bullshit. Made me feel confident and energised for upcoming gigs and hardships.
PODER~!

Thursday 11 June 2009

Unread Book Review :3 Kings By Ralph Reigl





Kind of ashamed of this one. Myself and dr page reviewed it without reading it. Still. Its Funny i think .




Three Kings

Ralph Riegel’s

Books by journalists carry one major health warning. Sometimes, they amount to little more than a series of columns linked together by a hastily written narrative. Absent is the sense of perspective that time provides and present is all the minutiae; alternating between tedious and lurid. Sports and Crime writers are particularly guilty. Ralph Riegel’s previous effort, an (admittedly excellent) account of the disappearance of Robert Holohan and the subsequent trial of Wayne O'Donoghue, was such a read. So now naturally he turns to sport; ‘three kings’ his account of the age old hurling rivalry between Cork, Kilkenny, and Tipperary. Gripping stuff, you might think… Sadly you would be wrong, as generating even a smidgen of interest in such a topic is a Sisyphean task which the author is just not up to. Maybe it’s just me but isn’t t the age old battle for supremacy described here of so little interest, to anyone outside those three Counties, that you might as well be describing the all Ireland Tidily Winks championship. And Hurling? Get to Fuck!!!

All told; if you know anything about the sport (and God knows, ‘True’ Sports fans are nothing if not anal) you will learn nothing new, and if you don’t know the sport you probably won’t want to read this anyway

And Hurling? Seriously: Get to Fuck!!!

I give Three Kings Three Stars. Out of 17

Graphic Novel Review: My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down


My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down

David Heatley

Jonathan Cape

I wish people would stop sending me autobiographical comics to review. It’s not that I don’t appreciate them. I do. Its not that I don’t read them. I really do. It’s just that the type of person who sees fit to do such a thing is typically going to write a head frying work of staggering oddness. Why can’t they be more straight forward like super hero comics? Why don’t you send me super hero comics? Call me old fashioned but isn’t the simple story of man with a magic ring being made a space cop by an army of blue midgets from the planet Oa ,much easier to deal with than the day to day life of some poor schlob and his hang ups?

Speaking of which, young David Heatley has some ......intriuging, things to say in My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down. The feel of the art makes it seem almost like a modern day Peanuts but I can assure you, Charlie Brown and Snoopy Never got mixed up in anything like this. He tells his life story, but does it in part by giving an account of every sexual experience he has ever had. EVERY SINGLE ONE. IN GRAPHIC DETAIL. Quite why he felt the need to do this I can not comprehend, but it’s strangely compelling, and there is an almost child like innocence to it. Possibly because, you know, its cartoon figures in explicit sexual situations. A second section gives an account of every black person he has ever met. He has some interesting things to say about race relations, and this section is handily interspersed with his notes on Hip Hop culture giving it the feel of a visual De La Soul album.




The rest of the book deals with his relationship with his parents. Race, sex, and his parents? I would say it sounds like someone in need of therapy. But of course there are whole sections devoted to his therapy. I have no idea who the target audience of this book is supposed to be. I liked it. Many people I showed it to thought it was either disgusting or racist. Heatley is clearly a complex individual and the ups and downs of his life are funny, disturbing, thought provoking, sad, and insightful

The ideal gift for the pervert or gangsta rapper in your life.

Tuesday 9 June 2009

Fringe Festival Artwork




Check this shit out: The artwork for our Edinburgh Fringe Festival flyers : in a word , awesome. Love The Concept play the Gilded Balloon 6.15pm aucgust 6th - 31st . Be there mother fuckers.




Also many thanks to the Evil Galactic Empire and the troopers of the Emerald Batallion for endorsing the Concept. Word. So there you have it: LTC the choice of galactic despots all over the universe.