404 Funny

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 23 - TRACKLISTING

2011-12-31T01:00:00.000Z

There are some very strange people about...and they all seem to be on board the final 404 Special of the year.

As a precaution, we strongly advise you avoid direct eye contact with other passengers as you listen to:

CARLA ULBRICH Swamp Thing
FLAT 29 A Warm Country Welcome
PAUL & STORM Me Make Fire
JAY FOREMAN Magnus is on Fire
TONY GOLDMARK Burn
MORNING SIDEKICK Renaissance Fair
ERIC COLEMAN Inner Voice
TVs KYLE Grumbledy
BALDBOX FEAT. POSSIBLE OSCAR USfnA
ROB PARAVONIAN I Love America

In case of emergency, pull the communication cord. (There is a penalty for misuse, but we've been told we can't advertise it because it contravenes current guidelines...and a fair chunk of human rights legislation as well.)

Given today's passenger list, don't be at all surprised if Old Father Time arrives at your place in a taxi tonight.

Happy New Year! (i.e., let's hope it's not as shit as the old one...)

http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/404special23_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 22 - TRACKLISTING

2011-12-28T15:55:00.000Z

The 404 Special is making two further journeys to see out 2011 and the first of these is available right now, taking the music business and the art of songwriting as its subject.

Subscribers to Country Music Television, as well as fans of Li'l Wayne, Jason Derulo, Lady Gaga, Nirvana, The Carpenters, and Nickelback may wish to look away now, as Richard Cray presents for your delectation:

WORM QUARTET What Your Parents Think All Your Music Sounds Like
MATT GRIFFO This is a Generic Country Song
DEVO SPICE How to Sing
DINO-MIKE All the Same
CONSCRIPTED North Shore Rapper
MORNING SIDEKICK Meds - My Story
PROJECT SISYPHUS I’ve Got Garage Band
MONEYSHOT COSMONAUTS Smells Like Karen Carpenter
BOB RICCI The New Song

http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/404special22_eq.mp3

For more singer/songwriter-themed shenanigans, may we also recommend you listen to programme 6 from May 2010:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/404special06_eq.mp3

And don't forget to come back for the final show of the year on New Year's Eve!

THE 404 SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EVE DEPARTURE 2011 TRACKLISTING

2011-12-24T19:12:00.004Z

Richard Cray could have gone Christmas shopping today. But he didn't.

Instead, he made you all a brand spanking new 404 Special Christmas Eve Departure for 2011. Which is a bit fortunate, as he has no money and is spending Christmas on his tod watching that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy DVD. (That's right: just like the last eight years.)

Praise be for the abundance of chuckles forthcoming from:

ROBERT LUND & SPAFF Fun to Fly with the Fat Guy
CRANKSHAFT & THE GEAR GRINDERS Louisiana Bayou Santa
ROB PARAVONIAN Breaking Up for the Holidays
MONEYSHOT COSMONAUTS Red and Green
STEVE GOODIE Shall We Burn a Book for Jesus?
MIND MAP THAT Please Don’t Wish Me a Merry Christmas
JACOB HALLER Dear Santa
NICE PETER Santa is a Gangsta

http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/404specialxmas2011_eq.mp3

BUT - in true Ronco style - that's not all.

Want even more festive frivolity? (Please say yes or otherwise we'll have to come up with more aliterative balls like that.)

Then why not transport yourself back to 2009's hour-long Christmas Eve Depature show featuring:

THE LIMEYBIRDS The Limeybirds Christmas Song
MONEYSHOT COSMONAUTS Pink Christmas
THE MYDOLS Merry Freakin’ Christmas
ROBERT LUND Nuttin’ but Spam
TWO DRUNKS & A GUITAR Christmas is Over
JAY FOREMAN No Christmas
THE GREAT LUKE SKI Black Friday
SEAMONKEY There’s No Santa Claus
TOM WATERACRE While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night
CONSORTIUM OF GENIUS Winter Slay Ride
THE BANANA SESSIONS Don’t Lose Your Mind
TV’S KYLE Auto Christmas
THE HOT RODS Santa’s Too Drunk to Drive
NICE PETER All I Got
THE KNUCKLE KIDS I Got Syphilis for Christmas
JENNY JUSSELL & COUNTRY SUNSHINE Maximum Security Christmas
POWER SALAD Santa’s Gonna Telecommute This Christmas
BILL KAHLER Christmas Eve in the Trailer Park
TRACES OF NUTS I’m not Santa Claus, I’ve Come to Rob Your House
PEEPER RADIO THEATRE The 12 Days of Christmas

http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/404special1xmas09_eq.mp3

Merry Christmas, wherever you may be...

MERRY NON-XMAS FROM JOHN DREDGE

2011-12-21T01:00:00.000Z

Today, inimitable radiophonic holdall consultant John Dredge (not pictured above) invites you and your team of aardvarks into his cubic audio realm for his Nothing To Do With Xmas Show, featuring some 34 minutes of continuous weirdness involving comedic hi-jinks and peculiar yet odd skits direct from somewhere including:

At Home With The Human League (pictured above)
The Adventures of Basil the Cylinder
An exclusive Open University lecture on cutlery
Partly-acclaimed avant-garde film director David Lynch showcasing an awful track from his new album

So download this mollusc-packed show to your family's wireless replacement device of choice today by clicking HERE!

Picture posed by models

And remember: never put a washing machine inside another washing machine on Christmas Day, as it gets confusing. (I speak from personal experience.)

JOHN DREDGE: HE'S STILL HERE

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000+01:00

Subscribe to 404 Funny for the last of four brand new Programme Shows in colour from your Master of Ceramics, John 'Teacups' Dredge to:

HEAR! unusual sounds the like of which have never been hearded before (probably)
SEE! very little, as this is an audio-only podcast
MARVEL! as radiophonic personage John Dredge takes you through an alarming series of odd features that cannot be described on this blog without a special licence costing £9.99 and nine-pence
BAULK! as many inexplicable things occur
STOP BAULKING! as they stop occurring as quickly as they started occuring
TRY TO WORK OUT! if that is indeed how to spell the word 'Baulk'

This week’s guests do not include:

Barry Lurgons!
Frank Twiggtonby!
Ralph McMac!
Simon!
Pat Coombs!
Arthur Mullard!
John Conteh!
John Inman!
Willie Rushton!

~~All joining Bob in the big box game, Celebrity Squares! And here he is, the starmaster of celebs, the big square himself, Bob Monkhouse!!!~~

Yes, it’s all happening on 404 Funny - listen in HERE or subscribe HERE and win nothing at all TODAY!

Easy, tiger.

ZENCAST ANNOUNCEMENT

2011-10-24T09:52:00.000+01:00

It has come to our attention that Creative Labs discontinued their ZenCast podcast organizer on October 1st. Unfortunately, Creative chose not to inform any of the podcast producers whose content has helped make their products and software so popular over the last five years, particularly among those who've given up on Apple and/or iTunes. To this end, we've removed the dead link to subscribe to 404 Funny via ZenCast and would encourage any former ZenCast users wishing to re-subscribe to use one of the alternatives provided in the right-hand gutter of this blog page.

We have no intention of charging for our content and we have absolutely no desire to ask for donations to meet our running costs. The financial side we can handle. Just. But the operational difficulties, lack of communication, and poor customer service both we and our subscribers have had to endure with some podcatchers (iTunes and ZenCast included), along with almost contant tinkering with social networking sites such as Facebook (which many podcasters use as their sole promotional avenue) and the complete failure of Twitter to handle its own success, have all contributed to make 2011 a terrible year for independent podcasters like ourselves. With specific regard to 404 Funny, this has meant that we've had less time and energy to spend on bringing you new content than we would have liked.

With some of the more reputable online directories not accepting new entries over the last couple of years and other directories establishing and discontinuing themselves within the blink of an eye, it has become incredibly difficult to know exactly which of these "service providers" deserves an investment of both our time and our trust. But we're always on the lookout for new ways to build our audience, and would encourage anyone with any views on the matter to email us at 404funny@googlemail.com. Hopefully, that will enable us to start 2012 in a more commanding position. Because we have plans. Oh, yes, we have plans...

In the meantime, we'll keep on producing content as long as we can guarantee a way for you to download it somewhere, anywhere, as well as doing our best to let you know as soon as we know of any hinderances to providing you with our service.

Thanks for reading.

NAR DEN...

2011-10-05T00:00:00.000+01:00

Coming to 404 Funny for the next few Wednesdays, a brand new holdall-packed series of short-ish podcasts recorded in special Sound-o-Noise.

Yes, it’s The Programme Show - featuring Frinton’s answer to somebody else, John 'Frinton's answer to somebody else' Dredge!

Listen in a not-dissimilar manner to the trio of fun-loving anarchists in the serving suggestion above to:

LEARN! all about the significance of the mungbean storage unit
THRILL! to the guest appearances of a man called Clive*
DISCOVER! exactly how many types of cube there are in YOUR town

Produced by producers of productions, this never-to-be-ironed series comes free*** with an unusual hoist.

The Programme Show will keep YOU in loam for literally years to come.

Listen to it – before IT listens to YOU!

Here be link: http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/DREDGEprogrammeshow1final.mp3

*Clive appears by kind permission of Ronald.**

**Who Ronald appears by kind permission of we simply don't know.

***£74bn postage and packaging fee applies.

THERE'S SOMETHING NOT QUITE RIGHT ABOUT MARY...

2011-10-02T11:37:00.001+01:00

Today, 404 Funny kicks off its third year with a new addition to its roster of artistes: the delectable Ms Mary Christmas.

For the next six Sundays, the sexiest siren ever to come out of Steeple Bumstead (if you discount that April 1st when the village fire engine blasted Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby on its way to a spate of local arson attacks) presents a fearless insight into her world.

Hear what happened when Mary tagged along with Russell Brand on a pub crawl, co-produced a celebrity version of MacBeth with Alan Sugar (complete with a female lead), and was whisked away on a yacht by Brad Pitt. [WARNING: Contains delusions of grandeur and unsubstantiated gossip those with a nervous disposition and/or an aversion to Closer magazine may find distressing.]

Listen to the first instalment here: http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/STEEPLEbumstead1.mp3 or subscribe to our feed using one of the links at the top of the gutter on the right-hand side of this blog to hear each episode as soon as it appears on our feed.

You can also follow Mary's exploits online at:
twitter.com/MaryChristmasxx
http://marychristmasxx.wordpress.com/
www.facebook.com/MaryChristmas
www.youtube.com/MaryChristmasxx

Mary would like it to be known that Maggie Gordon-Walker is her sole owner but is willing to sell some of her shares to the right bidder.

EDINBURGH 2011: PAUL HARRY ALLEN

2011-08-12T06:46:00.002+01:00

Genial Welshman Paul Harry Allen has been performing comedy for eight years, making the final of the Hackney New Act Of The Year competition in 2006.

In addition to his many appearances on the circuit, Paul has also written for children's television, appeared in an educational programme as a frog, and shared a festival bill with those other laugh-a-minute comedians Bob Dylan and Van Morrison.

2011 sees his second solo show, Stuff and Nonsense (Laughing Horse @ Finnegan's Wake, 16:45, August 15th-26th, not 21st, free entry), in which Paul continues to follow his now well-established formula of exploiting the untapped comedy potential of second-hand goods he's found in jumble sales and junk shops. Among other things this year, we are promised "camp ceramic cats". The mind boggles. More here: http://www.laughinghorsecomedy.co.uk/dynamic/show.asp?ShowID=425

For a flavour of his act, here's a ten-minute set featuring some of his vinyl delights (his words, not mine) that bears a few similarities to the set he performed for Comedy 365 in Edinburgh 2009 but comes with the added benefit of being able to see the album covers.

EDINBURGH 2011: JAY FOREMAN

2011-08-11T11:48:00.009+01:00

Regular downloaders of The 404 Special will already be familiar with Jay Foreman's songs, as indeed will readers of this blog, so there's very little we can add to what we've said before, apart from:

His show at the Underbelly, We're Living in the Future, is on every day until August 28th except the 16th at the very sensible time of 14:30. Tickets are priced £9 or £10, depending on the date of performance. More info here: https://www.underbelly.co.uk/node/20389.

He's recently updated his website.

This is a track about John Lennon from his second album. Don't shoot the messenger (as it were).

Finally, an update on Monday's post: we've heard that Mary Bourke's show has been selling out all week, so if you want to see her, get to the venue well in advance of show time.

EDINBURGH 2011: IONA DUDLEY-WARD

2011-08-10T11:23:00.002+01:00

On Saturday, I sarcastically alluded to the extraordinarily long lead time required to submit show information for the official Edinburgh Fringe programme.

With the Fringe's traditional start date of the first weekend in August, the programme needs to be available no later than the first couple of weeks in June to allow for pre-booking, which means each performer's 40-word maximum of promotional copy needs to be submitted by mid-April, along with the £393.60 fee (unless they want a 25% discount, in which case details need to be submitted a month earlier). Quarter-page display ads featuring a show's poster, often need to be submitted before the end of January at a cost of well over £1000.

Given that a lot of a performer's time before then is spent searching for the right venue for their hastily-titled and concept-free offering (spot all the show posters parodying films in programmes passim), it's hardly surprising that hundreds of listings in the fringe programme all read like the same show and feature little more than a load of press quotes for a show the performer was remotely involved in a few years earlier. Not exactly great when you're a punter in town for a few short days trying to choose between 2,000+ comedy shows and being charged anything up to £16 per show for the privilege.

So imagine what it's like when a performer misses one of these deadlines. Perhaps they need to get funding in place or arrange time away from their day job before confirming a slot, or maybe they're waiting for a cancellation at a particular venue in order to save some money. It's a risky strategy. Such a performer may have a show that's far more fully-formed than most others on offer, but because they're missing from the official programme they'll have to work that much harder with their flyering to stand even the remotest chance of getting more than a couple of bums on seats most days, not to mention standing a chance of persuading reviewers to come and see them as early as possible during their run in the hope that a positive review will led to an increase in audience numbers during the latter couple of weeks.

The reason I mention all this today is that one such performer who's not in the official programme is Iona Dudley-Ward, whose free character-based one-woman show Me, Myself and Iona can be seen downstairs at Rabbie Burns Cafe and Bar at 16:00 every day until August 27th, except the 17th. Thankfully, she did make the much-later deadline for the Fringe website, so you can read more about the show here: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/me-myself-and-iona.

So far, the lack of an "official" listing doesn't seem to have affected audience numbers too badly - although the show did get off to a slightly inauspicious start last weekend when a stage light fell on her noggin. It wasn't part of the show. Owch. Hopefully there won't be any further unpleasant surprises in store over the next couple of weeks; in fact, we all hope that today's show is especially pleasant as it's Iona's birthday. So if you're going along this afternoon, take along some Mr Kipling Fondant Fancies or something.

By way of commemmoration, here's some footage of the character that saw her reach the final of last year's Funny Women competition, unconfident confidence coach Lyn.

As for the Fringe programme, surely a separately administered programme for the comedy section with much later copy and advertising deadlines is long overdue, for the good of the festival as a whole? Discuss...

EDINBURGH 2011: CAROLINE MABEY

2011-08-09T10:49:00.003+01:00

Caroline Mabey is a real one-off in what can often be a sterile stand-up environment, where a long line of comics (most of them male) exist for no other reason than to facilitate an interminable game of one-upmanship.

The quirky banter within Caroline's free 2009 offering, Go Go Go Coffee Show (a lunchtime show aimed at those who'd only just woken up) when combined with her eccentric attire (she greeted audience members in her pyjamas, offering very strong black coffee) and clever use of PowerPoint-based animation, proved an inspiration to many acts who had previously felt that such a technical show could not be achieved at a free venue. It came as no surprise, therefore, that when she returned 12 months later at a major-name Edinburgh venue with Eat Your Friends, there were many inferior copyists armed with a laptop and projector screen littered throughout the fringe programme.

Both of these shows also featured interaction with an onscreen animated sidekick, Kip the Coffeepot, and he's back again this time around in Caroline's 2011 show One-Minute Silence (Just up the Stairs @ Just the Tonic at the Caves, until August 28th, not 17th, tickets £9-10 depending on date), where she'll be attempting to break the world record for remaining silent. (A bit like David Blaine but perhaps not quite as deranged.)

More info here: http://edinburgh.justthetonic.com/performances.php?eventId=88:47

Historically, Caroline's perhaps been better known as an animator, having worked on BBC2's unforgettable Monkey Dust, designed the titles for the otherwise forgettable Little Miss Jocelyn, and - most impressively - created the video for Evan Dando’s excellent 2003 solo single Stop My Head.

Below is a short animation she did for a Cartoon Network sketch show a few years back. Expect to see more of this - and more of Caroline herself - on your tellies in the years to come.

EDINBURGH 2011: MARY BOURKE

2011-08-08T10:21:00.003+01:00

Today, it's the turn of Mary Bourke.

Born in Dublin, Mary started out her professional life as a burlesque dancer in San Francisco before moving into comedy more than a decade ago.

Described by one journalist as being "like an emerald in a cowpat", Mary's soft-spoken and often deadpan humour is equal parts incisive, intelligent, and erudite - yet she's unafraid to aim both barrels at the rich and famous (and even some of her comedy contemporaries) and let fly with some ferocious and highly observant putdowns.

As well as being "co-conspirator" of The Fortnight Club at London's New Red Lion in City Road, where up to a dozen established comedians (often including a big name or two) try out new material, Mary is also very much in demand on the comedy and festival circuits on both sides of the Atlantic.

However, 2011 sees Mary becoming one of the year's most experienced Edinburgh debutants, as her show Mary Mary Quite Contrary, which features a gameshow section tantalisingly entitled Tweet or Delete, marks her solo debut at the Fringe. It's free, and takes place at 16:00 every day until August 29th at The Street, 2b Picardy Place (the venue gets minus ten points for making their website inaccessible to the general public - fix that 403 error, barman).

Still, there's more info on the show on the official Fringe website here: http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/comedy/mary-mary-quite-contrary.

One assumes it's because of this popularity that clips of Mary in action on the web are few and far between - after all, if you've a full diary of bookings, why bother with the more frustrating and time-consuming elements of social networking like the rest of us when you can just get out there and be seen by the public in the flesh (as it were)?

However, we did find this rare TV clip of Mary from a few years back, appearing on ITV4's FHM Stand-up Hero, which serves as a perfect taster of her irresistable style. (Trust me: my mate Tony loves her act, and he's a difficult bugger to please.)

EDINBURGH 2011: THE BOOM JENNIES

2011-08-07T19:11:00.003+01:00

Oh dear. Late update.

Sorry - woke up late after watching Tottenham burn to the ground on the news last night, then went down the pub for the Community Shield, then went shopping, and have only just returned home to realize I hadn't done this update.

Thankfully, The Boom Jennies (Lizzie Bates, Anna Emerson, and Catriona Knox) have no such memory lapses in their current Edinburgh offering, Blowout.

Now firmly established in the annual Edinburgh offering, Ver Jennies are not afraid to try new approaches to comedy, having started as a duo (Bates & Emerson) and grown to a sketch trio before successfully turning their hands last year to a play with a bloke - eeeek!

This year, they've shrunk down to a trio again and have returned back to a sketch-based offering, but have upped the ante somewhat by laying themselves bare in front of a late night audience (albeit one at the Plesance, whose rudeness probably stops at failing to apologise after sneezing).

Quite why this witty, hilarious, kooky, and gifted trio haven't already made in-roads into the comedy establishment is beyond me. Considering the sort of ticket prices some acts are charging at the Pleasance this year, I can guarantee that an hour in the company of The Boom Jennies will not leave you dissatisfied.

The Boom Jennies: Blowout is at the Pleasance Baby Grand every night until August 28th (not 15th) at 22:45. Tickets are priced between £9 and £10.50, depending on the date of performance.

More info here: http://www.pleasance.co.uk/edinburgh/events/the-boom-jennies-blowout.

And if you want some idea of what to expect, here's a brand new video from the ladies:

EDINBURGH 2011: MARK DAVISON

2011-08-06T10:21:00.003+01:00

So...if you happen to be venturing past the massive Three Sisters pub on Cowgate at lunchtime between now and August 19th, you might want to check out Give Me The Funnies, a free hour-long showcase featuring stand-ups Sarah Callaghan and Ben Jay.

The third performer in the show was to have been Nico Yearwood - indeed, he is still listed as appearing in many places that harvest show information from the official 2011 fringe programme, the listings for which, as any fule no, were compiled way back in 1974.

But for reasons unknown, Nico is not taking part in the show. Perhaps this is something to do with him having reached the semis of the Amused Moose Laugh Off competition for new stand-up talent - but, then again, so has Sarah. So bang goes that theory...

Anyhow, the upshot of this is that our good friend Mark Davison has stepped into the breach to form the third point of the comedy isosceles in character as Mr Susan.

Mark is perhaps best known as being the co-writer of BBC Comedy's online short Henry 8.0, which stars Brian Blessed as the aforementioned Tudor monarch and marriage addict living his life online in the present-day. Click here to watch all 14 episodes.

However, we rather like this recent instalment of Rachel Stubbings' online agony aunt series, Stubbing Out Problems, where Mark appears as Geoff in Cockfosters, a man whose issues truly come from within...

Give Me The Funnies is on at The Meeting Room, The Three Sisters, 139 Cowgate as part of the Laughing Horse Free Festival every day at 13:05 until August 19th.

For more details, see:

http://www.laughinghorsecomedy.co.uk/dynamic/show.asp?ShowID=613

EDINBURGH 2011: DELETE THE BANJAX

2011-08-05T08:59:00.002+01:00

Delete the Banjax have come a long way since we first made their acquaintance shortly after they formed in 2008.

Returning to the Pleasance for their fourth consecutive fringe appearance , the quartet of Samuel Champion, Daniel Cook, Gareth Cooper and Caroline May-Jones are offering for your delectation a show entitled Pigs and Ponies (Until August 29th, not 15th, 18:20, tickets priced £5-9.50 depending on date).

Apparently the show contains neither of the said creatures, although the Pleasance Beside has this year been described by some as "an iceberg", so you might see some polar bears if you're lucky.

More here:

http://www.pleasance.co.uk/edinburgh/events/delete-the-banjax-presents-pigs-and-ponies

Assuming they don't get done under the Trade Descriptions Act for misselling the show in its title, expect to see and hear more of DTB over the coming 12 months.

In the meantime, enjoy this clip from their rapidly-growing online portfolio of daftness:

SEE JOHN DREDGE LIVE AT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE

2011-08-04T11:29:00.003+01:00

It's Edinburgh Fringe time again, with all that that entails: bad food, excessive amounts of alcohol, tendonitis until Christmas, twice-weekly psychotherapy until next year's festival, and massive debt for well over a decade.

Because of these piffling factors, 404 Funny has decided not to go up to the festival this year. However, those of you who are making the journey may wish to check out the Edinburgh debut of comedy duo DREGS at the Underbelly (21:30, tonight until August 28th, not 15th, tickets priced £6-10.50 depending on date).

Appearing alongside the duo themselves (Sony-nominated Absolute Radio DJ Max Dickins and So You Think You're Funny Finalist Mark Smith) in a supporting role, making his own Edinburgh debut, is our very own John Dredge.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Underbelly website here:

www.underbelly.co.uk/node/19331

John will be putting his daytimes to use at the festival by writing some new podcasts for us, which we hope will be ready early in the autumn. We have also located some previously unavailable material from John's early days on Comedy 365, which we also hope to put out around the same time.

In the meantime, feel free to delve into our archive for some of John's many fabulous shows from the past five years. Our particular favourite is the one that features The Human League in Outer Space.

Also, keep coming back to this blog on a daily basis during the next three weeks for video content from some of our friends currently performing at the world's greatest fringe festival.

And, at the risk of being accused of overkill, let's start with this one from Mr Dredge:

GOT THOSE PEAK-TIME COMEDY ON ITV1 BLUES AGAIN

2011-07-14T01:00:00.002+01:00

We don’t often get the chance to see people who’ve contributed to 404 Funny in one way or another on the telly, so forgive us for blowing our own trumpet for a second.

It may not be the most original title for a comedy talent search, but Show Me the Funny, which starts airing in the UK on ITV1 this coming Monday (July 18th), plans, as so many other talent searches that have gone before, to find a new star from the world of stand-up.

Initially, the show’s producer, Freddie Foss-Smith (with a name like that, he belongs in showbiz) was said to be seeking “unknown and relatively new comedians” that “might” have appeared at open mic nights. Some, he said, may not have performed a single gig. There was even a suggestion that sketch writers and performers would be considered. However, pre-show publicity now describes the ten selected stand-ups as “a mixture of unknowns and those who have experience on the circuit”. This is quite a liberal interpretation of the terms “unknown” and “experienced”, as several of them have already at some point of their careers made the step up from the live circuit to television.

Rudi Lickwood, for example, received his first TV exposure 20 years ago, as part of the excellent team on The Real McCoy. Patrick Monahan’s appeared on TV several times over the past decade, most recently presenting the Billboard Music Awards. Tiffany Stevenson too has made several TV appearances, first as an actress in The Office and Absolute Power, and then in ITV2’s Comedy Cuts. In addition, all three have been regular talking heads on the sort of TV shows that have titles like Most Annoying / Shocking / Embarrassing (delete as applicable) People / Pop Songs / Fellow Comedians (again, delete as applicable).

Less familiar to television audiences is Prince Abdi, who, despite much success in competitions on the live circuit, has only been seen in Laughter Shock, a one-off BBC Three show filmed at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe. Cole Parker also is described as having played “big clubs, both in the UK and abroad”, but has to date made a solitary TV appearance in The Friday Night Project on Channel Four.

Thankfully, there are some relative newbies as well: Dan Mitchell, a former undertaker who’s performed over 500 gigs, Ignacio Lopez, who’s been on the circuit for two years but has only been paid twice, and Ellie Taylor, a former model who, despite never having done a single paid gig, has given up her day job to focus on a comedy career – or as much of a career as one can get out of comedy. Rather her than me.

And then there are two performers who will already be known to 404 Funny subscribers:

First off is Stuart Goldsmith. Previously half of double act Kiosk of Champions (with Richard Sandling), he’s recently turned to stand-up after previous stints as an award-winning busker, a writer for several BBC Radio Comedy shows, and appearing in a small role in BBC Three’s Coming of Age. You can also hear him in the first two episodes of Pegabovine: House of Mirth right here on 404 Funny.

Then there’s Alfie Moore, the serving police sergeant who leads a double life as a comedian. Since first arriving on the scene with flashing blue lights and all in 2008, he’s become an in-demand after-dinner speaker and has performed some 250 gigs including two stints at the Edinburgh Fringe, which is where we first met him. You can hear extracts from his sets in programme 2 of Comedy 365 at Edinburgh 2008 and programme 2 of Comedy 365 at Edinburgh 2009 - again, both available on 404 Funny.

So quite a mixed bunch in terms of age, experience, style, and background. Sure, it would have been nice to see ten acts completely new to television, but perhaps there just weren’t enough decent ones out there who the producers felt had a reasonable chance of surviving the show’s run. Discuss.

Aside from the very generous prize of a UK tour, a DVD release in time for Christmas, and £100k (imagine how many nights you’d have to play Jongleurs to earn that sort of money), the show will give all ten contestants a great deal of peak-time exposure. But this is ITV1, remember – home to The X Fucktor, Britain’s Got a Tendency to Show Off at Parties, and Simon Cowell Chooses Which Act(s) to Sign By Hedging His Bets and Signing All of the Finalists Before the Series has Even Started. In other words, it’s likely that, by the time a winner has been selected, some of those who’ve fallen by the wayside may start regretting ever having sought out that exposure in the first place.

Sure, the ten contestants will face some interesting challenges during Show Me the Funny’s run: Will they manage to come up with five minutes of top-notch (alleged) fresh material every week? Will they cope with performing in front of unfamiliar types of audience or people for whom their style of material may not be particularly suitable? And how many of the acts will end up with their heads still attached to their necks after being taken apart by Kate Copstick, the 21st Century TV equivalent of New Faces’ Tony Hatch cross-bred with the Wicked Witch of the West.

It seems there’s a very fine line between achieving that potentially lucrative future career and suffering a humiliating and soul-destroying defeat from all these modern TV talent shows, and I fear Show Me the Funny isn’t going to be any different.

Renowned headliner, MC, and all-round punsmith Tony Cowards, posting on the British Comedy Forums, sums it up perfectly:

“A bad experience…could well put you off doing stand up for life, or at the very least set you back a bit. And don't forget that bad auditions make good TV.”

One person has already gone public with his / her experience of being in the studio audience for the recording of Monday’s show, describing the event as “boring”, the jokes largely “appalling” and “below the waistline”, and the whole thing rather spoilt by the host (the very talented but hitherto poorly utilized TV-wise Jason Manford) and the warm-up act, who is not named. That said, everyone’s opinion of the show and the acts will differ, particularly after the show’s had a few days in the editing and dubbing suites.

Purely from a personal standpoint, everyone at 404 Funny wishes Stuart and Alfie the best of luck. But whoever wins, we hope that he or she is worthy of the excellent prize and that the other nine acts come away from the project better (and funnier) for the experience. If they don’t, then Show Me the Funny will have done more harm than good, and that won’t be a positive thing for British comedy long-term.

In the meantime, don’t forget, folks: other comedians are available…

Richard Cray is currently on a mental sabbatical.

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 21 - TRACKS

2011-06-24T01:00:00.001+01:00

Once upon a time in the Land of Pod, there was a silly old man who - for reasons we won't go into at this time - called himself Richard Cray.

Every week on a Friday, he would pretend he was the driver of an imaginary train he referred to as The 404 Special, offering up silly songs over the public address system to the few people still willing to travel with him.

On this particular Friday, he offered up:

ROB PARAVONIAN Children’s Song
MATT GRIFFO Go to Bed, Little Darling
PROJECT SISYPHUS The Emo Girl’s Favorite Things
JEFF KORNBERG What a Lousy Day
WORM QUARTET My Apologies
BEN TWISTED One Time
ROB BALDER Never Say Never
ROBERT LUND Hey, Old Stripper
FLAT 29 You’re an Old Lady Who Used to Be Hot
THE VOLUME BROTHERS I’ve Turned Into My Dad
TVs KYLE Good Advice

But sadly, before the train had reached its destination, the regular commuters decided they'd had enough of his announcements and strangled him with the communication cord, taking every precaution to make it look like suicide.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The End.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/404special21_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 20 - TRACKS

2011-06-17T01:00:00.001+01:00

Today, The 404 Special opens up its buffet car, with warm watered-down alcoholic beverages, mouldy food-to-go, and refried salmonella on offer at inflated prices, all served with the medical intervention of your choice.

Please form an orderly queue for the one working lavatory as you listen to:

ROB PARAVONIAN She Brings Me Beer
MARC GUNN St Patrick Never Drank
TVs KYLE Mr Sandwich
ODD AUSTIN Taco Bell
PINK STEEL Sausage Party
STEVE GOODIE What’s in My Hot Dog?
JAY FOREMAN Matthew and Ben
ROBERT LUND & SPAFF Midol
FLAT 29 Cook Up a Little Bit of Love

How's their cooking? Visit their websites and tell them. They're listed in the right-hand gutter of this very blog. (Don't bother looking in the left-hand gutter - that's tomorrow's dinner.)

http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/404special20_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 19 - TRACKS

2011-06-10T01:00:00.000+01:00

Celebrities. Don't you just love 'em?

One minute they're taking out superinjunctions to protect their privacy; the next they're parading three generations of their family around a football field.

That's sort of where we start with today's 404 Special, winding our way through the whole murky waters of charitable causes championed by over-earnest famous people, and ending up roughly dissecting the state of the world - Hollywood, in particular.

(It's not an excuse to poke fun at a few famous people and some dodgy films and TV programmes, honest.)

Hoping for that Conan guest spot today are:

STEVE GOODIE Calling Dr Phil
JONNI MUSIC Preoccupied by the War
JEFF KORNBERG Fuck the Earth
NUCLEAR BUBBLE WRAP Act Pottery
FLAT 29 FEAT. THE GREAT LUKE SKI & CARRIE DAHLBY Sneaking Snacks into the Cinema
TOM SMITH New Moon
ROBERT LUND The Awful Truth About Hannah Montana
LOTZIE WEAVER They Can’t Stop You Laughing

Use the links in the right-hand gutter of this blog to visit the websites of these and other fine musical comedians, buy some of their CDs, and get them on the telly ahead of all those air-headed reality show trollops, gosh darn it.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/404special19_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 18 - TRACKS

2011-06-03T01:00:00.000+01:00

Sometimes on The 404 Special, no matter how hard we try, the already tenuous thematic links between songs completely break down.

For example, planning for this edition began with the rough description Consumer Goods, then adopted an even-rougher episode title of How We Spend Our Disposable Income, before resting on the frankly awkward House and Home, and the Things We Fill it With. Which was all very well until we got to the last track and realized - way too late - that it was a song about voyeurism, rather than window coverings.

Despite this, today's tracks still manage to complement each other remarkably well, we think. So perhaps it is best to consider today's show as an audio equivalent of aesthetically-pleasing interior design.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 30-Minute Makeover team for today is:

ODD AUSTIN Kenmore Fridge
JAY FOREMAN Calypso
STEVE GOODIE Ice Cream Man
POWER SALAD Electric Razor Blues
PROJECT SISYPHUS Butt-floss Girl
FLAT 29 DIY Lovin’
ROB PARAVONIAN Particle Board
ROBERT LUND With Blinds Wide Open

Links to artist websites can be found in the right-hand gutter of this blog.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/404special18_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 17 - TRACKS

2011-05-27T01:00:00.002+01:00

...And we're back!

Yes - it's a new series of The 404 Special, and not before time. The quality control on this new series is as good as ever and we've even got a handful of new artists to bring you.

Sadly, Richard Cray is still the host. But you can't have everything, I suppose.

On today's show, you'll hear the following delights:

MATT GRIFFO I Want You Miss Clinton
FLAT 29 Factually Accurate Love Song
DAVID TANNY Girl, You Drive Me Wild
ROBERT LUND Re: Your Song About My Client Delilah
LOTZIE WEAVER The Bouncer’s Song
PRO AUDIO The King of Awkward Conversations
NUCLEAR BUBBLE WRAP Inyourendo
JOSHUA GROSVENT MySpace
PROJECT SISYPHUS O.M.G.
ROB PARAVONIAN Less from You

And, as always, you'll find links to these and many more musical comedy artists in the right-hand gutter of this blog, under The 404 Special Passenger List.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/funny404/404special17_eq.mp3

EAT YOUR HEART OUT, MORGAN SPURLOCK

2011-05-18T11:42:00.005+01:00

With a new series of The 404 Special imminent and the news that documentary maker Morgan Spurlock has made a new movie created entirely by product placement, I am reminded of 404 Special regular Jay Foreman's award-winning take on Spurlock's most famous work to date, Super Size Me.

NEW DAILY DREDGES ALL THIS WEEK

2010-09-20T05:00:00.000+01:00

Far from beyond the holdalls of today comes a brand new series of The Daily Dredge, presented by Vice-President of the Gwent Chipshop Owners Group, John Dredge, non-OBE.

In this daily blast of cagoule-based fun, you'll be able to eavesdrop on a whole host of something including features on many things of note and interviews with Sidcup residents, animals, and ting. There will also be special quizzes for those of you, and exciting adventure stories, often concerning different things and suchlike, suitable for a family of 20. The whole show is broadcast live from a grid of iron somewhere in Frinton, so please pay attention to wingnuts and audio fol-de-rol, for Heaven's sake.

So sit back, deactivatatronalize, and while away literally some minutes as we take you from there to here in a frenzy of mystical kludge.

Excelsior!

John Dredge heself, him wot writ this,

in this year of our Lord Grade, tooty grand and tenner.

COMEDY 365 AT EDINBURGH 2009 - PROGRAMME 5

2010-08-06T05:00:00.000+01:00

On today’s show, in order of appearance:

TAYLOR GLENN
As well as being part of Slow Genius (see last Monday’s show) and sketch comedy group Token Yank, New York native and Cardiff resident Taylor has been performing stand up throughout the UK, in addition to writing for radio and the stage. Earlier this year, she recently won the Welsh Unsigned Stand-up Award at the Cardiff Comedy Festival, pocketing a grand and winning a slot supporting Rhod Gilbert at St. David's Hall, Cardiff. This year you’ll find her at Edinburgh for one show only, on the bill of one of three Funny Women showcases taking place at Assembly @ George Street on August 23rd (19.20) or 24th (noon and 17.20). Exact line-ups are still to be confirmed, so keep an eye on the Funny Women website for updates.

DELETE THE BANJAX
You are cordially invited to join Delete the Banjax for their third Edinburgh Fringe but their first in a major venue for a paying audience, which is entitled (rather unsurprisingly) Delete the Banjax…and You (Pleasance Attic, 17.45, Until Aug 30th, not 17th).

JAMES REDMOND
He’s modelled for Calvin Klein, which led to a regular job looking pretty on a regular basis in Hollyoaks, which in turn led to some proper acting work in Casualty and even shared a TV sofa with Cat Deeley for a few weeks (well, so would you if the offer came up). Now that’s all over, 38-year-old James – in no way suffering a mid-life crisis – has decided to give stand-up comedy a go. At the time he appeared with us last year, he’d only been at it a few months. Thankfully, the novelty hasn’t worn off because, as you’ll hear, he’s actually rather good at it. Right now, you can catch him in his full Edinburgh debut, The Monumental Joke Disco, along with Lou Sanders and Luke Benson (Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 15.30, from today until Aug 29th, not 16th).

NICK HELM
Nick will this year be performing his debut Edinburgh solo show entitled Keep Hold of the Gold (Downstairs at the Tron, 15.40, Until Aug 29th, not 18th).

JAKE YAPP
Jake continues to contribute to Sean Keaveney’s breakfast show on BBC 6 Music and is also currently producing promos for UKTV. Once he gets a moment to breathe, he has assured us he will return with some new podcasts for 404 Funny too. Until then, you can still catch the best bits from his previous two podcasts, The Jake Yapp Podcast and Jake Yapp’s Little Bits.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/EDINBURGH2009edit5.MP3

All acts recorded live at Sowerby & Luff’s All Stars at The White Horse, Canongate.

COMEDY 365 AT EDINBURGH 2009 - PROGRAMME 4

2010-08-05T08:41:00.002+01:00

On today’s show, in order of appearance:

JAMES SHAKESHAFT
James co-wrote and appeared in Hung Out for Channel Four’s Comedy Lab, and the first six episodes of Dr Answers, the 404 Funny podcast he produced with David LE Davis, are still available for download. If you’ve never heard the show, why not start with the series compilation?

CAROLINE MABEY
Caroline’s made the step up from the Free Fringe to the ticketed Fringe this year, something that isn’t as easy as it looks. Our very own Jake Yapp can testify to that, having had direct experience of it last year – and Caroline’s at the same venue: Just the Tonic @ The Caves. Now, it used to be that the Caves were just known as Caves 1, 2, and 3 – but this year there are six performance spaces at the venue, all with wacky Underbelly / Pleasance-like names, including the one Caroline’s in: Just the Wee One. We only hope that doesn’t mean she’s doing a show in the toilets – it’ll cause havoc with her multimedia and probably make her more ill than she was when she did a guest spot for Comedy 365 last year. Her 2010 show, Eat Your Friends, is on at 16.35, from today until August 29th (not 17th), and comes highly recommended.

RICHARD BROPHY
Richard’s back on the Free Fringe this year with Kiwi Nick Rado in One Kiwi, One Aussie, One Hour (16.15, Aug 7th-28th) in the front of Sin Club and Lounge, which, for those old hands of the Fringe, was most recently known as Holyrood Too @ Faith and, many years ago, used to be the venue for Late ‘n’ Live.

PAUL HARRY ALLEN
Why Paul isn’t regularly on the radio, God only knows. One of the Fringe’s great storytellers, only he has the ability to turn the products of his thrift shopping expeditions into unmissable Edinburgh shows. Last year, he brought the stranger parts of his record collection to the Fringe; this year, he’s returning to the Laughing Horse Free Festival, recounting the tale of a wad of letters from the 1960s he found in a junk shop in The Lost Letters of Cathy G (Laughing Horse @ Espionage, 15:15, Aug 6th-30th).

ROSIE WILBY
Rosie’s Edinburgh 2010 show is Further Science of Sex (Underbelly Delhi Belly, 16.15, from today until Aug 29th, not 16th).

MRS BARBARA NICE
Barbara, the alter-ego of character comedian Janice Connolly, has been touring her 2009 Edinburgh show, doing the (very) odd guest spot during the first half of 2010, and playing Arthur Smith’s housekeeper in his Balham Bash series on Radio 4. There are no gigs currently advertised, which hopefully means she’s putting her feet up in Stockport with a nice cup of tea and some Lemon Puffs. But keep your eyes peeled on the Dates section of her fabulous website, the portal to all things Nice, for future appearances and lots more. And yes, her act was every bit as fun as it sounds.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/EDINBURGH2009edit4.MP3

All acts recorded live at Sowerby & Luff’s All Stars at The White Horse, Canongate.

COMEDY 365 AT EDINBURGH 2009 - PROGRAMME 3

2010-08-04T19:53:00.002+01:00

On today’s show, in order of appearance:

DOUG FAULKNER
As you read this, Doug is probably trolling around the nation’s clubs looking for grown women willing to undergo a make-under in the fourth series of BBC Three’s Snog, Marry, Avoid. He’s also filmed versions of some of the sketches from his 2009 Edinburgh solo debut, and we might even get a podcast or two out of him in the next 12 months.

JON BRITTAIN
Jon is appearing at the Edinburgh Festival in his own play The Wake (Bedlam Theatre, 20.00, Aug 6th-28th).

THE DOG-EARED COLLECTIVE
Contrary to their name, everything seems to be ship-shape in DEC land at the moment. The five-piece sketch troupe from Leeds are back in Edinburgh this year with a show entitled The Dog-Eared Collective's Joyride (Underbelly White Belly, 15.10, Aug 5th-29th, not 18th), which promises “morris dancing with missiles, falafel freefall, and Team GB's Olympic dragon”.

KATERINA VRANA
No, not the “star” of dubious celluloid delights as Girl Camp 2004 and Lesbian Fleshpots, but the loud, vibrant, frizzy-haired MC of London's Vranarama (Lowdown at the Albany, 2008-09) and Edinburgh's Comedy at The Grape. Not at Edinburgh herself this year, as far as we know – but if you’re in London, she’ll be performing at London’s Comedy Pub this coming Saturday (August 7th) and again on September 20th. Both shows start at 20.30, doors 20.00.

JAY FOREMAN
Jay will be showcasing some of the material from his second CD in Pretend You’re Happy (Underbelly Delhi Belly, 13.40, Aug 5th-29th, not 18th).

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/EDINBURGH2009edit3.MP3

All acts recorded live at Sowerby & Luff's All Stars at The White Horse, Canongate.

COMEDY 365 AT EDINBURGH 2009 - PROGRAMME 2

2010-08-03T20:31:00.002+01:00

On today’s show, in order of appearance:

LORCAN McGRANE
Lorcan will be replicating the Edinburgh experience at home this year by drinking heavily, eating badly, reading scathing Chortle reviews, and sitting fully clothed under a shower. He might blog a bit about it too, if you're lucky.

JEN WARREN
Canadian ex-pat Jen may have appeared solo with us last year, but she was part of a double act with Charlotte Jo Hanbury that brought nudity and possibly the most disturbing flyer of 2009 to the Gilded Balloon. You can catch Jen making sporadic appearances on the London fringe comedy circuit and watch some filmed sketches on her website.

ALFIE MOORE
Alfie will be taking his 2009 Edinburgh show The Laughter Police to the Hull Comedy Festival this coming October.

DEE CUSTANCE
One of our fellow comedy time-sharers at the White Horse, Dee will be in Edinburgh this summer…but only because she lives there, working in animation during the day and hosting Lemon Custard comedy nights whenever she gets some free time, which sadly doesn’t seem to be that often at the moment. There was also a brief flirtation with podcasting a while back (along with Emma Lennox) to which we hope she’ll return…

ERIC KIRCHBERGER
Eric will be appearing in a movie, Lucky, due to go on general release in the US around the turn of the year.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/EDINBURGH2009edit2.MP3

All acts were recorded live at Sowerby & Luff’s All Stars, which took place at The White Horse, Canongate.

COMEDY 365 AT EDINBURGH 2009 - PROGRAMME 1

2010-08-02T22:02:00.002+01:00

And so, as the 2500+ performers at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival deal with venues without seats, toilets, or ceilings, and prepare for their tech runs, only to realize they’ve forgotten to hire a someone to work the sound and lights, we at 404 Funny turn our attention to last year’s Fringe experience, when we were hiding behind the curtain at Comedy 365’s show in the cosy back room of The White Horse pub in Canongate. Sadly, landlords Rab and Kath decided not to renew their lease on the pub and it closed in November of last year.

But there’ll always be the comedy…

On today’s show, in order of appearance:

PAUL RICKETTS
Paul’s 2010 Edinburgh show is Kiss the Badge, Fly the Flag (Just the Tonic @ The Caves, 22.40, Aug 5th-29th, not 13th or 16th).

DAN McKEE
Dan is appearing in Great Yarmouth Social Club (Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 20.30, Aug 7th-29th, not 9th, 16th, or 23rd).

JOHN SMITH
John remains the co-founder (along with Dan Willis) and one of the resident MCs of the Grinning Idiot Comedy Club, which runs nights at no fewer than seven venues in the north east of England.

SLOW GENIUS
The ladies (Arabella Butler, Serena Lewis, Taylor Glenn, Dominique Fester, Rachael Nicholson) are still recovering from their 2009 experience in Edinburgh, but are sure to return to the stage in Cardiff and elsewhere with their regular nights at some point soon. In the meantime, Rachael has been running about in the open air dressed as a nun, all for the love of Shakespeare, and Taylor won the 2010 Welsh Unsigned Stand-up Award, despite being American.

CAROLYN CASTIGLIA
If you’re in New York City, you can catch Carolyn this Friday (August 6th) hosting her monthly show Splurge! at Happy Ending, 302 Broome Street (Forsyth/Eldridge). The show starts at 7pm and promises “amazing stand-ups, killer music, and a video premiere”. Lots more videos and future gig news can be found on Carolyn’s blog.

BEN LERMAN
Again, choosing to stay in the Big Apple Strudel rather than the wet and windy capital of Scotland this August, Ben is keeping himself busy nonetheless, opening for Claudia Cogan at Creek and the Cave in Long Island City this coming Sunday (August 8th, 6.30pm) and they’ll also be appearing together on next Monday’s Keith and the Girl podcast. Other forthcoming dates include the Brooklyn Underground Comedy Festival at Public Assembly, Brooklyn (August 16th, 7.45pm), a guest spot on Jessica Delfino’s Show at White Slab Palace (August 28th, 8pm), and an appearance at next month’s Splurge! (September 10th, 7pm, see Carolyn Castiglia for venue details). By the way, you may like to know that Ben and his spoonerism namesake Len Berman have met in the 12 months since his performance was recorded, and thankfully the world didn’t end as a result. Click here to visit Ben's website.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/EDINBURGH2009edit1.MP3

All acts recorded live at Sowerby & Luff’s All Stars, which was part of PBH’s Free Fringe programme in 2009.

COMEDY 365 AT EDINBURGH 2008 - PROGRAMME 5

2010-07-30T05:00:00.002+01:00

On today’s show, in order of appearance:

PAUL RICKETTS
I seriously have no idea whether England’s sad and wholly predictable demise in this year’s World Cup is going to help or hinder Paul’s 2010 Edinburgh show. Or, indeed, whether it’s possible for a show about being English to get any sympathy from the city's natives. If you want to find out, go see Kiss the Badge, Fly the Flag (Just the Tonic @ The Caves, 22.40, Aug 5th-29th, not 13th or 16th). It should be one heck of a night out.

TOM WATERACRE
See Programme 1.

JON BRITTAIN
See Programme 2.

HAYLEY JAYNE STANDING (as Vonny Lee Lucas)
Hayley hasn’t returned to Edinburgh since her whistle-stop 2008 appearance, which itself was cut short by her having to return back to London for an audition. A year later, she was starring as Mel in what we think was the best TV comedy of 2009, BBC2’s Home Time. Sadly, the show has not been re-commissioned, there are no plans for a repeat, and a DVD probably won’t see the light of day until Hell freezes over or someone at the BBC realizes they’ve made a HUGE mistake. Not sure which of those will happen first, mind you. Hayley hopes to finally make it to Edinburgh next year or the year after, whereas Vonny can occasionally be found at London’s Café Koha, co-hosting Vonny, Dot & Mo’s Knockers and Knobs Knight.

JAMES SHAKESHAFT
See Programme 1.

JAKE YAPP
See Programme 1.

DOUG FAULKNER
See Programme 2.

DELETE THE BANJAX
Sometimes you can just tell who’s got a future in this business, and we certainly noticed with DTB in 2008. By 2009, they were the hottest ticket…even though the show was free and there weren’t any tickets on sale. And by festival’s end, they were becoming the critics’ favourite too. 2010 is DTB’s third Edinburgh but their first in a major venue for a paying audience. By this time next year, they might be coming to you through your wireless or goggle box, so if you’re in Edinburgh in August be sure to see them in the flesh in Delete the Banjax…and You (Pleasance Attic, 17.45, Aug 4th-30th, not 17th) before it's too ruddy late.

ERIC KIRCHBERGER
There is a joyous irony in Eric’s 2008 routine when he says he always gets mistaken for store managers when shopping, in that he has just filmed a role in a movie, Lucky, in which he features as…wait for it…a store clerk. The movie looks as though it will be on general release in the US around the turn of the year. Check press for details, as they say. In the meantime, listen once again to Eric’s pronunciation of the word “Cookies?” in his routine – gets us every time.

JAY FOREMAN
See Programme 1.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/EDINBURGH2008edit5.mp3

All acts recorded live at Sex Tips for Pandas, which was hosted by and co-produced with Sowerby & Luff, at Dragonfly, West Port.

COMEDY 365 AT EDINBURGH 2008 - PROGRAMME 4

2010-07-29T05:00:00.002+01:00

On today’s show, in order of appearance:

PAUL CONNEELY
As Programme 1.

DOUG FALKNER
As Programme 2.

LORCAN McGRANE
Has informed us that he will be replicating the Edinburgh experience at home this year by drinking heavily, eating badly, reading scathing Chortle reviews and sitting fully clothed under a shower.

TOM WATERACRE
As Programme 1.

SIMON LILLEY
Will be at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe, appearing in the tantalizingly-titled The Dog That Ate Your Birthday Cake (Base Nightclub, 17.00, Aug 7th-28th).

JAMES SHAKESHAFT & DAVID LE DAVIS
As Programme 1.

CHRIS MARTIN
If Chris schedules in an appearance at Edinburgh this year, it’ll probably be a flying one at very short notice, if his gig list is anything to go by. August sees appearances in the north-east of England, Brighton, Eastbourne, and London. And if that’s not enough, there are further podcasts with fellow comedian Carl Donnelly to look forward to (only 18 episodes and already #160 in the iTunes UK Audio Comedy chart, the jammy buggers). Anyway, it’s all accessible via Chris’s website.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/EDINBURGH2008edit4.mp3

All acts recorded live at Sex Tips for Pandas, which was hosted by and co-produced with Sowerby & Luff, at Dragonfly, West Port.

COMEDY 365 AT EDINBURGH 2008 - PROGRAMME 3

2010-07-28T05:00:00.001+01:00

On today’s show, in order of appearance:

THE SCARLET PIMPS
Another act on infinite hiatus (the British fringe circuit does that to people), Liam has just made a short film entitled The Secret Life of a Stapler and Rob has made a little baby daughter.

DAN McKEE
Is bringing a little bit of Norfolk to Edinburgh this summer, appearing in Great Yarmouth Social Club (Laughing Horse @ Edinburgh City Football Club, 20.30, Aug 7th-29th, not 9th, 16th, or 23rd). He will then return to Saltbox Comedy Club in Norwich to a hero’s welcome, no doubt.

BRENDAN NAUGHTON
We have it on good authority that Brendan is still alive and well, and will be gigging in London during August, including a date at Downstairs at the King’s Head on August 15th as part of the Comedy Variety Cabaret. Our good friend Mary Bourke is also on the bill and the compere is the frankly legendary Nick Revell.

DOUG FAULKNER
See Programme 2.

ALYSSA KYRIA (as Ariadne the Greek WAG)
Giving Edinburgh a miss this year, Alyssa is on the bill at London’s Comedy Pub on August 9th. The show starts at 20:30. Who knows, if she ever returns from her holiday, Ariadne might even return for another season of her Comedy Bag show sometime soon – that is, as long as her footballer husband’s transfer to a London side goes through before the deadline.

TOM WATERACRE
See Programme 1.

LIAM McENEANEY
Is in New York, hosting his weekly show Tell Your Friends (Lolita, 266 Broome St., at the corner of Allen St., 20.00 every Monday) and a specially-filmed version is currently in the post-production stage. Which leads us nicely onto…

ROB PARAVONIAN
…who not only appears in the aforementioned movie, but has just opened for Lily Tomlin. When not being captured for posterity or hobnobbing with comedy legends, Rob tours the US and has gigs in New York, Virginia, and Hawaii to look forward to in the next couple of months. His first CD in eight years, Songs from the Second Floor, is also available, and we’ll be featuring some tracks on The 404 Special when it returns in September.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/EDINBURGH2008edit3.mp3

All acts recorded live at Sex Tips for Pandas, which was hosted by and co-produced with Sowerby & Luff, at Dragonfly, West Port, except The Scarlet Pimps, who were recorded at the semi-finals of So You Think You’re Funny 2008 at the Gilded Balloon and introduced by Paul Tonkinson.

COMEDY 365 AT EDINBURGH 2008 - PROGRAMME 2

2010-07-27T05:00:00.001+01:00

On today’s show, in order of appearance:

ALFIE MOORE
Sadly, prior commitments prohibit Alfie from doing his third Edinburgh in a row, but he has been touring his 2009 show, The Laughter Police, in the few moments he’s had spare from the day job and will also be taking it to the Hull Comedy Festival this coming October.

DOUG FAULKNER
Will be spending his summer writing the bitchier bits of the script for the fourth (yes, fourth) series of BBC Three’s Snog, Marry, Avoid and shamelessly plugging the You Tube channel where you can see video versions of the sketches from his 2009 Edinburgh solo debut that you meant to see but were probably too hungover to crawl out of your bed early enough…

JON BRITTAIN
Will be at Edinburgh this year but has wisely decided against doing six open spots a night in order to appear in his play The Wake (Bedlam Theatre, 20.00, Aug 6th-28th).

TOM WATERACRE
See Programme 1.

ROSIE WILBY
Will be appearing both at the ever-growing Camden Fringe in Rosie’s Pop Diary (Camden Head, 17.45, Aug 2nd & 3rd) and at Edinburgh with Further Science of Sex (Underbelly Delhi Belly, 16.15, Aug 5th-29th, not 16th).

JAMES SHAKESHAFT & DAVID LE DAVIS
See Programme 1.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/EDINBURGH2008edit2.mp3

All acts recorded live at Sex Tips for Pandas, which was hosted by and co-produced with Sowerby & Luff, at Dragonfly, West Port.

COMEDY 365 AT EDINBURGH 2008 - PROGRAMME 1

2010-07-26T05:00:00.002+01:00

Ah, Edinburgh in August: warm audiences, damp weather, cheap alcohol, full bellies, empty houses, expensive accommodation, invisible producers, all-too-visible promoters, camaraderie, break-ups, breakdowns, crippling debt, and enough flyers left in boxes and bins at the very end to make an environmentalist weep.

It’s time for Fringe and, deep down, we all love it. And, although 404 Funny isn’t up there doing a show this year, we do have some fantastic performances in the archive from Comedy 365’s two years at the planet’s biggest arts festival.

All this week, we’re back in 2008, when Comedy 365 was part of PBH’s Free Fringe at Dragonfly, a bar just west of Grassmarket, halfway up West Port.

On today’s show, in order of appearance:

STE PORTER
Ste will be MCing at The Slaughterhouse and Lenny's Bar and Smoke Grill in Liverpool on Friday and Saturday nights throughout August 2010. For details of these and other show dates, plus ticket availability, click here.

TOM WATERACRE
Pegabovine are on infinite hiatus and Tom himself has been fairly quiet of late, which probably means he’s up to something. Be the first on your block to know by clicking here.

GIRL & DEAN
Sarah (Dean) won’t be at Edinburgh this year – the reason behind this may be because she “hates downhill more than uphill” or it may just because she’s up to something with her significant other, who just happens to be that aforementioned Wateracre chap. Jessica Ransom, however, will be, with her one-woman show Ransom’s Million (Pleasance Cellar, 16.45, Aug 4th-30th, not 16th or 23rd).

JAY FOREMAN
Fresh from two consecutive appearances in the Musical Comedy Awards final, Jay will be showcasing some of the material from his second CD in Pretend You’re Happy (Underbelly Delhi Belly, 13.40, Aug 5th-29th, not 18th).

PAUL CONNEELY
Continues to appear as a guest compere at The Funny Side…of Covent Garden.

JAMES SHAKESHAFT
Has, along with David LE Davis, written and appeared in Hung Out for Channel Four’s Comedy Lab, and the first six Dr Answers podcasts are still available for download right here at 404 Funny.

NICK HELM
After two years of appearing in mixed-bill shows, Nick will this year be making his solo debut at Edinburgh in a show entitled Keep Hold of the Gold (Downstairs at the Tron, 15.40, Aug 5th-29th, not 18th).

JAKE YAPP
Jake’s not at Edinburgh this year but, thanks to the BBC Trust, has been given a stay of execution on 6 Music, where he continues to contribute to Sean Keaveney’s breakfast show. We’re also betting he’ll be approached to be a talking head on those Morons of 2010 round-up shows on TV towards the end of the year that will probably be repeated nightly through until April 2011. He'll hopefully find some time to do some more podcasts for 404 Funny too – but for the time being have a listen to the best of his previous two series, The Jake Yapp Podcast and Jake Yapp’s Little Bits.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/EDINBURGH2008edit1.mp3

All acts recorded live at Sex Tips for Pandas, which was hosted by and co-produced with Sowerby & Luff, except Paul Conneely, who was recorded as part of his Edinburgh 2008 one-man show A Beginner’s Guide to Happiness at Holyrood Too@Faith.

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 16 - TRACKS

2010-07-22T05:00:00.001+01:00

Today sees the last edition of The 404 Special before the programme takes a well-oiled summer break – but rest assured, it will be back in September.

For the time being, please be assured that we’ve saved the very worst until last.

Your culprits, in descending order:

ROB BALDER FEATURING JANNY It Had to Be You
RAYMOND & SCUM The Classiest Song In The World
TI TRA LI MEDIA The Toilet Song
STUCKEY & MURRAY Taking a Dump at Work
ROBERT LUND I Peed in the Pool
JEFF KORNBERG Damn
CHUB CREEK MUSIC In Barefeet We Slid
STEVE GOODIE Brown Booger
KEN TURETZKY Her Shit Don’t Stink
BOB RICCI Little Poop Scoop
MUSICOLOR Pumps on Parade

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special16_eq.mp3

Got a favourite track from this or the previous 15 shows? Email us.

Got a track you’d like us to play? Email us.

Know someone whose music would fit nicely into the show? Email us.

Or are you a very sick and twisted composer of comedy songs yourself, utterly bitter at the lack of respect your art has received from the mainstream media? We feel your pain. Email us links to some of your tracks and if we like ‘em, we’ll stick ‘em out on the show and put you on the 404 Special Passenger List. You’ll feel at home here.

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 15 - TRACKS

2010-07-19T05:00:00.002+01:00

404 Funny would like to sincerely apologise for the lack of last week's edition of The 404 Special. This was due to the show's host, Richard Cray, being jailed for seven days for knocking off a policeman's helmet. But let's face it, it could have been a lot worse...like that time when he was held in contempt of Courts. Quite how a chain of furniture stores that was going into administration could ever have prosecuted him under human rights law in the first place, nobody knows...

Anyway, in addition to the seven-day sentence, Richard had to undertake 30 minutes of community service, so here it is: an edition of The 404 Special that takes a look at crime, law-breaking, and other deviant behaviour.

RAYMOND & SCUM My Neighbor
MATT GRIFFO Neighbor
PAUL & STORM Nun Fight
POWER SALAD Wasted Space Oddity
MONEYSHOT COSMONAUTS Hookin’ for Drugs in All the Wrong Places
JONNI MUSIC Palaver in Ramsbottom
TOM SMITH Smash the Frickin’ Fairies
ROBERT LUND Jail
JAY FOREMAN Stealing Food
ROB BALDER Needlessly Noir

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special15_eq.mp3

To make up for the later-than-usual posting of this episode, there'll be another 404 Special later this week. But if you can't live without some funny music in the meantime, why not click through some of the links in our Passenger List on the right-hand side and buy some CDs.

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 14 - TRACKS

2010-07-05T05:00:00.002+01:00

This week's edition of The 404 Special is for all you animal lovers out there. Trust me, by the end of the show you'll be well into writing your letters of complaint and gathering together all the unused red paint in the house to throw at us when we collect an award for the show in several months' time.

Unlikely to be approached to strip off as part of a global advertising campaign for PETA for some time are:

PINK STEEL Cock Fight
SEAMONKEY Moo Moo Cow
STUCKEY & MURRAY Unicorn in C Major
TV’s KYLE Sheep in the Morning
LITTLE THOM The Dog Song
JEFF KORNBERG Something That is Fun
POWERED BY SATAN The Scrotum Frog of Lake Titicaca
CHUB CREEK MUSIC Bock Bock I’m A Chicken
ROBERT LUND Hooked Up With a Bigfoot

Seriously, though, be kind to all animals. (Apart from pigeons. They're just a bunch of filthy bastards.)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special14_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 13 - TRACKS

2010-06-28T05:00:00.002+01:00

Show #13 is most definitely unlucky for some, including certain members of the legal profession, chavs, anyone who's appeared on the current series of BBC1's Cowboy Trap, professional careless drivers, and certain celebrities, as we focus on some of the many individuals most loathed by members of polite society.

Don't shoot the messenger, though - blame the following artistes:

STEVE NEWMAN & FRIENDS Lullaby for Lawyers
NICE PETER 50 Cent is a Pussy
CARLA ULBRICH National Asshole Directory
PAUL & STORM Barry Bonds Press Conference: The Musical
JAY FOREMAN Moon Chavs
AUTOMATIC PILOT Derelict in My Doorway
THE LEGENDARY TEN SECONDS Jerry Builders
THE VOLUME BROTHERS White Van Man
TONY FORTE That’s Just the Fucking Way it is
CHUB CREEK MUSIC Cow
DISLOCATED BONER Country Club Thug
TOM SMITH Still a Nerd

Who or what do you find most intolerable these days? Why not leave us a comment and we'll see if we can find a song about them / it for a future edition of The 404 Special. Vent your spleens by all means...but do be nice about it.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special13_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 12 - TRACKS

2010-06-21T05:00:00.002+01:00

I don't know, last week's 404 Special was all sex, sex, sex...and this week's it's all about the darker side of love.

Yes, today you can find out which of the following artistes would die for your affection, which of them has a partner who's been living on borrowed time since their wedding reception, and what mode of London transport love is most like...and why.

This week's featured songs:

KEN TURETZSKY True Love
THE KILLER KONA BUDS Vagina
BOB RICCI Obsessed
ROBERT LUND Where I’m Keeping You
CHUB CREEK MUSIC I Walked Through A Fart
CARRIE DAHLBY Killing You Softly
JOSH WOODWARD Chainsaw
JAY FOREMAN Chained to a Radiator
JONNI MUSIC The Thing About Love

Madly in love with one or more of these artists? Click on the links in our Passenger List on the right-hand side of this blog and tell them how much they mean to you by buying their CDs.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special12_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 11 - TRACKS

2010-06-14T05:00:00.002+01:00

Warning: This week's 404 Special is filthy and most certainly Not Suitable for the Workplace. (Unless you happen to spend your working hours in a sex shop, brothel, or clip joint, that is. It should be OK to listen to the show in any of those places, as long as you check with your boss, madam, pimp, clients, and colleagues first. A little courtesy always goes a long way...and usually results in a larger tip.)

Keeping it up for over half an hour of sheer pleasure this week are:

THE LIMEYBIRDS Hey Nonny
NICE PETER If You Really Love Me

All legs akimbo are:

MONEYSHOT COSMONAUTS I Feel Happy
AIRFERG Why Don’t Hookers Take Food Stamps?
BILL BATES Mars Bar Party
TOM SMITH Pygmalion 2.0
PROJECT SISYPHUS When I See Your Face

And totally full of spunk to give you the most satisfactory climax in podcasting history:

CARL HATMAKER Britney’s Bald As A Cue Ball But I’d Still Do Her
PAUL & STORM The Captain’s Wife’s Lament

Links to all performers are in the right-hand gutter of this blog. (And possibly in that telephone box around the corner from your home too.)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special11_eq.mp3

ATTENTION: SUBSCRIBERS IN NYC

2010-06-08T18:52:00.002+01:00

Here's news of a couple of shows happening in the Big Apple this month that we here at 404 Funny would definitely go and see if we weren't 3,400 miles away.

First off, our good friends Skinny Bitch Jesus Meeting have gone and booked another hideously expensive run at the Edinburgh Fringe in August without the merest thought as to how they're going to afford it.

So, if you're in NYC, please help them out by going along to see them at 2010 Sketchfest NYC! at the Upright Citizens Brigade, 307 W. 26th Street, on Thursday June 10th at 11pm.

Alternatively, why not try Mr and Mrs Bruce Vain’s Free Booze & Comedy Hour at the Shetler Theatre on the 12th Floor (!) of 244 W 54th St., which is between 7th & 8th Avenues, this Saturday, June 12th, at 9.30pm. Tickets for the latter show can be had for $8 online from http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/114051 (the booze may be free but the comedy ain't, my friends).

If you're in Cincinnati or Washington DC, please visit the SBJM website for details of shows in late June and throughout July.

And if you can't make it to one of the above shows, you could always donate a dollar or five to their fighting fund here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sbjm/skinny-bitch-jesus-meeting-goes-to-edinburgh. (Gosh, we wish we had friends who gave us that sort of money.)

ALSO...

Liam McEneaney's weekly show Tell Your Friends! has become one of NYC's most talked-about comedy nights - and now it's being made into a movie! Eeek!!

Here's the info:

Tuesday, June 22nd

The Onion Presents:
TELL YOUR FRIENDS! THE CONCERT FILM
at The Bell House
149 7th Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn
http://www.thebellhouseny.com/

DOORS: 6:30pm & 9:00pm

HOSTED BY:
Liam McEneaney

WITH:
Kurt Braunohler & Kristen Schaal
Reggie Watts
Christian Finnegan
Leo Allen
Rob Paravonian

AND MUSIC FROM:
A Brief View of the Hudson

Fuck me, that's a lotta BIG names. And you get to whoop as loud as you like on film (but please refrain from doing so during the actual performances unless asked to do so).

Tickets are priced just $5 and are best bought in advance to avoid disappointment.

Buy tickets to the 6:30 show here.
Buy tickets to the 9:00 show here.

LEGAL STUFF: You need to be 18+ to enter and 21+ to drink at this show. So there, you perishin' kids.

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 10 - TRACKS

2010-06-07T05:00:00.000+01:00

Well, pull our focus: if it isn't The 404 Special's Film and TV Extravaganza, featuring your favourite stars from both the big and small screen.

Joining Richard Cray above the title are:

THE GREAT LUKE SKI Everybody Get Lost
ROB PARAVONIAN Star’s Partner
JAY FOREMAN Captain Birdseye
DEVO SPICE Bacon 2: Electric Boogaloo
CARLA ULBRICH The Force is the Force
DAVID TANNY Glenn Beck Easy Hang Up
PROJECT SISYPHUS The Saw Song
PAUL & STORM Randy Newman’s Theme from The Passion of the Christ
TOM SMITH Two Guys Kissin’ Ruined My Life
ROBERT LUND Shakespearean Pie

Soundtracks to this podcast are available by clicking the weblinks in The 404 Special Passenger List, which you can find to the right of this post.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special10_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 9 - TRACKS

2010-05-31T05:00:00.002+01:00

On this week's 404 Special, we're looking at the human body...by and large, two specific parts of the human body, as will be painfully evident from the list below:

SUDDEN DEATH Longer
CHUB CREEK MUSIC Gary Has Big Nipples
PINK STEEL More to Love
THE KILLER KONA BUDS Show Me Your Tits
ROBERT LUND 99 Words for Boobs
DEIRDRE FLINT Boob Fairy
COOKIE CUTTER GIRL Goin’ in the Other Direction
TV’s KYLE Break My Face

For more info on any of the above acts - some of whom are comfortable in their skin, some of whom are not - click on their link in The 404 Special Passenger List in the right-hand margin. (That is, if your bum's not too big.)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special09_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 8 - TRACKS

2010-05-24T05:00:00.001+01:00

This week's 404 Special is in the changing room, up in the air, and out on the road, with the following top comedy songs:

WWIII Take Off Your T-Shirt if You Can't Name a Song By the Band That's on it
NICE PETER Put Your Fucking Coat On
PROJECT SISYPHUS These Jeans
KEN TURETZKY Fly Me To The Moon
ROBERT LUND 50 Ways to Lose Your Luggage
DEVO SPICE FEATURING INSANE IAN Flight Check
CHUB CREEK MUSIC 1992 Honda Civic Won't Pass the Emissions Test Blues
STEVE GOODIE Frank’s Garage
TODD CHAPPELLE Driving My Toyota

You can support these and all of the acts on The 404 Special by visiting their websites - just search our Passenger List in the right-hand margin.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special08_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 7 - TRACKS

2010-05-20T05:00:00.001+01:00

This week on The 404 Special, we've some very strange beasts. And a few musicians too. Here, look:

ERICH BERGEN Way Ahead of My Time
PAUL & STORM Cruel, Cruel Moon
CARLA ULBRICH Duet With a Klingon
THE MARTIANS Geoff
TOM SMITH I Had A Shoggoth
PROJECT SISYPHUS A Middle East Country, A Middle Earth Mountain Troll
HYPER NONSENSE MUSIC Hallowe’en is Awesome
TVs KYLE Guy With a Beard
NUCLEAR BUBBLE WRAP Captain Abduction
ROBERT LUND Life in the Bat Cave
THE GREAT LUKE SKI FEAT. CARRIE DAHLBY Marvel Poppins

As always, you'll find links to all acts in the right-hand margin. It's OK, they won't bite.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special07_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 6 - TRACKS

2010-05-10T05:00:00.003+01:00

On this week's edition of The 404 Special, the art of writing songs and the angst of those who compose and perform for a living, featuring:

PAUL & STORM Old Keith Richards
TOM SMITH Songwriting Workshop
BEN TWISTED One Muddafukka
JONNI MUSIC Song About You
WORM QUARTET I Want to Be Taken Seriously as an Artist
NUCLEAR BUBBLE WRAP Know Your Power Chords
BOB RICCI My Darkest Secret
THE SPOOFINATOR Tantric Sting
ROB PARAVONIAN Super Happy
THE VOLUME BROTHERS Hi Folks, I’m Elvis, and I’m Still Dead

Got a few spare quid? Have a look at the artist websites in the right-hand margin, buy some CDs, and make some composer/performers happy.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special06_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 5 - TRACKS

2010-05-03T17:00:00.002+01:00

Have you got a massive election? We have.

So this week's 404 Special features election issues, from the state of the economy to the cult of personality. Plus, in a bid to attract floating voters, two of the most popular viral comedy music hits of the Noughties. You're welcome. Now may we count on your vote..?

PROJECT SISYPHUS Take it to the Bank
STEVE GOODIE Dumpster Diving
MAD MONEY MACHINE Debtor’s Prison Blues
THE LASCIVIOUS BIDDIES Famous
WAYNE KEYSER Dead Celebrity Tribute
ROBERT LUND Save Me, Obama
RX Sunday Bloody Sunday
ROB PARAVONIAN Pachelbel Rant

Swing to the right for The 404 Special Passenger List, where you'll find links to all of the above artists.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special05_eq.mp3

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 4 - TRACKS

2010-04-26T05:00:00.003+01:00

Today's menu in The 404 Special buffet car:

Entrées

JAY FOREMAN Pretend You’re Happy
TVs KYLE Canker Sore

~o~

Plats principaux

ANDY, STEVE & ANDY Head Lice
JONNI MUSIC Hey Lady
THE FABRICATIONS Bacon

~o~

Desserts

PAUL & STORM Dominos Pizza
WAYNE KEYSER Insanitrol Commercial
SUDDEN DEATH Pillagers
STEVE GOODIE The 12 Signs of Swine Flu
DEIRDRE FLINT The Avian Flu

~o~

Petits fours

BALDBOX This Could Be the Day

A list of links to artist websites has been added to this page in the right-hand margin for patrons to browse at their discretion.

Bon appetit.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special04_eq.mp3

HUNG OUT - ON 4oD FOR A MONTH

2010-04-24T09:57:00.000+01:00

In case you missed it, you can catch Hung Out, featuring Dr Answers' James Shakeshaft (tall, gives good back-clicking) and David LE Davis (the best line in comedy t-shirts since Adam and Russell Parkinson in Butterflies), on the 4oD catch-up player until May 23rd...

Go here and enjoy: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/comedy-lab/4od#3057825

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 3 - TRACKS

2010-04-19T18:00:00.000+01:00

"11 hours late - cloud of volcanic ash over Hampton Wick."

This week's belated edition of The 404 Special is a family affair with relationship issues and dysfunctional individuals thrown into the mix:

POWER SALAD The Table Near the Band
AIRFERG Shut Your Face
THE VOLUME BROTHERS Sonny, You’re the Reason That Your Mum and I are Getting Divorced
JEFF KORNBERG Let Go
JAY FOREMAN Buggery Club
ROB PARAVONIAN Don’t Blow Up Your School
CHUB CREEK MUSIC Grampa
MONEYSHOT COSMONAUTS You’re Homely but I’ll Sleep with You
CONSCRIPTED I Love You a Lot
JOSHUA GROSVENT N.Y.U. Girls Wouldn’t Talk to Me if I Were on Fire and Had a Bag of Money
TOM SMITH Wish I Couldn’t Read Her Mind
NUCLEAR BUBBLE WRAP Lesbian

Weblinks to the above artists can be found in The 404 Special Passenger List in the right-hand margin of this blog.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special03_eq.mp3

ANNOUNCING: HUNG OUT ON CHANNEL FOUR

2010-04-18T05:00:00.006+01:00

Later this week, 404 Funny subscribers in Britain will be able to see Hung Out, the Comedy Lab pilot featuring the writing and performing talents of James Shakeshaft and David LE Davis, the duo behind our very own Dr Answers.

It's a comedy about the etiquette of friendship between a group of 20-somethings living in London - but, unlike so many other comedies about friendship, Hung Out was written by a group of six people who'd known each other since school and / or university about their real-life relationships with one another.

Effectively, James and David play themselves, along with co-writers Lucy McCall and Alex McGettigan, the latter of whom may be recognizable to some of you from a three-month stint in Hollyoaks a few years back, where he portrayed Irish traveller Rory.

The other two co-writers are director Samuel Abrahams and his wife Maya, who also chose to remain behind the camera in her role as the show's Associate Producer. Maya had the unenviable task of remaining on set watching herself being portrayed by someone else - in this case, actress Catherine Shepherd (above, feeding James), who was last seen on TV as part of the top-notch ensemble cast of The Peter Serafinowicz Show. The six-strong group is completed by a further female character, Anna, played by Emily Bevan.

It's on Channel Four this coming Friday night (April 23rd) at 12.10am and should be available to UK viewers on the 4OD service soon after. But, to whet your appetite, here's a little taster of James and David in the middle of making a spreadsheet detailing everything they owe each other - something you just know is going to end in tears...

To coincide with the network TV premiere of Hung Out, we here at 404 Funny have collected together some of the stranger moments from Series One of Dr Answers into a Best Of episode, available on the feed from today:

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/DOCTORanswersBESTof1_eq.mp3

If you haven't heard the entire series, you can still download all six of the original episodes by clicking on one of the buttons in the right-hand margin of this blog and subscribing to the 404 Funny feed. Simply scroll back to October / November of last year, and ye shall find.

Also, we've heard the good doctor is currently accepting questions for a second series. So if there's a question burning your brain away at the moment, send it to question@dranswers.co.uk.

Hopefully, he'll then get off the golf course and back into the studio.

THE 404 SPECIAL - PROGRAMME 2 - TRACKS

2010-04-12T05:00:00.009+01:00

And the train keeps a-rollin'...

On this week's 404 Special:

ERIC COLEMAN Wysiwyg
STEVE GOODIE Tweeting on a Jet Plane
DEREK K. MILLER FEATURING CHRIS PIRILLO & PONZI Pirilloponzi
DEVO SPICE I’m Not Your Personal IT Guy
ROB BALDER FEATURING CHRIS MEZZOLESTA JFGI
TOM SMITH Cruisin’ for Chicks on Google Maps
ROB PARAVONIAN Reality Virus
POWER SALAD It’s Its

Weblinks to all artists can be found in The 404 Special Passenger List in the right-hand margin of this very blog.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special02_eq.mp3

ALL ABOARD THE 404 SPECIAL

2010-04-05T05:00:00.004+01:00

It only seems like yesterday when 404 Funny's first show was launched on a largely unsuspecting global population.

But, six months, 150 shows (including a handful of new offerings), and more than 20,000 downloads later, we've nearly finished uploading our archive shows, and are now turning our full attention to making a whole host of new and exciting programmes for your delectation over the coming months.

And to prove we mean business, please stand away from the platform edge for the first arrival of The 404 Special.

Like all great British train services before it, it's taken its time to arrive and now that it's finally here, it's bloody well chock-a-block full of the funny and downright peculiar.

Those of you familiar with Comedy 365's old music show Chickenflaps will know exactly what to expect from The 404 Special. In fact, we might just have lost a few of you there.

Nae bother - jump on board if you can find the room, make sure the door clicks shut, and, whatever you do, don't stick your head out the window, otherwise you won't hear the following fantastic tracks:

SEAMONKEY Breathalyzer
DAN COSTELLO The Pot Song
CONSCRIPTED When the Drugs Kick in
THE VOLUME BROTHERS Oh No, I’m High Again
ANDY, STEVE & ANDY I’m a Better Drunk Than I Used to Be
JIM PAQUETTE 358 Hangovers a Year
POSSIBLE OSCAR All Out of Beer

There's also a theme tune and everything. Plus a rap for the kids.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/funny404/404special01_eq.mp3

Want to know more about any of today's featured acts? Simply look at our Passenger List in the right-hand margin of this blog, find the artist you want, and click through to their individual websites.

WELCOME TO 404 FUNNY

2009-09-26T11:56:00.001+01:00

Hello and howdyerdo.

This is 404 Funny - the new comedy podcast where you'll find a lot of those old programmes that used to be on the trailblazing Comedy 365 podcast, along with a lot of new stuff.

As a result of some internal reorganization, Comedy 365 is now back where it started, concentrating solely on Sowerby & Luff's output, and so a home needed to be found for everything else.

Well, here it is.

Ta-daa!!

Yes, we know it ain't much at present, but once the feed is up and running smoothly, then we'll look at adding more content here or elsewhere, such as contributor profiles, audience surveys, a Facebook page, and possibly even some merchandise if there's enough demand from listeners...or even a final demand from the bank.

So what can you expect?

For the next few months, archive shows from Jenni Armstrong, Blue Pepper, Richard Cray, John Dredge, Will Franken, Pegabovine, James Shakeshaft & David LE Davis, Chris Skinner, and Jake Yapp - all of which will give you a taste of our peculiar brand of comedy.

We'll be filtering in new shows by some of those listed above towards the end of 2009 with a view to bringing you new shows by both new and established acts by Spring 2010.

And we also hope to be at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe in some capacity too, but let's not worry about that right now...we're all too busy slaving away at proper jobs at the moment, trying to pay off the debt from this year's festival...

It all kicks off on October 1st, so bookmark this page and subscribe to our feed at iTunes or, indeed, any other podcatcher you may hold in preference (we know 20% of you do).

If you're an existing Comedy 365 subscriber, you'll know what to expect from us and we're glad to have you with us as well. Together, we helped Comedy 365 achieve a great deal in a short space of time and hopefully we can achieve even more in the years to come.

If you're a lapsed Comedy 365 subscriber, welcome home - we took down that old wallpaper, fixed the toilet, and fumigated the whole place especially for you.

If you've no idea what Comedy 365, podcasting, or, indeed, comedy podcasting is, then a) where the ruddy heck have you been all these years and b) you're in for a real treat.

Stick with us - it's going to be a whole lot of fun.