The Skinny 100: Look Back in Laughter

Over the last eight years The Skinny Comedy section has featured an enormous number of acts at all stages of their careers, from the salad days of terrified open spots, to the lives and work of household names. In celebration of our 100th issue, we’re firing up the Delorean and going all Back to the Future to revisit three comedians whose careers have exploded. We’ll see where they’ve been and what they’re up to now. Buckle up, kids, it’s about to get a little historical.

Kevin Bridges

Frighteningly sharp, and arguably Glasgow’s most down to earth comedy talent of the last decade, Kevin Bridges arrived on the scene a fully formed professional at the tender age of just 17. In just a few short years  he’s graduated from small clubs to playing to over 100,000 people, at some of the industry’s most prestigious events. His unrelenting, unapologetic working class humour has become a regular fixture on our tellies, gathering him a cult following and making his name synonymous with Scottish comedy, in much the way The Big Yin’s is. Not bad for someone who’s only just turned twenty-seven.

Then

Following on from his full-length solo shows in 2006, in July 2007 he wrote a column for The Skinny, pontificating about his BRAWS and NAWS. Here's a taster:

“A weekend spent in Glasgow city centre has, unconsciously, provided the fuel for my list of BRAWS and NAWS. Hardly a surprise then, that despite the recent nice weather, I witnessed more NAWS than BRAWS.

“Cocaine, does everyone take cocaine? This isn't an anti-drugs rant but it's fucking everywhere! A one time drug of kings, nowadays you've got apprentice panel beaters snorting it through pound notes off toilet seats, in pubs in Partick! – NAW

“Hearing an intoxicated youth, finally conceding his battle against refusal into a nightclub, cry in defiance… 'Yer club's fuckin' shite anyway' – BRAW”

Now

Kevin’s a possible contender for Scotland’s worst kept secret, and six years down the line from our first feature, he’s a regular name in some of the country’s biggest venues. He consistently sold out all of his home-town gigs in 2007, 2008 and 2009. He’s performed on TV to over 5 million viewers on the likes of Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Kevin Bridges: What's the Story? (BBC1), Stand Up For The Week (C4), Mock The Week (BBC1), Have I Got News For You (BBC 1), 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel 4) amongst many more. We actually don’t have enough room in this issue to list the rest (Sorry, Kev). Not only that, he’s released two DVDs – 2010’s The Story So Far and 2012’s The Story Continues, and is now punting the two as a box set. 

Susan Calman

Cheery, pint-sized oddball Susan Calman is a name that's getting a lot of mileage in the comedy world right now. Following on from an open spot at the age of 30, she ditched her cushty job as a high-earning corporate lawyer to make people laugh instead; a bold move for someone who’s spent their professional life essentially doing the opposite; she's done a reverse Darth Vader. Eight years on from what must have been a terrifying career-change, things could scarcely be better.

Then

In February 2006, after only a year in the stand-up game, we interviewed Susan about her career so far, her influences, and how she coped with rowdy punters.

Best heckle received?

Strangely I don't get too many heckles – I think it’s because usually boys heckle and they seem to be a bit afraid of me. I was called Smurfette once which I thought was quite a compliment.

Best comeback to a heckle?

Shouting at me won't make your penis grow

What are you up to next?

Got my solo show in the Glasgow Comedy festival on March 10th and a collaboration with some boys on at Blackfriars. Also I'm hosting a monthly show for female comics at The Stand called SiStars, which is lovely.

Now

Calman has an impressive list of shows to her name, and is something of a Fringe veteran now. She’s also appeared on Have I Got News for You, been a BBC Radio 4 as a presenter and regular panellist, and appeared in Channel 4's Fresh Meat, to name just a few. Not only that, she’s been writing a sitcom and acting too. How does she find the time?

Janey Godley

Few people can boast a CV quite as full as Janey’s. It’s a big read; the sort you need a prepatory cuppa and a packet of chocolate digestives for. Described as ‘the female Billy Connolly,’ she’s refused to constrain herself to one thing. Stand-up comedian, actor, playwright, author, journalist, barmaid, wife, mum... you’d probably be quicker listing the things she hasn’t done.  

Then

Back in 2006 Janey was nominated for the prestigious Scotswoman of the Year title in the ‘Most Inspirational Woman in Scotland’ category. She then went on to win the Spirit of the Festival award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. In 2007 she became a columnist for The Scotsman newspaper which she continued until 2009. Here’s a snippet from a feature she wrote for us in March 2006.

“I was attending the prestigious BAFTA awards and needed a 'frock'; something that will encompass my Jodie Marsh like breasts and cover my Vanessa Feltz thighs. My problem is that I am small, curvy and the only tight firm thing on my body is the skin on my inner wrist. I show it to young men in dark corners of nightclubs. It scares them to see it in daylight.

“My daughter is tall, beautiful and her skin still fits her; well she is nineteen years old. Her burgeoning blossoming is parallel to my slow droopy demise, and that's not fair, but thankfully she doesn't have my Hobbit-like DNA.

“I am constantly amazed at my bodily functions as the hair on my head slowly grows grey, the hair under my arms stays pitch black. My teeth were going dull, yet bright white hairs grow in my eyebrows. It's like the 'colour toner' in my body is severely confused.”

Now

Janey’s producing a weekly podcast with her daughter Ashley Storrie, where they discuss the week’s events; it’s also up for a People’s Choice Podcast Award. She’s also bringing her brand new show, Oh My Godley! To the Glasgow Comedy Festival on 28 and 29 March 2014, working on a radio sitcom and preparing for a Commonwealth 2014 comedy event. 

It’s been an incredible eight years for The Skinny Comedy section; during it we’ve been privileged to peer into the lives of many astoundingly talented people, lots of whom have gone on to do some amazing things. It’s been an honour to be a part of it, so here’s to the next 100 issues.