Welcome to my blog : Archive

Here is an archive of all my past blogs, just incase you missed any! To view my latest blog please click here

Hey ya'll. Lots to do this week so lets get to it

Posted Wednesday, August 04, 2004

I've been filming the inserts for the new series of The Lenny Henry show and its been a gruelling experience so far with five o'clock wake up calls, many people falling sick (Hi to Jim Imber who has contracted shingles and Jane who succumbed to general lurgy) its been like the Somme.

However, the work has been varied and interesting, most notably because I've somehow managed to convince The 3nonblondes, (a comedy triple act from BBC 3) and Gina Yashere (A very fine comic) and Tony Gardner (In Pieces, Rory Bremner, My Parents are aliens, Gresby Nash (In Pieces, Savages) to come in and shoot funny stuff without me. This is a strange situation because when I do my own show usually, I do everything- so to delegate like this is a big deal. Tony is delighting us with his characterisation of one of those charity muggers that stand on the street bothering people. They're usually resting actors or students who are incredibly frustrated to be collecting for charity when they could actually be doing their chosen profession. Unusual strategies for collecting direct debit signatures abound, wrestling, blackmail and lying are to the forefront.

Gina Yashere is playing a young Ragga Girl, dressed in the tight batty riders and the silver trainers and the blonde hair, talking about her friends, Keisha, Sheesha, and Beesha, clubbing, boyfriends, Babymothers, Babyfathers and the like. It's a developing monologue that Gina nails to the floor with no problem. She also does Mrs Omokorede, a very pushy Nigerian Mom who is determined for her 8 year old daughter Fumi to be a doctor by any means necessary. The 3 Non Blondes are doing a piece set in a Nail Bar, they play the staff in a decidedly non busy venue; personal issues crop up, hierarchy, bullying, all that good stuff. Jocelyn (check my lyrics) is also playing a crap community DJ with no money for a jingle machine and stolen ideas from Rikki Lake and Trisha. Ninnia Benjamin (Asking Directions African Woman) is playing a Joyous African Midwife, the culture clash between western birthing methods and those of third world rural tradition is the centre of the humour here. Tameka of course is just generally hilarious. We had to Boney M the other day (don't ask) and Jocelyn started to sing Hey Britney, you say you wanna lose control' and Tam just went into this impromptu booty shaking dance extravaganza that had the Kids in the Top of the Pops 2 audience pissing themselves with laughter.

Working with the Three Non Blondes has been big fun so far, they have no side to them at all, very funny, helpfulJocelyn is pretending to suck up to me which is very funny, Lenny, is there anything you need at all I've got an apple in my bag would you like it sir?' and so on. It's a complete contrast to the first two series of The Lenny Henry show in 84 and 85 where I had to work with a different cast every week. The series did well, but as far as I was concerned, the loss of camaraderie that I'd had on Three of a Kind and Tiswas was heartfelt. In Pieces was a real attempt to create a small team of people that I could do a variety of sketches with and I think to that extent it worked very well. Fun in the make up trailer anyway.

The Top of the Pops day was incredibly hectic; we had to do three songs in a day which was bloody hard. When I was doing L.H.S before, we would pre record the music number the day before the show; we never did them in the pre filming period. Now I know why the make up and costume changes really sap energy (I know, its not working in a factory but this stuff is all relative) and by mid afternoon you are completely shagged out. The first day was fun though, we did Gabrielle singing Dreams (My producer Lissa Evans insists that I'm a very good woman what does she mean?), we also did Lenny Kravitz singing It ain't over til its over and finished off with a blast from way back, The Floaters singing Float on'.

We made the decision to do music because on In Pieces, although we'd won awards and all that, because I didn't do any musical parody in the way that I'd done in the past, it was felt (by me mainly) that this new series should definitely have musical pastiche.

This is a difficult time in music history though, the surprise of pop video parody has worn off, we don't celebrate a new video today like we did when they first came out. I remember rejoicing when the Thriller video came out, I was at the Radio One building ( doing my show with Dave Atkey producing ) and we were over the moon to get a preview of the new weird Michael Jackson video'. The minute I saw it I knew there were many jokes to do and we did them all because Michael was just beginning his journey into plastic surgery, it was decided that he should begin as a werewolf and have the girl Doris' behave as if this was perfectly normal. Then when he begins to change and she sees him slowly becoming Michael' that's when she screams.

Today because of MTV, the Box, Q, Keraaang (how many a's in that name? (More, Ed) those of us who

are cabled up the wazoo have constant access to pop videos. How many of them make a big impact these days though? I'd say In Da Club by 50 cent, Beyonce Crazy in Love, Outkast Hey Ya, Black Eyed Peas Where is the Love, Shut up, Hey Mama (those guys have got a good handle on what's going on great styling) Milkshake by Kelis ( disgusting, I could only watch it 50 times). So, good video's are still being made, with the potential for parody. Trouble is to break into the public consciousness they have to be outstanding. Ah well. I think we've chosen the right ones for this new series.A fish staggers into a bar, the barman says, what can I get you? The fish says WATER'

I was asked by Yohlisa at Six Music to sit in for Craig Charles again on the Funk Show, and I couldn't do it, but I couldn't help making a track list just in case I could find the time, so here it is. .

  1. I'd drop-Positive Force We got the funk, first on Sugarhill
  2. then I'd probably come with The message Grandmaster flash and the furious five
  3. Sexy Ida Ike and Tina Turner
  4. Fun Floetry
  5. Know you now -Amy Winehouse
  6. They'd probably want to do a sample thing here, so I'd opt for Digital Underground's Do What you Like for their appropriation of Various Parliament, Chic, Funkadelic samples throughout.
  7. Somebody singing now would be good so I'd probably do Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder
  8. followed by Bill Withers : Use me
  9. New funk would have to come into play what happened last time was they allowed me to preview stuff and then play it easy as that, so I'd do that here
  10. and here
  11. I had a bit of a Parliament Jones, so I'd play Bop Gun
  12. Rigor Mortis Cameo how am I doing time wise?

That's as far as I'd got, in my bag I had the Nicole Russo album, Hi Tension, the Ohio players (Angel) Johnny Guitar Watson, Kool and the Gang Jungle Boogie, the Temptations Shakey Ground, Rufus and /Chaka Khan Tell me something good, and Like that. .So I reckon it would have been all right, I also found Gonzales doing I can understand it the instrumental of Chant number one, and the Mighty Brick House by the Commodores So I reckon the show would have bounced. Ah well next time.

I'm studying at the moment; the essay for this month is about Macbeth. Don't the Open University realise how unlucky this play is? Since I started work on it we've had members of the crew dropping like fliesI can't wait to move onto the next thing. Anthony and Cleopatra next (the CD with David Harewood and the magnificent Francis Barber as the titular pair, is well worth a listen). I've got to get the first draft of the essay done today so I feel like I've at least done something when I'm filming I can't really think about anything else which is incredibly pain in the arse-y. I sometimes wish I was one of those multi-taskers you know, they can be doing their household accounts, mowing the lawn, playing the cello and doing the Times crossword simultaneously whilst having quality time with their kids and kissing the wife who are these guys. I'm a one thing at a time kind of person (at least I am now I tried that other method and it nearly killed me- just think business phone call, small child in the car, mad guy in white van, drizzle, and you'll get the idea) I think it gives me a focus that I never used to possess

Any way, I hope you guys are ok, the Lunch time stand up sessions at the Bath House on Dean Street are coming up, also the pilot for the new show ( I think its on a Wednesday night in early April ) The series starts shortly after that. I'll have more precise dates real soon. If you want to book tickets for the TV show, they're gonna be on Thursday nights, Call Tiger Aspect about how to get tickets the number's on the contacts page

Any road up, I'm off now, keep the messages coming they're well appreciated.

Big respect

Len

The curse of Macbeth

http://home.flash.net/~manniac/macb.htm

Six Music Funk show

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/presenters/craig
_charles/

Funny bits:LAUGHS

eyes

About:ME

eyes

Contact:ME

eyes