Glenn Wool's Bizarre Cocktail

Note: This review is from 2002

Review by Steve Bennett

With the screaming heavy rock soundtrack, studded leather gloves and manic glaring eyes, Glenn Wool presents himself as the Slipknot of comedy.

But really, he's nothing of the sort. Behind the edgy packing is a cheeky, playful and charismatic comic, in full control of his art.

Inventive with language and ideas - anyone who can mention the word "unicornesque" and a two-headed monkey playing chess in the same show has to be admired - he seductively reels in the audience to enable him to cover more politicised ground.

Just how much he has entranced his punters is demonstrated when he creates the most extreme, distasteful phrases in a bid to elevate swearing to new levels of offence - and the grotesque imagery is greeted by little more than a slight intake of air, plus lots of guilty, but genuine, chuckles.

That's true of much of his opinionated stuff, too. You may not agree with his passionate arguments, but you will laugh at them.

Establishing himself as a genuine guy is also vital for Wool to pull off his highly effective show-stopper.

For the title of the show - Bizarre Cocktail - is not just a reference to the eclectic nature of this talented Canadian's material, but also a hint that he does, indeed, have a bizarre tale about his cock.

Somewhere between the more uncomfortable moments of Richard Herring's Talking Cock and the medical-based gallows humour of Andre Vincent, this wincingly hilarious routine tells of the time Wool underwent a biopsy of the penis after noticing an unusual growth.

This show's got everything - the personal pain, the social comment, the slightly surreal observational comment - all performed by an accomplished, electrifying comic. Go get 'em, cowboy.

Review date: 1 Jan 2002
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett

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