What’s so funny? 12/ being grumpy
Comedian and actor Marcus Brigstocke is famously furious: with God, politicians, journalists, climate- change deniers – oh, and Jeremy Clarkson. All that
fury is both comical and cathartic for the rest of us, but, as Brigstocke reveals, getting cross is not the only thing that makes him happy
WHAT MAKES MARCUS GRUMPY Bad journalism makes me continuously grumpy. Beware any feature that begins ‘New research shows...’ That’s a sure sign that a story has been planted by some interested party or other. Laziness in general, and people taking
the shortest possible route to get anything done, makes me very grumpy. I also get irritated by what happens at Baggage Reclaim in airports. Everything would work beautifully if people would only stand behind the yellow line, as they are supposed to do. But some of them see it as a challenge to move into the space between the yellow line and the Baggage Reclaim and the result is chaos. I refuse to cross the yellow line as a point of principle; instead, I stand there seething. I cannot stand anything that is bland
or beige. I get infuriated by television programmes, especially comedy shows, that seem to have been engineered not to give off ence to anybody. Even if I hate something, at least it has managed to provoke an opinion. I don’t fi nd that sharing the issues
that make me grumpy with an audience is particularly therapeutic and in any case, that’s not why I do what I do. The relationship I have with the public is quite straightforward. I speak, they laugh and if that doesn’t happen, I’m not doing my
job properly. At fi rst, it was good to get a shared reaction from an audience but these days I try not to do that sort of thing too much. Instead, nowadays I aim to strike a balance between raising the issues and making people laugh.
WHAT CHEERS MARCUS UP What they call Dr Theatre can help you physically as well as mentally, and doing Spamalot is always a tonic, even on a quiet matinee. It’s so stupid but also so joyous. I tend to laugh at material diff erent to my own; silliness, for example. I’m a lifelong fan of The Muppet Show and the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons. I also thought the fi lm Bridesmaids was very funny. Many people get depressed in January
but not me. At that time of year, I know that somewhere it will be snowing and soon I’ll be strapping planks to my feet and taking to the ski slopes. I love to snowboard more than I can say. I think I probably agree with the old
saying that laughter is the best medicine – unless you’re an asthmatic, that is!
What makes Marcus smile? ‘My son was complaining about his French teacher. Zut alors! I exclaimed. No, not Madame Zut Alors, he said, in all seriousness. Madame Williams.’
HALF FULL V. HALF EMPTY
1. It’s good to give in to your inner grouch now and again, but while miserable people are generally felt to be better at decision making and less gullible than their cheerful counterparts, many believe negativity to aff ect organs and the ability to stave off infection. 2. Boost your serotonin levels and turn down the grumpiness dial with happiness-inducing sweet potato, wholegrain bread, nuts and seeds, lentils and green leafy vegetables (all available from
ocado.com)
GROUCHES WHO GET THE JOB DONE
1. Loveable man-hater Jo Brand 2. Gutter-press scourge Hugh Grant 3. Shami ‘She’s a scorcher’ Chakrabarti 4. Royal curmudgeon Prince Philip 5. Testy Tory Ann Widdecombe 6. Street-fi ghting man John Prescott 7. Retail revolutionary Mary Portas 8. Fashionatrix Anna Wintour 9. Jack ‘dark side’ Dee 10. He’s-not-the-boss-of-us Sir Alan Sugar 11. Rottweiler Alastair Campbell 12. Fool-intolerant Anne Robinson 13. Awkward squad stand-up Mark Steel 14. Grand inquisitor John Humphrys 15. Pro-provocateur Will Self
> Marcus Brigstocke is appearing in Spamalot at the Liverpool Empire from 16-21 January. He will tour the UK later in 2012 with The Brig Society <
LETTERING: DAVID JANES. PHOTOGRAPHY: REX FEATURES
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