My review of Alexei Sayle’s memoir Stalin Ate My Homework is up on the 3:AM site here. (Above, Alexei in character as tragic ‘top warm-up man’ Bobby Chariot.)
I’ve linked below to sides one and two of Alexei’s live album Cak!, from 1982, to give you and idea of what a great stand-up comedian he was: sweary, angry, verbose. (Did I mention angry?) Great stuff!
Alexei Sayle – Cak! – Side One by dumbriffs
Alexei Sayle – Cak! – Side Two by dumbriffs
James
September 27, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Hey, found this through a Twitter re-tweet. Thank you so much for writing this piece. I’m a Yank who lived in England in the early 80′s and embraced London’s alternative comedy scene with great pleasure. Sayle was a favorite. I can still see him on what I remember as an episode of the Comic Strip reciting famous biscuits that were named after revolutionaries. I also recall his hysterical hit single “Ullo, John, Got a New Motor?” and recently discovered one of his other books “Great Bus Journeys of the World.” Your thoughtful review of his memoir really makes me want to read it and I probably would not have found out about it in the (largely) Sayle-deprived States had I not found your post. Thanks again!
Mark
September 30, 2010 at 11:26 am
Great article, I’d completely forgotten about Bobby:
‘ A couple of weeks ago right, I bought this bottle of beer and it said on the bottle ‘serve very cold’, and that’s why I had no clothes on when they found me in the children’s playground’.
Karl Whitney
September 30, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Cheers Mark.
Bobby Chariot – one of the greatest comedy creations of the 90s, I’d say.
John Green
December 3, 2010 at 9:41 am
Thanks for this, Karl. Excellent taste.
I managed to get into Alexei very early on in his career when he did stand-up at the LSE in 1980, supported by Pamela Stephenson. Saw him live subsequently many times. Absolutely fantastic.
Also worth seeking out is his Fish People Tapes. A rarity but a gem.