Michael Pennington AKA Johnny Vegas

Michael Pennington AKA Johnny Vegas
From time to time I like to write my thoughts about comedians and British comedy.
I believe my last review was about the British comedy awards 2015 and I felt that British comedy had lost it's way and that British comedy and it's comedians had fallen into a ground hog day of lame pannel shows of limited interest.  It's not that they aren't any good, it's more that we have too many of them and I personally feel this to be lazy or prehaps that production companies aren't willing to invest in new acts and we end up with masses of fresh comedains with nowhere to showcase thier funny bones apart from these carbon copied pannel shows.

I've decided to write about Johnny because to me he is the last great comedy character actor that we had.  He broke all the rules pushed the boundaries danced with taboos and told you all to "Fuck off."  He was as Johnny Vegas the under dog the sad clown a loser showing key elements of any great comedian of worth. 
He was over weight drank too much smoked too much shouted alot and told the truth, there was a little bit a Johnny in us all.  Well maybe not all of us but most of us!
I first came across Johnny in 1995 on a TV show called Win lost or draw and I think this was Johnny's first appears on Britsh television.  Although Michael wasn't Johnny at this point, it give him that all important first break that all comedians are looking for including myself as a would-be character comedy actor.
 
Naturally I could write about his past life experiences of being a potter etc... but honestly I feel most people know this about him, hell I've been a roofer labourer greens keeper and so on, we all come from somewhere in our past lifes.
Which is why it's been a great delight to watch Micheal over the years steal the stage and lime light at award ceremonies, going over time and being dragged off stage only to see him a few minutes later stagger back on and continue ranting.  A joy to watch his character develop and mature with shows as 18 stone of idiot, Ideal, Benidorm and Dead Man Weds which sadly only got one series written by Dave Spikey.

Johnny Vegas gave us real pure comedy as brash and grim as he was as a character he was gentle kind and thoughtful and would take us all on a wild invisible rollercoaster ride.
I know at this point that this may read as a eulogy, but in some respects Michael has pushed his character of Johnny Vegas to one side and matured into his ownself.
In a way Johnny was singing and shouting from the roof tops and getting a few pressing matters of his chest whilst getting paid and having a blast.
If I could ask Michael one question?  When are you and Kathy burke going to work together?
I wish him well in his further career and look forward to seeing him in any new projects.

Written by Kathleen Dawson

Multiple Sclerosis Brain Melt

To make it perfectly clear if I upload a video about my Multiple Sclerosis it's NEVER for sympathy!
They are uploaded to either gain awareness give support to others or for my own study of the disease.
As the proud owner of said disease I am interested in how it effects my body and mind over time.  I can actually learn a lot about it just by watching myself back, and in return see where I am losing ground.
Recently somebody commented they liked the way I speeded my videos up!
The reason behind that is because I talk very very slowly, so you either get a video of me talking a normal speed which would make a standard video say six minutes long or I speed it up and you get four minutes and something that sounds normal and a little bit comical to the ear.
You have to work the illness in your favor - make the most of it - use it as it uses you...!
Unless you have the illness you can't know what its like on a mental or physical level.

Hopefully in some small way this will show you one side of the many faces of MS.

LOKI

YouTube Video Link

The British Comedy Awards 2014 Review

The British Comedy Awards 2014 Review

I felt somewhat justified this year after claiming British comedy was a dead parrot.
Even more so after giving the lifetime award to the Monty Python team and not rightly to the late and great Rik Mayall who only got a two second flash up on screen with other comedians that had sadly passed away this year on the end of show credits.
I can't even begin to let the venom flow from my keys as I sit here rocking in my chair.
As Rik would say "You utter bastards".
Rik Mayall, teamed with Ade Edmondson, brought us some of the greatest comedy over the past 30+ years that tickled and tortured our funny bones to the brink of heavenly delight.
Most of the show wasn't even a show due to a large number of winners not being there due to work obligations and rather fake ungrateful pointless pre-recorded footage was showed in its place.
Jonathan Ross tried his best to sail this rather limp and knackered old vessel through the night by showing us old VT of the Comedy Awards of past golden years when it really was a  funny and great viewing experience.  Even bringing on the village idiot,  Joey Essex, couldn't help this ship find harbour, but there again, if you're going to wheel out Joey Essex, the lights are never going to be on.
Naturally The Inbetweeners collected the giant paperweight award for best Comedy Film and rightly so.  Although it must be pointed out that  Joe Thomas has a touch of the Dorian Grey about his person and should be studied for his secret of youth.  The man just gets younger looking every time he appears on TV - what is his secret?
Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist was awarded to Nick Helm which I was happy to see.  The man brings a fresh and much needed style of the downtrodden clown with a dash of Norman Bates as he flares from fool to psycho as his character unfolds.
Best Sketch Show and Best TV Comedy Actor, went to Ducky Harry Enfield.  One of old boys that knows the ropes and played with his minions as he collected his awards.  It was nice to see Harry have fun and poke fun at his ducky friends.
And what of poor lonely Matt Berry... Up for six awards and only got handed one!  In the form of Best New Comedy Programme.  I felt slightly sorry for this beefy bear of a man who it seemed was up for one hell of a night of winning awards left right and centre, but it was not to be for this gently bearded giant.
So we move onto what was an incredible night for Irish comedians it would seem.  With two awards presented to Graham Norton, one handed over to the very funny Aisling Bea, and the much deceived award of the Writers' Guild Of Great Britain Award going to Brendan O'Carroll, who rightly pointed out that comedy is the hardest business in showbusiness on which I think we can all agree...  And with that said, perhaps British comedians need to work a little harder next year, or should we change the title of the show to the Irish Comedy Awards as stated on the show.
So let us round this off and finish with a few comedians that didn't make the grade in this list of winners that most of us didn't watch on the telly for 2014.
Simon Day, Adam Buxton, Micky Flanagan, Rik Mayall, Richard Ayoade, Lee Evans, Greg Davies, Robin Ince, Sean Lock, Dave Spikey, Michael Pennington (aka Johnny Vegas), Sean Lock, Stewart Lee, Roisin Conaty...
Naturally I can keep typing and typing these great names... But I think you get the point...!  We can only hope in 2015 that the show picks up the pace and keeps up with not only British comedy and comedians, but just comedy in general.  4/10 - you lost a point because you didn't put stairs in the middle and everyone just kept climbing up on stage.

lOki

FAKE BEANS ON TOAST - added Robin Williams sauce

Uhm... I held back for a while before writing anything about the sad passing of Robin Williams.
I understand the outpouring of heartfelt tributes over Robin's death, but personally I thought it might be better to wait and actually find out if there was a little more to it all.
And sure enough, a few days after his death, we found out that Robin was in the early stages of
Parkinson's Disease.
Naturally, and as we all know, Robin was indeed a very funny man and like most great comedians, here was truly the humbling sad clown, suffering from a range of disorders from drug addiction to alcoholism & depression.
I dare say that these years of highs and lows, the good times and the bad, more than likely paid
some contribution to Robin's diagnosis of early Parkinson's Disease.
It's difficult to say what triggered Robin's final decision that day to take his own life. Was it the depression, or the simple fact that the world in which we live has simply gone to the dogs and what's the point anymore!
All I do know is that Robin wasn't alone in his struggle.
Millions upon millions of men, women, and children suffer from depression all over this tiny little
planet.  And the mere fact that even if you have it all, that really doesn't matter.
Depression doesn't take that into account.
I wrote this very short piece many years ago while suffering my ongoing battle with depression,
drugs, and drink:

"Illness is nothing more than an infected misprint
A twisted tainted pattern
That knows not time nor person."

Tony Hancock
Peter Sellers
Spike Milligan
Ruby Wax
Stephen Fry
Lenny Bruce
Richard Pryor

The fact of the matter is that Robin isn't the first well known celebrity to take their
own life over or through depression, and he won't be the last.
The story will generate and snowball communication about the illness, but sadly another news story will take its place in a few days' or weeks' time, ie, boyband found smoking drugs or US sends in the troops, etc... which in itself is very, very depressing.

Please keep talking and keep being honest, not only to yourself but to your friends and loved ones. Depression is a lonely empty road... so lonely that not even tumbleweeds dare roll by.

Robin Williams RIP. You were never alone :(

The art of good conversation with Stella

Today I will mainly be talking with my good friend Stella!
The art of good conversation...is very much alive...

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