Thursday, October 13, 2005

The Book Club - Lowdown at the Albany

The Book Club is now on twice a month. Host Robin Ince is as ever trying to keep together the ram shackle band of comedians, making sure they get on and off stage with some sense of timing. Trying to keep order as the evening progresses, and more and more alcohol's consumed. By 11 there is slight chaos something we are coming to love them for.

Tonight’s show isn't as packed out as the other week after the Guardian wrote up a preview on it. But I think the drop in numbers has more to do with the extra table at the back for Ricky Gervias and friends to sit at, and the turning away of a lot of people on the door.

Robin’s reads this week were from Don Estelle’s biography. Don't take property advice from him. A final reading from Diamond Stud, possibly the best Mills and Boons novel, ever. She is still trapped in a lighthouse with a man she doesn't get on with. Will they ever see eye to eye....

And a rather disturbing reading from the Krankies biography. The book is available for £2.99 in The Works. All I can say is don't part with your money. They're anti-semitic and racist. Who would have thought it. And Ian “Krankie” likes to get into fights. Blimey.

Tonight sees a stream of guest comedians turning up with their favourite books.

Natalie Haynes arrives with her arms full of the Diagnosis Murder Series. Yes that Dick Van Dyke TV series has its own series of books, complete with Mr Van Dyke's picture on the front. It has to be said that the plot to the one she read out is fantastic, and completely mad. A woman dressed as a mermaid is washed up on the beach. They think she's been killed by a shark, before the Van Dykes (Father and son) work out that she was actually killed by someone dressed in a sharks costume. Oh yes. That is a genius plot for a book or TV programme, you have to admit.

Chris Neill, not my favourite comedian in the world, bought along Page 3 model Jodie Marsh's biography and proceeded to read out a horrific story of her having sex in the back of a taxi. It was hilarious, though I’m not sure Jodie meant it to be. We should be lucky he didn’t read from the story about her rimming some band like Busted or Blue apparently……

Scott Capurro did a stint concerning the correct amount to tip taxis, do you, don’t you?

Martin played some great tunes on the accordian. First up Toxic by Britney. Sounding suspiciously like Bob Dylan in places as he couldn't quite reach the notes. Then he did the Power of Love in the second section. And finished the third part of the evening off with an Auteurs track for the indie kids.

But the highlight has to have been the Chat True Story re-enactment. Chav stories from hell. With the title “Bitten off more than I could chew.” It could have gone so many ways! The story involved two best friends going out drinking one night. The next morning one wakes up to find herself covered in blood with no recollection of the evening. She remembers them accepting drinks from a man and thinking we might get raped. She thinks that maybe she was in a fight defending her best friend. The story proceeds, with various comedians acting out the roles of best friends, boyfriends, policemen etc. It unravels that she got off her head and bit a chunk out of her friend’s cheek and ends up in jail for Grevious Bodily Harm. The story ends with her friend still not speaking to her, saying she’s psycho.

Classic book club material. Classic book club night.

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