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Dave Gorman follows up his Googlewhack Adventure and Genius TV programme by getting on his bike
Dave Gorman's previous excursion around these isles, a live presentation of his 'Googlewhack Adventure' book, was a proper comedy phenomenon. Maybe not in the buying-mums-bungalows sense of the word, more in the "hmmmm-wasn't-that-clever?" sense of the word. Precariously based on the premise of following a trail of individuals who had managed to come up with 'googlewhacks' (words or phrases which, when entered into the search engine return a single result) around the world, Gorman wove a rollercoaster narrative, rendering both book and live show truly original experiences. Gorman himself doesn't consider that particular project to be stand up as such, and is calling this tour his return to the genre after 8 years. Never one to take the straightforward route, Gorman's latest thing is a road trip. By day, he's cycling from the southernmost point of the British Isles to the northernmost (taking in the easternmost and westernmost along the way). By night, he's premiering his new stand up show, 'Sit Down, Pedal, Pedal, Stop and Stand Up' in a variety of venues from village halls to 1,000+ seater theatres. If nothing else, as he points out, he'll get to see four lighthouses.
Entering the stage on (what else?) a pushbike, it's clear the toll the exertions are taking on Dave Gorman. He immediately informs us that he's already cycled 815 miles (because he's "male" and has to tell us that before he can tell us anything else) and judging by the way he's walking, he's feeling every mile of it. Seriously, I once cycled 70-odd miles in a day. All I wanted to do after that was...well, absolutely nothing. So if nothing else, Gorman deserves respect simply for being able to stand vertically for so long. Not that it stops him from turning in 2 hours of energetic, engaging and downright clever comedy. His opening hour is a litany of significant others; the accidental flirting with his mum, his dad's "buy-curiosity", his 7 year old nephew's potty mouthed jokes, his hairy separation from his Siamese twin. Then there are the friends; his blind neighbour on whom he plays practical jokes (endorsed by the very same neighbour) and his Swedish friend, who Gorman cons into admitting he is 'bike furious' (say it again, quickly). All of which is bound-up in Gorman's warm self-deprecation or as he would have it, "telling you what I tit I am." Just ask the Vegas hotel manager whom Gorman inspires (in his own so-stoopid-you-couldn't-make-it up way) to investigate the possibilities of voice activated lifts. That only respond to American accents. Likewise, Gorman's account of how he left his mathematics degree course, which takes in a mind-boggling explanation of perfect numbers, friendly numbers and sociable numbers. That's funnier than it sounds, and it's also proof that Dave Gorman's intelligence does not only lie in his comedy writing.
The second hour incorporates Gorman's deconstruction of why writing comedy can lead to some downright bizarre situations. For which he insists the audience take a 50% share of the blame ("I was doing this to tell you about it!"). However, it mainly consists of two beautifully worked set pieces. To know what they're about, you'll have to see the show. As he closes the evening, Gorman asks that they remain a surprise element; done in such a sincere way, it feels churlish to spoil his fun. In an age when a couple of series on a popular panel show is basically all a comedian needs to kick start a career of arena comedy, it's honestly to be hoped that Dave Gorman never feels the need to break out of the venue circuit he's mostly visiting on this tour. He deals in a sharp but inclusive style of comedy that's - and surely this is the whole point - consistently very, very funny. He's bringing the whole thing back around next year, minus the bike. See it.
Tags: dave gorman comedy matt rynn 360 degrees
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