Now before you go attacking me and jumping down my throat, let me put that heading into context. It was one many hilarious punch-lines/key phrases during “Craic Dealer” the marvelously funny show by comedian Dara O’ Briain at the Hammersmith Apollo. I won’t go into details about the specific joke or others, if you’re interested you should buy the DVD, or torrent a copy of the show if you’re so inclined.
(DISCLAIMER: The author of this blog does not condone and/or encourage illegal downloading/willful copyright infringement – Right well, now that that’s out of the way lets move on)
Dara is a wonderful comic. Most of his material is fairly family friendly, as he pointed out to the mom, sitting next to my friend and I, with her two kids. His style is conservational and he generally comes off as a comic who genuinely likes to include his audience in the act. I’ve been following him for a few years now and it was a great experience to finally see him live after watching and re-watching his earlier shows. Suffice to say I was NOT disappointed. In the some hour and 45 minutes of show time (excluding the interval) I don’t think I went more than 10 seconds at a time without laughing my lungs out. At one point I literally had to take my glasses off to wipe the tears from my eyes. Those of you who have not had a chance to check him out, I earnestly recommend you do. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
I am actually a huge fan of stand up comedy. Though I haven’t had much opportunity to see many big names (after this gig it makes three – the last two being Russell Peters and Rob Schneider) there is a lot of fun to be had going to amateur nights at smaller comedy clubs, and its a lot friendlier wallet wise, which is important if you’re a student. You should check out timeout for an excellent guide to free comedy nights all over the city. I personally recommend the Comedy Cafe or the Camden Head. Who knows, you may just watch the debut of a young comic who goes on to be the next big thing!
I would be remiss if I didn’t throw in a few words here about the venue itself – The Hammersmith Apollo on Queen Caroline Street in Hammersmith. It’s been around since the 1960s and has seen performances by the likes of Johnny Cash, Queen, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, KISS and countless other legends. Its humbling to think that the stage I was but mere feet away from held such unbelievable talent. And next week it will witness me yelling my lungs out at Tenacious D. Truly I am blessed!
(On a side note: Since the gig is still fresh in my memory, I’ve been speaking these words out in my head in an Irish accent the entire time I’ve been typing, which has made it even more fun to write ; p)
Try re-reading it the same way. Trust me its entertaining. : )
Musings of an Eclectic Soul 
I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good. I don’t know who you are but definitely you are going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!
If you don’t condone illegal downloading, why mention it at all? Not as if it’s remotely relevant, it simply diverts attention from the issue. Which was, er ….
Well reader I suppose I just addressed a reality. Plenty of people either ignore copyright altogether or just don’t understand what infringement is really. I just personally choose not to promote it using this forum. But as you say, not that relevant to the point… Which was that Dara O’ Briain is a delightfully witty comic and those aren’t familiar with his work might enjoy a taste of some good old fashioned Irish Craic : )