Some say The Fringe is becoming too commercial. My new stand-up show, 41st Best Stand-Up In Bristo Square, is in The Milk Carton, an 8000 capacity Big Top Sports Arena in Bristo Square. Ted Whey and Harley Curd, two can-do former Guards officers with an interest in Fringe Theatre and alcopop retail, opened their Milk Churn venue inside a 20-seater disused grain silo on the Meadows in 2001. Six years later they are major Fringe figures.
I liked performing in The Milk Churn when it was a cult concern, but I have anxieties about Ted and Harley’s new Milk Carton Big Top Sports Arena, which is sponsored by the cable TV porn station The Fantasy Channel. Videos of hot young British and American starlets and well-hung black studs are shown to the crowd while they wait for me to enter, and I worry this sets the wrong tone for my show, which is a comic look at the sacred nature of family love and those every day moments where little acts of kindness become transcendentally spiritual.
My show opened last weekend, and I can now see what a superb venue the Fantasy Channel Milk Carton Big Top Sports Arena is. An Acoustic Engineer explained that the cone shaped carboard space at the top of The Milk Carton sucks any silence in the tent into it, and refacts it back through a polyphonic sonic anomaly known as a Sound Hole, which bounces silence onto the stage in the form of laughter. A neuro-sonic micro-flange around the acoustic nanosphere of the tent also adds extra sinewaves, giving the laughter implicit qualities of wisdom, forgiveness and truth. Then, light filtered through the milk-skein outer-layer of the Big Top reverses the physiognomy of the audience members, making any frowns appear as smiles, and ugliness appear as beauty. Finally, low level magnetic pulses caused by the angles of the tent poles turn all evil feelings within the tent into emanations of pure joy.
The Fantasy Channel are very happy, and positive press so far means porn subscriptions are up 1.2 %. Come on down!
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter