Josie Long - She's Shit; WE GET IT! [renamed]

[Chris Chopping]

OK, I've done the requisite search but there don't seem to be any threads on her, apart from a slightly confusing Chubby vs Chubby one.

All I've seen of her is a short clip from a show about Edinbourough. I also listened to that first Show and Tell podcast with her on. She doesn't seem to be very funny at all but at the same time she seems to be quite endearing.

Then again, maybe that's just because she reminds me of someone I know.

Anyone think she's great? Is there anything else out there I should check out?

[Purple Tentacle]

Since when was endearing a substitute for funny? My cat's endearing, but she wouldn't last 2 minutes at the Comedy Store.  Not unless she did that thing where she does backflips because she's caught sight of her own tail. Actually, that IS pretty funny. Funnier than Josie Long. Am I still typing?

[Chris Chopping]

I'm not saying it is a substitute. I've just heard a lot of hype about her and what I've heard of her act is very insubtantial and I'm curious to find out if there's anything out there that justifes all the attention.

[Brutus Beefcake]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY3D3QkBd04

She comes across like an autistic twelve year old.

[Bert Thung]

Talking shit and then impersonating a pimp about covers it.

Interviewed on ITV2 show about the Edinburgh Fringe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY3D3QkBd04

Uuuurrgh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij1Sg66gsX4

[Chris Chopping]

Yeah, those youtube clips are the only things I've seen. The snack foods are crap but there's a good idea behind it.

[Marv Orange]

Saw her live, she is shit. Although the couple infront of me almost wanted to give her a standing ovation at the end of the night.

Although expect her to have her own sketch show at some point as her act is basically a 1 man sketch show.

I am not a punchline comedian, I don't do punchlines

Apparently the worse insult she has had is being called a fat cunt so if you ever have the opportunity to heckle her be more insulting than that.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Fuck's sake, she really is as bad as people say.

[Bert Thung]

17 minute gig from last february I think

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vn0759

[slim]

I've also seen her live. She's poo.

I hope I don't meet her at one of pikey's parties now.

[thepuffpastryhangman]

Surely the perfect occasion to present her with an award (or two) should she win.

[Hazz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY3D3QkBd04

She comes across like an autistic twelve year old.

That hurt to watch.

[Chris Chopping]

17 minute gig from last february I think

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vn0759

Do I have to be a member to download from that site?

[Pinball]

No.

And shite she is shite. What were the judges thinking?

[TC Raymond]

"I've met women like her dozens of times before - you know the sort, your girlfriend introduces you to a hippy-ish mate of theirs who is "really sweet and funny, you'll love her". They spend the entire time attention-seeking in the pub talking in a drippy voice, attempting to crowbar useless observations into the conversation ("Wouldn't it be really good if we could, like, all live on a giant pancake in space or something? Like, it would be softer than Planet Earth, wouldn't it, and children wouldn't bruise themselves falling over in the the playground and stuff? No need to make tarmac anymore, know what I mean?") and generally being fucking irritating. And nobody laughs then! Even if they're wrecked! And Josie Long is up on stage doing it winning awards, seemingly! Could somebody please explain to me how that's possible?"

...even the bloke who posted that video on YouTube hates her.
20 years ago, Josie Long would have been writing for Poot!

[cleverjake]

"]
...even the bloke who posted that video on YouTube hates her.

The bloke who posted that video on the internet was Bert Thung, the quote is from 23Daves also from this parish.

(I think)

[Sovereign]

I want to shoot her. Someone just needs to tell her that she's not very funny, and that amatuerishness is not a virtue no matter how cutesy you try and make it out be. There's nothing funny in what she does, at all. I don't get how people could even find her remotely funny, after all she doesn't seem to try and be funny, that'd be too professional.

I blame Daniel Kitson, he's the one who made all this meandering, gagless egotistical narrative style comedy popular. And he's a cunt, that too.

[Tits McGee]

"I just like to put conventions on their head"

The convention of being funny?

Imagine her coming on this board.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Kitson is naturally funny, though. He's just got dem funny bones. He's got great delivery, timing and a mind as quick as Quink.

Josie Long has none of these things.

[Chris Chopping]

I did a search and she gets a few positive mentions in the 'best stand up' thread, if only as 'good people I've seen lately' mentions rather than 'my all time favourite' choices.

I'd be interested to hear a defense.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Imagine her coming on this board.

Christ, I'd rather not, thanks.

[Saul]

I don't think shes laugh out loud funny but I find her quite enjoyable to listen to. That Paramount Comedy podcast with Robin Ince had some nice moments for me. I don't think shes great but don't think shes completely shit either. Can't Kitson though.

[Bert Thung]

Insisting on comedy being funny is a limiting thing. You have to stick to such things as twists of logic, laugh counts, the element of surprise. Whereas take away the having to be funny rule with comedians and they have a broader pallette to play with. They can do meandering whimsy, cutesy waffling, surreal stories with no point to them, they are unhindered. Surely this is the reasoning behind Josie Long and why she sees herself as a radical comedian and actual professional talented comedians as reactionary.  I can't think of anything else.

[thepuffpastryhangman]

They can do meandering...surreal stories with no point to them

[Garam]

YOU HATE STEWART LEE

WE GET IT






edit: sorry about that. Reading the post coincided with burning the roof of my mouth with coffee. Still, burnt roof of mouth or not, WE GET IT

[23 Daves]

"]"I've met women like her dozens of times before - you know the sort, your girlfriend introduces you to a hippy-ish mate of theirs who is "really sweet and funny, you'll love her". They spend the entire time attention-seeking in the pub talking in a drippy voice, attempting to crowbar useless observations into the conversation ("Wouldn't it be really good if we could, like, all live on a giant pancake in space or something? Like, it would be softer than Planet Earth, wouldn't it, and children wouldn't bruise themselves falling over in the the playground and stuff? No need to make tarmac anymore, know what I mean?") and generally being fucking irritating. And nobody laughs then! Even if they're wrecked! And Josie Long is up on stage doing it winning awards, seemingly! Could somebody please explain to me how that's possible?"

I might be going mad here... it wouldn't be the first time... but it was me that wrote that, wasn't it?

[Bert Thung]

It was, yes, you are credited underneath that quote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY3D3QkBd04

[thepuffpastryhangman]

WE GET IT

Can you think of  any 'better' examples of "meandering surreal stories with no point to them" that've been recently highlighted here, ideally with their own threads? I was merely indicating a primary example of the genre.
Furthermore it was indeed Lee who informed us that 'Josie Long is the name to drop', so the link is thrice relevant.

[23 Daves]

It was, yes, you are credited underneath that quote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY3D3QkBd04

Further investigation would reveal that indeed I am, yes.  That makes sense, then.  When the quote was attributed to the YouTube user I was very confused, as I couldn't remember ever putting Josie Long videos up online.  

I've since seen nothing to suggest she's anything but awful, and I would turn up to one of her gigs to be proven wrong, but in my experience it honestly makes little difference.  Comedians in a live environment will often seem slightly more funny than they actually are, just due to the audience creating an atmosphere or the comic treating them as his/her "gang"... but a crap joke is a crap joke, unless it's some sort of new-fangled multi-media audience participation experience we're talking about.

[Garam]

link

Bit tenuous, but fine.

I don't see anything wrong with 'meandering surreal stories with no point to them', as long as they're funny. Holy Grail's a meandering surreal story with no point to it, apart from making people laugh a hell of a lot. And to look quite nice too, I suppose. It's not satirising our views of historical events or anything, is it? is it?...or is it? Perhaps it is...or is it?