The life and dearth of a comedian
Bennett Arron says all isn't rosy in the world of stand-up
05/07/2012 … ‘Are you gigging much at the moment?’This is a phrase I used to hear quite often when I first started as a comedian.
Latest Opinions
Chortle's Opinions section is an arena for fans to share their views on any aspect of comedy.
We invite general comment pieces about particular aspects of the comedy scene (although reviews of individual shows or performers tend not to be suited to this section except in very rare circumstances). Contributions should be at least 500 words in length, in a similar tone to something you might read in a broadsheet newspaper, and emailed to steve@chortle.co.uk
We reserve the right to edit pieces – although we will be careful not to change the meaning of anything – or not to use them at all. By submitting an article you grant Chortle indefinite licence to use it freely; though you retain the copyright on it to use it elsewhere.
Thu 05 July 2012
Tue 03 July 2012
Paul Merton ruined my life...
...but comedy was also a salvation, says WIll Marsh
03/07/2012 … Back in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, I was a different person.
Thu 28 June 2012
The secret to marketing an Edinburgh show is ... who knows?
...but this is what John Fleming is doing
28/06/2012 … Hollywood scriptwriter William Goldman’s wise line his book Adventures in the Screen Trade, ‘nobody knows anything’, is oft misunderstood.
Wed 27 June 2012
Spirit of the Fringe? Not after 9pm
Alan Anderson on ScotRail's 'draconian' alcohol ban
27/06/2012 … Glasgow is the great untapped market for Edinburgh Festival promoters.
Tue 26 June 2012
10 business lessons you can apply to stand-up
Ian Hawkins gets all corporate...
26/06/2012 … I spent five years working for JLA, the UK’s biggest agency providing speakers to address events.
Thu 21 June 2012
Carr-eer suicide?
JR Moores wonders if the tax scandal will hit Jimmy Carr's comedy
21/06/2012 … Among all the references to Alexei Sayle, Ted Chippington and Simon Munnery in Stewart Lee’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate nestled some unexpectedly gushing praise…
Wed 20 June 2012
Why do I keep tolerating these nights?
Elliot Wengler on the 'joys' of the open-mic circuit
20/06/2012 … About 20-25 gigs into the open mic comedy-gigging world is when you realise that you’re an idiot.
Sun 17 June 2012
Should Armando have accepted the OBE?
17/06/2012 … Should Armando Iannucci have accepted his OBE? Former Blair spin doctor Alastair Campbell certainly doesn’t think so.