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March 29, 2024, 12:36:32 AM

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James Acaster

Started by notjosh, March 26, 2018, 05:35:53 PM

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The Bumlord

Quote from: Twit 2 on March 27, 2018, 06:13:46 PM
Which is the best Netflix one to start with then?

The first one, then the second, then third, then fourth iirc

Blue Jam

Just watched the first of the specials on Netflix. Loved it. Can't wait to manger the rest.

ieXush2i

watched it off the back of this thread, enjoyed it, send money for a more articulate view

Mark Steels Stockbroker

Saw Acaster on a recording of Saturday Night At The Apollo in September 2015. I thought his thing was that he looked like a haircut comedian but was doing early Stewart Lee (circa 1998)-type material. That's a good thing.

biggytitbo

Quote from: sevendaughters on March 28, 2018, 11:43:37 AM
So why is it whenever I watch Acaster my body just utterly refuses to give up the thinnest sliver of a laugh?


I think his material is decent and he performs it well enough, but like you he just doesn't get any actual laughs out of me. Maybe it caught me in the wrong mood or something but episode 1 of the netflix thing had the ghostly outline of a brilliant set - thats a good joke, thats a funny turn of phrase, good absurd silly idea etc, without ever making me laugh once.

selectivememory

I watched the first two so far, having never seen his act before. Liked them both a lot, gave me a lot of big belly laughs. The bit about waiting in the dentist's office in the second one was very obviously influenced by Stewart Lee, although he's distinctive enough a performer that it's still very much his own bit, and it doesn't feel like he's an imitator at all. Looking forward to watching the remaining two shows. He's very good.

up_the_hampipe

"Pedro Cortez, he was the 11th and 18th miner out of the mine, he forgot something and had to go back for it..."

I've seen him do that Chilean miners bit before, but that line gets me every time.

shiftwork2

Was all like whoa who is this fella when he appeared front and centre on Netflix but I settled down in front of the fire to watch the lad and I thought it was an excellent performance of some well thought out material.  I say well done to the chap.  I trust he uses moist toilet tissue on his anus.

notjosh

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on March 31, 2018, 09:28:26 PM
"Pedro Cortez, he was the 11th and 18th miner out of the mine, he forgot something and had to go back for it..."

I've seen him do that Chilean miners bit before, but that line gets me every time.

"Glad to see we got some proper Chilean miners fans in tonight. Hard-core fans, am I right? Since before they got stuck."

Watched three now and rate them 2,1,3 so far. Interested to see what he's done with the fourth, as it'll be the first I didn't see live and was apparently written as a Rogue One-esque exercise in connecting the other three together.

Also been listening to his Classic Scrapes series on YouTube. Some cracking stories in there.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

I just watched the first of the Netflix series. Pretty good, but I wouldn't call it masterful.

Twit 2

I've watched the first two, the second one is better. Some big laughs scattered around but I find myself admiring the technique of what he's doing more than actually laughing at it. Some of it is incredibly reminiscent of Stewart Lee, but I think it's nice a younger comic is doing this sort of stuff whilst appealing to the mainstream crowd.

notjosh

Fourth one (Reprise) a bit of an anticlimax I think. Bit of a hodge-podge of his old bits, and given the careful structuring of the previous three feels like it under-delivers on his promised of connecting them all together. May be more enjoyable to people who haven't see his previous stand-up or heard his radio show I suppose.

Still a great series altogether. I'll be interested to see how successful it is, particularly in America. His ready-to-eat apricots routine didn't go down too well on Conan.

sevendaughters

he gets compared to Stewart Lee a bit and I see it to a certain degree but he reminds me more of a more commercially-palatable Julian Barrett.

Danger Man

Quote from: notjosh on April 01, 2018, 08:58:25 PM
His ready-to-eat apricots routine didn't go down too well on Conan.

Only thing I've watched so far. Don't want to watch anything else after that whimsy shitfest.

up_the_hampipe

Quote from: sevendaughters on April 01, 2018, 10:06:21 PM
he gets compared to Stewart Lee a bit and I see it to a certain degree but he reminds me more of a more commercially-palatable Julian Barrett.

Yeah, I think that's a better fit. Barratt was an underrated stand-up, although I've never seen him do a long set.

selectivememory

For me the Lee comparison is less about his material and more about his pacing of the act and at times his presence/delivery, or some of the more unconventional or weirder aspects of his performance or phrasing. For example, when he was moving the objects on stage about during the bit about the dental questionnaire, it really put me in mind of Lee. I wouldn't say he's that like Lee really, just that Lee's influence on him is obvious.

I've watched the first 3 and really enjoyed them and have laughed out loud several times which is quite rare for me. Major appreciation for making the thread, he's the sort of person I'd never in a million years give a chance if I'd seen he'd been on live at the Apollo/mock the week etc. Certain things he said really tickled me and kept popping up in my thoughts through the week and making me laugh. Love him.

The "breakdown" at the end of the 2nd set did seem very Stewart Lee, and I could've done without it, just felt a bit contrived. The line about the illustrated tooth ("the tooths teeth have teeth too") floored me, it just came out of nowhere and I just like the way it sounds. Do the tooths teeth have teeth too. I keep whispering it to myself.


up_the_hampipe

Quote from: Misspent Boners on April 03, 2018, 12:10:41 PM
The "breakdown" at the end of the 2nd set did seem very Stewart Lee, and I could've done without it, just felt a bit contrived. The line about the illustrated tooth ("the tooths teeth have teeth too") floored me, it just came out of nowhere and I just like the way it sounds. Do the tooths teeth have teeth too. I keep whispering it to myself.

Similarly I enjoyed "every triangle is a love triangle if you love triangles". Both very Hedberg.

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on April 03, 2018, 12:29:26 PM
Similarly I enjoyed "every triangle is a love triangle if you love triangles". Both very Hedberg.

Ha yeah lovely. I've been listening to his Classic Scrapes segments on YouTube as linked above and they're great too; although coming from a more toned down delivery. There's an hour long one about him being "cabbaged" that I've just started that seems promising!

Schnapple

I haven't really been out to see much UK stand up in nearly a decade, but I'd heard of Acaster's stellar reputation. Have only seen the first installment, but really enjoyed it, and was surprised how comfortably he brought such an otherwise silly show to a genuinely personal climax, without overegging the pudding in that respect.

"Pure copping" was the turn of phrase the reduced me to giggles.

Also, presumably he recorded all four in quick succession? Fair fucks if so. He made the first feel entirely fresh, especially given the aforementioned personal edge to the performance.

Twit 2

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on April 03, 2018, 12:29:26 PM
Similarly I enjoyed "every triangle is a love triangle if you love triangles". Both very Hedberg.

His staccato delivery is at times very Hedberg, too.

kitsofan34

Quote from: Schnapple on April 03, 2018, 02:50:12 PM
I haven't really been out to see much UK stand up in nearly a decade, but I'd heard of Acaster's stellar reputation. Have only seen the first installment, but really enjoyed it, and was surprised how comfortably he brought such an otherwise silly show to a genuinely personal climax, without overegging the pudding in that respect.

"Pure copping" was the turn of phrase the reduced me to giggles.

Also, presumably he recorded all four in quick succession? Fair fucks if so. He made the first feel entirely fresh, especially given the aforementioned personal edge to the performance.

He recorded all four, in succession, twice over the course of two days.

shh

Anyone else spot how in each episode his clothes and the backdrop are synchromised (if such a word exists (and if it doesn't it should))?

notjosh

Quote from: shh on April 03, 2018, 10:43:23 PM
Anyone else spot how in each episode his clothes and the backdrop are synchromised (if such a word exists (and if it doesn't it should))?

Yes, and I believe that goes back to the original performances, if you look at the poster images. I certainly remember Represent having a red backdrop when I saw it at the Fringe.


The Lion King

'COME HERE!' shouted at the supermarket employee whilst shopping for 'spag' cracked me right up

BeardFaceMan

Well I tried, made it 15 minutes into the first show and turned it off after the 'pay-off' to the kneeling 'gag'. Unique comic voice? He has the exact same delivery as Nish Kumar. Or unique in that he talked about genie wishes and yogurts? Didn't raise so much as a titter. I'm definitely stuck on my own on an island waving at the Acaster boat go by.

Beagle 2

Quote from: BeardFaceMan on April 05, 2018, 04:54:37 PM
Unique comic voice? He has the exact same delivery as Nish Kumar.

What? No idea what you mean there.


BeardFaceMan

Quote from: Beagle 2 on April 05, 2018, 05:17:12 PM
What? No idea what you mean there.

I mean his vocal delivery is reminiscent of Nish Kumar. They have a similar cadence when telling a joke. Their comic voices are similar.

Beagle 2

I find Nish Kumar to have the most irritating voice in comedy, and I like James Acaster's delivery. I'll check it out, see if I can see what you mean. Although I'm concerned it might ruin James Acaster (or make Nish Kumar bearable).

BeardFaceMan

Quote from: Beagle 2 on April 05, 2018, 05:35:06 PM
I find Nish Kumar to have the most irritating voice in comedy, and I like James Acaster's delivery. I'll check it out, see if I can see what you mean. Although I'm concerned it might ruin James Acaster (or make Nish Kumar bearable).

Yeah I agree with that, Kumars delivery makes him borderline unwatchable, especially as he seems to talk like that all the fucking time, not just when hes telling jokes. Acaster doesnt do it as bad but its definitely there, I think its just a generation of comics who grew up listening to Radio 4 panel shows and so they all have a similar  'I'm telling a joke now' delivery. It's a 'that voice' for radio fans.