Hootananny, Inverness, 29 September 2005

Bruce Fummey

THE REVEREND OBADIAH STEPPENWOLF III has raised the insult to the level of an art form. To say he is not for the easily offended is like describing the sea during a tsunami as “a little choppy.” In fact, even if a bunch of drunken neds driving a lorry through your front room and singing ‘Nelly the Elephant’ wouldn’t overly concern you, the Reverend Obadiah might just push you over the edge.

The Reverend, as he is affectionately known in comedy circles, appeared on stage in Hootanany in his customary crumpled white suit and sinister shades. He looked like a missionary from the Church of Satan’s Little Helpers, a dishevelled and dissolute minister from the deep fried southern states of America, just calling in to say a few words on his way to Hell. Yes, there can be little doubt, Hell is exactly where he is going, even if they have to send a few poisoners and axe murderers upstairs to make room.

Despite having a turn of phrase that would undoubtedly prove fatal to Mary Whitehouse, even if she only caught the odd word through an open window on her way to her book-burning group, the Reverend is much more than simply a purveyor of obscenity.

The imagery he creates, with his laid back southern drawl, is brilliantly descriptive and its colour goes a long way to creating the intense humour that is his trademark. As headliner on Bruce Fummey’s ‘Just Laugh’ comedy bill the Reverend had the capacity crowd in Hootananny’s bothy lounge rolling about with laughter. Some of the laughter may have simply been relief that he had not chosen them to be the victim of his wickedly funny put-downs about the parentage and intelligence of his chosen victims.

Supporting the Reverend were Irish comedian Kevin Hayes and Duncan Guthrie who hails from rural Aberdeenshire. Hayes, who travelled up from his adopted Leicester for the gig, struggled a little with local geography, having never been this far north, but quickly won the audience over with his charm.

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His show was a great night of entertainment and, as it played to a capacity crowd, early booking for next month’s show is advisable

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He displayed a razor sharp wit and his material was clearly well honed and timed to perfection. It was a pity that we did not hear more from Hayes as it was evident he possessed a great deal of extremely funny material. Unfortunately one member of the crowd decided Hayes’ trip north had been for her benefit alone and constantly tried to engage him in conversation. Hayes spent so much time trying to put this misguided if well meaning heckler down that we missed a lot of his set. Hopefully Fummey will bring Hayes back so we can hear more of the Irishman’s wry observations on life.

Duncan Guthrie, whose act opened the evening, had some very funny descriptions of his Grandmother’s less than savoury behaviour in his family’s farm house that were a joy to listen to. His laid back style and a dour Aberdeenshire countenance unfortunately didn’t totally engage the Hootananny crowd.

At one point he decided to sit down on the stage and that probably didn’t help his performance as, once seated so low down, half the audience couldn’t see him. Guthrie undoubtedly is a talented comedian though and, whilst the dark humour he is trying to achieve will take time to perfect, once he finds his voice his act will definitely be something to savour.

Physics is not normally thought to be a source of much humour and great comic moments in the science are few and far between. Newton probably got the best laugh when he told his mates in the pub about the incident with the apple. Second place is a close run thing between the surrealist humour of the guy who leapt out of the bath shouting “eureka,” and Einstein’s failed attempts at a punk hairstyle.

Bruce Fummey, who promotes ‘Just Laugh’ and was the evening’s compere, is a larger than life character who can find humour anywhere, even in the world of physics. In August, at the Edinburgh Fringe, he finished a successful run of his one-man show based on the development of the science of physics. The show was the bizarre offspring of Fummey’s dual roles in life as a stand-up comedian and a teacher of physics.

Fummey is an excellent compere. He worked well with the audience and his skills in bringing out the enthusiasm of the crowd were very much in evidence. He is not only a stand-up comedian but is also a well-respected public speaker and has established himself on the after dinner speaking circuit.

Fummey’s ‘Just Laugh’ comedy club complements the other events he runs on a regular basis in the central belt with monthly gigs in his native Perth and Dundee amongst other venues. At Hootananny, ‘Just Laugh’ will be running on the last Thursday of every month, with the next gig on the 27 October.

His show was a great night of entertainment and, as it played to a capacity crowd, early booking for next month’s show is advisable. Hootananny has done well to develop a comedy following from the ground up and, once ‘Just Laugh’ moves to the bigger venue of the pub’s middle floor which is more suitable for comedy and where a larger audience can be accommodated, this monthly comedy club will be a valuable addition to the entertainment menu available in the Highland capital.

© John Burns, 2005