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Dapper Laughs


Devon Malcolm

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But that's X Factor, a shallow TV show full mostly of people desperate for fame at any cost that they can exploit. Sure, they'll uncover the odd person with some modicum of talent, but the whole premise is someone wins a bit of fame for a year and then we replace them the next year with a fresh batch of numpties

 

And going back to what we were saying about the ITV execs who commissioned it, turns out it was a woman

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Edited by WyattSheepMask
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I've just thought of the example that was on the tip of my tongue when I wrote the last post. Remember this guy?

 

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Aaron Barschak, the self-styled Comedy Terrorist. He got briefly famous after gate-crashing Prince William's 21st while dressed like Osama, and capitalised on it by booking himself for 3 weeks at the Edinburgh Festival. His show got absolutely terrible reviews, and one performance consisted of him saying he hadn't had the time to write any material or rehearse, and should have been better prepared. Last seen going to jail for throwing paint over an artist, and generally showing off by dressing up like Hitler or Jesus, but not seen on television or making money as a comedian.

Edited by Astro Hollywood
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What about Jonathon Marr-Bowles, otherwise know as Jonnie Marbles? The "anarchist comedian" who pied Murdoch. I think he is a right bellend and not funny at all.

 

He didn't become famous, but he did get away with it. A couple of post-jail interviews turned the tide from "this guy's a fucking nob" to a leftie blogger people actually listen to. I'm still in the nob camp, mind.

 

I clicked the Dapper hashtag last night, just to see. Here's the first one that popped up, and his audience in a nutshell:

 

https://twitter.com/Rob_CoolmanLFC/status/532334739894857728

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I think that there has been a shift in the way comedy is presented You've been Framed would be a great analogy. 

 

When it launched, it was a prime time show that was hosted by Jeremy Beadle.  It had the people who sent the videos in talking about the experience

 

A few years later, participation was dumped, and it was just Lisa Riley hosting links in the studio. 

 

And Today, its just wall to wall clips, and I think the ratings would be the same with or without Harry Hill's narration.  People just want to laugh at kids terrified by their Birthday cake or Grannies falling through deck chairs. 

 

So, people acting like a knob for the benefit of the camera is considered to be edgy and channels will keep hitting on that vibe.   

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That aspect is really interesting to me; that rocketing up the food-chain thanks to an internet following, when he was nowhere near at that level. It's an inevitability of the Vine phenomena, when people don't have to be even half-half-decent performers because they're cramming all of three syllables into each video. Naturally when they've got the visibility of millions of followers, TV will come calling, but how many of them are even capable of clear diction or a confident presence, let alone material that can keep somebody's attention past the sub-10 second mark; things they haven't had to hone.

 

I can't think of any other examples off the top of my head of people who've got thrust to the top (well, ITV2) like this, when they obviously didn't belong, certainly none with such a vast gulf between position and ability. Anyone think of other famous examples? I'd imagine there's a few bands over the years.

 

Dane Cook was that, to some extent — he wasn't close to ready for the size of gigs that he played, and to this day I can't understand why he got to the level that he did. It's led to a backlash where people now think of him as much worse than he actually is.

 

DeShawn Raw was on the cusp of that, on the strength of his Epic Rap Battle spoofs — outside of those vids, he doesn't have much in the comedy bank, and would have had a very narrow appeal. However, it seems that, after the fights that knackered his TV show and YouTube channel, he isn't doing much these days.

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