Vizion On

A few months ago I decided to take the plunge on an eBay lot of 40 assorted Viz comics ranging from 1987 to 1996. I've had the annuals featuring the best bits of all these of course and much treasured the early ones are too, but there's nothing quite as exciting as seeing things in context with the time as well with as the advertisements that accompanied each edition. 

There's undoubtedly a huge targeted push towards students in the language, style and nature of adverts in those late 80s / early 90s copies, where it was flogging around a million per issue. Often this seems incredibly crude and borderline insulting thanks to ad men chiefly believing the readers are all dribbling flatulent idiots with "I LIKE KNOCKERS" T-shirts on. Which admittedly many probably were but misses the more satirical, barbed side to Chris Donald's booming organ. F'narr.

Nonetheless, there was a sense of vague excitement when previously quite strait-laced companies were smashing the whole rule book to create (often unique to Viz) advertising with naughty words and references to bottoms. I hope to write further about this in the future as I find modern history fascinating, especially when seen through the eyes of the incumbent trends of the time. And few trends have changed or developed more in the last two decades than the world of comedy, which around the time of these scans (1991-93) was about to enter its short-lived Collins the Chin-approved "new rock 'n' roll" era. 

Here's a handful of adverts for comedy acts, videos and sheer oddness that show the build up to that, along with the rise of certain names that would soon dominate the comedy landscape - and none more so than a little management outfit named Avalon...

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I'm impressed they bothered to get the correct font for the "MARY". As for advertising fame off the back of "Me You And Him"...well, at least it wasn't "Fiddlers Three"...

That apostrophe is technically right but seems so very wrong. These were pretty much the videos that were were dominant throughout the entire nineties. I can recall the sheer excitement upon realizing I hadn't seen the repeatedly-delayed final episode of Bottom series 2 ("'S Out" - the brilliant camping episode, probably the best of the entire second run to boot) when my friend Chesh got hold of the VHS.  Great days, Eddie.

I remain thoroughly unknighted. 

The place where it all started. Awards = videos = SUPERFAMES! 

You asked for it - YOU GOT IT! Very slowly! With three episodes per tape. And 143 shows to get through! Christ, how did we not go insane collecting videos? Still, £10.99 was very reasonable...

And its out already! Barely two issues later and the still-running tour is hurriedly bunged out on sell-through tape before anyone sees the Carrott Confidential repeats on UK Gold. As for U2 or RayBan? Pah, we know who commands the big respect round these parts...

Ben Elton's stand-up has always left me a little cold, often brimming with good ideas but hampered by a desire to be everybody's pal. Still, some people think he's "Brilliant" and this might be the last era who truly was. Let me know what you think in the comments box below. 

Never seen a copy of this so no idea how far back it skewed but I believe this is the VHS with a booklet written entirely by Lee and Herring back when they could be around other people. This presumably tied in with the Spitting Back repeat runs which were my first real exposure to Spitting Image around 91/92 (especially as in the Yorkshire region they often ran at half 9 during the summer holidays.)

I must confess a sneaky love for the first Bottom stage show, which I saw on video aged 13 and just adored - endlessly rewatching my pirated copy and howling at the naughtier antics of two men who managed to unite the incredibly different comedy tastes of my Dad and I, if just for half an hour at a time. 

Sadly this would be more the sort of thing my Dad enjoyed. Which doesn't make him a bad person, just a bit more obvious in his search of laughs. Due to the fact my parents ran a transport cafe at the time, all sorts of weird things would be passed on to my Dad as he "liked a laugh". One such thing would be an audio tape of this guy who was indeed singing "THAT Santa Claus song" sometime around 1993. PolyGram threw a lot of money at "naughties" around this era which depressingly would've sold well. At least until the release of Chubby Brown's "UFO" anyway...

Much more like it. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th volumes were a bastard to find at the turn of the last decade whilst its scientifically proven that no household is ever more than 10ft away from a copy of "Vic Reeves' Big Night Out On Tour". SCIENCE! 

What have the following got in common? They're all depressingly shot and not very funny. Never been a fan of Derek and Clive material on the whole ("on the hole, Pete? Sarnds like anavver word for 'bum'...") and this incredibly delayed video (initially shot in early '78 during the Ad Nauseum sessions) is by far the worst of their collaborations, being a grim look at alcoholism and failure rather than two great pals making comedy gold. 

But if you want real no nonsense sweary funtimes....

Yeah. I do wonder if anyone bought this. I wonder even more if someone's put it onto YouTube as I'm sure that it would be truly hilarious...

Oh. 

Well, that's all for now. If you like this post, let me know and I'll put some more advertisements up in the near distant future. Until then I've been Farts Bollocksandpiss. BUY MY VIDEO!