Sabre rattling won’t stop the Fringe

Now the Fringe is over, it’s time for everyone to take stock of what has happened in 2010, and how to change things in 2011. I’m doing the same with the podcast (mroe thoughts on that later) but for now I’ve taken a look at the big picture for my Fringe column at the Caledonian Mercury.

The beauty of the Fringe is that even though there is a central organisation keeping an eye on things (the Fringe Society) all the performers, venues and associated people that orbit around the event have their own stake in the Fringe as a whole. If people are not careful this can lead to insular thinking and put elements of the Fringe in danger.

You can read the full column here.

# September 2, 2010; Leave a Comment.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #26 – Top Ten Moments at the Edinburgh Fringe

MP3 File – Show Notes – RSS Feed – iTunes Link

That’s it, pack up, go home, jump on a train, fly away, it’s time to give Edinburgh back to its residents. But before you do…

…there’s just time for my annual top ten moments from the Fringe. It’s the usual eclectic mix of songs, jokes, touching moments, performance and silliness – the final 30 minutes of everything you love about the Fringe and another reason why you’ll be back next year.

I know I will.

My Top Ten Moments at the Edinburgh Fringe 2010

The Occupier
Sometimes an interview goes for pure cheese and asks a comedian what their favourite joke is. Which I did with Gary Delaney.
Purist

Fringe Binge
Keeping everyone on the level with a running tally of jokes and observations, Fringe Binge on twitter was an underground hero.
@FringeBinge

The Noise Next Door
If you can improvise music, be careful if you’re asked to improvise a love song to Kate Copstick of The Scotsman.
Chaos Control

Ian Kendall
The same line, in every show, every year. There’s something comforting about “Do you know the one about gravity?”
I Said I Wouldn’t Do This Again

Schnell! Schnell!
The interview that made my kids day, and the joke in the kids show that had me laughing out loud – even if no=one else spotted the reference in the crowd.
Dan and Jeff’s Potted Panto

Stewart Lee and Frank Chicken
What’s not to love about an internet campaign to vote Frank Chicken as a Comedy God and not give it to the TV stars du jour? Exactly.
Stewbilee

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre
Come to the Fringe to get on the telly, get on The One Show in the first day, job done. Just the small matter of another 23 performances to get through.
On The Telly

Frisky and Mannish
If you have a song that lampoons all your press coverage from the previous year, then the correct place to perform it is obviously at the Underbelly press launch in front of the same journalists.
The College Years

Terry Alderton
Interviewed for the second podcast this year, Terry opened up to talk about what it’s like to not be in the top flight of UK comedians. A great interview that reminded me why I enjoy doing the podcast.
Terry Alderton

Tripod
The winning wookie noise in a pre-interview chat, the best merchandise, a CD that I’m still listening to two weeks after the show – a triumphant return to Edinburgh with something a bit more than silly songs.
Tripod vs The Dragon

Were you in Edinburgh, or a regular listener to the podcast? Feel free to get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you never miss the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

# September 1, 2010; Leave a Comment.

BBC pilots in-vision text commentary… Eurovision potential?

Something very interesting at the BBC Backstage labs from last week, an interface that takes textual content (in this example from an IRC application) and overlays the messages onto a live TV show via a set-top box.

There’s a demonstration video on the process running overlaid on BBC News (you can view it here), but I know exactly where the BBC should be using this… for an in-vision Eurovision commentary track!

Peter Nalitch

Anyone fancy working on a hack at Over the Air?

# August 31, 2010; Leave a Comment.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #25 – The Final Moments of the Fringe

MP3 File – Show Notes – RSS Feed – iTunes Link

So the last day of The Fringe dawns, and while shows are still running, there’s a lot of weary but happy performers (and podcasters!) to catch up with and find out how their Fringe has been this year. That and coverage from The Stage awards and it’s a packed final day here in Edinburgh.

Don’t forget to tune in for our last show, when I go over my Top Ten moments of the 2010 Fringe!

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #25 – The Final Moments of the Fringe

Frisky and Mannish
The College Years
Underbelly

Peter Buckley Hill
PBH’s Free Fringe
www.freefringe.org.uk

The Stage
Awards for Acting Excellence 2010
ed.thestage.co.uk

Rachael Sage
Stop Me if I’m Kvetching
C Cabaret

Today’s iFringe recommended show: Shadow Boxing.

Also featuring The Scotsman on Fringe ticket sales, Frank Chicken, Roadkill and Bound.

There’s lots of ways to get in touch with me if you’ve been at the Fringe performing or watching. Email me on ewanspence@gmail.com (I will read them all, it does take a few days this early in August to reply!), or on Twitter (@ewan).

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

# August 30, 2010; Leave a Comment.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #24 – This Podcast Belongs to Lionel Richie

MP3 File – Show Notes – RSS Feed – iTunes Link

How high would you go to see a free gig? How about the very top of Arthur’s Seat, the extinct volcano that dominates the Edinburgh skyline? That’s what Lionel Ritchie was hoping for, in this year’s “This Belongs to Lionel Richie".” I joined Lionel, the guests and the tech crew in the ascent to find out more…

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #24 – This Podcast Belongs to Lionel Ritchie

Rich Fulcher
An Evening with Eleanor, the Tour Whore
Underbelly

Jolie
Roger
Pleasance Dome

With thanks to Com Comedy.

Today’s iFringe recommended show: The Beta Males Picnic Presents…

Also featuring Russell Kane, Roisin Conaty, Bo Burnham, Arthur Smith, The Magnets, Cabaret Whore Encore, Henning Wehn, The Fragility of X, Tom Adams’ Can’t Come, Sticks Stones Broken Bones, Sex Idiot, White, Tabu, Roadkill, The Author and Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Enjoyed the show, even if you weren’t in Edinburgh? Get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com, or you can find me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

# August 29, 2010; Leave a Comment.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #23 – No Performer Left Behind

MP3 File – Show Notes – RSS Feed – iTunes Link

The end is in site, but there’s time for one last big push to get the crowds in for the weekend – if you haven’t already sold out. The final flurry of awards are being announced, but with three days still to go, the dying breath of the Fringe still has the same amount of time as festivals like Glastonbury, Download and Latitude!

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #23 – No Performer Left Behind

Asher Treleven
Secret Door
Pleasance Courtyard

Nilaja Sun
No Child…
Assembly George Street

Gemma Goggin
Get Laid or Die Trying
Gilded Balloon

The Rayguns
Set to Stun
Three Sisters

The Couch
Cabaret Voltaire

Today’s iFringe recommended show: Bec Hill Didn’t Want To Play Your Stupid Game Anyway.

Also featuring Karen Koren, Roadkill, Robert White, Stewart Lee and Bo Burnham.

And thanks also to Illegal Jacks South West Grill for being a wonderful host for Gemma’s Speed/Blind Date interview!

In Edinburgh and you’d like to be on the podcast? Please get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com for your press releases and emails will work fine, or you can follow me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

# August 28, 2010; Leave a Comment.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #22 – The Brave and the Foolish

MP3 File – Show Notes – RSS Feed – iTunes Link

It’s the big final weekend, the last opportunity to take a chance in Edinburgh, but as you’ll hear in today’s show, life and The Fringe is always about taking chances.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #22 – The Brave and the Foolish

Brendon Burns
Y’Know – Love ‘n’ God ‘n’ Metaphysics…
Underbelly

Stripes Theatre
Two Brothers and One World Cup
Underbelly

The Magnets
Gobsmacked
Underbelly

Today’s iFringe recommended show: The Arabian Nights.

Also featuring Primadoona, Bunny, Flesh and Blood and Fish and Fowl, Lidless
and Another Someone.

In Edinburgh and you’d like to be on the podcast? Please get in touch, ewanspence@gmail.com for your press releases and emails will work fine, or you can follow me on Twitter (@Ewan).

To make sure you always get the latest podcasts from the Edinburgh Fringe, why not subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

# August 27, 2010; Leave a Comment.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #21 – All Roads Lead Back to Edinburgh

MP3 File – Show Notes – RSS Feed – iTunes Link

Everyone comes back – that’s the simple, unwritten rule about the Fringe. Be it a comic returning each year as his talents grow; an actor who’s been absent for 15 years but still has a place in his heart; or the musician that wants to play with the best, for more dates, and more acclaim. It all comes back to Edinburgh. In August. Every year.

The Edinburgh Fringe Show 2010 #21 – All Roads Lead Back to Edinburgh

Andrew Lawrence
Too Ugly for Television
Pleasance Courtyard

Bud Takes the Wheel
I Feel a Song Coming On
Underbelly

Kerry Hodgkin
Jazz Table in the Corner
The Jazz Bar

Today’s iFringe recommended show: Memoirs of a Biscuit Tin.

Also featuring Bo Burnham, Greg Davies, Josie Long, Russell Kane, Sarah Millican, An Audience with Imran Yusuf, Asher Treleaven, Gareth Richards, Late Night Gimp Fight, Roisin Conathy, The Boy With The Tape on His Face, Patrick Monahan, Barbershopera, The House of Mirrors and Hearts, Fresher, Five Guys named Moe, The Emperors Quest and Zambezi Express.

There’s lots of ways to get in touch with me if you’re at the Fringe performing, in Edinburgh to take in a show or having to experience the Fringe from afar (hello Mervyn’s son!). Email me on ewanspence@gmail.com (I will read them all, it does take a few days this early in August to reply!), or on Twitter (@ewan).

If you want to make sure you always get the latest Edinburgh Fringe podcasts, you can subscribe to the Fringe Podcast in iTunes, or copy the RSS File into your favourite RSS application.

# August 26, 2010; Leave a Comment.

Don’t forget about theatre if you visit the Fringe

This week’s column over on the Caledonian Mercury looks at the issue of audiences at The Fringe, and why there is such a difference between huge numbers for “Off the Telly” comedians and the much lower numbers for Theatre.

It just upsets me when relatively few people coming to Edinburgh explore shows on offer that aren’t mainstream stand-up comics. No matter what label is given to a Fringe show, to me they all do the same thing. They tell a story.

What is a stand-up if nothing more than a someone doing a one hour monologue. Yes, there are audience interactions (sometimes) and certain things that stand-ups can do that others can’t, but there are theatre rules of thumb that I’m sure some of the comics would love to employ. If you’re up to the Fringe and only taking in comedy and “people off the telly” then you are missing out.

Forget about the image of needing to understand technique and study theatre, it’s there to enjoy as much as The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre (Gilded Balloon).

Read on at the Caledonian Mercury.

# August 25, 2010; Leave a Comment.