MY WEEK (September 25): A well-spoken funnyman and a list of very big problems

Quite literally, actually, because everything I’ve done recently seems to have been comedy related.

I’ve been preparing my interviews with stand-up comedian Tom Stade and Hebburn writer Jason Cook, as well as trying to arrange an interview with Seann Walsh. The Tom Stade piece is done (page 51) and I’ve got the Jason Cook article lined up for next week’s paper. The Seann Walsh interview isn’t guaranteed yet, but I’m hoping to get it sorted by the end of the week.

Last Monday, I went to Brighton with my Dad to watch Simon Evans perform at the Theatre Royal. It was a birthday treat, so I decided not to write a review about it, but I thought I should give it a mention here. The main reason I want to talk about it was because the show was very funny. Simon’s a particularly well spoken, somewhat old-fashioned man but he’s also brilliantly self-aware. He knowingly plays around with a kind of small “c” conservative outlook, giving himself a sense of moral authority while making fun of footballers, yobs and family members before deliberately saying something that turns the whole thing into self-parody.

I also wanted to mention this gig because there was a camera crew filming it for his upcoming DVD. So, if you buy it – and I strongly recommend you do – you might catch a glimpse of me in the audience.

While I’m on the subject of funny things I thought I should bring up a podcast I’ve been listening to for the past few weeks. It’s called The Biggest Problem in the Universe and it’s been created by two awesome internet personalities – Maddox and Dick Masterson. Fans of satirical internet comedians and pranksters will probably recognise the names. If you don’t, and you’re not easily offended, I urge you to head over to thebiggestproblemintheuniverse.com to hear what I’m talking about. Each show is basically an argument about what the biggest problem in the universe could be, as the hilarious co-hosts rage about subjects of undoubted importance. Previous problems have included ‘armchair psychologists’, ‘wine snobs’ and ‘people who can’t eat spicy food’.

I try to culture myself by going to classical concerts and plays but I’ve recently realised that I’m not going to lose my juvenile sense of humour any time soon. That’s not a bad thing, though.

If you have an immature sense of humour like me it’s probably healthier to enjoy it instead of repressing it.

This podcast is a good place to start.