Nothing New Under The Sun: The Dandy

It's always flattering to think you had an idea first and, though I know I've had no influence here, I can't help but spot the similarity between this week's Dandy comic and something I did a few years back. This is the new Dandy:



You see what they've done, emphasising the parodies, spoofs and "mock" aspects of their content, by doing it in the style of a lifestyle magazine. A bit like I did back in 1989 with the Mockery:



Based on the then design of the very popular Q Magazine, I put caricatures of current celebs into a spoof magazine design. This, of course, was just a dummy that never saw the light of print. However the idea did hit the newsstands, in 1991, looking like this:



... which formed the back "flip" cover of issue one of UT comic, the parody spoof comic I edited. It lasted for 18 months and I have fond memories, even if I may be alone in that. The original front cover, which set the template for the rest of the run, looked like this:



UT Comic, more ahead of its time than any of us realised. That's it, nostalgia break over, as you were.

EdFringe Sockstalgia Part 1

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre aren't at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, the first year we've missed since we started #edfringe-ing it in 2007. It's been fun to take a breather, and especially to have money at this time of year, which is an unusual and pleasant state of affairs. And I have to stress I'm not missing Edinburgh at all, partly cos the Fringe hasn't started yet, and partly cos I was there last week doing a show in Peebles so got to see the Fringe venues being put up and get a feel of the start of the whole Festival vibe. But mostly I'm not missing the Fringe because, well, I'm just not. I'm already saving up to take the Socks to Edinburgh in 2012, but for now a gap year seems just the right thing. It's also a chance to have a look back at the 4 years, and 4 different shows the Socks have taken to Edinburgh. Here's a clip from our debut year, 2007.



Blimey, the Embra routine and the Flyer song. I'd totally forgotten those. Because that piece is so much about the Edinburgh Fringe, I've always figured it would be unintelligible to the rest of the country so it's never been part of the touring show.

And look at those costumes, or lack of them. It's hard to imagine now, but when the Socks performed their first Edinburgh show they did it naked. At one point during the run the Sock on the left acquired his kilt, but he would only put it on halfway through the show. And the Sock on the right remained naked throughout.

And that set is so bare. The now familiar tartan set, with its proscenium arch, didn't appear until the 2008 show. And right through their spring 2008 tour I was performing the Socks show with a set with no sides. Anyone entering the venue sideways on saw a bloke sitting in a seat behind the black set. If I couldn't manage to attach that tartan sheet to a wall behind us, we were as good as invisible. My, aren't we all glad the Socks have put on a little visual pizazz since the early days.

Still pretty funny back then though, bless their cotton selves. More trips down memory lane ahead, I'm sure. And, if you're lucky, they might start writing something new. The 2012 show's only 53 weeks away...



PS, in case you missed it, a nice review of the Socks in Cardiff, as part of the Brown Bear comedy night, from Buzz magazine.
"Their inherent license for playfulness paired with their meta-fictional intelligence and clever observations do raise a few surprising giggles and bring an unquestionable sense of variety to the line-up" - Buzz

Socks at Leicester Comedy Festival

Here's a fun find, a video of the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre recorded by someone other than me, performing and doing what might loosely be called an interview, at the Leicester Comedy Festival. Enjoy.

Alien Belly Button Kerfuffle - more comics by kids

Some more front covers of comics produced by the kids in my Comic Art Masterclasses in schools. Working usually with two groups in a day, each pupil goes away with a comic book named by the group containing a strip by every single one of them a caricature of every one of their faces, plus they've learned how to do everything I do so they can leave school and steal my job. These are from schools in Chepstow, Bristol, Ormskirk, Devon, Leicester, Clevedon and Walsall. Click to enlarge and see more.

If you would like me to come to your school, college, library or art centre to teach comics to you or your kids, please don't hesitate to get in touch.



RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians

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News Of The World tribute - Scottish Falsetto Socks

Brand new from the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, a tribute to the late lamented News Of The World.

Youtoobling - News of the World

I love a night's Youtoobling. The method is straightforward. I have a wee drink and I follow video after video on Youube, usually along a theme. The other night I was finding videos that related to the New Of The World scandal, then tweeting each vid with a #notw hashtag. Here's what I found:

Sunday Papers Joe Jackson #youtoobling #notw

Funny Papers, Dean Friedman #youtoobling #notw

You'll Never See A Nipple In The Daily Express #youtoobling #notw John Cooper Clarke

News Of The World, The Jam #youtoobling #notw

I heard the news today, oh boy A Day In The Life #youtoobling #notw

"I caught a paperboy" Modern Love, David Bowie #youtoobling #notw

You don't drink you don't smoke, what do you do? Adam Ant Goody Two Shoes #youtoobling #notw

Press Gang by Steven Moffat Brilliant #youtoobling #notw #drwho

BA Robertson Saint Saens on The Radio #notw #youtoobling

Headline News, Weird Al Yankowicz #youtoobling #notw

Mmm Mmm Mmm, Crash Test Dummies #youtoobling #notw

Peter Pumpkinhead Crash Test Dummies #youtoobling #notw

We Will All Go Together When We Go Tom Lehrer #youtoobling #notw

Difficult Difficult Lemon Difficult #youtoobling #notw

Wait a minute. New Of The World is an Queen album. It features: We Are The Champions #notw #youtoobling

...and Sheer Heart Attack from Queen's News Of The World #notw #youtoobling

.. and It's Late on Queen's News Of The World #notw #youtoobling

.. We Will Rock You #notw Queen #youtoobling

... or if you prefer We Will Sock You, Scottish Falsetto Socks #youtoobling #notw

You keep getting those incredible Giggs Rock Follies On The Road #notw #youtoobling #superinjunction

Everybody wants to sing in the Rock Follies like Glee with the irony #youtoobling #notw

Only Women Bleed, Alice Cooper #youtoobling

Alone Again Naturally with Transistor Radio #youtoobling

Which is as far as I got before night descended. I hope you enjoyed the journey.

Kev F interview & class on BBC

Here, on BBC Northern Ireland's website, is a half hour long interview and Comic Art Masterclass I did last month. I think I come across quite well.