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Interview with Sebastian Horsley

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Interview with Sebastian Horsley Books Books Comedy late 70s, one of that area’s happier Reviews times. Strikingly, the focus of the tale Fine And Dandy is friendships, courtships, drinking, Life Begins At 41 Aya / The Poor dancing and studying, rather than Robin Hackett talks to the 41st best stand- Rosie Birkett meets Sebastian Horsley to find out why, after 45 years, he’s the stereotypical ‘plight of Africa’ Bastard type themes. This makes a refreshing ★★★★★ / ★★★★★ up ever, Stewart Lee, about his new show, decided to write a book about a life that has seen him become addicted to change, and the book is positively by Marguerite Abouet / by Joe vibrant. the religious right and financial difficulties Matt drugs, sleep with a limbless prostitute and eat his own excrement In more ways than one, The Poor hb, Jonathan Cape, £14.99 / pb, Bastard by Joe Matt is a world away Jonathan Cape, £12.99 phoning my editor and saying, ‘Who from this. Reminiscent of Harvey the fuck wants to read this?’ It’s not like Pekar in its content — everyday I’m famous, I’m not David Beckham or events retold with candour — and anyone — I’m just some silly little artist of Robert Crumb in its illustrational in London, so you’ve got to have a lot style, this is the supposedly auto- of vanity to write something like this.” biographical story of a sex-obsessed I disagree. There’s a remarkable comic writer who lives in New York. lack of vanity in the way the book is Whether you find the unflinching he converted amongst you won’twon’t written. Horsley is both self-critical honesty embarrassing or compelling, need telling, but further evidence and self-deprecating and often leaves T it’s certainly memorable. that comics are not just for kids the reader disgusted by his actions DD — there is a scene in which he smears comes in the form of these two himself in his own excrement, eats visual treats. Both are excellent reads some and then masturbates. — intelligent, beautifully drawn, and here was this, you know, He may find himself back in the “Reality only reveals itself in extreme funny — but they couldn’t be more “Tone of those stupid Channel spotlight to some degree, though, as situations and there have been lots of different. 4 programmes that go on for hours he’s soon to return to television with a these in my life. I’d rather be extreme Aya, written by Marguerite Abouet on Saturday nights and it was the new pilot for BBC2. than bored to tears. The book is many and drawn by Clement Ouberie, tells 100 best stand-ups of all time,” says “Hopefully, it’ll be a stand-up show things, but it’s never boring — it’s got the story of a young girl growing Stewart Lee when asked about his with some sketches in it. I want to a kind of monstrous vitality.” up in the Ivory Coast during the new show, 41st Best Stand-Up Ever. do something like the old Dave Allen His affair with Boyle, and involve- “They put me in at number 41 and I shows really. If it gets commissioned, was really surprised, not being hugely that would solve all my financial wor- ment in the ‘underworld’ of the book’s acclaimed writer Caryl Phillips (pictured) to title, was one such extreme. How did Listings celebrate Black History in Leeds. well-known, and pleased. And then I ries in the short-term and allow me this come about? thought, ‘Obviously, it’s stupid, as all to do more interesting things, but if it Reader information these lists are’. But then I thought, doesn’t I’ll need to get another stand- “My father left me when I was 10. Book-related events, courses and workshops I didn’t go to his funeral and he was are listed by day and then by date. Concs ‘Maybe I can use it for marketing’ and up show going immediately. a very negative muse for me. I was refer to concessionary price tickets, normally also for doing a funny show about the “When we did ‘Fist Of Fun’ in ‘95, available to children, the unwaged, OAPs and attracted to men in later life who were NUS cardholders. stupidity of how you value yourself. In we used to get two million viewers, ruthless and charismatic and unavail- Contributor information parts, it’s an attack on popular culture but you didn’t get paid much back able. It wasn’t just Jimmy — there Listings must arrive by 3pm Friday, 12 days and also the idea that a public poll on then — I got, like, £20,000 for writing before publication: listings for the next things is worth anything, but also the and performing six episodes, which was a line of them later on — Hugo issue, covering Wed 31 Oct to Thu 15 Guinness, Will Self, Nick Cave. As soon Nov, must arrive by 3pm on Fri 19 Oct. clash between that and what your fam- is pretty good, but it’s not enough to as I grew up, I realised that I was meet- Include event type, event name, date, time, ily think about you as an individual.” compensate for being recognised by price, venue and a brief description. Fax 0113 Stewart Lee is in a strange posi- two million people. I did ‘Have I Got ing the same person again and it was 244 1002, e-mail [email protected] ridiculous to seek approval in people or write to Leeds Guide, 80 North Street, tion in the world of comedy, tee- News For You’ and I got £800 for that, like that.” Leeds, LS2 7PN. Listings are free but inclu- tering somewhere between demigod and six million people watch it, which sion is not guaranteed due to limited space. Whatever you think about Horsley’s and impoverished unknown. Like Jerry is one in 10 people. I was in Aberdeen actions and beliefs, I defy you to pick Thu 18 Oct Passion and Pride Cultural Day work- Sadowitz or Rob Newman, he’s not walking around the next Friday night, shops The Carriageworks, Millennium Square, as famous as he was in the 90s, when and you get a load of hassle off peo- up Dandy In The Underworld and put Growing Up An Alien Leeds Met Studio Calverley Street, Leeds, 0113 224 3801 • it back down again because, for all his Theatre, City Campus, Woodhouse Lane, 1pm • Free • Creative writing workshops he did ‘Fist Of Fun’ and ‘This Morning ple recognising you and shouting at Leeds, 0113 283 5998 • 12.30 and 7.30pm repulsive antics and infuriating pom- held by top writers as part of F Words - With Richard Not Judy’ with Richard you. But with a tour, you only need • Call for prices • Born in a snowstorm Yorkshire writers’ and artists’ response to the posity, Horsley is fabulous in equal in Stockholm, on the stroke of midnight, theme of ‘freedom’ on the Bicentenary of the Herring, but, at the same time, he’s about five thousand people nationally measure. performance poet Aoife Mannix presents an Abolition of the Slave Trade. now regarded by fellow comedians, to make a living and it doesn’t impinge intimate tale about coming out to friends and Dandy In The Underworld is pub- critics and the general public as the on your private life too much. family and looking for a place to belong. Thu 25 Oct lished by Sceptre, £16.99 41st best comedian of all-time. “Having been at the centre of a n 2004, the artist, writer and self- “I had no ambition to become I tell him that the book had me Tue 23 Oct Talk - Dickens and Yorkshire Mercer Right now, he’s at a crossroads. shitstorm with Jerry Springer and get- proclaimed dandy Sebastian Horsley a writer,” he says in his pristine RP gripped. Art Gallery, Swan Road, Harrogate, 01423 Black History Month - A Black Literary 556 188 • 2pm • £5 • Talk with Leonee Financially, he wants to get back into ting a lot of personal threats, it would Iwrote an article in The Observer accent. “I’m a failed rock star. I didn’t “It’s ironic that you should say that Experience The Carriageworks, Millennium Ormond, Professor Emerita of Victorian television and enjoy widespread suc- be great to be able to be paid well for about the joys of paying for sex with Square, Calverley Street, Leeds, 0113 224 Studies at King’s College, London. Discover really know the limitations of the form. because, when I was writing, I kept on 3801 • 7pm • £3.50 (£2.50 concs) • Guest cess. Artistically and personally, he your work and for it to be seen by a lot prostitutes. He ended the piece by say- Dickens’ Yorshire links including his exposure I mean, it’s not like I sit here reading writers and local community groups join the of the scandal of its schools in ‘Nicholas wants to remain low-key and maintain of people, but then the flipside is that ing “prostitution is obscene, debasing Nabokov every day.” Nickleby’. his freedom. A lot of this comes from psychopaths know who you are.” and disgraceful. The point is, so am I.” Horsley is no stranger to contro- his involvement in Jerry Springer — The His show at The Shed represents Recommended Fri 26 Oct It’s this kind of wicked honesty that versy (having been reviled in the media Musical, a satirical show that provoked the kind of gig he really revels in.
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