FCIK is good for you

“My girlfriend is very demanding in bed.  Every night she demands I stop snoring!”  Steve Dix warmed up the ‘Fiddlers’ FCIK audience for a night when the jokes came thick and fast, and with no less than seven comedians on the bill they needed to.

FCIK?  Only a few weeks old and Steve Calcott’s new English comedy review is already a brand-name.  This,  the specially produced backdrop and separate comedy room,  suggest that presenting comedy is a serious matter.  For the uninitiate however ‘FCIK’ stands for “Funnybone Club Im Kellar” by the way.

Long term aim of the Club is to nurture new comedic talent but currently the show is a mixed bag of goodies.  ‘Regulars’ like Johnny Hollywood, Steve Dix and Casey James delivered, as always, with their observations on such internationally ‘chuckle-safe’ topics as sex, relationships and farting (!)

Would a joke combining all three be the best or worst joke of all time I wonder?

San Francisco guest Andy Valvur who is  American enough to have had his social commentaries gracing the ‘New York Times’ but admits to having spent so much time and money in IKEA whilst here in Europe that he should have honorary Swedish citizenship was my early favourite in the chuckle stakes though.  Valvur’s journalistic background probably explains why much of his set is based on observation which is a style I like.  Most of his observations tonight regard German idiosynchrasies which being English I also like.  There was a gentle swipe at Paul McCartney:

“I saw his show in Cologne.  The audience was made up of old people – and their parents”  but otherwise we Brits escaped otherwise unscathed from his humour I’m glad to report.

Hailing as he does from Worcester, I was hoping for a saucy set from James Allen.   Instead, arm draped lazily over the mike, he delivered his observations on topics jotted on sheets of A4 which were guaranteed to keep everyone happy – with the possible exception of a few Michael Jackson fans that is.

The ‘new’ comic talent on offer came from Maxi Gstettenbauer and Kati Rausch.  The former (to save space and my sanity, referred to hereafter as Maxi) has moderated on the Internet TV GIGA channel and had such a quickfire (or given his predilection for techno style topics maybe ‘warpspeed’?)  style that he almost confused himself on occasion.  There’s no denying his enthusiasm though and I wonder if that will inspire him to try a set in English in future, which brings me to Katie Rausch.  Older members of the audience might see aspects of a young Tracy Ullmann in Rausch.  Ullmann started out largely doing comedy and went on to successful careers in both acting and singing.  Rausch already has some acting under her pretty pink belt and it shows in her stage persona which is something of an alter-ego who is seemingly not at all happy with her lot in the world:  Dealing with the harridan at her local supermarket check-out, or literally being locked in a passionate kiss courtesy of braces on her teeth.  Teenage ‘angst’- I remember it well (sort of vaguely after all this time though).

Outside of her excursions into work as a tester for condoms it was a fun set.  I found myself wishing she would genuinely look the audience in the collective white of its eye but that might be down to her having only just started doing her routines in the English language.  She exudes an infectious and seemingly boundless enthusiasm and if she puts it all together in English and throws in a song or two she might just become one of those ‘John Mayer’ like people who annoy me by being good at everything they do.  I hope so.

So that’s my take on an evening in Steve Calcott’s comedy cellar (which was actually  in a little room upstairs).

My Tip: Make sure you get to ‘The Fiddlers’ early and grab a traditional meal (the Chef is excellent).

Comedy nights are rather like Forrest Gump’s chocolate box – You never quite know what you’ll get.     But isn’t that half the fun?  They all made it look so easy too.  Until I looked at Steve’s timesheet for the evening that is:  Each comedian seemed to have got through a mountain of material  yet there it was in black & white – only 7 to 12 minutes each onstage.

Even talking very slowly I’d run out of jokes after about 3 minutes.  The rest would have to be my Mr Bean gets stage-fright routine: Go glassy eyed and stand still then, when the blood comes back to my legs, back offstage slowly, graciously… and head for the toilet to be sick.

If you’re of sterner stuff though contact Steve about a slot onstage and if I’ve tickled your funny bone’s curiosity and you want to open Forrest Gumps chocolate box for yourself, keep an eye out for news of future FCIK shows coming your way.