Chocolate Milk Gang References

Date	Source	Title	Who said it	Name for group given	Members listed	How they were described
Unknown	Wikipedia	John Oliver and Russell Howard's Wikipedia pages	People who update Wikipedia	Chocolate Milk Gang	Daniel Kitson, Russell Howard, David O'Doherty, Alun Cochrane, John Oliver	a group of comedians who often collaborated and performed with one another
Unknown	davidodoherty.com	Webpage: Biographical details uncomfortably written in the third person	David O'Doherty	None	David O'Doherty, John Oliver, Bret McKenzie, Taika Cohen (now Taika Waititi), Andy Zaltzman, Josie Long, Jemaine Clement, Daniel Kitson	in 2002 he went to Edinburgh with a new show 'small things', met comedians such as John Oliver, Bret McKenzie, Taika Cohen, Andy Zaltzman, Josie Long, Jemaine Clement and Daniel Kitson each doing wonderful and unique things, and decided that he definitely did want to be a stand up comedian
2008-10-XX	Unknown magazine	Unknown magazine article	Unknown magazine writer, based on an interview with David O'Doherty	Chocolate Milk Gang	David O'Doherty, John Oliver, Andy Zaltzman, Daniel Kitson, Fight of the Conchords	As part of the group of comics that met at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002 that [David O'Doherty] refers to as the "chocolate milk gang", he's at the forefront of ponderous comedy. "A bunch of us who remained friends met in Edinburgh. That'd be John Oliver, Andy Zaltzman and [Daniel] Kitson and Flight of the Conchords. We all got quite close. I wouldn't say it was a similar aesthetic or anything but we were all doing something reasonably unique and gently, I guess. Whereas after the screaming and shouting of the previous generation of comedians, it seemed like we were all talking at a lower volume."
2006-09-01	The Irish Times	When David nearly met Eddie	Brian Boyd, based on an interview with David O'Doherty	Chocolate Milk Kids	David O'Doherty, Daniel Kitson, Demetri Martin	[DAVID O'DOHERTY'S] MAIN EXTRA-CURRICULAR show was a series of midnight gigs as part of the newly formed, deliberately pompously titled Honourable Men Of Art troupe, in which he is joined by others who take a more considered approach to comedy, such as Daniel Kitson and Demetri Martin. The latter is probably, pound for pound, the best one-liner writer working in comedy today. "A lot of the late-night shows at the festival are just an opportunity for audiences to shout at the comics, so we wanted to try something different," says O'Doherty. "First of all, everyone was seated - we could have got more people in by using the standing space but we didn't. None of us are the hard-drinking, druggy type - in fact we're actually known as the 'Chocolate Milk Kids' because of our fondness for milk shakes." He has good reason to believe that comedy is now moving into an area away from the ubiquitous lads' material. "It's like the move music made from early rock 'n' roll to the more interesting, offbeat, psychedelic stuff in the late 1960s."
2007-08-05	The Russell Howard and Jon Richardson Show, BBC 6 Music	Episode 40, radio interview with Richard Herring	Russell Howard, to Jon Richardson and Richard Herring	The nerds of the circuit	Russell Howard, Daniel Kitson, "others"	Russell Howard: I remember meeting you in Edinburgh last year [2006], outside that big, uh – you know the church? Richard Herring: Yeah, yeah. Russell Howard: It was absolutely fantastic, you were wonderfully bleary-eyed. And I was sat there with Kitson, and a few of the, uh – you know, the nerds of the circuit. And you were great, because we were sort of sat there chatting for about a minute, and then you went, “Anyway, you lot are sober, I’m getting steadily sober, I’m off to stop that.” And then just walked into the distance, it was fantastic.
2007-10-17	The List	Article: Russell Howard, Boy Wonder	Jay Richardson, based on an interview with Russell Howard	Chocolate Milk Gang	Daniel Kitson, Demetri Martin, John Oliver, David O’Doherty, Josie Long, Alun Cochrane, Russell Howard	[Russell Howard is p]art of a new breed of stand up dubbed the Chocolate Milk Gang for rejecting a hard living ethos, they include the likes of Daniel Kitson, Demetri Martin, John Oliver, David O’Doherty, Josie Long and Alun Cochrane, and can be characterised by their romantic sensibility, intelligence, geekiness, love of indie music and passive aggressive, alpha male competitiveness. Boyishly good looking, with a sizeable female stalkerbase, Howard has been identified by Kitson as the man whose role it is to ‘bring the pussy’ to the bearded Yorkshireman’s court. ‘That’s just him talking jive,’ Howard sighs. ‘He’s listed all his friends’ roles: Cochrane makes sandwiches, John has a philosophical lilt and my chief role is to write “big old titties” into his Google whenever he leaves the room. You write it, pretend you haven’t seen it, he returns from making a cup of tea, and you say “what’s this, Dan? You obsessed with big old titties?” That’s never not funny.’
2011-10-22	The Times	Article: Demetri Martin’s funny midlife crisis	Unknown Times writer, based on an interview with Demetri Martin	A gang	Demetri Martin, Jimmy Carr, Daniel Kitson, David O’Doherty, John Oliver	Now he looks back at his time on the Fringe as a comedy coming-of-age, a blissful summer camp during which he was the sole American in a gang comprising Jimmy Carr, Daniel Kitson, David O’Doherty and John Oliver. They’re a loyal bunch: he speaks fondly of Carr; Kitson phoned him before we met to say he’s going to try to catch Martin after his own show; he’s staying in Doherty’s flat while in Dublin (“hotels get kinda lonely”) and Martin, while writing for The Daily Show, suggested Oliver for the UK correspondent slot. While Martin is loath to take credit, Oliver got the gig and is one of the few Stewart allows to write his own material.
2013-02-19	Alternative Comedy Experience	Season 1, episode 3, interview with David O'Doherty	David O'Doherty and Stewart Lee	The Hanging Around Gang (Stewart Lee's name for it); The Fellas With the Bags (reported by David O'Doherty as Andrew Maxwell's name for it)	David O'Doherty, Josie Long, Flight of the Conchords, Daniel Kitson, John Oliver	David O’Doherty: I came here, to Edinburgh in ’99, to do the Newcomer competition. And even then, there were the sort of rumblings of – I wouldn’t say a scene, but – I was in that competition, I was 22, and Josie Long was 16. And we became – we’re still very close friends today. And it was just – you got this sense of, there’s other people – obviously there were people like yourself, who were doing very interesting things. Stewart Lee: But we’re old. David O’Doherty: Yeah. There’s something about having people of roughly your age doing it. And then, 2002 – I’ve come back here [the Edinburgh Fringe Festival] every year since ’99. And 2002, I came here to do a solo show, and I met Flight of the Conchords, Daniel Kitson, John Oliver, Josie was doing one of her first shows then. And suddenly there was this – these are my people. Stewart Lee: Yeah, you did seem like an identifiable group. And at festivals – you know, in other countries, I used to sort of feel caught between two schools. Because there would be you and all those people, playing volleyball in swimming pools. And I used to call you the Hanging Around Gang. Because you used to just hang around, playing volleyball. David O’Doherty: Yep. We’d hang around. Stewart Lee: Then there’d be like, loads of old guys on coke, drunk. And I didn’t really belong to either of those groups. David O’Doherty: You should have come and hung out. Stewart Lee: No, you were too, like – you were too sort of young and hip. Also, I didn’t want to be like a withered, kind of drug addict. Like the 90s comedians – 80s comedians, you know. So it was very difficult to, you know… David O’Doherty: Certainly, there was always that group of people who had been, sort of hardened by the circuit, and by the numerous other people who’d come through and who’d done better than them. Stewart Lee: Whereas you were sort of softened by volleyball. David O’Doherty: Well, I would look at them – like, people getting hammered on the second night of the Edinburgh Festival, when you’ve got another 26 nights to go. I would think to myself, that is not the way to do this. That is… yeah. Stewart Lee: There was a sort of – you know, a teetotal movement within that, kind of group as well. David O’Doherty: Well… Stewart Lee: Almost, sort of – there was a cult of abstinence built around Daniel Kitson. Based on not overdoing it. David O’Doherty: Yeah, but there was… that’s true. I mean, we used to do this. We used to do the late-night gig here [The Stand, Edinburgh] at midnight, to two in the morning. The pretentiously named Honourable Men of Art. And then all go for milkshakes afterwards. But that was also because we didn’t want to get – I mean, I would drink, but I didn’t want to get too hammered. Especially because – I mean, I was doing two shows a day for most of those years. Doing a Fringe show in the afternoon and a stand-up show in the evening. So, Andrew Maxwell – I remember was once – another Irish comedian, was trying to describe us to someone. This sort of group. And he was like, “You know those – you know them? The fellas… with the bags.” And that’s – that’s how… you know, I’m happy to be a man with a… Stewart Lee: Yeah, little satchels, on the side. David O’Doherty: Probably got a bag with paper in it or something, and a pen. Ugh.
2014-04-09	Comedian's Comedian Podcast	Episode 72, interview with David O'Doherty	David O'Doherty, to Stuart Goldsmith	Chocolate Milk Gang (reported by David O'Doherty as Glenn Wool's name for it)	David O'Doherty, Daniel Kitson, Flight of the Conchords, Taika Waititi, Andy Zaltzman, John Oliver, Josie Long	David O’Doherty: ’02 was the year where I came [to Edinburgh] with a show, I’d been a bit sad and tried to write a show… and I met just a bunch of people. I met Kitson, I met Conchords, I met Taika Waititi, who’s a movie director now, I met Zaltzman, I met John Oliver, I met Josie Long – I’d met her before but, we were all just trying to figure out a kind of a thing that we wanted to do. And it didn’t quite fit with what was successful around then, because none of us were… I guess you could categorize it as quite low-status individuals. As in, we didn’t walk out with smoke machines, and if we did shout from off stage it was something ironic, about, like, “Get ready to try and stay awake for an hour, because this room is bullshit. Ladies and gentlemen!” You know, and that was… whereas before, that was the start of shiny floor comedy that we see on TV now. So it was like people in tailored suits and bowing, and getting the adulation – that was just never a thing I wanted to do. My father’s a jazz musician, and jazz is like the opposite of that.” Stuart Goldsmith: In those comedians that we’ve named, do you see a sort of reflection of your styles in each other’s work? Because there are sort of similarities, like a common trope of that kind of gang is to treat something gentle and meandering and whimsical as if it’s, you know, like a rap battle or something. To kind of pretend like you’re Notorious B.I.G., talking about a unicorn. David O’Doherty: Oh, that. Yeah, I mean, that’s… that’s pretty low, what you’ve just said. Stuart Goldsmith: [laughter] Well it’s something that’s copied a lot now, and I think it originated with Kitson and with you doing Late ‘n Live. That whole thing of going, “strap in, buckle up.” But now, every idiot in tight jeans is going, “Strap in,” but without a sense of why. David O’Doherty: Right, yeah. Yeah, I guess we were… yeah, that’s a good point. I mean, I’ve always felt that I’m trying to say something reasonably profound. I’ve never done a show that was just a load of jokes, and was just trying to fill the time with talking about, you know, fairy lights and bunting, which was sort of the perception, I think, people who never came to the shows, or some people who reviewed it, would have had around the time. Of like, “Where is he from? I don’t know, but I’d like to visit it.” You know, I’ve always tried to talk about the things that were important. It’s just that those things manifested themselves as the tale of a suicidal lobster, which was the first show here, or whatever it was then. So, you know, none of that was very tough. I remember once, we were referred to as, because everyone else was getting really drunk backstage at Late ‘n Live, and we used to go over to Favorit and get milkshakes, we were called the Chocolate Milk Gang. Which isn’t something you see… Stuart Goldsmith: By who? David O’Doherty: I think Glenn Wool, or something like that. Stuart Goldsmith: Okay, for people who don’t know Glenn Wool, he very much typifies the… David O’Doherty: Well, he was certainly then, he was like a party, a mega-party dude then. I remember Andrew Maxwell… Stuart Goldsmith: [laughing] Sorry, even your use of the phrase “mega party dude” firmly establishes you as a chocolate milk guy. David O’Doherty: I remember Maxwell, who’s a friend of mine – Andrew Maxwell is such a much more alpha character – brackets, shorter – than me, and he once said to John Oliver, “You lads, you’ve always got bags.” Because we had, as in a backpack or a satchel. And we probably had, like jokes, or like, books, and he was always like, “What’s in your bag?” Like there was something going on, just… we have effigies of you, and we have ceremonies that you’re not allowed to come to. But it’s, I mean it’s fine, it’s just through doing that, I guess there’s just been this nice build, of doing the twelve shows, more people have come every year, so people have identified with whatever kind of softcock bullshit comedy I do. That was me being self-depreciating, I think it’s brilliant. Stuart Goldsmith: Given that you have that kind of – I mean, I like the idea of the sort of Chocolate Milk Gang, because that seems as a good a name as any for that sort of thing… David O’Doherty: I mean we’ve sort of gone our separate ways now, as in like, John Oliver is regarded as the premiere satirist in America, he’s just been hosting The Daily Show. You know, Kitson is known, you know, as much for his theatre stuff now, and this sort of, whatever you want to call… the Radiohead of comedy. You know, whatever he is. Conchords are bloody legends of American television who tour arenas. Whereas I am back in this shithole, sweating my bollocks off every year.
2015-04-27	Pod-a-Rooney: The Joe Rooney Podcast	Episode 8, interview with David McSavage	David McSavage, to Joe Rooney	Chocolate Milk Brigade (reported by David McSavage as Andrew Maxwell's name for it)	David O'Doherty and Daniel Kitson (named as "leaders", of other members)	David McSavage: I think Andrew Maxwell – the comedian – described – there’s a type of people, and they’re called the Chocolate Milk Brigade. And their leader would be people like David O’Doherty and Daniel Kitson. Joe Rooney: Right, yeah, yeah. Describe them. David McSavage: They’re too cool for school, and they give the impression – their clothing, even. They, sort of, try very hard to look like they haven’t tried very hard. And David would be the sort of guy, if I went to school with him, he’d pretend that he hadn’t studied incredibly hard, and sweated. And, which is – which a great gift to have. I couldn’t; I have, whatever, issues. But, uh, you know – and then he’d get straight As and is leaving, and he’d go, “How did that happen?” “Because you worked really, really hard, David.” And so, uh, I do, uh respect David O’Doherty very much – and Daniel Kitson – in terms of how good they are, and… but they’re not my stuff – well, no, Kitson, I do enjoy Daniel Kitson’s humour. But, you know, comedy covers the spectrum. Some people like Mrs. Brown’s Boys. And, you know – you can’t, sort of, say to them – “No, that’s not funny. That’s not funny, you shouldn’t be laughing at that.” Because, you know, a lot of people work hard all day, to come home – Joe Rooney: You can’t say to the audience – you can’t stand up in the middle of a David O’Doherty gig and go, “Excuse me, that is not funny.” David McSavage: Yeah, that is not funny. That’s contrived, that’s affected. That’s not real. You know, that, sort of post-modern thing he does, which is slightly to the left of, you know, know of – he’s not saying “fuck you”. But he is saying “fuck you”, but in a kind of, wooley way. And, there’s something disingenuous about it that annoys the shit out of me.
2016-09-23	The Times	Article: John Oliver the British Comedy Failure Who Makes America Laugh	Dominic Maxwell	Chocolate Milk Gang	John Oliver, Alun Cochrane, David O’Doherty, "a young Russell Howard", "led by Daniel Kitson"	Sometimes [John Oliver] would pop up in shows supporting other members of what was dubbed “the Chocolate Milk Gang”: a bunch of proudly geeky comics led by Daniel Kitson and including Alun Cochrane, David O’Doherty and a young Russell Howard. Sometimes he would perform with Andy Zaltzman, the comic with whom he would later reunite for hundreds of episodes of The Bugle podcast — launched in tandem with this newspaper in 2007 — until leaving in June after struggling to keep up his commitment to Zaltzman.
2017-04-14	Des Bishop's podcast	Interview with David O'Doherty	David O'Doherty and Des Bishop	None	Andy Zaltzman, Josie Long, David O'Doherty, Flight of the Conchords, Taika Waititi, Demetri Martin, John Oliver	David O’Doherty: I started gigging with Flight of the Conchords in 2002. And just remember writing some songs that were just like Flight of the Conchords songs back then. Des Bishop: Yeah. Because I was going to say – I felt like that a – kind of a moment in your life, that 2002 Edinburgh. Where suddenly, you really find some kindred spirits. David O’Doherty: Yeah, there was – I did the Newcomer competition in 1999, and the final of that was me, Jimmy Carr, Andy Zaltzman – who was John Oliver’s double act partner, Josie Long, Juliet Cowan, and a few others. So of that lot – me and Andy would still be very close, me and Josie would still be very close. Des Bishop: And you didn’t mention that you won. David O’Doherty: And – it wasn’t, uh… Des Bishop [addressing the listener]: He won. He won it. It was So You Think You’re Funny, 1999. David O’Doherty: Yes. I won – that’s where I won the massive cardboard cheque. … David O’Doherty: So – yeah, I met Daniel Kitson. There would have been a few seminal figures that I – like yourself. And then, the stuff that we were doing – Des Bishop: Yeah, but I was a little earlier. We were literally starting out together. David O’Doherty: Yeah, I’m talking about chronologically. Des Bishop: Yeah, but I just think – I always felt like that Edinburgh time, for you, was just like, huge. From the show about a breakup – which was, like, a tough undertaking – to meeting the lads. Like, that was just – to me, was you kind of going like: “Who am I, who am I, who am I as a comedian?” And then – explosion. David O’Doherty: Well – I mean, it’s a very slow explosion, in that it takes another six years. Des Bishop: Well I was thinking – what was that show? 2000? The one about breaking up? David O’Doherty: 2002. Des Bishop: It was 2002. And then… David O’Doherty: Not so much an explosion, as – do you know in caves, when water drips off the ceiling? And over like, a hundred thousands years, one of those stalig…tites? Builds up. That’s more like my career. Des Bishop: Yeah, I didn’t actually mean explosion career-wise. I actually mean sort of, like, yourself as a performer. David O’Doherty: Yeah. In Edinburgh, I was doing my own solo show, and then there was another – the group was called Best of Irish. Where we’d all go and do a bit, some night. Des Bishop: In The Stand? David O’Doherty: No, it was actually in Cave One. And after that gig, there was some other gig, and I was like, “Oh I’ll watch a bit of this, see what it’s like.” And it was Flight of the Conchords. It was actually – there were two shows. There was one called Humour Beasts. Des Bishop: Yeah, I was there. I was there in 2002. David O’Doherty: Yeah, you were there. So that’s Jermaine Clement, and Taika Waititi, who’s just did Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and who’s just directed the new Thor movie. So they were a double act. And then Conchords were Bret and Jermaine. They did have their shit together. They were intact. Des Bishop: Well particularly the Flight of the Conchords. Humour Best was fun, but it was a little more chaotic than Flight of the Conchords. David O’Doherty: Yes. And so, that was to no one in a dripping cave. And then, last summer, we toured – I toured with Conchords around America. And we did, like, Red Rocks to 12,000 or whatever. You know, so that’s – that particular journey – Des Bishop: Yeah, but that was a lucky – that was an amazing time. Like, that little… David O’Doherty: Yeah. They were… yeah, that… I mean, they were just, so good. While the rest of us were sort of floundering. You know, the – John Oliver, and Josie, and, uh – we were all trying to figure out the sort of thing we wanted to do. Des Bishop: Yeah, but I don’t even think – you weren’t even friendly with John Oliver by that stage, were you? 2002? David O’Doherty: Yeah, I would have met them around – yeah, that year. Des Bishop: Yeah, that year. Because we all used to play football every day in the meadows, and touch rugby… David O’Doherty: Yeah. So the Boosh had just come and gone. And they were sort of headed toward their thing… Des Bishop: The Naked Samoans used to play tip ruby with us. David O’Doherty: Yeah that’s right, yeah. And they’re now – most of those are in Taika’s movies now, most of those guys. Des Bishop: Is that right? David O’Doherty: Yeah, yeah. Des Bishop: Yeah, because I remember we all used to and watch them pretty much every night, Flight of the Conchords. David O’Doherty: Yeah. It was a very… yeah, it was a very interesting time, as regards… I don’t know, I just remember floundering a lot. I remember being like, my show’s no good. But, I see the thing. I don’t see the thing that I want to do, but I see the next step along the way, where it could be better than this. And that was definitely – yeah, 2002 was a huge year for me. Des Bishop: Yeah, I felt like that was kind of a turning point. You found major inspiration, being around those guys. David O’Doherty: Yeah, that’s exactly it. I was absolutely broke on my arse, though, you know, until – like, no one came – no, some people in came in 2002. Some people came in 2003. You know, I’d do a show in Edinburgh, and then I’d do a little run on it in the Project Arts Centre in Dublin. But it was like, mounting credit card bills, sort of vibe. I met Demetri Martin in 2003, and he was another one of those people who had his shit together. You know, as in, he had a unique view. In his case, it was one-liners mixed with this – kind of weird, existential doubt, and gaps in his life that he was trying to fill with – you know, around that period, he was writing out – it sounds like Scientology or something, but he was trying to improve his life using mathematics. Where he’d rate every day, he would rate how healthy the food he’d eaten today was. You know what I mean? He was just – and that was sort of reflected in his weird shows then, as well. And, I remember seeing that also and being like, “Wow, that’s really interesting.” The idea of doing shitty jokes, which is still what I love doing, but then also being vaguely profound about it as well. About the place of shitty jokes in the world. Which is – out of there is chaos, these are funny though.
2021-12-14	Russell Howard documentary	Until The Wheels Come Off	Russell Howard	A golden generation	Russell Howard, Daniel Kitson, John Oliver, Jon Richardson, John Robins, Mark Olver, Wil Hodgson	Russell Howard: I guess everyone says this, but I feel like I was part of, like, a… a golden generation, really. Because, like, I got to support Daniel Kitson, when I was very young, who’s, you know, probably still the best comedian in the UK. One of the best in the world, one of the greats. I got to support John Oliver, who’s gone on to become this massive satirical genius in America. And then I was kind of, in a flat with, like, Jon Richardson, who’s all over TV here. John Robins, who’s all over radio, he’s brilliant. Mark Olver, who’s one of the best, kind of, comperes in the country. And, we had the marvelous Wil Hodgson, who is unlike any human being I’ve ever met. … John Oliver: There are little moments, when – like, a friend of yours does stand-up, that are… really fun to witness. So, like, watching them do, like, early gigs and do really well. Watching them do badly but standing their ground because they’re finding their voice. Watching them do their first Edinburgh show. Watching them, like, in Russell’s case, kind of finding a TV show where he could fit his voice to a format. We were lucky to have each other, at that particular time. But the fact he used the phrase “golden generation” is something I will use against him for the rest of our lives now. I’m going to text him right after this and say, “Listen. One member of the golden generation to another, what a golden time to be alive.”
2022-12-21	Songs in the Key of Laugh podcast, hosted by Phil Nichol and David Tims	Season 3, episode 8, interview with David O'Doherty	David O'Doherty, to Phil Nichol and David Tims	None, aside from mentioning Honourable Men of Art, the show from 2006 and 2008 that was compered by Daniel Kitson and had a mixed bill with only Chocolate Milk Gang members, making "Honourable Men of Art" another name for the group	John Oliver, Daniel Kitson, David O'Doherty, Flight of the Conchords, Andy Zaltzman, Alun Cochrane	Phil Nichol: The Honourable Men of Art, which was Avant Guarde improv. You’re going back to your “no one telling these guys how it’s done” thing. There were no rules – just you – David O’Doherty: Well, it was with an incredible group of people. That was 2006, 2008. And it was with John Oliver – where is he now? Daniel Kitson. And Andy Zaltzman. And, uh – yeah, so there was no – and Alun Cochrane would do it sometimes. You wouldn’t be asked up to the stage. We just all had mics, and were standing around a room. It was mostly leaning on the genius of Daniel Kitson, who could quite literally read the horse racing results, and it would be hilarious. So, we leaned heavily into that. And the rest of us kind of got away with it. But yeah – it was one of those things where, because we were friends, we all just trusted each other. And you didn’t wonder beforehand – “God, I hope this doesn’t go really badly.” You were just like – “Oh yeah, cool. Let’s go.” Phil Nichol: But it was as close to “comedy as jazz”, of anything that I’ve ever seen. In the sense that we were all – the people in the audience were also aware that that’s what was happening. There was no façade about it. It was just like – it wasn’t like, um – you know normal improv, when they explain to you, “It’s improv, and we’re going to…” [laughs] In fact, I remember seeing a thing on – it might have been Saturday Night Live. It was one of those sketch shows, where they were doing – an improv troupe go to somewhere like Flint, Michigan. And they were doing an improv show about sex health. And they all come up with matching ties, to this group of out-of-work men in a pub, and they go, “Right. And occupation. What do you do?” The guy goes, “I’m unemployed.” “Okay, what do you do?” “I’m unemployed.” So they go around the whole place, as this whole bar rebels on them. Anyway. That’s a digression. … David O’Doherty: I think the big fluke for me – and it was just a fluke, but Edinburgh is kind of about flukes – in 2002, I was doing comedy from the Best of Ireland show, in the Caves venue in Edinburgh. And the show after me was two guys from New Zealand called Humour Beasts, who were Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi, and then the show after that was – Taika did the lights for Flight of the Conchords, which was the next show after. So one night, I was like, “I’ll stay and watch these losers, they seem nice enough.” And nothing was ever the same again. Like, if there are certain key turns in my comedy and my musical comedy career – Juice Pigs is a huge one. And then, seeing Conchords, and just – again, it was that thing that we were talking about, like, no one’s told these guys how you’re supposed to do this. And, they would sit down on chairs, and then tune up. Like, the last thing you’re supposed to – which is the start of every jazz gig I’d ever been to, is, you get a polite round of applause for coming on stage, and then spend forty seconds going [vocalizes a tuning sound]. And – yeah, I can only imagine the first time I saw it, being like, “Oh God, I hope these guys know about the rough and tumble of musical comedy and how it’s supposed to work.” And, yeah, they – that first show – so, within a week I ended up playing some piano in their show. And, you know, it went from – that Edinburgh was a disaster, financially, for them, because it was – their 2002 Edinburgh was. Phil Nichol: Was it? David O’Doherty: Yeah, because every night, there would be seven to twelve comedians there, who’d all got in for free. But then – what, fourteen years later, we played Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, you know with Flight of the Conchords as the headline and me as the support act. And, so… Phil Nichol: Wow. David Tims: That’s incredible. David O’Doherty: Yeah. I mean, that’s just a pure triumph of talent, though. You know, with them, with some people in comedy, you kind of see – oh, wow, their agent pushed them to be an arena act, and people all started going to see them in arenas. But with Conchords – you know, they made so many anti-industry turns along the way. For example, by not making a third season of their TV show. Hollywood told them, “You’re finished,” and three years later, Bret won the Oscar for Best Song, for that Muppets song. So, stick to your guns, is the thing that I learned from them. David Tims: Yeah, I am that is an extraordinary – you’re absolutely right about the talent, though.
2023-11-14	Russell Howard's Wonderbox podcast	Episode 7, interview with John Oliver	Russell Howard and John Oliver	None	John Oliver, Russell Howard, Daniel Kitson, Jermaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Demetri Martin, Andy Zaltzman	Russell Howard: What’s next, in the old box [the figurative box of things you love]? John Oliver: I couldn’t work this one out. I would want something to make me think of Edinburgh. Right? Russell Howard: The Edinburgh Festival. John Oliver: So, as a physical object – I don’t know, it would be like, maybe like, the Pleasance pass, or something. But I think it to be more of a feeling. The feeling of walking up, like, a cobbled, steep hill. Cold, in August. Wet, in August. To perform to seven people in a hut. You would think from the outside that that is the description of a miserable walk. Whereas in fact, it’s about as happy as you can get. Russell Howard: Yeah, well I went this year, and to go to the Edinburgh Festival as a punter is really exciting. And you forget how much fun it is to kind of, cram in load of shows. John Oliver: Did you do any shows? Russell Howard: Nah. John Oliver: At all? Russell Howard: No. I just, I was there for five days. Just kind of watching stuff. It was just a reminder, as an old man walking around Edinburgh, seeing all these kind of young comics, and you just kind of got really giddy off their energy. And you go, “It’s little versions of us. Just kind of making their way in it all, and…” What’s great about the Edinburgh Festival, particularly for, kind of, America comics – you don’t really seem to have that, John Oliver: Definitely not. Russell Howard: where it’s this place that you can, where anybody can go – John Oliver: Absolutely. Yeah. Russell Howard: You don’t have to be invited. You just go there, do 28 days of shows, and figure out what kind of comic you want to be. Rather than, be allowed to go there. John Oliver: Yeah. Yeah, it’s the steepest learning curve you can possibly have. I learned – it’s the most consequential lessons, that I learned, in comedy. It’s kind of, going to university to be a comedian, right? Russell Howard: But particularly for you, because you – so we became friends – I never saw the iron twenty John, but I remember hearing about – John Oliver: [laughs] Yeah. I don’t know how iron-like that was. Russell Howard: No, but I never saw that guy. But I remember you doing The Comedy Zone – which, for people listening, is basically like, that’s the entry-level show that you do at that festival. And you had, like, a power twenty, about, like, EasyJet, and – John Oliver: Oh yeah, that’s right! Russell Howard: And then, when I met you, you were clearly figuring out what you now do. John Oliver: Yes, right. Exactly. It’s the perfect embodiment of that, Edinburgh. To realize you can, kind of, finish your – right. Bulletproof, to the extent that was true, which it wasn’t, but, you know, as close to a solid set of comedy that you can produce. At that point, you’re finished, really. So then, what are you going to do? You can keep doing that. There’s probably many cautionary tales that will show you that’s not the way to human happiness. And so then you start to break it. And that was where Edinburgh, for me, was so massively important. That you throw away that safety blanket, and then the next year you come back with a brand new hour. You’ve spent a number of years making that twenty minutes, now you have to spend eleven months making an hour. And you’re probably not ready for it, you probably shouldn’t be ready for it. For the system to work, for that learning curve to go up. You’ll learn hard lessons. Russell Howard: But you were always really fearless, that’s what I remember thinking. As somebody that was kind of – I was always looking at you as like, a couple of years up, at the school. And I was going, “How?” Because this will be inconceivable to people listening now. But, 2004? John Oliver: Yeah. Russell Howard: Like, people would walk out of that show. John Oliver: Oh, definitely. Russell Howard: But you knew what you wanted to do. It never seemed, outwardly, that you gave a shit. John Oliver: No. It was probably because I was treating it much more like a selfish exercise. I was really trying to get better. And so, it wasn’t so much the thrill you’d gain from entertaining people, because at many points I wasn’t entertaining anyone at all. It was more the utter thrill of feeling, “I’m getting better at this. I can feel it.” Russell Howard: But did you have – you had some shows where you just didn’t even make it all the way through. John Oliver: I had a 100% walkout. I started with four people, two left, so now you’ve got two people. A couple. This piece of shit guy abandons his wife. He turns to her and says, “I’m going to the toilet.” She looks at him with, like, a hard stare, as if to say, “It had better be the toilet.” I see, she doesn’t, he’s taken his bag with him. Not going to the toilet, mate, are you? You’re leaving your wife to this. So then, it’s just me and her for another five, six minutes. Russell Howard: Wow. John Oliver: And then I see her hand going down, like a kind of old West movie. To a gun – but no, it’s a handbag. She puts her fingers around it, and then I say, “You’re leaving, aren’t you?” And she said, “Yeah I am.” And she walks out, and then that Pleasance Below door kind of clicks shut. I remember the sound of the mechanism, the click of the lock. And then it’s just me in an empty room. With a technician. Russell Howard: So what are we, thirty minutes in? John Oliver: We’re about thirty minutes in. Russell Howard: So, what… John Oliver: And then the lighting guy said, “Do you want to keep going?” I said, “No, it feels like this gig’s just been shot in the head, mate.” Russell Howard: Yeah. But that’s what’s so funny about Edinburgh. And yet, I bet the night after that, you had a great show. It’s the oscillation between terrible and great. In the early days, you have no – I remember a comedian called Stef Paolini, and I remember being in the Pleasance Courtyard with him. And he had a half a pint in a pint glass. And I said, “How was the gig?” and he went, “Technically, I should still be in there.” And you’re like, “Wow. So hang on a minute. Not only have you finished your gig – you’ve gone to the bar, queued up, and drunk half of it. How short are we talking?” Pretty short, pretty short. John Oliver: Yeah, I know. You learn so many good lessons, though. I think, without – Russell Howard: Do you ever plan to go back? John Oliver: I would love to go back. But – Kitson, I remember once saying, when I was trying to plan – he said, “You just need to remember, it’s changed, right? A decade’s passed, right? This is not – well, more than a decade, wow. Like, nearly two decades, now. So, it’s not the same people, it’s not the same places. It’s different.” Russell Howard: Yeah. John Oliver: I think, once I’d got my head to the point of understanding – oh, it’s not going to – I’m not going to see the time capsule version of it – Russell Howard: Favorit. John Oliver: Exactly! Russell Howard: Favoit isn’t there. John Oliver: I was literally just going to say, it’s not going to be Jermaine, and Brett, and Demetri, at Favorit. I think, once I get my head around that, I think I can find some enjoyment in – oh, it’s a bunch of little Jermaines, everywhere. Russell Howard: Yeah. I loved it. I really enjoyed it. And also, I was there with Al Pitcher. And, what was fascinating this year, at the festival, everyone was talking about having ADHD. That seemed to be the strain that was going through. And Pitcher said, “These guys have got a real nerve, because I’m hanging out with the OG of ADHD.” Who the fuck are they to talk? John Oliver: Didn’t need a diagnosis. Bouncing off the walls, this one. Russell Howard: Yeah, absolutely. It reminded me of, like, staying in flats. We never stayed in a flat together. John Oliver: In Edinburgh? Russell Howard: Yeah. John Oliver: No, I’d have killed you. Russell Howard: But Zaltzman did. That was one of my highlights. I stayed in Edinburgh for two years with Andy. And that’s when I realized I had a problem. Because he would explain – he was like, “You’ve got your cup of tea. You’ve walked past the sink, and then you’ve put the tea bag on the floor there. I don’t understand – like, why have you gone past – you’ve gone past the bin, and you’ve just put it on the floor. What is fucking wrong with you?” And I said, “I don’t know, Andy. I just…” But I’ve got better, you’ll be pleased to know I got better. I had to have real help. John Oliver: Good for you. Russell Howard: Yeah. You know that scene in The Wolf of Wall Street, when DiCaprio has the orange juice and he just throws it? So me and Cerys watched that in the cinema, and she was like, “Fuck me, it’s you.” John Oliver: That is a harrowing thing to be compared to. “See that monster on screen? That absolute monster. You do that.” Russell Howard: Yeah, I was delighted.
2024-07-26	The Telegraph	Article: Russell Howard Trump didn't act presidential when he was shot it was like he was at a Blackpool hen do	Guy Kelly, based on an interview with Russell Howard	Milkshake Brigade	No specific ones besides Russell Howard were listed, but it specifies that their opposites were Noel Fielding and Russell Brand	In the early days, he carried a notebook everywhere, to consistently hone his set. "I was teased a lot. They’d go, ‘Got your notes, have you kid? What are you revising for?’ " Howard loved the battle-hardened ‘road dogs’ he’d compère and open for, and they took to him. Where he fitted in less was in the “rock ’n’ roll” scene of trendy Noughties comedians, who looked more like they should be fronting bands (Russell Brand and Noel Fielding led the charge) than clowning about. "There was a thing coined early on – me and my generation were ‘The Milkshake Brigade’, because we’d do Edinburgh and then go to an all-night cafe called Favorit and have milkshakes, while the rock ’n’ roll comics would go to a pub called The Penny Black, drink until the early hours, and perform the next day. They’d all be in skinny jeans and look like the Kings of Leon, while we just had milk around our chops." He laughs. He has never performed drunk or hungover, and never would. "I can’t think of anything worse, I’d just get all sad and angry. You’ve got 20,000 people listening to what you say, and everyone’s laughing, and you’re creating this moment, so to have your senses blurred in the middle of that would be crazy. I’d rather make notes than get wasted." A sensible man. And besides, if all the Noughties comics were lined up now, I say, it’s probably only ‘The Milkshake Brigade’ who are still going strong, all these years later. Howard gives this some consideration, flipping through a mental Rolodex. "Yeah, probably, thinking about it, you’re right."
2024-09-18 (but recorded at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, in August)	Russell Howard's Wonderbox podcast	Episode 51, interview with David O'Doherty	Russell Howard and David O'Doherty	None	David O'Doherty, Russell Howard, Taika Waititi, Bret McKenzie, Jermaine Clement, Chris Addison, Josie Long, Daniel Kitson, John Oliver	David O’Doherty: In 2002, I was really lost, from my own comedy point of view. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing. I had sort of a show, but I didn’t really know what I was trying to do with it. And, one night – it was in The Caves, and I was doing a Best of Irish compilation show. And there was another show afterwards, and I was like, “Ugh, I’m just feeling bad vibes. I’ll watch whatever crap this is.” And it was a show called Humour Beasts, which was Jermaine Clement – he would go on to be in Flight of the Conchords – and Taika Waititi – now Oscar-winning director. It was the best thing I’d ever seen. And then I was like – they said, “Oh, you should watch the next one then.” And the next one was Flight of the Conchords. And it was the greatest show I’d ever seen. It took over from the one I’d seen an hour before. Russell Howard: Yeah, well I remember that Fringe. And everybody just – it was a real word of mouth. I remember talking to Bret, and their posters arrived, I believe, two days after the festival finished. So, they didn’t even have posters. But it was just full of comics, wasn’t it? And it became this real… David O’Doherty: Yeah. It became this awkward thing where they were so broke, that every day, you get twenty comps, you can print them off. The idea being, you go up to people and you go, “Oh, if I give you one ticket, will the two of you come?” So, they were so broke, it was Bret McKenzie’s idea. He went – this is not on, to any young comics listening. But, he would go to the queue, for people queuing to buy actual tickets. And, as a tout, he would go up and say, “What are you guys looking for?” And people would be like, “Oh, have you got any tickets for Ross Noble or Bill Bailey?” And Bret would rummage in the envelope, and be like, “No, I have tickets for Flight of the Conchords.” And he was selling their free tickets for three quid. For money to buy sandwiches – to strangers. And one of the people he tried to sell it to was Karen Koren, who was boss of The Gilded Balloon. So she – she knew me because I’d been in So You Think You’re Funny with you, the competition. And she said, “I’m going to throw – I’ve told them to leave the festival. Do you know anything about these guys, Flight of the Conchords?” And I said to her, “I saw their show last night. It’s the best show I’ve ever seen.” And so, she went, “Oh, I…” Anyway. We argued, and she decided to give them a formal warning instead, and they stayed in the Fringe because of that. Russell Howard: Wow. David O’Doherty: Yeah, they did that whole year with no one coming. Except right at the end, they got a five-star review, and the last three nights were jammed. And that meant they came back the following year, and then they did one third year, and by then they had thirty songs, and they went and made the beautiful TV show, Flight of the Conchords. So, anyway, during that first run – we were all just lost, but then I really felt like I had found these New Zealanders, who were – you know, they were a step past me. And Taika, at the time, was doing this – was videoing stuff. He’d buy old Super 8 cameras and film stuff. But he would also – he bought an old Polaroid camera, here [in Edinburgh], that came with a load of old Polaroid films, and – I didn’t know about this, but with old Polaroid film, when it comes out, you have thirty seconds where if you have a paintbrush, you can manipulate the colour on it. You can make it in swirly patterns so it looks like a Monet painting. And he took a photo of – just a random building, I think it’s on Nicolson Street, and he gave that to me. And it’s my one memento that I have on the wall, and whenever I see it, I think about that time, where – and what this place [the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where this podcast episode was recorded], and this festival means to me. Because it was, you know, where that idiot kid that was writing to The Irish Times to let him cycle around Ireland – this is where I actually started to figure it out, then. And, yeah it was – Russell Howard: Does it still mean that to you now? David O’Doherty: Yeah, it really does. And then, to see the stuff – like, this week, Time Bandits has come out, which is Jermaine and Taika’s new TV show, I think it’s on Apple. It’s based on the movie Time Bandits. But the characters they’re playing – like, Jermaine’s playing a sort of devil type character, who’s like, “I will take over the world! Well, maybe not all the world. I’ll do what I can. You know, I’ll sort it out.” And it’s just like – wow, tonally, that is exactly what they were bringing to the 2002 Edinburgh Fringe. Which is a really New Zealand, dry, low-key thing, and that’s – I learned so much from them. And then it was amazing – the other bit of comedy paraphernalia is in 2016, I played piano with Conchords – sometimes I go on before them at gigs, and in 2016 we played Red Rocks in Denver. Russell Howard: Oh my God! David O’Doherty: Which is where U2 recorded Under a Blood Red Sky. So it’s a natural gorge, there’s about – Russell Howard: It’s beautiful, yeah. David O’Doherty: Ten or twelve thousand people there. Russell Howard: Wow. David O’Doherty: And walking on stage there, I was just thinking about the pizza oven that is The Caves down there. And you, me, Chris Addison, Josie Long, Daniel Kitson, watching them do their show, probably for the fourth time in that room. Russell Howard: Yeah. David O’Doherty: And just thinking, “How does no one know how incredible this is?” Russell Howard: [sings] Bowie’s in space… David O’Doherty: They stuck at it, and, yeah, people – Russell Howard: And The Bus Song finally made it to an album. Because, The Bus Song was always – like, that was John Oliver’s favourite. I remember me and him, we had a live recording that Mark Olver had done at a comedy night that they did in Bristol, where they stayed at Mark’s house, and Mark showed him all his Playboys. And I remember Bret saying to me, “He’s got a lot of Playboys.” But we had it. And that song is just the best. David O’Doherty: Yeah, it – do you know what I think I got from it was, that if you just stick to your guns – not that things will definitely work out for you, because we know loads of brilliant comedians who’ve never made that breakthrough. But if you stick to it, and it’s just so pure, someone, if luck falls the right way, grab onto it. And be like, “This needs to be on TV. This needs to tour.” Russell Howard: But it’s also hilarious that in this country, they were, you know, so red hot, so funny, and got nothing. And then, America were like, “Okay, we’ll give you an HBO series.” Where they weren’t known, and then that became, like, this massive, kind of hit. David O’Doherty: Yeah, but I think they would admit that – you know, this festival can be a bit of a sausage factory sometimes, as in trying to write a new show every year. But, it forced them to write these three great shows. Russell Howard: Yes. David O’Doherty: All of the songs that they’re most famous for – [sings] “What is wrong with the world today? What’s wrong with the world today? Na na na na na na na na na” [speaks] Was actually, they didn’t have a lyric for that, and they did it here one night, and people were like, “That’s the funniest line in the show. Where you mumble your R&B thing.” Russell Howard: [sings] I’m not crying, it’s just raining on my face… David O’Doherty: [joins in singing “it’s just raining on my face”] Russell Howard: I can’t think of a better way of ending it than that.
2024-12-29	The Bugle podcast	John and Andy Answer Your Questions!	Listener question (from Sarah - editor's note: I'm Sarah), discussed by Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver	Chocolate Milk Gang	Russell Howard, John Oliver, Daniel Kitson, David O'Doherty, Alun Cochrane (Andy Zaltzman reads this membership list from the 2007 Jay Richardson article on The List)	Andy Zaltzman: This comes from Sarah, who asks: "in the early 2000s, Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver were in an international of syndicate of comedians called the Chocolate Milk Gang. John Oliver: What? How is that true? Andy Zaltzman: This was news to me, John. I had to look this up. John Oliver: Chocolate Milk Gang? Andy Zaltzman: The Chocolate Milk Gang. John Oliver: That sounds like a kind of group that robs banks, and leaves chocolate milk in the vaults that once held gold bullions. Andy Zaltzman: Yeah. The only evidence I could find for this was an interview with Russell Howard - John Oliver: Oh, for fuck's sake. There you go, there's your culprit. Andy Zaltzman: Our comedic contemporary. But not our age contemporary, given that he's still, I think, about twenty-one years old. John Oliver: Yeah. Andy Zaltzman: Um, in which he was described as being part of the "Chocolate Milk Gang", which - it didn't mention me, it did mention you, Daniel Kitson, David O'Doherty, and I think Alun Cochrane, as "comedians who have turned away from the hard living, hard drinking lifestyle often associated with stand-up comedy". And were apparently known as the Chocolate Milk Gang. Now, I don't remember this phrase - John Oliver: No. Andy Zaltzman: From, you know, when - I mean, this article must have been at least from twenty years ago. The Chocolate Milk Gang. John Oliver: That feels like a label that has been stuck on us, rather than a label that we concocted ourselves. Also, one of the many reasons I think that that is built on nothing is that I'm not even a fan of chocolate milk, Andy. That would not be my drink of choice at any time. I don't know what the point of chocolate milk is, really. Andy Zaltzman: No. I mean, unless you've got a chocolate cow. I mean, what really is the point of it? Um - I mean, a chocolate mozzarella, I'd be up for that. I could see that working. John Oliver: Would you? Andy Zaltzman: If you get a chocolate buffalo, yeah. It depends on the texture, it's all about the texture. Anyway, and, um: "Accounts of the group's origins," Sarah continues, "tend to differ in specifics, such as who coined its name, whether they drank chocolate milk or milkshakes. Could you provide a definitive explanation? This question has been keeping me awake at night for a number of years," writes Sarah. John Oliver: That, I would - you need to sleep. There's your - I will say, I'm not a fan of chocolate milk, had not heard of this term, I think, like you, Andy, until recently. So, we're both in the clear, as far as I'm concerned. Andy Zaltzman: Right. John Oliver: Now, you've pointed the finger pretty strongly at Russell Howard there. Andy Zaltzman: Yeah. John Oliver: And I think it's incumbent upon him to fucking explain it. I would be not be surprised if that guy guzzled chocolate milk to a medically inadvisable extent. Andy Zaltzman: Yeah. I mean, when we all started comedy, I think he was probably too young to buy alcohol, so that might have been part of it.