h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Eddie Izzard - actor and stand-up comedian - A877458
Author: Witty Ditty: '...refuses to feel sorry for a man who eats borsht all day and wears a tea cosy.' - U173978

As the subject title probably hints at - this is about Eddie Izzard, Francophile, cat-commentator and all round groovy guy

Any comments, as always, will be gratefully received

Stay ,
WD

What a super piece of writing WD And what a great subject to choose too Straight into the EG with this I reckon.

Is it worth mentioning some of the voiceover work he's done, like Rex the Runt for instance?

Nice one

"'Ello - we're the Romans!" *hoicks off eighteen other Izzardisms until people start hitting him*

Great stuff, but please do mention 'Rex the Runt'.

It might be worth, under the 'French' section, mentioning that he once did a show entirely in French to a French audience. It fell flat at the time, which should say something about the French attitude to surrealistic comedy.(Plug for A843022)

I could add loads more, but I suppose everyone's got their favourite bits.

"Day 1: Rang bell. Cat went out..."

B

Just an addition to this superb entry - the Ark sketch often ends with Izzard explaining that he once did this routine in French, but it completely bombed with the audience - he'd forgotten that the French versions of Connery's films were dubbed by a different actor who didn't 'Shound like Jamesh Bond'.

I'm a little confused by the bit where you say Izzard's unlike other artists - I think you're confusing transsexualism with drag here - maybe a link to the entry on drag, which explains things quite well?

Huge fan of Izzard - saw him in 'Lenny' (a real, boundary-shattering play about a true comedy maverick).

Hey WD it wasn't just anywhere in Northern Irealnd but he went to BAngor Grammar in my hme town.

A740503 Bangor, Co Down, Northern Ireland

I'll get to the rest of teh article now.

I've had a quick glance at this. It looks good, but the quotes of Eddie humming and hawing don't really come across well. That stuff might be good when you hear it but is very confusing in print.

Whoa! Loads of comments!

Updated the entry now

Gosho:



Included Rex the Runt under the TV section Glad you enjoyed the entry

Master B:

Yep - I've already mentioned the French performance in 'European Onion', but I've tacked on a bit more about whether the humour will translate too - glad you like it

Jimster:

I was actually thinking on a much broader scale - EI has commented that other comics of 'alternative sexuality' tend to use that as the main subject of their act - for instance, Graham Norton's early stuff is very much directed around his sexuality, whereas EI will mention his transvestism, but only really in passing. Having said that, I'll include the link as you suggest to clear up any confusion (although I think Eddie clears it up nicely with the definition of 'male lesbian' - 'wear all the clothes and shag everyone...')

Thanks for commenting Glad you enjoyed it

DD:

Done!

Hope you enjoy the rest of the entry

Gnomon:

I'm loath to take them out - the problem with EI's stuff is that it doesn't look good when written down anyway, erming or otherwise, simply because of the nature of his comedy being very much a 'stream of consciousness' rant rather than gag-laugh, gag-story-laugh. I think it adds character, and I'll leave them in for the time being unless there's an overwhelming desire to take them out. for reading

Keep 'em in!!!

Loved this. Some of my favourites in as well! Rolling around reading the French language lab one.

Well, that's me happy, anyway.

Hello

Great entry, but I have some points to put.

I'm fairly sure Eddie is taking Joe Egg to Broadway.

When in Beckshill (I can't spell it but you know where I mean) he used to think of Spike Milligan being there (or was it setting the Goons there or both?) as he worked in an icecream place down the hill and thinking about doing comedy. [Does anyone else remember that memory better than me?]

I'm sure he appeared in Stand Up with Alan Davies (A documentary series presented by Alan Davies about being a stand up comedian). And he said something about flipping people into surrealism, you know starting in a normal situation and quite rationally flipping people into the obscure, so they are willing to go with it.

He is a campaigner for Amnesty International fronting the "We know where you live" live show (comedy with occasional music) for it's anniversary (including a redition of the classic 4 yorkshiremen sketch with Eddie, Vic Reeves, Harry Enfield, and Alan Rickman which has to be seen to be believed, especially when Eddie and Vic try and out improvise each other) as well as doing press conferences and a stunt outside some embassys in the run up to the event which was on the BBC news (the reports are included in the "We know where you live" charity DVD).

Didn't he front the UK Government gift aid adverts?


And a quite good quote about being TV which I wish I could remember correctly (but maybe someone could correct me where I go wrong)
People come up to me and say "I wish I could be TV", and I say "Well if your good and you pass your exams..."

Just some points I thought worth mentioning (I could be wrong)

Researcher PSG

Hiya!

I'm glad you enjoyed reading it

I'll just take your post bit by bit, if you don't mind

>I'm fairly sure Eddie is taking Joe Egg to Broadway.

Yep - he'll be performing it over the pond in March. The dates I've put up are of the London run - I'll footnote that to make it clearer

>When in Beckshill (I can't spell it but you know where I mean) he used to think of Spike Milligan being there (or was it setting the Goons there or both?) as he worked in an icecream place down the hill and thinking about doing comedy. [Does anyone else remember that memory better than me?]

Yep - you're right there also, and I can't quite remember the specifics either... there doesn't appear to be a transcript of that interview, although I think it was when he was on Newsnight, paying tribute to Spike. Until I can find the transcript, though, I'll hold off putting that in

>I'm sure he appeared in Stand Up with Alan Davies (A documentary series presented by Alan Davies about being a stand up comedian). And he said something about flipping people into surrealism, you know starting in a normal situation and quite rationally flipping people into the obscure, so they are willing to go with it.

Again - probably, but my memory's sketchy, and I don't want to analyse his comedy too much, as it would take the bite out of it...

>He is a campaigner for Amnesty International fronting the "We know where you live" live show (comedy with occasional music) for it's anniversary (including a redition of the classic 4 yorkshiremen sketch with Eddie, Vic Reeves, Harry Enfield, and Alan Rickman which has to be seen to be believed, especially when Eddie and Vic try and out improvise each other) as well as doing press conferences and a stunt outside some embassys in the run up to the event which was on the BBC news (the reports are included in the "We know where you live" charity DVD).

I did think of putting his charity work in, but dropped it when I did a word count . On second thoughts, I'll see if I can slip it in whilst being economical on the wordage

>Didn't he front the UK Government gift aid adverts?

I'm not sure - I only know about his pro-Euro stance... I'll have a look though...

>And a quite good quote about being TV which I wish I could remember correctly (but maybe someone could correct me where I go wrong)
People come up to me and say "I wish I could be TV", and I say "Well if your good and you pass your exams..."

Again - I thought about putting this quote in too, but it didn't really explain his transvestism... but I agreee, it's one of my favourite moments (below the drilling cats, above Flight of the Volkswagen...)

Thanks for reading it

Any further comments, as always, gratefully received

Stay ,
WD

OK, I may be imagining this, but was Eddie izzard ever in the play "Art"?

I really enjoyed this - thank you

And who could forget Pavlov's cats ...

Hiya!

I don't think he was... I remember Jack Dee, Frank Skinner and Sangeev Bashkar being in it - not all at the same time of course... currently it's the League of Gentlemen guys doing the honours...

I know that there have been around 7435 people in Art so far (three at a time it seems), I just had a slight hunch Monseuir izzard may have been onme of them . Prob'ly not. he gave a very good interview in yesterday's Daily telegraph you know...

No problem Lighthousegirl

Glad you enjoyed it

'...have become Welsh. Enjoy being welsh, so will continue in this vein...'

Egon:

Yep - you're right, it seems like the whole world have been in Art at one point in their life...

I bought the DT just for that interview, threw away the rest of the newspaper He's also given a really great interview in Time Out; and as much as I loathe Time Out, he doesn't look half bad in a suit... nor does he look 40 either...

Thanks for commenting

Any further comments, as always, will be gratefully received

Stay ,
WD

It has to be my fave sketch - used to play it in the car over lunchtimes when I was having a bad day and then speak with a Welsh accent all afternoon to amuse myself!

Bloody hell, 40?

One of my flatmatesd last year had all Eddie';s videos, so if we got board she'd hjust stick him on. Very funny. WHich video was it that had the furry suit stuck over his actual suit on the box?

* realises how sad that makes her sound *

Egon: not sure which one that was, but at a guess - Dress to Kill?

Lighthousegirl: Don't worry - I've been spouting off Izzardisms everywhere today - but I can keep it under control, one or two Izzardisms a day, with friends, under the coats...