I'm sure that's the sort of book title it'll be in 20 years time when the inevitable memiors are published by some no mark who used to go to the same butchers as Dan Willis, about the bloody battle for control in the North East comedy scene. The fact is, I'd be so bold as to say that the three operators we have up here are indeed here to stay for, well let's hope the next 20 years.

I'm so glad looking back that this place never got itself a Jongleurs. More of that was down to the ineptness of Jongleurs really I would say. I told them years ago that they would do brilliantly in the unfashionable towns. The more backwater cities like Hull or Aberdeen would have lapped up a Jongleurs. Big places in their own right but not right next door to an altogether more jumping city. They would've done well in somewhere like Sunderland, a place where people of a certain age steadfastly refuse to go to Newcastle and it is 12 miles away which in North East terms is a Greyhound bus across America. No, the silly fuckers were obsessed with Gateshead right on the Gateshead quay as well, which is practically an expansion of Newcastle's city centre. You can imagine what levels the rates would've been there. Well it fell through anyway and then their original empire fell apart as Regent Inns went down the swanny. 

I don't think people would mind me saying it but The Comedy Store were close to coming to Newcastle many many moons ago, I think up at a site near the Monument. It was a near miss but for one reason or another it didn't happen. That may have been a real success but it wouldn't have helped the local acts, it would've just been for the big hitters.

I don't know of any Glee interest, even though I constantly bugged them about it after a few whiskies late at night in their clubs after a gig for many a long year. I don't think there was any knowledge of the city and it's pull from anyone with power at the Glee. Again that might have been great but it wasn't to be.

I was always hoping the Stand would come and for years we heard rumour and counter rumour about what was going to happen. In the meantime The Hyena, which I thought would be a goner by now, has gone from strength to strength in terms of till ringing. It's a stag and hen market which I can't stand but who am I on these pages to slag that, I've worked for them sporadically over the last 10 years since they moved upstairs despite it being a white knuckle ride gig. One must pay the mortgage and despite being personally slagged a discernable amount of times on line by 'anon' in comedy forums or some cunt like 'iceman' or something (basically people who haven't the balls to say their real names) I've kept on keeping on and still will as long as they'll have me.

Right I'm off now. I'm actually at The Stand tonight doing a BBC thing to a small invited audience. I still haven't done a proper gig in The Stand yet. That will change on Sunday week (the 13th of November) when the first 'Gavin Webster's Northumbrian Assembly' will take place. Chris Ramsay is the special guest. Be there or watch Sunday night telly. Speak tomorrow.

TODAY'S BLOG IS SPONSORED BY PEOPLE SHOWING SOMETHING NEW IN THEIR HOUSE AS A SURPRISE FOR OTHERS BY SAYING 'TA-DA'. THE PRACTICE HAS WANED IN RECENT YEARS

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Comments (3)

Anon
written by Anon , November 02, 2011

I'm not frightened of you Webster! Outside now!

GLEE
written by ICEMAN , November 02, 2011

I must put pen to paper and comment on the fact that there is nothing wrong with getting a greyhound bus across America.
It's interesting to note that you have shown great interest in the cult american show GLEE.
Did you use the same GREYHOUND bus to globetrot USA??!

Battle?
written by Peter Vincent , November 11, 2011

Are we talking of promoter wars over the years or as of now? Just that I've never been in a scuffle so to speak with any promoter. I'm not Warren Speeds biggest fan granted, but he's a dying breed up here.

Just wondering...