Hard News by Russell Brown

If you get the chance to go, I can highly recommend Guy Montgomery's Billy T show. It is spectacular.

Seeing Reginald D Hunter tomorrow night! Looking forward to it, but rather nervous as we're seated in the front row. Mustn't be late.

Looking forward to it, but rather nervous as we’re seated in the front row

We were in the front row for Jeremy Elwood. I was a little concerned we might be putting him off.

The description of Carey Marx's show had me feeling I'd heard it before. As it turns out, I hadn't: instead, I'd heard a very similarly themed autobiographical radio comedy series ( Richard Tyrone Jones' Big Heart). Which I also recommend.

Without wishing to linkwhore I'm going to post another review I did of Reginald D Hunter. Which in many ways was actually more troubling than Lovegrove's.

There seems to be a real misogynistic air to this year's festival. Having said that, it's all come from comedians over the age of 40. So could be a generational thing. I dunno.

http://ruminator.co.nz/comedy-fest-review-reginald-d-hunter-trigger-warnings/

From down in Wellington: give Tighty Whiteys a go when it gets up north. Really funny stuff from a couple of great performers.

Without wishing to linkwhore I’m going to post another review I did of Reginald D Hunter. Which in many ways was actually more troubling than Lovegrove’s.

Yes, I read that earlier in the day. Yikes.

You had me worried, reading that review. Having seen the gig, I wouldn't say I welcome Hunter's focus on particular issues, but I'd note that he's a trained actor who knows how to play his 'rich, white, uptight' audiences to get a reaction and test what's acceptable. I enjoyed the gig, and would recommend it.

While I'm not someone who runs around wailing "triggurrrrr!", I would have walked out of the show after it descended into that area (at least, as it was described).

Maybe the dude is being all "edgy" and "clever" by playing on the audience's touchy points, but I think art done purely for the sake of being edgy and shocking is often crap. Look at Tracey Emin and her bed - yeah, "clever" in one way. Artistic merit? Not so much for me.

While it's not very pc to say there are some no-go areas in humor - and of course it's subjective as hell - I don't find rape funny. Or taking the mickey out of rape victims amusing. And I would not use "uptight" as a term to describe myself.

Mocking how rape is viewed/dealt with? Great. Satirising how misogyny plays out in real life? Awesome. If he'd been doing lines like, "Everyone calls me a misogynist, but I don't know what those skanky whores are complaining about" - that might have been funny.

But there's a difference between joking about rape vs rapists. I do think you could definitely do jokes about rape, but they would need to be VERY heavy on the satire.

Carey Marx's show about his heart attack has finally been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Available to stream until the end of January.