Humor crosses boundaries

After announcing himself in the third person on a loudspeaker
backstage at his April 5 show, Bill Bailey energetically strode out
to his microphone, settled amid an array of unlikely musical
instruments, and concisely informed the audience that “there
are three jokes in this show.”

He promptly began the first with, “Three blokes walk into
a pub” trailing off midway through, unapologetically
explaining that he always seems to lose faith in his jokes halfway
through. In place of this overused joke was a delightful blend of
unusual observations and musical parody, with topics ranging from
the academic to the absurd, and touching on almost everything in
between.

Bailey, a popular stand-up comic and television personality in
his native Britain, is performing at the Macgowan Hall Little
Theater through April 23. He is the second performer in the UCLA
Live British/Irish Comedy Invasion Series, which began in
March.

After the success of “Part Troll,” his second live
stand-up comedy show, which completed an extended run at Wyndhams
Theatre in London’s West End, Bailey brings nearly the same
show to Los Angeles.

“I don’t really tend to change it an awful
lot,” Bailey said of his material when performing for
international audiences. “With my experiences playing in New
York, changing little things, like names, references or brand names
““ even those change the character of the piece. My stuff is
very much characterized by use of language, by turn of phrase and
linguistic style. If you mess with that, something important is
missing.”

Even with a considerable amount of colloquial British-speak and
a blasé style of rambling that could be taken as pretension
from anyone who isn’t English, Bailey has connected with
American audiences quite successfully.

“If you talk about it in the right way, you can talk about
anything,” he said. “It’s about storytelling,
about how you present it. I could tell a story about West London,
and if I told it in the right way, it would resonate
anywhere.”

As an afterthought, and in his characteristically rambling
style, he added, “I try to not be so exclusive in my
storytelling. It definitely shouldn’t be a lecture. Esoteric
subjects need to be presented in an accessible fashion.”

Interspersed with Bailey’s storytelling is a motley
collection of musical parodies ranging from a Portishead-inspired
rendition of “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” to “Stairway to
Heaven” played on a banjo.

This seemingly effortless tinkering with assorted musical
instruments is probably what sets Bailey apart from so many others
in the business. Despite the fact that the songs are parodies,
Bailey’s skill is immediately apparent.

“I was in a few bands before I began doing comedy, and in
those I played the keyboard and guitar,” he said. “I
did a lot of classical music (in my shows) at first, but in the
last few years I’ve used all the electronics and
gadgets.”

Ironically, Bailey’s multi-instrumental talent stems from
the desire to parody a wider range of music.

“Once I started making fun of bands, I needed extra sounds
““ just a wider palette to draw from. Each of these sounds can
be applied to a different genre of music. I try not to be exclusive
in my making fun of music,” Bailey said jokingly.

Among the more unusual instruments he uses in his act is the
theremin, an instrument consisting of two antennas and played
without any direct physical contact from the musician.

“I have always been fascinated by the sound of it,”
he said. “It’s a cross between a violin and a human
voice. It’s a totally unique sound.”

According to Bailey, it is also the ideal instrument for live
comedy.

“(The theremin) is very difficult to play because you are
literally plucking the notes out of the air. But that results in
something that looks very comical, almost as if I were performing
magic or something,” he said. “In that way, it is the
perfect instrument for music and comedy together.”

Following his success as a live comedian, Bailey began appearing
on British television, particularly on the BBC in “Never Mind
the Buzzcocks,” “QI” and “Jonathan
Creek.”

“TV is fun in a different way,” Bailey said.
“I tend not to watch the shows ““ I just enjoy recording
them. Really I am a live performer, and I get the most buzz from a
live show. TV gives me a different kind of buzz, something more
delayed. It gives me the satisfaction of producing a tangible piece
of work.”

During live performances, Bailey relishes the element of
surprise.

“The good and bad thing about stand-up is that they happen
and they’re gone. Something may happen that day that never
happens again, and that for me makes it the most satisfying
performance style.”

Bailey also tries to incorporate the audience into his
moment-to-moment mentality.

“On stage I am able to play music, act out roles, and tell
stories. I can only do one element in TV. Watching comedy on TV,
you are once removed, but on a live stage you are watching
something unfold in front of you. There is really nothing quite
like it.”

Many would say the same of Bailey himself.