The Kent Coast Caves with Trev Neal

January 27, 2012

It’s hard doing what we do. But not as hard as, say, people who work for a living. We’re always trying to create new opportunities, pitching this and pitching that. Cornering BBC executives in toilets and canteens. Sending Kinder eggs to the latest heads of here and there; no toy inside, just the latest pitch, scribbled on the back of an old Bazooka Joe cartoon.

It’s tough.

There’s a rumour that goes around the comedy circuit; the popular comedian Tony Hancock made 324 pilots before eventually securing a slot with Hancock’s Half Hour. Even then he was short changed, the original show being called Hancock’s Hour and a Half.

But, as Richard Curtis once told us, and as Echo and the Bunnymen sing, never stop.

And we don’t.

A lot of effort and hard work goes into pitching ideas. Here’s one of our latest; The Kent Coast Caves with Trev Neal.

I doubt it will get picked up. But you’ve got to try, haven’t you.

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Posted by Simon Hickson (sometimes Stan Tenchard)

2011 in review

January 3, 2012

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 19,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

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Posted by Simon Hickson (sometimes Stan Tenchard)

BBC Radio 7 Comedy Club

August 14, 2010

Yesterday we did a bit of work for BBC Radio 7. We’re presenting the Radio 7 Comedy Club on the 27th and the 29th August at 10pm. Here we are, in the studio, looking funny.

say cheese

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Posted by Simon Hickson (sometimes Stan Tenchard)

Trev and Simon Podcast No.11

December 30, 2009

Hello folks. We all three (me, Trev and Andrea) hope you all had lovely Christmases and are about to have lovely New Years. Happy New Year, and a big thank you to all who listen and leave comments either here or on Twitter or Facebook or Talkbolox. We truly appreciate it and we have great fun doing the bloody things.

Here’s number 11. It’s not too long you’ll be glad to know. It may be a bit rough and ready (how would we know?). We raced to a pub in Hammersmith (the Queen’s Head, pub boffins), sat at the back, drank, ate, talked. That’s how it goes. Andrea, our producer, apologises; the sound isn’t up to scratch, some microphone malfunction, but let’s not worry about that. Let’s just laugh in the face of the New Year and raise our glasses to one another.

You can listen to it/ download it here

Just click on the link above to listen to it. Or to download the podcast: On a PC, right-click on the link, then select ‘Save Link As’ and download it to the selected location on your computer. On a Mac, hold down Ctrl and click the link, then select ‘Save Link As’ and download it to the selected location

And here’s what’s on it:

  1. Welcome to the end-of-year special!
  2. Simon’s New Year Resolutions
  3. Seafarer’s Ale
  4. Trev’s new hat
  5. Trev and Simon’s New Year Resolutions
  6. Trev and Simon open their Christmas presents (and card)
  7. Our albums of the year
  8. Trev’s political highlight of the year
  9. More questions from listeners
  10. Hugh Something
  11. How kids were treated on Saturday morning TV
  12. A quick break for lunch
  13. Simon’s loaded. Again
  14. The Year Of The Podcast! And next year’s plans
  15. Annoying each other
  16. Simon’s new books
  17. Past resolutions for the future
  18. 2010 film writing/starring
  19. (A group of people arrive and are a bit noisy)
  20. What comes after the Noughties?
  21. Simon’s date in a crate at the Tate
  22. Simon sings
  23. Ed ‘Stewpot’ Stewart
  24. Simon’s off to America
  25. Trev’s off to Twitter
  26. Final sound effects

And here, to end on, is a picture of Trev’s box.

Trev's noisy box

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Posted by Simon Hickson (sometimes Stan Tenchard)

On the subject of our embarrassing back catalogue…

March 17, 2009

Let’s face it. We’ve all made mistakes. Trev and Simon’s Thai Pop Spectacular was a big mistake. Our Saturday morning run had come to an end. The much hoped for Channel 4 series never happened, so we ran away to Thailand in the hope of becoming pop stars. Things got a little out of control and somehow this was the result. It’s all behind us now and we’re able to laugh about it. At the time it wasn’t so funny. The dieting and the leg stretching was sheer hell. The album was a flop and we quickly returned to the UK with our bruised egos.

ts-thai-pop

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Posted by Trevor Neal

Let’s not forget Simon Hickson’s latest album

March 14, 2009

He keeps it very quiet. He probably posted that piece about my old Country and Western album to divert attention from himself. He’s very modest like that. But yes, Simon Hickson is a comedian, script writer, blogger, pool wizard and a talented singer/song writer. I’m sure he won’t mind me giving you a sneaky exclusive glimpse at the cover of his latest album – Simon Hickson, The Other Man in Black.

It’s an amazing album in which Simon brings all his musical influences together. Johnny Cash is there of course, as is the old Manchester Misery Morrissey but if you think that’s an unsual combination then listen out for some of the other stuff he’s pinched…er..I mean been influenced by…Sparks, ELO, Rick Wakeman and Alice Cooper (another Man in Black) to name but a few. This is a rich blend of some of the finest music that exists inside Simon Hickson’s head. Here’s your chance to stuff it inside your own head. Buy it. Play it. Try and bend it. It won’t break. This album is solid gold. I give it five stars even though the most I could give it in my imaginary music magazine review is four stars – that’s how good it is. No one’s gonna throw cheese at this man. This album is cheese proof. If you want to throw cheese at someone then go throw it at Gary Barlow. He loves cheese. Simon Hickson doesn’t…well unless it’s Black Cheese.

Simon Hickson – The Other Man in Black  * * * * * 

the-other-man-in-black

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Posted by Trevor Neal

Trev Neal’s forgotten album

March 12, 2009

A few years back Trev tried to make it in the music business. He did his best to reinvent himself as some kind of Merle Haggard/ Waylon Jennings type outlaw. He adopted the Bakersfield sound and wrote a number of songs in the style of Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam, Merle and Waylon. Unfortunately there’s not much call for that kind of music in Kent. He got a few gigs here and there, mainly at Big Truck shows in East Anglia. However, when the crowd realised he was only going to sings about trains, and not trucks, they’d quite often turn nasty, throwing cheese at him and the odd pennant. I suggested that Trev should consider diversifying; just a bit, maybe singing about transport in general. But you need to be careful with Trev. My suggestion was met with a cold stare, and not long after that he penned the so far un-recorded track (no pun intended) “Simon’s scared of Trains”

He made one album; Trev Neal Sings the Songs of the Railroad. He sold a few copies through specialist train/record shops. But really, just a few. About three. He doesn’t like to talk about it much these days. I just hope he doesn’t mind me writing about it and putting up the cover art.

trev-album-cover-copy

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Posted by Simon Hickson (sometimes Stan Tenchard)

Breaking News. CO-OP reduces cakes to 60p!

March 4, 2009

dsc005311
Photo taken this morning in Broadstairs CO-OP. Bought one for kids and one for the podcast (coconut sponge). Sell by date 5th March. Better eat them quick.

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Posted by Trevor Neal

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