As I get older I find my opinions changing on celebs. In some cases, the love has faded but in others a new appreciation has developed. Sometimes it’s more about me and my mid-life wisdom, but in others it seems to simply be a case of people growing older in a way that makes them more accessible.
I had this thought the other evening while watching Jo Brand on QI. I was never a fan of her 90s shtick and stand up routines but these days I can happily see her on the box and enjoy her take on the world. She was also very good on Taskmaster in a sort of double act with David Baddiel.
So, with all that said, who else has changed for the better? Obviously all a matter of opinion but interested to know thers opinions.
I dunno if she counts as a modern-day sleb, but I’ve become mildly obsessed with Shirley Bassey’s United Artists recordings since hearing a track from 1970’s Something LP during a Charity Shop Classics show.
I’m only four albums off completing her 13-year run at UA, and they’re all early or late period (i.e. not the good, middle-period, stuff). All have come from charity shops, and none of them has cost more than a couple of quid.
I am 55.
It’s not really my taste changing, but I think my mother was typical of quite a few people in changing her opinion of Harry Hill and Bob Mortimer.
She thought the original Harry Hill shows, with Al Murray and Burt Kwouk, and Reeves and Mortimer were just dull and childish. But she changed her mind with Harry Hill’s TV Burp, which was one of her favourite programmes and Bob Mortimer’s appearances on Would I lie to you. They seemed to make their surreal, or to her, daft, humour work in a more mainstream context, and came across as basically very genial people.
I think with TV Burp, it also helped that a lot of the humour was about the programmes she watched, like Emmerdale, Coronation Street and so on.
I saw Harry Hill solo at Glasto in 1992 and he was the funniest thing there all weekend, then again solo in Richmond in 1995, and in Sydney in 1998, and he was hilarious.
Apart from giving his mates Al Murray and Burt Kwouk some income, I didn’t really see the need for them to be there.
I had a vague unsubstantiated dislike of Al Murray due to a vague unsubstantiated dislike of the idea of the pub landlord, but I like his history stuff with James Holland a lot and discovered his ancient TV series touring Germany on YouTube which is interesting and thoughtful. I even saw the Pub Landlord at the Steven Wilson gig earlier this year – I did laugh a few times but honestly I could have done without it.
I’ve warmed to Jeremy Clarkson with Clarkson’s Farm though I expect I’m in a minority here.
re: Clarkson. He’s still a bit of an opinionated tit in the media, but on the farm you can see he cares and is actually trying to make it work.
We went to see Al Murray Pub Landlord at the Junction on his first headline tour. His show balanced that fine line between irony and bigotry (see also: Alf Garnett). Mrs F, a Forrina, left during the interval. Consquently, so did I.
His history podcast is great, though.
We like Clarkson’s Farm.
People who think Clarkson or Murray are the characters they portray presumably think David Bowie was a space alien.
You don’t realise that there’s a UK culture, until you marry a Spaniard raised in France, where they don’t do irony.
“He’s not funny!”
“But he was taking the piss.”
“What does that mean?”
Etc…
But Jeremy Clarkson IS the “character” he portrays. Unless there is an inner, gentler, kinder, more tolerant Clarkson than the swaggering playground bully with a glib way with words.
Edit. Wait, what – David Bowie’s WASN’T an alien?
The inverse of “warming” to Bob Mortimer … “cooling” on Vic Reeves
Reeves & Mortimer together – spot on
Vic Reeves on his own … it does add credence to the belief Bob came up with a lot 9f the raw material.
His artwork is mighty fine though.
He did call his autobiography “Me Moir”, which is an excellent title. I am assuming he came up with it.
I grew up in the 70s when Bob Monkhouse was the smarmy orange game show host.
Not until the early 90s did I realise he was a superb comic and gag merchant.
“They all laughed when I said I would become a comedian… they’re not laughing now”.
I first saw Jo Brand in a tent in Wollaton Park, on a triple bill in the early 90s with Hattie Hayridge (quite funny), and Lee Evans (barely a titter for the first 10 minutes, my sides ached by the end)
JB was the most foul mouthed person I’ve ever been in the same room with, but crikey she was funny.
There is no record of this gig on the internet, it appears to be only in my head. It definitely happened though.
She might still have been billed as the Sea Monster then.
Yes, I saw the Sea Monster in freshers term 1988. He standard response to hecklers was “shut up, or I’ll come and sit on your face”.
*Her