![]() One of my favourite videos of Sean is backstage at the Norwegian comedy festival. He had a playful side a wide-eyed wonder at the world.īack in the 90s I used to carry a camcorder with me everywhere I went. People are tempted to pigeonhole him as dark or surreal but he was more than that. “A hospice, what’s that like?” “It’s OK,” he said “… and the sex is amazing.” I heard he was in a hospice for a bit of a rest. He took his illness in typically dry style. That’s why he was so often called “the comedian’s comedian”. “So I was killing this pig with a hammer …”Īt his best, Sean reminded us all what we loved about a great gag and why we got into comedy in the first place. Often I had absolutely no idea where he was heading with a routine. Not so with Sean, that’s why we comics loved him. If you tell jokes for a living it’s hard to enjoy a comedian in the same way that a punter would, because you know all the tricks, you can see where a gag is going and often arrive at the punchline long before the comic telling it. I looked round and all the comics on the bill had come out to watch him. I was laughing so hard, literally doubled up. He had a crazily funny routine about winning a night out with Madonna: a beautiful bit of material which involved Sean scuttling about back and forth on stage – he was a lovely mover. I hadn’t seen him live for a while and made sure I stood in the wings to watch his act. The last time I was on a standup bill with him was at a benefit for some good cause or other. ‘Often I had absolutely no idea where he was heading with a routine. I always insisted on being on his team because, truth be told, I was only there because I liked seeing myself on TV sat next to the great Sean Lock. ![]() I don’t tend to do panel shows but he encouraged me to do that one “It’ll be the easiest money you’ve ever earned Harry!” he said. “I don’t want to encourage them,” he replied with a grin. “Why don’t you just fake a laugh?” I asked him. On 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown – which became a great platform for his brilliant mind and brought him to a wider audience – he’d laugh like a drain if he liked what you’d done, but occasionally I noticed that the camera would cut to him looking stony faced. Professionally, he worked hard at being funny, and woe betide anyone who didn’t match his high standards. He was smart enough to marry Anoushka, who is more than his equal, because I’m sure at times he needed firm handling. He saw things very clearly and brooked no bullshit. “I’ve seen you some nights before you go on, you’re chatting and mucking about – you need to concentrate on the job in hand.” He was right, and after that little pep talk I took his advice and never looked back. “It’s concentration,” he said with a shrug. “Some nights I storm it, other times I die on my arse!” I opined to the Natty Rebel. I’d been struggling with a very patchy run of gigs. We were sat in the kitchen one night after our gigs and I asked his advice. Although it broke my heart, I gave it to him to wear on stage and it became his look for a while. Sean saw it and tried it on and it looked like I’d hoped it would look on me: dead smart but also just kind of odd, like he’d just got out of prison having been banged up in 1974. I had an old 70s suit that I’d picked up in a charity shop – navy blue, pin striped, massive lapels and flared trousers but it fitted me like the loose cover on a secondhand sofa. On his poster that year he billed himself as “The Natty Rebel Returns”. ![]() We ended up sharing a flat together in Edinburgh for the festival. He didn’t have to try too hard he wasn’t one of those comics who was full of nervous energy and felt the need to be permanently “on”. Physically tough, comfortable in himself and cool like Steve McQueen was cool, he was great company – very bright and naturally witty. He was really original and exciting and I wanted to be his friend. Sean was maybe a year ahead of me on the London comedy club scene and already had a reputation among comics as one to watch.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |