Eddie Izzard is a strange comedian. Hes not necessarily the most hysterically funny comedian on the circuit at the moment, but he is certainly the best. I mean, theres plenty of comedians out there who can make you laugh, even hysterically if theyre sufficiently good, but Izzard doesnt do that to me as a general rule. (Okay, I was crying within ten minutes of Glorious starting but thats the live performance effect for you.) Instead, Izzards comedy is a more lasting and satisfying kind than the instant gratification which other comedians afford. Reason? He makes you think. What sets him apart from other comedians is the bizarre twists his routines take, always staying just the right side of completely losing the audience. Hugely disparate ideas, such as hoovering and the Siege of Troy for example, are seamlessly entwined in a way which is surreal but also more logical than the often forced style which pervades Monty Python, to pick the only comparison which I can make.
Added to this is an incredible amount of superfluous detail. This could prove to be his undoing if it wasnt for his own skill at taking those unfamiliar with his subject matter and educating them at the same time. You strongly suspect that he does a huge amount of homework in preparation for this performance, but it could equally be the result of a continuing absorption of everything, good or bad or indiferent, about popular culture. Those of us who have never seen the Six Billion Dollar Man can still follow as he mercilessly, but affectionately rips the piss. His audience cannot sit passively and be told jokes, they have to work with him. Occasionally it is hard work keeping up with his thought processes, but ultimately it is this cerebral workout which makes him a more satisfying comedian than many.
Izzards famed cock-ups are just as much part of his appeal. His shows arent cast in stone and each performance varies immensely as he ad-libs his way around the subjects he has set himself. As a result he frequently gets it wrong, which he quickly points out and before you know it a brand new scene is being invented before your eyes. Equally, the audiences reaction to his show can bring bizarre new twists in the material, and the audience filmed at the Apollo reacted in very different ways to the audience at, for example, the Forum.
So those are Izzards strengths, but does Glorious itself come up to scratch? Well, yes, I think it does. The presentation of comedy as a rock and roll gig is extremely appealing with its flashing lights, the incredible set design and a theme tune which is very techno oriented. This isnt just some alternative comedian doing a sell out show, this is a spectacle which has to be seen live to be truly appreciated. It counterpoints the humour in a pointless but endearingly enjoyable way, and the humour itself is as strong as ever. Some say that Glorious was disappointing after the heights of the Definite Article tour, but I wont have any of it. Izzards first three videos showed an improvement of leaps and bounds in terms of style and presentation, and hit the top with the Definite Article tour. It is true to say that Glorious doesnt show this marked improvement, but you cant criticise him because he is as good as he was last time, it just doesnt wash.
There are tangible shifts in his style, however. His lethargic approach to performing has ebbed away over the last couple of years and now he darts around the stage with enthusiasm, a more physical emphasis in his set than perhaps there has been before, and he is getting progressively bolder in his presentation. This I suspect, has something to do with the sheer size of the venues he is playing to now; lets face it, a larger personality is required to fill the Labatts Apollo than the Albery Theatre two years earlier, although it would be interesting to see how he would react to a more intimate venue again.
If I have any reservations at all it is the return of more topicality than hes used for a while. Izzards take on current issues is very much in his own style and as such remains the best form of topical humour there is, but I worry that public figures such as the royal family are too easy a target for even his undoubted skill. Having said that his apparently improvised digression onto the subject of Louise Woodwards trial, sadly not available on the Glorious video, made me laugh. This is not surprising since it came about through the subject of dog biscuits, so any criticism of this development is probably largely due to my own staunch monarchism than any inherent lack of skill on his part. Eddie Izzard is a master at his craft, and his craft is so different from everyone else that no-one, however funny they may be, can touch him. Give the tranny a chance, watch the videos or, ideally, see him live and immerse yourself in a world of dopey shirts, vindictive toast and where God is played by James Mason.
Whats more, hes just so damned quotable!
Article Text © 1998/2003 the respective author(s). All other text © Rob Morris / SAD Magazine. Design © Rob Morris 1999/2003. No reproduction of material in whole or in part may be undertaken without permission of the copyright holders.