Simon Munnery - The Manchester Experiment - live online, tonight at 7:30

[Mobbd]

This is a rare thing from 2001, streaming live with a Q&A from the lad himself.

From Go Faster Stripe:

A few days before christmas I received a Mysterious Package in the post. Upon opening it I saw I'd been sent a VHS video tape marked simply The Manchester Experiment, and a date - 17th May 2001.

I've got a VHS video recorder rigged up to my TV, so I lost little time in playing it.

What I saw was indeed an experiment, conducted by our own Simon Munnery. The card attached to the tape read 'I tried this twice, it worked once'. I don't really want to tell you any more about it so that you can experience the thing the same way I did.

Simon has agreed we should hold a one off live stream of the show so that it can be shared with the others.

Was the monkey necessary?

It's only a fiver and should be interesting and possibly pretty fab.

https://gfsboxoffice.com/event.php?id=45516

[Sebastian Cobb]

I saw this on twitter and it piqued my interest enough to buy a ticket. Not sure what's in store but should be alright.

[kilgore]

Really annoyed that I've only just seen this, fucksake!

[The Always Red Society]

What if I miss the show? Can I watch the show on catchup?
Yes! Every show will be available for at least a week after the initial broadcast, and if you arrive when the live show has started, you can either watch live or from the beginning.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I found this a bit hard going but also am glad I watched it. He appeared to be shitfaced for the q&a.

[Barney Sloane]

Shit, missed it as well. I presume it's not on catch-up?

[Mobbd]

Pretty sure that you can watch it for a week if you buy "tickets" (i.e. access).

I attended live, but I can still watch the video on catch-up.

[Mobbd]

I found this a bit hard going but also am glad I watched it. He appeared to be shitfaced for the q&a.

Yes. Same. A noble experiment. For those who haven't watched it and are wondering how it goes:

The main event is a stage on which Munnery (in a sinister cloak and beaked bucket-helmet) silently writes notes, which he hands to a monkey. The monkey painstakingly wanders up to the camera and presents the note to us (the audience at home but also the 2001 audience in the room who watch on a big screen). The comedy really comes from the long pauses between messages; the monkey's mask and eyes are also very becoming and funny.

He then breaks with it all for some more conventional stand-up, sans-bucket. Some is good (classic Munnery stuff) while some is less good (a Bob Dylan parody that doesn't really work). This is all a bit hard to hear because of VHS quality but the "experiment" was the feature attraction anyway.

At the end of the show, a creepy looking punter goes up and pokes his way through Munnery's cards, which is funny to witness.

Munnery looks amusingly young, though 2001 was of course a long time ago. It was the same year as Attention Scum!, so this was presumably in the can if not actually aired. But he looks more like he looks in the God and Jesus photos from college.

It's no "Great Comedy" but it was an enjoyably Odd Thing. It was a privilege to get to see it. It was mentioned in the You Are Nothing book and I never thought we'd get to see it. Until now (because I'll rip it and Chris Evans will surely have done similar) there was only one VHS copy of it in the world and Munnery (who cares not for the past or a legacy) never seemed likely to dig it out or to circulate it. So yeah, great stuff. There were 180 people in the chat room and a nice sense of occasion.

And, yes, he's clearly fucked up on something in the present-day live segments!

[Pranet]

During the Q and A I found the bit about his days programming ZX Spectrum games interesting. Once I looked up some of the games he wrote. They were ok for the time, this was early even in the lifetime of the Spectrum. I'd like to hear him talk more about that.

[Cold Meat Platter]

I found this a bit hard going but also am glad I watched it. He appeared to be shitfaced for the q&a.

He seems to like a drink. Did you see him on Herring's podcast thing? Absolutely steaming and insisted on arm-wrestling him near the end.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I think I listened to that ages ago, the one I heard was when he was talking about Coogan doing a bit too much cocaine.

[Captain Crunch]

I really enjoyed this thank you for the tip off.

Have I got a legacy?  Great!  Have I not got a legacy?  Great!  Or words to that effect anyway, excellent stuff. 

[Mobbd]

I really enjoyed this thank you for the tip off.

Have I got a legacy?  Great!  Have I not got a legacy?  Great!  Or words to that effect anyway, excellent stuff.

Haha. Glad you enjoyed it, Cap'n!

There was talk in the live stream (you may recall) of doing a similar thing for IAMTV.

That show is slightly less rare since Munnery used to sell it after shows and it had a full festival run in '99 or thereabouts rather than being a one-off like the Manchester Experiment. But that'll be pretty sweet as well, I reckon. If I spot it before any other CaBber, I'll make another tip-off post in the comedy forum.