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Re: The New Breed of JAM Performers - Paul Merton

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MiriamJun 1, 2008
 

 
-If it wasn't so late here I would gladly spend an hr talking about
Paul Merton-I am a Huge fan- have almost every video ( just need the
pantos) and have 2 dvds from amazon uk on order that are Paul Merton.

The Paul Merton Collection DVD will be released this week! (And
Someday they Will release the Paul In China travel dvd I've had on
Preorder for over 3 months now!)

Not to mention the books ( waiting for the silent comedy to go
paperback), the cassettes and cds ( JAM/ Clue / mastersons's/reading
his book/ jacknory/HIGNFY etc.
The last time I was in London ( I live in Seattle USA) my
friends took me to see Paul do the Improv stuff at the Comedy Store
for my birthday. I waited in line in the rain for Front Center seats.
I was in Heaven!--- Ok I really need to get to bed but I shall return
to sing more Praises to Mr Merton LOL. Miriam

-- In just-a-minute@..., "Robert L. Torres"
<bobbyshaddoe3004@...> wrote:

>
> I'd like to take this time to begin a series of discussions

regarding

> the new generation of performers who have come on JAM and become a
> core cast of regular performers much in a similar vein to the
> Original Foursome.
>
> Who better to start off with than the man who could be seen as the
> one responsible for revitalizing the series after the death of
> Kenneth Williams: Paul Merton.
>
> Paul Merton was brought onto the show for two episodes in the 1989
> season which came following the death of Kenneth Williams. His

early

> appearances had a more reserved Paul Merton trying his best to
> contribute well amongst the more seasoned veterans, but he did

manage

> to display the very talents which have made him something of an

icon

> in British comedy.
>
> I remember on one of his first appearances, he had been given the
> subject of 'Bottle' and in spite of several slip ups, the subject
> wasn't taken away from him. In addition, it was one of the first
> examples of his off-the-cuff improv style when he talked about
> someone jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, trying to

get

> back up to the plane, but didn't make it because he fell to the
> ground at such speed, he was flattened as a pancake by the time he
> hit the ground. And then says, 'And his wife later called his
> condition as very satisfactory'. He then gets challenged by Derek
> for deviation, saying 'What has this got to do with bottle?' and
> Peter springs to Paul's defense, saying 'Well, it certainly takes
> bottle to tell a story like that.'
>
> Paul's style was unique and very different amongst those who had

been

> associated with JAM in the past, although Paul would occasionally
> tell anecdotes about his life now and then, more often than not his
> material was simply stuff he would think up off the top of his

head,

> which definitely showcased the depth of his intelligence and
> creativity. Not to mention he became very adept at picking up on
> other people's material and mining the comedy gold for all its
> worth.
>
> Very often the best stuff from Paul would come from his journey

into

> the surreal, and would very often be allowed to go off in this

veing

> well past the minute mark.
>
> Paul eventually helped open the door for many of his contemporaries
> to appear on the show, people like Tony Hawks, Graham Norton, Jenny
> Eclair, Linda Smith, Julian Clary, and so on.
>
> He was pretty much able to breathe much needed life into the

series,

> which by the time of Kenneth Williams' death, had begun to sound a
> bit stale, in that some of the panelists tended be of an older
> variety, and there didn't seem to be any attempt on Ed Taylor's

part

> to appeal to a younger audience.
>
> With Paul in, Ed Taylor was soon out, and in came Sarah Smith, and
> then Claire Jones, who would steer the show through the 90's on a
> crest of comedy the likes of which no other radio panel show would
> exhibit.
>
> Amongst my other favorite bits of Paul's humor is the way he took

up

> the banner of making fun of Nicholas' age, and soon came up with

all

> sorts of things to use as ammunition: such as the notion of

Nicholas

> liking to dress up in women's clothing and go around the streets of
> London like a prostitute, or the fact that Nicholas seems to have

had

> certain sexual dalliances with certain barnyard animals, or the

idea

> that Nicholas has had sexual dalliances with women three times
> younger than he is.
>
> Case in point I believe was during one particular show, I think the
> whistle blower at the time was Elaine Wiggley. Anyway, Nicholas
> stopped the show for a moment because Elaine was telling him
> something, and just before Nicholas could start the next round,

Paul

> picks up on this and creates this idea that what Elaine was trying

to

> tell Nicholas was that she was pregnant, which remains one of my
> favorite Paul Merton moments.
>
> The first time I ever saw Paul Merton or even became aware of who

he

> was, was during his appearances on the original 'Whose Line is it
> Anyway?'
>
> He was excellent on that series, and displayed his improv skills
> exceptionally well.
>
> Amongst his other accomplishments that I am aware of include 'The
> Masterson Inheritance' (perhaps one of the funniest shows, and an
> excellent example of Paul's brand of comedy), and 'Have I Got News
> For You'.
>
> I seem to recall one of the funniest moments on the series came

about

> when both Paul and Ian spent most of the show making fun of Angus
> Deayton for the tabloid reports of him being caught in some hotel
> with drugs and prostitutes or something like that.
>
> Paul has also appeared on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, although I'm
> not sure what else he's done.
>
> I'd like to open the floor now to anyone else who wishes to discuss
> this exceptionally talented and funny individual.
>

 
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