Unfunny Irish comedians <<MOD note in OP>>

fryup

Brendan Grace is our Jimmy Tarbuck in that he doesn't know when to retire

Beechwoodspark

Purple Mountain wrote: »

If there was ever a good example of a has been, he's the poster boy.
Same utter sh*te for decades.
I'd actually sit through 24 hours of mass on a loop than go to his show.

He sells a truckload of tickets though so I wouldn't call him a has been. Sells out venues around the country every year.

mattser

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

He sells a truckload of tickets though so I wouldn't call him a has been. Sells out venues around the country every year.

And while I agree with this over and back to Florida stuff, there's no doubting he was funny. I believe this thread is about the unfunny. So BG doesn't qualify. Lord knows, we have enough chancers.

ligerdub

yosser hughes wrote: »

RTE don't care what the public wants or thinks. If they've made their mind up about someone or something or if you have connections then they will force this person on you.
Why does Nicky Byrne get €200,000 for a radio show on a loss making station? Was there a clamour for his eh, presenting talents?
RTE will promote who they like and don't really care what you or I think or talent and the lack of it.
Lottie Ryan is a symbol of their arrogance. They don't give a fúck about how that would be perceived.

Absolutely. Is 2FM essentially a state-owned organisation? I know it's operated by RTE so I'm assuming it is.

I'm not a listener, and looking through their panel of presenters I'm not seeing anything particularly strong there.

The current one seems to be a couple of young ones who have written a book about the current oh so hilarious topic of young country woman moves to Dublin schtick. "A complete Aisling"....an unimaginative narrative that's been done to death all over the shop, but it's being treated like this is the invention of the wheel. I've seen the writers rolled out on RTE and TV3 and it's bordering on red carpet treatment.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/the-adventures-of-a-complete-aisling-in-the-big-smoke-1.2712660

The fact that it takes two people to write a run of the mill, derivative fluffy book is another story.

Stephanie Preissner is another one. She is treated as the future of comedy in this country, the shining star. She wrote a **** comedy, so since it wasn't funny they tagged it as a drama, but it was too slapstick so they called it a dramedy. Drivel.

It's a golden age for female comedy writers these days. It doesn't have to be good. So long as you're prepared to write enough material and go on tv and stress the fact that you're writing from a female perspective and how it relates to so many people yadda yadda yadda....sign here please.

I understand that there is a market this sort of story appeals to, but why do they have effectively 3 different versions of the same thing on (Spittle, "Aislings", Preissner)? I could forgive all that if the content was good, that's the main thing, but is it good? No.

Ralf and Florian

ligerdub wrote: »

Absolutely. Is 2FM essentially a state-owned organisation? I know it's operated by RTE so I'm assuming it is.

I'm not a listener, and looking through their panel of presenters I'm not seeing anything particularly strong there.

The current one seems to be a couple of young ones who have written a book about the current oh so hilarious topic of young country woman moves to Dublin schtick. "A complete Aisling"....an unimaginative narrative that's been done to death all over the shop, but it's being treated like this is the invention of the wheel. I've seen the writers rolled out on RTE and TV3 and it's bordering on red carpet treatment.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/the-adventures-of-a-complete-aisling-in-the-big-smoke-1.2712660

The fact that it takes two people to write a run of the mill, derivative fluffy book is another story.

Stephanie Preissner is another one. She is treated as the future of comedy in this country, the shining star. She wrote a **** comedy, so since it wasn't funny they tagged it as a drama, but it was too slapstick so they called it a dramedy. Drivel.

It's a golden age for female comedy writers these days. It doesn't have to be good. So long as you're prepared to write enough material and go on tv and stress the fact that you're writing from a female perspective and how it relates to so many people yadda yadda yadda....sign here please.

I understand that there is a market this sort of story appeals to, but why do they have effectively 3 different versions of the same thing on (Spittle, "Aislings", Preissner)? I could forgive all that if the content was good, that's the main thing, but is it good? No.

What the hell is ‘Memmeh"? According to the writer of that Aisling thing it's a rural stereotype.

orangerhyme

ligerdub wrote: »

Absolutely. Is 2FM essentially a state-owned organisation? I know it's operated by RTE so I'm assuming it is.

I'm not a listener, and looking through their panel of presenters I'm not seeing anything particularly strong there.

The current one seems to be a couple of young ones who have written a book about the current oh so hilarious topic of young country woman moves to Dublin schtick. "A complete Aisling"....an unimaginative narrative that's been done to death all over the shop, but it's being treated like this is the invention of the wheel. I've seen the writers rolled out on RTE and TV3 and it's bordering on red carpet treatment.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/the-adventures-of-a-complete-aisling-in-the-big-smoke-1.2712660

The fact that it takes two people to write a run of the mill, derivative fluffy book is another story.

Stephanie Preissner is another one. She is treated as the future of comedy in this country, the shining star. She wrote a **** comedy, so since it wasn't funny they tagged it as a drama, but it was too slapstick so they called it a dramedy. Drivel.

It's a golden age for female comedy writers these days. It doesn't have to be good. So long as you're prepared to write enough material and go on tv and stress the fact that you're writing from a female perspective and how it relates to so many people yadda yadda yadda....sign here please.

I understand that there is a market this sort of story appeals to, but why do they have effectively 3 different versions of the same thing on (Spittle, "Aislings", Preissner)? I could forgive all that if the content was good, that's the main thing, but is it good? No.

"a complete Aisling" is in the same vein as :

Taytos, mass, mammy's, gaa, notions, great drying out, grand stretch in the evening, aren't we mad

Type of humour.
It's been done to death yet we lap it up as it's familiar and comforting.

These are external things. I'd prefer to go deeper into the Irish psyche, the human condition.

As regards Brendan Grace and Mrs Brown's Boys, I'm not a fan but they are very popular with people of a certain age.
Humour is very subjective. Not everyone wants that modern , ironic anti comedy that's popular now.

Brendan O'Carroll said he writes for the people whom modern comedy left behind.
I think that's fair enough.
I know some people in their late 60's/70's who love it.

Like someone said before, there's a difference between unfunny and just not to your personal taste.

Will Ferrell seems very divisive but personally I like him.
Likewise Alan Partridge, Woody Allen even.

TheAnalyst_

Good call on that Can't Cope ****e.

Bogger comes to the city and drinks too much whilst saying like all the time. The end.

lawred2

yosser hughes wrote: »

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

I've seen some really good jokes made about cancer-and yes, they're dark, but funny. (Kids in the Hall's cancer boy, Family guy (when it was good) did a joke about a terminal cancer ward that was dark and funny).

Spittle on the other hand-makes you wish for the cold hand of death to embrace you...though she's entertaining enough in interviews.
Don't know why RTE are giving her another show, she did a pilot that sank like a stone.

RTE don't care what the public wants or thinks. If they've made their mind up about someone or something or if you have connections then they will force this person on you.
Why does Nicky Byrne get €200,000 for a radio show on a loss making station? Was there a clamour for his eh, presenting talents?
RTE will promote who they like and don't really care what you or I think or talent and the lack of it.
Lottie Ryan is a symbol of their arrogance. They don't give a fúck about how that would be perceived.

200k

I was better off not knowing that

RabbleRouser2k

Ralf and Florian wrote: »

What the hell is ‘Memmeh"? According to the writer of that Aisling thing it's a rural stereotype.

I actually like Preissner-she's outside of the 'femininazi's' that occupy twitter, Lon, RMc, and Um for example. She gets on with stuff, and isn't the 'repeal the 8' clique-you know the type. Instead, she just promotes her stuff (which you'd be surprised how few people do this-instead it's 'Trump, Trump and more Trump' and 'Repeal the 8th').
And she's very family/ down to earth. So I don't have an issue with her.

The 'Aisling' people tho...yeah, they're like the 'Ross O'Carroll Kelly' books-this total 'niche' humour that's just not funny. Seriously, he's another one that I just cannot stand. Apres Match did those jokes much better, he just writes these stories that are awful.
Same 'stereotype's' that are constantly sold as 'new'.

Does anyone remember Dead Cat Bounce? They had one good song about Rugby...but little else. Even did a pilot for RTE, that was very 'meh'.
They sort of disappeared after the Rugby song.

ligerdub

RabbleRouser2k wrote:

I actually like Preissner-she's outside of the 'femininazi's' that occupy twitter, Lon, RMc, and Um for example. She gets on with stuff, and isn't the 'repeal the 8' clique-you know the type. Instead, she just promotes her stuff (which you'd be surprised how few people do this-instead it's 'Trump, Trump and more Trump' and 'Repeal the 8th'). And she's very family/ down to earth. So I don't have an issue with her.

That's true to be fair, she seems like a decent enough skin (aside from going on shows and finding herself out of her depth when any of these political hot topics go any further than a typical scratch the surface analysis), but they are promoting her well beyond her contributions.

I can't recall any other writer of a show in Ireland. ....ever....getting such promotion and a career push. Any that do tend to be acting in the shows.

RabbleRouser2k

ligerdub wrote: »

That's true to be fair, she seems like a decent enough skin (aside from going on shows and finding herself out of her depth when any of these political hot topics go any further than a typical scratch the surface analysis), but they are promoting her well beyond her contributions.

I can't recall any other writer of a show in Ireland. ....ever....getting such promotion and a career push. Any that do tend to be acting in the shows.

Cecelia Ahern-if you've forgotten her, or weren't around, bless your soul-I envy you.

RTE pushed her at every available opportunity-she was on the Late Late show, she's on Open House (that Marty Whelan and Mary Kennedy show), Kenny Live, Xpose, Tubridy Tonight, Ireland AM, Saturday Night with Miriam, the IFTA's, in the papers, an advert for Littlewoods with Craig Doyle and Caroline Morahan. She was shoved in our faces at every available opportunity. (She was edited out of the Littlewoods advert after a few weeks-people were ringing into radio stations asking 'who the hell is that one?'. ).

Her books were pants, one got adapted into a movie that boasts horrible cliches and Gerald Butler's horrific Irish accent, and did badly (Tubridy and other 'elitists' were defending it, of course). She had a tv show in America that got cancelled after a season. And a movie I also forgot, called 'Love Rosie'-which was an adaptation of another of her books. Did bad everywhere, tbh-I'd forgotten it was even released.

She stopped making appearances in the papers-shortly round the time it emerged that daddy Bertie was using her, and her sister's, bank accounts to hide money (among many others). I mean, 'sure it was only resting' in her account.

(I think Preissner gets invited back because she's often rather funny and entertaining. Even when out of her depth, she's not doing the 'you dislike me cos I'm a woman'. Tbh, she was given a stern education by George Hook-but it was so entertaining, few people did the 'it's cos she's a woman'...she became a meme and a gif tho.)

lawred2

I'm no fan of Cecilia Ahern but to accosiate her success to RTE is a bit of a stretch..

RTE must have some serious international clout for them to get her book to reach "No. 1 best-seller status in Ireland (for 19 weeks), Britain, the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands." *

* Wikipedia

Big difference between putting a best selling author on TV/radio than the likes of Lottie Ryan who have actually nothing whatsoever to justify their elevation.

RabbleRouser2k

lawred2 wrote: »

I'm no fan of Cecilia Ahern but to accosiate her success to RTE is a bit of a stretch..

RTE must have some serious international clout for them to get her book to reach "No. 1 best-seller status in Ireland (for 19 weeks), Britain, the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands." *

* Wikipedia

Big difference between putting a best selling author on TV/radio than the likes of Lottie Ryan who have actually nothing whatsoever to justify their elevation.

Oh I wasn't associating her success with RTE-far from it.

But it was like she couldn't sneeze in a different tune without RTE bringing her on da telly.
There were a few in the time who were constants on Irish TV-she was one of them (Samantha Mumba, Stuart Townsend, Johnathan Rhys Meyers, Gerald Kean, Lisa Murphy etc) so there were quite a few that were constants on TV.

Noveight

I saw the name Alison Spittle mentioned earlier so I checked YouTube for some of her stand-up routine. I can appreciate that humour is subjective but I couldn't find a single redeeming feature in the 5 minutes I watched.

She's just an unfunny comedian.

darkdubh

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

I actually like Preissner-she's outside of the 'femininazi's' that occupy twitter, Lon, RMc, and Um for example. She gets on with stuff, and isn't the 'repeal the 8' clique-you know the type. Instead, she just promotes her stuff (which you'd be surprised how few people do this-instead it's 'Trump, Trump and more Trump' and 'Repeal the 8th').
And she's very family/ down to earth. So I don't have an issue with her.

The 'Aisling' people tho...yeah, they're like the 'Ross O'Carroll Kelly' books-this total 'niche' humour that's just not funny. Seriously, he's another one that I just cannot stand. Apres Match did those jokes much better, he just writes these stories that are awful.
Same 'stereotype's' that are constantly sold as 'new'.

Does anyone remember Dead Cat Bounce? They had one good song about Rugby...but little else. Even did a pilot for RTE, that was very 'meh'.
They sort of disappeared after the Rugby song.

I remember that pilot they did, set in an office. Very uneven, had a few mildly funny moments but they couldn't make up their minds where it was supposed to be set, it had different characters talking in D4, English and American accents.

RabbleRouser2k

darkdubh wrote: »

I remember that pilot they did, set in an office. Very uneven, had a few mildly funny moments but they couldn't make up their minds where it was supposed to be set, it had different characters talking in D4, English and American accents.

Yeah-I vaguely remember it. Seemed like they were trying to do a Monty Python sketch, but where MP would stretch it out for a minute or four, they stretched it for 30. All I remember was something about a dead body in the office? Might be wrong about that tho.

razorblunt

ligerdub wrote: »

That's true to be fair, she seems like a decent enough skin (aside from going on shows and finding herself out of her depth when any of these political hot topics go any further than a typical scratch the surface analysis), but they are promoting her well beyond her contributions.

I can't recall any other writer of a show in Ireland. ....ever....getting such promotion and a career push. Any that do tend to be acting in the shows.

She must be using her own material rather than ones given to her I guess!

darkdubh

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

Yeah-I vaguely remember it. Seemed like they were trying to do a Monty Python sketch, but where MP would stretch it out for a minute or four, they stretched it for 30. All I remember was something about a dead body in the office? Might be wrong about that tho.

Yes, I vaguely remember that now. The only bit I thought was in any way funny was a song about golf.

Rumple Stillson

Deleted User wrote: »

We have some excellent talent in Ireland. David McSavage and Foil, Arms and Hog for starters are fantastic. Ive seen both and the former twice. I intend on seeing the latters new show after seeing Skiddlywup in Carlow
I love the Vipers videos on youtube and Bernard Casey does some excellent sketches.

Bridget and Eamon had brilliant 5 min sketches on ROT but then the suits got their claws in when they got a full show.

Also a big fan of his, going to see him live next month but not sure how he will translate onto the stage. Anyone been to one of his shows?

I'd also like to register my disdain for Aisling Bea and Des Bishop. In particular Des Bishop, ****ing Des Bishop.

Jerichoholic

Des Bishop's lectures are really boring, was at one once and left at the interval. He's the most pandering comedian I've ever seen.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/comedian-jason-byrne-took-a-chance-to-drive-without-insurance-to-pick-up-9-year-old-son-807420.html


I thought he'd be charged for his crimes against comedy- Tut tut Jason Byrne

RabbleRouser2k

Jeffrey Scruffy Ramp wrote: »

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/comedian-jason-byrne-took-a-chance-to-drive-without-insurance-to-pick-up-9-year-old-son-807420.html


I thought he'd be charged for his crimes against comedy- Tut tut Jason Byrne

Mountjoy would be full in that case-considering the list of people we have here, so far.

Gwynplaine

Jason Byrne - a big shouty eejit
Karl Spain - just not funny at all

orangerhyme

Rumple Stillson wrote: »

Also a big fan of his, going to see him live next month but not sure how he will translate onto the stage. Anyone been to one of his shows?

I'd also like to register my disdain for Aisling Bea and Des Bishop. In particular Des Bishop, ****ing Des Bishop.

Humour is so subjective.

I like Des Bishop, really born to perform/entertain.
I haven't seen much of Aisling Bea

Jeffrey Scruffy Ramp

Jeffrey Scruffy Ramp wrote: »

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/comedian-jason-byrne-took-a-chance-to-drive-without-insurance-to-pick-up-9-year-old-son-807420.html


I thought he'd be charged for his crimes against comedy- Tut tut Jason Byrne

No one thought of asking him...but if you were disqualified, did you never think of making some provision for the possibility that you would have to collect a child? Why not invest in bicycles? Or put every taxi firm in the area into your phone?

foxy farmer

I wonder how he accrued the 13 points on his licence? I'd say he'd be as demented behind the wheel as on stage. I expect a sketch on it in the future and he'll blame the kid for it as well.

Jerichoholic

foxy farmer wrote: »

I wonder how he accrued the 13 points on his licence? I'd say he'd be as demented behind the wheel as on stage. I expect a sketch on it in the future and he'll blame the kid for it as well.

Nah, it'll surely be his Mammy, or a list of things only Irish Mammies say.

Beechwoodspark

Been told that a lot of Irish comedians have basically given up touring the country as they can't make any money at it and some lose serious amounts of money booking venues etc

the purple tin

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Been told that a lot of Irish comedians have basically given up touring the country as they can't make any money at it and some lose serious amounts of money booking venues etc

You can get gigs at the handful of Irish venues, but most of them pay peanuts. Thats why thay all our successful standups are based across the pond.

Cian Twomey appeared on D'arcy and has a book .....how does he still have a career in doing the same shtick over and over.....Please tell me he's not trying to look for a career in RTE....A show for him would actually be worse than the new Alisson Spittle dross theyre promoting