- Culture
- 02 Apr 03
Even in the teeth of war, a good laugh is the sound of something unbreakable in us – spirit or maybe jelly.
There could be war on as you read this. The world seems powerless to stop it. When you feel powerless there’s no better remedy than a good laugh because it makes you feel you’re reasserting some type of power: laughter is the expression of a power we don’t have. It’s the voice of something unbreakable in us – spirit, or maybe jelly.
What’s going to happen in a post conflict Iraq? Will there be a power vacuum in Northern Iraq? Will Turkey attack the Kurds in the North? Will I eat Kelloggs’ Cocoa Pops or New Kelloggs’ Chocolate Coated Fibre Nuggets with Gingseng Centrefuruges?
But the government will take care of me. They’ve already sent me a packet of iodine tablets – they’ll come in handy. I can just see myself washing them down quickly as the skin melts off me body and my organs turn into mush (or jelly). Like in America, I’ve got my duct tape on the windows. I’m under my table. I’m watching escapist television. What are you gonna do? Go out and laugh your hole off – you might as well – before somebody blows it off for you.
The Comedy Cellar is Dublin’s longest running comedy club. I helped set it up back in 1988. Of course, everything was different back then. From 1988 into the early ’90s, people were leaving the country; the only people who came into the country were tourists or people leaving the country who got very bad directions. Yes, things were so different back then: there was only one hotel per person, there was unemployment, all posters were in black and white, Bush was invading Iraq… Hmm.
The Comedy Cellar is still on every Wednesday. Each night is a lucky bag – some better than others. When everything clicks it’s the best gig in the world. In bigger venues you can find yourself talking at an audience but the intimacy of the Comedy Cellar means that there is always the possibility of a real exchange between the audience and performer (besides money!). Then there’s an energy passing back and forth that marks out these gigs as more and more special in this age of performances that are like watching television.
If you can’t make the Cellar, then call in on Thursday night – if you’re lucky you’ll catch MC Des Bishop on one of his brilliant freewheeling nights.
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Thursdays is also comedy night in The Sugar Club and The Half Penny Inn. I met a guy recently who is also gonna open a club in the IFC on Sunday nights so you have no excuse not to get out there and support live comedy.
People often ask me: “Kevin – where do you go if you want a really really good fuckin laugh?” Actually I go to The Comedy Shop to buy new jokes. Unfortunately it’s a Cash ’n’ Carry and is not open to the public. It only sells to the industry. Besides there I go to The Comedy Improv on a Monday in the International Bar. They are amazing writers.
If you want to see something different then come and see me and my Comedy Music Group type thing – The Kevin Gildeas – one drummer, one guitarist, and a comedian (me). We do funky bluesy type music with mad comedy. “A brilliant, original show”, said the Edinburgh Evening News. We’re playing the first ever Glasgow International Comedy Festival at the end of March and in April we play the first three Sundays in Whelan’s (6th, 13th and 20th). We’ve loads of special guests including Anne Gildea (RTE’s Exit Poll), David McSavage (The Late Late Show), Mark Doherty (Oboe) and More (all channels). We’ve also got a short film NO NO NO which you can see in the cinemas along with the Irish film Dead Bodies. Look out for our CD on the way.
If things have kicked off and you’ve decided to stay in for forever and you’ve duct taped all your windows then I recommend you sit down with your popcorn and iodine tablets and watch the following videos: Zoolander and Freddie Got Fingered (for a laugh) and The Three Kings (for why this war is crap). Bye now – I’m off to the Joke Shop to see if they’ve got any jokes on why thousands of innocent people have to die to support the lifestyle of the West!!! Bye – sleep tight.