Dealing with everything from drums to drunks, cialis Aifric Ni Ruairc reviews Bishop’s latest comedy offering
When Róisín Shorthall resigned as Minister for State of Primary Care last week because of her frustrations with Minister for Health James Reilly, little did she realize that she had an unexpected supporter in comedian Des Bishop. But that’s Bishop all over, one minute he’s speaking out in support of Shorthall and the next he’s skipped onto the question of period sex (he’s all for it).
If talk of menstruation is not exactly your cup of tea, then prepare to be made uncomfortable. Des Bishop walks the line between polite middle-class jokes and absolute filth. There is something dirty about Bishop that he just can’t seem to repress. He can’t help dropping in a line about his latest conquest or from hinting at just how much he enjoys a good ride.
Bishop’s cocky, careless attitude carries him through his new show: Des Bishop Likes To Bang, in which he explores his new-found drumming skills. Bishop really tightened this show during his recent run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and it’s almost consistently funny. Despite this, however, there is a whiff of self-indulgence from the whole thing. Bishop uses the show as an excuse to show off not just his new love of drumming but also his rapping skills. He takes his hip-hop dreams to the excess wheeling out a Harpist to accompany him and encouraging the audience to stand and sing-along with him.
Luckily Bishop is happy to poke fun at his own ego, as he bravely admitted on The Late Late Show recently he has taken to dying his hair. He’s also happy enough to poke fun at his own vanity so secure is he in his own skin. He quips that this is his Irish side and his American side battling with each other.Nothing is beyond ridicule here. Bishop launches a battle not only against greying hair but against the middle-classes and their fondness of a drink. Bishop is a tee-total pioneer and does not hold back about how those around him act with a few drinks on them. He laments the loss of hitch-hiking in Ireland but doesn’t see the current wave of emigration as the tragedy it has been portrayed as by the media. He can’t help but laugh at the idea of the entire population of Australia attempting to reign in the gangs of drunken Irish immigrants. There is plenty to enjoy here, once you suppress the urge to throttle Bishop with his own bow-tie because of his incredible smugness.
