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A ramshackle collection of previous news items:
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| 24 Feb 04 | Tsk. I keep forgetting to update the site. Sorry. Thanks
for the messages of support regarding keeping the site going. Once I've
stuck a video capture card in my new PC, I'll upload a couple of BB
nuggets that I'm sure you'll enjoy. In the meantime, you might have noticed that Bill Bailey played the Hackney Empire last weekend. I was probably too caught up in the rebirth and immediate death of Welsh rugby, hence I forgot to update the site. Apparently the gig also featured Lloydy The Illegal Street Trader, Shazia Mirza, compere Jocelyn Jee, and someone called Buddy. Hopefully I'll have some new downloads for you within the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled. Actually, maybe I should create a little announcements mailing list. I'll have a think about that. |
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| 17 Dec 03 | OK, I'm considering shutting the site down, due to dwindling visitors. We're down from 1000 to 200 a week now, possibly because the official site has become more useful. I might finish up by sticking a load more video clips on the site in the new year, when I get a new PC. Then I'll either leave it here as an archive, or shut it down. We'll see. In the meantime, click here for Bill's tour dates. | ||||||||||
| 28 Nov 03 | Bill's touring the UK in the Spring, it seems. So far, the only dates I've got are the Grand Opera House in York on May 5th, 16th May at Stoke's Victoria Hall, 22nd of May at Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre, Oxford's New Theatre on June 4th, 6th June at the Milton Keynes theatre and June 16th at the Hammersmith Apollo. So it looks like a major tour. I'll post the rest of the dates when I find them. | ||||||||||
| 15 Oct 03 | You might have noticed that the site's been down for
a few days. This is thanks to the lovely people at the BPI, who
apparently threatened to sue the people who provide me with my web
space. This seems to be because my Muse site, which has been lying
dormant for over 2 years, included 128kbps MP3s of two independent and
unavailable EPs the band released before they got a record deal. At the
time, the band and their management appreciated my attempts to spread
the word and help maintain people's interest in the band. Now, they're
happy to shit on me. Neither I (nor my enormously patient web space
providers) made any money out of the site. I just had the slight
satisfaction that came from knowing that it was the first ever web site
dedicated to Muse, set up at the request (and with the help and
approval) of the band. Anyway, it's all over now. The British record industry's short-sightedness and head-burying antics will eventually kill it. I've certainly got a clear conscience, knowing that their threats and attacks on music-lovers will result in the industry being destroyed from the inside. Anyway, let's hear no more about it. I notice Bill's official site is up and running and is far fancier than mine. I'd like to think the improved quality and scope of that site is a result of my site having set a precedent, but I suspect I'd be deluding myself. Still, if you want independent news and information, please keep my site in your bookmarks/favourites. |
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| 30 Sep 03 | Bill will be appearing on "Tonight with Jonathan Ross",
this Friday evening on BBC1. I think it usually starts at about 10:35. While I'm doing an update, I might as well urge you to catch Sean Lock on his current UK tour. He's one of the very best standups the UK has ever produced and would definitely appeal to Bill Bailey fans. Click here to see the listings. Be quick, as they start this week. Click here to listen to some of his 15 minute programmes previously aired on Radio 4 and BBC7. On another non-Bailey note, I eventually received my Otis Lee Crenshaw (i.e. Rich Hall) - "How do we do it?" CD. It's magnificent and you can order it from HMV by clicking here. |
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| 17 Sep 03 | Ah. I forgot to update the site, didn't I.
OK,
Q.I. has started on BBC2 (Thursday evenings), sharply followed by the
next
week's issue on BBC4. The second show (this week) counts Bill
Bailey and
Rich Hall amongst the guests. Sean Lock should be on at some
point, too.
Also, Never Mind The Buzzcocks has started up again, showing on Monday
nights on
BBC2. Although this week's show was shite, I thought.
Bill also seems to be playing some low key gigs around the place. Certainly one in Bristol (which is sold out) and possibly one somewhere else in the West Country. Feel free to let me know if you hear any news or write/see any reviews and I'll try to remember to put them on the site. Some people have kindly written little reviews of recent gigs, which I will put somewhere on the site when I can. |
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| 12 Aug 03 | Well, I ordered Bill's new CD from HMV
and it turned up this morning. Here's the news that will delight some
people and irritate others. The new CD is a re-packaged, commercial
release of the Bewilderness tour CD i.e. the one that's been partially
downloadable from this
page
of my site for quite a while. It's got new jewel case artwork and an
extra track, "Drum'n'Bush". If you don't own the Bewilderness CD, then
it's worth getting hold of the "new" one. I'm still waiting for the new Otis Lee Crenshaw CD to be released. It was
supposed to be out in May, but there's still no sign of it.
While I'm here, I'd like to issue a plea. It's a bit late, but I'll give it a try. If anyone has recorded any of Bill's shows at this year's Edinburgh fringe, or even one of the warm-up shows, please get in touch. |
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| 18 Jul 03 | Bill's official
site has coughed back to life. In a sense. It features
a flyer
for his Edinburgh show, plus these dates. Note the mention of a
forthcoming
CD. If I can get any more info, I'll let you know;
Saturday 11th October |
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| 18 Jul 03 |
Bill is apparently appearing at the
Ealing Comedy Festival on Sunday 20th July at 8.30 pm.
Go to www.ealing.gov.uk
and follow the Comedy Festival links for more details.
Darren Condon's comments about Bill's Glastonbury appearance; I've just come back from Glastonbury, which
whilst it was a good one, with a lot ot offer, nothing compared to Bill
Bailey's slot in the Cabaret Tent. I lost count of the encores - it
must have been at least 4 or 5 returns, every single one getting a
standing ovation. Bill's combination of music and comedy is probably
the ideal entertainment for Glastonbury and the crowd just did not want
him to go.
He did all the classics as well as things
I'd never heard, highlights (ie. bits I can remember):
- Re-mix of Coldplay number into pirate
dance version (somebody should put this out on CD!)
- Zipedee Doo Dah - Portishead Re-Mix
- Magic Roundabout
- The God, Jesus & Holy Spirit in the
pub
- The Insurance Claim disputing Acts of God
- Drum & Bush
- Insect Nation
- Hats off to the Zebras
- Midnight in Parliament Square
- Who Stole the Leg of Time - (it was Terry)
There was more but I can't remember it all.
He was on stage about 9.00pm, anyone who didn't get there a little
early was disappointed because the crowds were twenty deep around the
edges of the edges of the tent.
I know you have said you don't know Bill,
but if you can think of any way of getting a message to him, it would
be thanks for creating one of my best Glastonbury memories.
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| 12 Jun 03 | Thanks to a lovely person out there in the internet, I've now got a few more Sean Lock and Bill Bailey bits. It'll take me a while to upload things, so in the meantime you can satisfy yourselves with one of his appearances on I'm Sorry I haven't a clue - on the "various" audio page. Many thanks to http://www.steelmonkeys.com | ||||||||||
| 03 Jun 03 | Whoa, it's been a while. The reason being that I've heard no Bill Bailey news. In fact, this update is mainly a grumble about having missed Bill's appearances on BBC 6 Music over the past few weeks. Nobody told me, so I didn't find out. I've uploaded one bit of it to a new "various" audio page. If anyone can point me at recordings of the shows, please let me know. | ||||||||||
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| 19 Feb 03 | Despite his management company's insistence that Bill's only scheduled UK show is at Stratford, someone from a comedy club in Twickenham has contacted me to say Bill's appearing there on the 22nd of February. It's plausible, as he might want to do a warm-up gig for the following day's Royal Shakespeare Theatre appearance. | ||||||||||
| 07 Feb 03 | A slightly surreal update. Bill is
appearing at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Straford-on-Avon, on the
23rd of
February. Info from their
website follows. You can book tickets through their site, via
this
link. Here's the write-up;
Bill Bailey |
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| 28 Jan 03 | As I warned, I'm crap at updating
things. Anyway, I've added an entire show to the audio
page. It's from one of last year's Bewilderness stints in New
York.
I've also added a couple of articles to the new text
page.
I've created a new page for other comedy. At the moment, this is just a place for fans of Bill Bailey to hear/see other comedians they might not have experienced, but who they'd probably like. To start off, I've stuck some Sean Lock and Rich Hall files there. Bill's official site seems to have been on its arse for a while, and his management company (PBJ Management, last time I looked) aren't responding to my enquiries. So if you hear anything, please let me know. |
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| 20 Aug 02 | According to his management, Bill's
hosting Channel 4's talent competition, "So you think you're funny" at
this year's Edinburgh Fringe. I'm hoping this has yet to happen, as I
only got back from said laughfest yesterday. Bill gigs - 07/09/02 - The Waterfront, Belfast 08/09/02 - The Olympia, Dublin 28/09/02 - Usher Hall, Edinburgh He's doing an 8 week run in New York, starting in October, but dates etc. have yet to be confirmed. Oh yeah, and he'll be on the Letterman programme. |
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| 13 Aug 02 | Added some lyrics to the Bewilderness audio page and the Is It Bill Bailey? video page. More to come. | ||||||||||
| 01 Aug 02 | At last, some Bill Bailey News.
Following the departure of
once-funny-but-tired-and-rubbish-for-some-years-now
comedian/poet/author/journalist Sean Hughes from the BBC's Never Mind
The
Buzzcocks, Bill Bailey has finally been announced as the new team
captain.
This is what the BBC has to say about it;
Comedian and novelist Sean Hughes has quit the BBC music quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks and will be replaced by Bill Bailey. Hughes has made the decision to leave the music quiz after six years as a team captain to work on other projects. Stand-up comedian Bailey is no stranger to television, having starred in the sitcom Black Books and had his own series on BBC Two entitled Is it Bill Bailey? He also appeared in the British comedy film Saving Grace, alongside Brenda Blethyn and Martin Clunes. Bailey is a big music fan himself and plays the guitar as part of his stand-up routine which he has toured in the UK and US. He will be joining quiz host Mark Lamarr and rival team captain Phill Jupitus when the show returns for a new series. "It's a top show, it'll be a good laugh and besides, I need the money," joked Bailey. As well as being a stand-up comedian, Irish Hughes is also a novelist.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks pits two teams of three against each other to answer weird and wonderful questions about pop music. The team captains are joined by celebrities from the world of music and entertainment. Guests have included 80s star Pete Burns, Boy George, members of Atomic Kitten, Suzi Quatro and Paul Young. One of the features each week is guess the mystery star in which an often-forgotten music from days gone mingles in a line-up of actors as the teams try to guess which one is the music artist. Whoever the famous person is, he or she must have a sense of humour as the teams mercilessly rib and humiliate most of the members of the line-up.
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| 05 Mar 02 | A couple of things to report.
Firstly,
Black Books series 2 has now started on Channel 4. It's on Friday
nights
at 9:30. It's also repeated the following Thursday night
(technically,
Friday morning, as it's on at 0:40 this week and 0:05 next week).
So if
you missed the first episode, you've got time to catch the
repeat. It's
worth it, as it seemed to be The Bill Bailey Episode.
Secondly, Black Books series 1 is now available on DVD. And probably video, I dunno. Get it here if you want to give me a piffling 5%, or get it here if you want to get it cheaper. I know which I'd choose, but it's worth a try. Actually, here it is on video. |
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| 27 Jan 02 | er...sorry. Fixed the link for the
Spies
video. However, a quick note to a few of the people who emailed
me to let me know; If you were polite, I thank you for your
helpful feedback.
If you were one of the few people who got rather pushy and, frankly,
moderately abusive about it, please do feel free to piss off.
I've also sorted out some Black Books and Have I Got News For You clips. You may need to refresh the front page of the site, then click on the Video link. Oh, and sorry if you get any pop-up pages when viewing this site. I think that's the price you pay for using a free redirection service from cjb.net |
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| 21 Jan 02 | Whoa. It's been a while. I've added a few
more clips to the
"Is it Bill Bailey" video page, including a couple of the most
requested bits. Soon, Bill's appearances on
Have I Got News For You and Black Books will also be available. Black Books is currently 2 episodes into its repeat showing on Channel4. It's usually on at about 11:20 on Friday nights, I think. Last thing I heard, a second series was in production. Hopefully it'll take what was a promising, yet under-achieving sit-com and move it on a few steps. On the other hand, it might've already been cancelled, I dunno. Let me know if you know more than me (about this matter, rather than "generally"). I'm sure I wasn't the only person to be more than lightly miffed to find the Bewilderness DVD/VHS show turning up on TV over Christmas. Pretty useless timing on someone's part. Bet you don't get this with David Baddiel. [cough] |
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| 20 Oct 01 | You can now pre-order the Bewilderness
DVD from Amazon (£15.99 last time I looked) by clicking here
Order it on VHS (£11.99 last time I looked) by clicking here |
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| 06 Oct 01 | The forthcoming DVD release (90 minute
live set, taken
from the first Bewilderness tour) will include the following "Special
Features";
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| 01 Oct 01 |
BEWILDERNESS - the video/DVD will be released on November 12th 2001 by Universal. No, I don't know what's on it, but it's probably a pre-Christmas live video recorded on the last tour. |
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| 01 Oct 01 |
Bill Bailey is touring the UK again, in support of the abovementioned winter wage-earner. Click here for what's probably the promotional poster and here for the list of dates. Couldn't be arsed to type them in. |
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| 01 Oct 01 |
A second series of Black Books is supposedly in production. Clips of the first series will eventually make it onto this site somewhere. |
Click here to go to the new news page.
Click here to go back to the front page.
