Callan's Kicks

mattser

mattser wrote: »

Probably because, like yourself, I'm a boring unfunny person.

That's probably a fair appraisal of the situation.

Most of us seem to find Callan's sketches funny, though, which is a bit of a crucial difference.

mattser

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

mattser wrote: »

Probably because, like yourself, I'm a boring unfunny person.

That's probably a fair appraisal of the situation.

Most of us seem to find Callan's sketches funny, though, which is a bit of a crucial difference.

We'll leave it there so, as Bill used to say. Sleep well. ðŸ‘

zell12

I have to say his sketches are getting tiresome.
He needs new characters/material

Beechwoodspark

zell12 wrote: »

I have to say his sketches are getting tiresome.
He needs new characters/material

The bbc one is well past it’s sell by date

Also trump is boring at this stage

Simon h is quite good. I’d like more granny zappone. Lots of material to work with there.

Beechwoodspark

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Simon h is quite good. I’d like more granny zappone. Lots of material to work with there.

The Simon Harris material is excellent. It goes beyond a mere impersonation, I think he captures Harris's public image exactly.

zell12 wrote: »

I have to say his sketches are getting tiresome.
He needs new characters/material

Or maybe we just need new politicians

two wheels good

The Huw Edwards sketch is a convenient point of introduction to all the other UK characters. Enables Callan to quickly establish the topic and target character to follow. Too useful to ditch it - not that I agree it needs to be ditched.
Boris actually says nothing but that's the point. His bluster still amuses me despite repetition.

two wheels good

I'm often very impressed by the sound editing. Unlike other programmes on RTE and unlike BBC R4 comedy no one else get a credit at the end.

Editing two voices obviously can't be so complex but there are often much more elaborate scenes. I remember one featuring Mary-Lou and Ghosts of Christmases past with a spooky appearance of He Who Shall No Longer be Mentioned and lots of sound effects.
(Note: I am avoiding the dreaded phrase "production values")

Welsh Megaman

Leo: Forget what I said about windfarms.

Slim pickings tonight - perhaps the highlight was the Ray Darcy/ Cheltenham sketch featuring Ted Walsh and Robert Hall. An honourable mention for Des Cahill/ Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh's coverage of the Parade.

Slow week in Irish politics, perhaps.

No Liberal Ladies again this week. Nor Marian.

two wheels good

The horse trainer talking meaningless b0llox is a real person! I must listen out for the real-life version.
Marty's sexual inuendo sketch was good - even if the notion was gross.

Maybot saying "simples". Callan does his research.

Brendan Bendar

Arlene Foster character needs working on.

Needs to slow down and drop the pitch.

two wheels good

Brendan Bendar wrote: »

Arlene Foster character needs working on.

Needs to slow down and drop the pitch.

But well written with added bonus of educational historical facts.

Callan succeeds in getting the tone and lingo of so many different groups: the liberal ladies, the teenager climate protesters, the unionist, the gob****e horse trainer ... He's not just funny voices.

Brendan Bendar

two wheels good wrote: »

But well written with added bonus of educational historical facts.

Callan succeeds in getting the tone and lingo of so many different groups: the liberal ladies, the teenager climate protesters, the unionist, the gob****e horse trainer ... He's not just funny voices.

Hmmmm wouldn’t quite agree there wheels, it’s satire after all, where one lampoons those ‘in power’.

If the satirist doesn’t get those right he ain’t gonna go too far.

Not too sure Ted Walsh would appreciate the ‘gobshyte horsetrainer’ tag though but maybe he has a sense of humor.

Edit... wheels I’m sure you are aware of the interview with Ted which germinated that ‘character’?

two wheels good

Brendan Bendar wrote: »

Hmmmm wouldn’t quite agree there wheels, it’s satire after all, where one lampoons those ‘in power’.

If the satirist doesn’t get those right he ain’t gonna go too far.

Not too sure Ted Walsh would appreciate the ‘gobshyte horsetrainer’ tag though but maybe he has a sense of humor.

Edit... wheels I’m sure you are aware of the interview with Ted which germinated that ‘character’?

Satire: : Agree entirely. I've made the same point here in the past when others were solely focused on the humour content or lack of. I think Callan's satire is very obvious. Certainly in DUP sketches - and health care and homlessness and UK politics ....

Horsetrainer: I withdraw my term; inaccurate. I've no idea who he is or what it's about. But Callan's gobbledygook was funny and a good version/satire of the banter of some characters who regard themselves as hilarious and the soul of any party. At least that's what it meant to me.

Brendan Bendar

two wheels good wrote: »

Satire: : Agree entirely. I've made the same point here in the past when others were solely focused on the humour content or lack of. I think Callan's satire is very obvious. Certainly in DUP sketches - and health care and homlessness and UK politics ....

Horsetrainer: I withdraw my term; inaccurate. I've no idea who he is or what it's about. But Callan's gobbledygook was funny and a good version/satire of the banter of some characters who regard themselves as hilarious and the soul of any party. At least that's what it meant to me.

The ‘subject’ of the horsetrainer bit is Ted Walsh I’m reliably informed.

Back in the day when asked about a filly in an interview I believe with Tracy Piggot he described her as a great performer and added “ I rode her mother at Cheltenham” which was all above board but for the time was well ..unusual.

That’s the background unless I am very much mistaken.

sligojoek

Bang on.

sligojoek

A friend of mine is a farrier and living abroad now. A few years ago I rang him after a big race to tell him a certain jockey had won. His answer was , "A lovely lad. I rode his mother a few years ago."

two wheels good

Ha! I'm imagining the radio/tv team trying to stifle the laughter. Callan had some good material to start with then.

Roadtoad

Thoughts of Richie Ruin, which Halls Pictorial pilloried in the 1970s.

RIP Richie Ryan.

plodder

Roadtoad wrote: »

Thoughts of Richie Ruin, which Halls Pictorial pilloried in the 1970s.

RIP Richie Ryan.

NIMAN

Listening to a bit of the show tonight, he hit the nail on the head about RTe and all the cronyism in it, with Jennifer Maguire getting her own radio show, funnily enough just after she was DWTS presenter.

Thats her for life now, on the gravy train.

neris

Liked the mairead comment about happiness and working with buzzkill for 10 years

two wheels good

"Maybot" is now being re-cast as LINO (Leader in Name only)
Hard to nail down, easy to walk on.
I always think Callan's use of Maybot is a hat-tip to John Crace who created the term.

neris

The Marty morrisey sketch was good last night. Liked marian taking the piss out of the happy pear guys

Beechwoodspark

Story in Irish Times today saying varadkar gave a bad tempered ill considered and bitchy speech attacking Callan a few days ago.

It went down badly among the audience.

Varadkar knew Callan wasn’t present and he left before Callan was due to appear.

Seems very smarmy and cowardly carry on.

riemann

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Seems very smarmy and cowardly carry on.

So entirety as expected then.

Welsh Megaman

The Marty Morrissey sketch about wild roses was good.

Welsh Megaman

That Game Of Thrones/Brexit mash-up was predictable.

C-

Must try harder

Welsh Megaman

That ‘Liberal Ladies’ sketch has never been funny.

Welsh Megaman

Welsh Megaman wrote: »

That ‘Liberal Ladies’ sketch has never been funny.

Banned

:pac:

Next you'll be telling us John Creedon isn't sound. Just listening back to the most recent show now. Have to admit it hasn't been Callan's best season.

Welsh Megaman

Quite brave to make a sketch from Lyra McKee’s funeral.

Brendan Bendar

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Banned

:pac:

Next you'll be telling us John Creedon isn't sound. Just listening back to the most recent show now. Have to admit it hasn't been Callan's best season.

Correct Ty... his so called ‘political’ stance on twitter and in the papers has soured people off him.

He hasn’t realised that the true impact of a so called ‘satarist’ is that the audience can’t determine what his/her real feelings are.

Callan tries too hard to pillory people ‘doing things ‘ and ignores those ‘ not doing things’

I think his race is run to be honest, credibility shot to pieces.

Dan Jaman

Nothing more than, "be back in the autumn" from RTE. I wish they'd give a date for the start of the next series.

bobbyss

Welsh Megaman wrote:

Quite brave to make a sketch from Lyra McKee’s funeral.

I thought it was 'off". It wasn't funny. Why look for mirth there ? It just wasn't right.

two wheels good

End of the series! I'm distraught!
I thought the squabbling politicians was spot on. Whose sensistivities might have been disturbed? Only theirs I think.
The Des Cahill sketch was very good too. I was hoping for some Dobbo.

Roll on next season. A hightlight of the radio week; creative, inventive, well written details, very entertaining. And well done to RTE for not sparing their "big beasts".

two wheels good

two wheels good wrote: »

End of the series! I'm distraught!
I thought the squabbling politicians was spot on. Whose sensistivities might have been disturbed? Only theirs I think.
The Des Cahill sketch was very good too. I was hoping for some Dobbo.

Roll on next season. A hightlight of the radio week; creative, inventive, well written details, very entertaining. And well done to RTE for not sparing their "big beasts".

I would probably have agreed with you at the beginning of the season. but I haven't enjoyed a single episode from the present season of Callan's Kicks.

The Liberal Ladies was one exception where Callan made wonderful use of irony, insight and wit. I tend to agree with Brendan Bendar's point of view, a few posts back, that this show is not really satirical at all. It's more a send-up of one's superiors, much as might occur in a workplace cafeteria, but the real joke is of course on us.

Dan Jaman

I rather enjoyed the musical numbers.

two wheels good

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I would probably have agreed with you at the beginning of the season. but I haven't enjoyed a single episode from the present season of Callan's Kicks.

The Liberal Ladies was one exception where Callan made wonderful use of irony, insight and wit. I tend to agree with Brendan Bendar's point of view, a few posts back, that this show is not really satirical at all. It's more a send-up of one's superiors, much as might occur in a workplace cafeteria, but the real joke is of course on us.

His "superiors"? Would that be Enda/Leo or Marian/SOR? If he's harnessed some inferiority complex then more credit to him. But I doubt that.
Humour vs satire? I'm not bovvered ... enough of each to keep me entertained.

In RTE-land, practically a desert for any newly commissioned humour, satire or radio drama, Callan Kicks is a welcome oasis - and it's put together with great attention to detail.


While I'm here..
- Reminding us of Enda's lavish pension payments was a bit didactic but worth repeating all the same.
Did Callan ever do a number on Enda's extraction of a grant from a Health Care budget (intended for ill people) for his cycling club?
Could have had potential. Enda and his mates doing a charity cycle on expensive carbon fibre for sick people on trolleys.

- A better line would have been..
"Oh You're Michael and he's Danny. You must have swopped caps"

Au-revoir and thanks Callan. Keep on kicking against the pricks. (That's a biblical reference. I'm not insulting any revered national figures.)
Back to yet more sports reporting now, isn't it. Oh whoopie.

two wheels good

Dan Jaman wrote: »

I rather enjoyed the musical numbers.

Yes, a new departure, and a good voice too.

two wheels good

two wheels good wrote: »

His "superiors"? Would that be Enda/Leo or Marian/SOR?

I'm just being slightly derisive by referring to some government figures and senior broadcasters as our 'superiors', although I am pretty confident that that is how some of them see themselves.

Brendan Bendar

two wheels good wrote: »

His "superiors"? Would that be Enda/Leo or Marian/SOR? If he's harnessed some inferiority complex then more credit to him. But I doubt that.
Humour vs satire? I'm not bovvered ... enough of each to keep me entertained.

In RTE-land, practically a desert for any newly commissioned humour, satire or radio drama, Callan Kicks is a welcome oasis - and it's put together with great attention to detail.


While I'm here..
- Reminding us of Enda's lavish pension payments was a bit didactic but worth repeating all the same.
Did Callan ever do a number on Enda's extraction of a grant from a Health Care budget (intended for ill people) for his cycling club?
Could have had potential. Enda and his mates doing a charity cycle on expensive carbon fibre for sick people on trolleys.

- A better line would have been..
"Oh You're Michael and he's Danny. You must have swopped caps"

Au-revoir and thanks Callan. Keep on kicking against the pricks. (That's a biblical reference. I'm not insulting any revered national figures.)
Back to yet more sports reporting now, isn't it. Oh whoopie.

Kind of exposing yourself here Wheels, another ‘agin anyone in charge’ brigade.
Callan would have a lot more credibility if he ‘exposed’ the cretins who rode on the backs of those who did nothing,other than criticize those who have to implement policy.

Callan writes for a so-called ‘newspaper’ and his views are well known.

Hammer the the person trying to implement sensible policy..... support the tool who games the system 24/12/365 as a way of getting at the establishment.


Populist rhetoric, Mom and Apple Pie politics, hurler on the ditch...

This tool has no influence in any sensible debate on any subject.

Just a self promoting idiot who anybody with any sense should ignore.

serfboard

Brendan Bendar wrote: »

Hammer the the person trying to implement sensible policy..... support the tool who games the system 24/12/365 as a way of getting at the establishment.

Yes indeed - a satirist should attack the poor and support the rich. Have I got that right? :rolleyes:

Brendan Bendar wrote: »

Just a self promoting idiot who anybody with any sense should ignore.

By your own logic, you don't have any sense - because you don't ignore him.

two wheels good

Brendan Bendar wrote: »

Kind of exposing yourself here Wheels, another ‘agin anyone in charge’ brigade.
....

Did I expose a political view on boards? How careless of me.

TDs' and ministers' pension provisions are lavish. Hardly controversial.
Enda's wangling a grant for his cycle club from a health budget intended for other purposes was a particularly petty piece of cronyism. Deserved the Callan treatment and I'd have liked to hear the result.

Bit ironic that here in Radio everyone in charge at RTE is a target for relentless criticism.

Now that's enough off-topic me-thinks. See you next series hopefully. Could Maybot still be in No10 come the Autumn? Could 10k people still be homeless? (Damn! did it again. So careless.)

serfboard

two wheels good wrote: »

Could 10k people still be homeless?

I loved that sketch with Murphs and Theesh celebrating the number of homeless crossing the 10K mark, like it was an achievement to be proud of ...

AndrewJRenko

two wheels good wrote: »

Did I expose a political view on boards? How careless of me.

TDs' and ministers' pension provisions are lavish. Hardly controversial.

They certainly were lavish, though the change in rules in the 2000s means that newer, younger TDs and Ministers get the same pension as any public servant on equivalent grades - no more pensions for 40 year olds stepping down.

zell12

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

They certainly were lavish, though the change in rules in the 2000s means that newer, younger TDs and Ministers get the same pension as any public servant on equivalent grades - no more pensions for 40 year olds stepping down.

Unless you are Brian Walsh

AndrewJRenko

two wheels good wrote: »

Did I expose a political view on boards? How careless of me.

TDs' and ministers' pension provisions are lavish. Hardly controversial.

They certainly were lavish, though the change in rules in the 2000s means that newer, younger TDs and Ministers get the same pension as any public servant on equivalent grades - no more pensions for 40 year olds stepping down.

Brendan Bendar

serfboard wrote: »

Yes indeed - a satirist should attack the poor and support the rich. Have I got that right? :rolleyes:

By your own logic, you don't have any sense - because you don't ignore him.

I do, but I still want to expose the utter crap he comes up with.

Welsh Megaman

New series begins tomorrow night at 6.30pm.


Pretty poor timing, considering there is nothing happening politics-wise at the moment :pac:

sligojoek

Welsh Megaman wrote: »

New series begins tomorrow night at 6.30pm.


Pretty poor timing, considering there is nothing happening politics-wise at the moment :pac:

There's always "The Pest from the West". Not Enda Kenny, I mean Damp Squib Lorenzo.