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As Thomas explained, Tim Minchin got a better offer (I believe an Amnesty gig), so he's been postponed and Thomas slotted into his, er, slot. The Carbuncle was 3/4 full, which isn't bad for about a month of limited publicity. This is supposedly his first gig after time spent on his book about Coca Cola (which I will add to the wants list) and there was a certain amount of being too excitable for his own good at the start. His favourite phrases are "The point is" and "The thing is".
The first half is a mixture of new stuff, which sort of fell into itself. He talked about Coca Cola a bit, and their demanding to see his book before it was published (whilst prevaricating about answering his questions). They claim the book is imbalanced - he says they've got a publicity of a gazillion dollars, and he is the balance. He talked a bit about evolution and the Scopes Trial, and how the left missed a step when it didn't support Rushdie twenty years ago. On the other hand, he's going use the controversy about an exhibit at the Baltic (in Gateshead, rather than Newcastle he should note) - I believe Terence Koh's. This features a series of figures with erections - including Christ, Mickey Mouse and ET. The (private) prosecution is based on a charge of outraging public decency, and having experienced others riding on his legal coattails over the British government's refusal to reveal why they dropped the investigation into a Saudi arms deal, is now riding on this. His case is that it hurts his feelings about ET.
The first half was enlivened by a heckler who told him to get a radio mike (the mike wire was getting tangled), and Thomas put the guy down - who felt bullied. Fair enough, but if you heckle, you don't get gentle treatment. There was also a brief comment about Mandelson - third time lucky (this time we might nail the bastard).
After the break he went through the story of his London protests to demonstrate the daftness of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 - legislation which as I recall was brought in to deal with one person's peace camp in Parliament Square (which it didn't because legislation is not retrospective) means that anyone wishing to protest within a radius of Westminster has to apply a week in advance. The police have to grant permission, due to human rights rules, but it still limits free speech (and a cake iced with the word PEACE would count as a protest). Thomas had applied for a series of portests and convinced others to do so, culminating in a protest on Hungerford Bridge at midnight handing out one leaflet, a protest against having to have stewards at protests (one protester - twenty-five stewards) and then 21 protests in one day (a World Record). He has even set up a company to provide protesting solutions. Most beautifully, he discovered that the dedication of the Nelson Mandela statue meant that Gordon Brown, Ken Livingstone and Nelson Mandela had broken the law - indeed had glorified terrorism - and he pursued a prosecution against Brown. The latest news is that Jack Straw is repealing the legislation.
As I've watched Thomas on tv over the years, it struck me that he lost the comedy as he got more political (as did Rory Bremnor), but with this he is definitely on form, and more than the UK Michael Moore.
The first half is a mixture of new stuff, which sort of fell into itself. He talked about Coca Cola a bit, and their demanding to see his book before it was published (whilst prevaricating about answering his questions). They claim the book is imbalanced - he says they've got a publicity of a gazillion dollars, and he is the balance. He talked a bit about evolution and the Scopes Trial, and how the left missed a step when it didn't support Rushdie twenty years ago. On the other hand, he's going use the controversy about an exhibit at the Baltic (in Gateshead, rather than Newcastle he should note) - I believe Terence Koh's. This features a series of figures with erections - including Christ, Mickey Mouse and ET. The (private) prosecution is based on a charge of outraging public decency, and having experienced others riding on his legal coattails over the British government's refusal to reveal why they dropped the investigation into a Saudi arms deal, is now riding on this. His case is that it hurts his feelings about ET.
The first half was enlivened by a heckler who told him to get a radio mike (the mike wire was getting tangled), and Thomas put the guy down - who felt bullied. Fair enough, but if you heckle, you don't get gentle treatment. There was also a brief comment about Mandelson - third time lucky (this time we might nail the bastard).
After the break he went through the story of his London protests to demonstrate the daftness of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 - legislation which as I recall was brought in to deal with one person's peace camp in Parliament Square (which it didn't because legislation is not retrospective) means that anyone wishing to protest within a radius of Westminster has to apply a week in advance. The police have to grant permission, due to human rights rules, but it still limits free speech (and a cake iced with the word PEACE would count as a protest). Thomas had applied for a series of portests and convinced others to do so, culminating in a protest on Hungerford Bridge at midnight handing out one leaflet, a protest against having to have stewards at protests (one protester - twenty-five stewards) and then 21 protests in one day (a World Record). He has even set up a company to provide protesting solutions. Most beautifully, he discovered that the dedication of the Nelson Mandela statue meant that Gordon Brown, Ken Livingstone and Nelson Mandela had broken the law - indeed had glorified terrorism - and he pursued a prosecution against Brown. The latest news is that Jack Straw is repealing the legislation.
As I've watched Thomas on tv over the years, it struck me that he lost the comedy as he got more political (as did Rory Bremnor), but with this he is definitely on form, and more than the UK Michael Moore.
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