Whither impressionists?

[Hummers]

Once hot property and all the rage, this genre of comedy has all but disappeared from our telly screens. Dead Ringers, Alistair McGowan etc have all gone to the archives.

Bremner Bird & Fortune is still screened but I am no sure if these are new shows or repeats. Either way they are relegated to the peripheral viewing hours.

Has the viewing public fallen out of love with false noses and fake moustaches?

H

[Riggers]

I'm in and out of this forum like a whore's drawers … very intermittently. Are you too Humster?

I believe you're correct in your summation of the subject. Where are our Spitting Images of the future, hmmm?

Here's my O'Bama, for what it's worth: "Yes we can!"

Did that come across okay? I know it needs a bit of work on it. But not bad huh!?

[Martin109]

I believe Bremner, Bird and Fortune try to be as much up to the minute as possible.  But otherwise I agree that we don't much/enough of this stuff.  Ronnie Ancona is also brilliant.

[Charlotte]

I don't know about here, but for the time being, the arse has fallen out of the US impressionist comedy scene.  It's not so easy to satirize a regime when one doesn't know who's in charge.  When the new guy gets in, for the first time in a long time, there's a distinct absence of public cynicism about the leadership.

Without cynicism, there's not a lot of point trying to do do satire.  Everyone loved Tina Fey's impersonation of Sarah Palin but I don't think people want to see an impersonation of Obama.  Not for a while, anyway.

By the way - if Hummers asks you if you've seen his "Elephant", I'd advise you to run.  Don't walk...

[LEE]

Van Gogh was a very famous impressionist.



I think this is his attempt at Rolf Harris "Can you tell what it is yet?"


He should stick to Jimmy Saville

[Flying_Monkey]

Van Gogh was a very famous impressionist.

Post-impressionist! Which ironically is actually more relevent for this discussion than you perhaps realised.  The world is such an endless hall of mirrors now anyway, it starts to become rather difficult to know what an impersonation or an impression woudl actually serve...

Anyway, Rory Bremner was never funny.

[Wowbagger]

In recent years, impressionists / impersonators have been lost on me. I've never seen whoever it is they are trying to portray so they might as well not bother.

[pcolbeck]

WoW you are a High Court Judge and ICMFP.

[Attitudeless Badger]

Impressionists programs brought us Bobby Davro, Les Dennis and others.  I think the world has moved on.............

[clarion]

Here's my O'Bama, for what it's worth: "Yes we can!"

Did that come across okay? I know it needs a bit of work on it. But not bad huh!?

Sorry, that was much more Bob The Builder.

[Really Ancien]

Bremner Bird and Fortune is more satire with impersonations and is dependent on the writing. It is also dependent on having recognisable villains, Campbell and Mandelson were the best. But the focus of satire moved across the Atlantic and we don't know enough about the US to understand the references. The same is true of Europe, there's fun to be had from the rotating Presidency, but who really understands Brussels and Strasbourg well enough to make fun of it. The George Parr segments can raise a wry smile, but complex jokes about PFI will not raise a belly laugh.
The greatest service they have done is the pop-music montage, which took off as an art form when the Rory Bremner Show edited footage of the 1993 White House siege in Moscow to 'Won't get fooled again' culminating with a cut from Yeltsin to Stalin. The arrival of digital editing had made this sort of thing possible and the possibilities of digital animation advance the use of 'cut-ups' to make a point by referencing popular culture.
Now with Youtube anyone can have a go. Here is a Democrat Montage from 2006 for the Senate race to 'Won't get fooled again'.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/4ufa-q7DcWM&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/4ufa-q7DcWM&rel=1</a>
Interesting to try to tick off how many of the references you get about the greatest power in the world.

Damon.

[clarion]

I like McGowan, Bremner and Ancona in particular.  Culshaw misses the mark (both with impression and material) too often for me, and Cornwell always sounds like, well, Cornwell

[Hummers]

Van Gogh was a very famous impressionist.

Post-impressionist! Which ironically is actually more relevent for this discussion than you perhaps realised.  The world is such an endless hall of mirrors now anyway, it starts to become rather difficult to know what an impersonation or an impression woudl actually serve...

Anyway, Rory Bremner was never funny.

That'll teach you Lee.

It was there for the asking, you couldn't help yourself but you couldn't get it right either. 

Please take more care in future.

H

[Hummers]

I'm in and out of this forum like a whore's drawers … very intermittently. Are you too Humster?

Yes, I like you,  am intermittently in and out of whores drawers.

Thanks for asking.

H

P.S.

I am in Brighton on Saturday morning. Can I pop round and show you my elephant impersonation?

[chillmoister]

bring back Mike Yarwood ....that the sort of good healthy family entertainment we all need.....'I've been a silly Billy'

[Hummers]

bring back Mike Yarwood ....that the sort of good healthy family entertainment we all need.....'I've been a silly Billy'

I thought about him too.

That was another period when impressions were popular and then died a death.

H

P.S.
You are officially an old fart.

[LEE]

Van Gogh was a very famous impressionist.

Post-impressionist! Which ironically is actually more relevent for this discussion than you perhaps realised.  The world is such an endless hall of mirrors now anyway, it starts to become rather difficult to know what an impersonation or an impression woudl actually serve...

Anyway, Rory Bremner was never funny.

That'll teach you Lee.

It was there for the asking, you couldn't help yourself but you couldn't get it right either. 

Please take more care in future.

H

DOH!  Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Mike Yarwood, Rory Bremner, I can't keep up.
All my art history friends are going to have a field day at my expense in Wetherspoons tonight.

However I was of course referencing his early work, heavily influenced by the impressionist styles of his new found Parisian friends and before his own post-impressionistic style took root.  His Rolf Harris and Jimmy Saville period rather than his Tony Blair and David Beckham period so to speak.

PS <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ya6oo5A9Y3k&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/ya6oo5A9Y3k&rel=1</a>

It's a bloody good job it has Mike Yarwood as Jimmy Saville at the top of the screen because it's right up there with the worst Jimmy Saville impressions ever.

[clarion]

Uhuhuhuhuh Guys an gals Owzaboutthatthen?

The sheer terror of meeting the real JS can never be replicated by any imitator.  Our Kid is scarred...

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Impressionists programs brought us Bobby Davro, Les Dennis and others.  I think the world has moved on.............

Les Dennis did do a very good Mavis from Coronation Street though.

ETA: Bring back Russ Abbott!

[Mr Larrington]

Impressionists programs brought us Bobby Davro, Les Dennis and others.  I think the world has moved on.............

To say nothing of the rubber-faced irritant Phil Cool

[Really Ancien]

Impressionists programs brought us Bobby Davro, Les Dennis and others.  I think the world has moved on.............

To say nothing of the rubber-faced irritant Phil Cool

He's from round here, so when he was on in the 80s when I lived in London it was instant nostalgia.
His Rolf Harris is actually very good. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/PyR27rcxi3w&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/PyR27rcxi3w&rel=1</a>

Damon.

[Hummers]

Blimey.

I forgot about that lot.

With good reason.

H

[LEE]

Les Dennis did do a very good Mavis from Coronation Street though.

And here endeth Les Dennis's CV

[Wascally Weasel]

Uhuhuhuhuh Guys an gals Owzaboutthatthen?

The sheer terror of meeting the real JS can never be replicated by any imitator.  Our Kid is scarred...

Ms Weasel has banned me from doing my Evil Jimmy Saville impression.

[Flying_Monkey]

However I was of course referencing his early work, heavily influenced by the impressionist styles of his new found Parisian friends and before his own post-impressionistic style took root.  His Rolf Harris and Jimmy Saville period rather than his Tony Blair and David Beckham period so to speak.

  I will let you off...