Last modified on Tue 13 Jul 2021 02.10 EDT
In the early 90s, Manchesterâs cultural revolution was in full swing. âEverything was thriving,â remembers actor, writer and comedian John Thomson who grew up in Preston before studying drama at Manchester Polytechnic. Beyond the Haçienda, a comedy scene was growing in the cityâs pub rooms where Thomson made friends with Wythenshawe local Caroline Aherne. âIn Manchester at that time, there were a lot of funny people,â Thomson says. âCaroline was naturally funny.â
Aherneâs comic creation Mrs Merton, the elderly talk-show host treading the line between innocence and insult, had begun making appearances in the late 80s alongside Frank Sidebottom. Aherne was also performing as the Mitzi Goldberg Experience. âShe used to wear this awful acrylic, curly wig, and she put on a southern drawl. It was Dolly Parton of sorts,â Thomson recalls. âI think she had a guitar, but she couldnâ
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Last modified on Mon 8 Mar 2021 10.21 EST
The stage is an outlet for me, emotionally, physically – it’s a catharsis I need. I picture the live performance right away: it’s in the writing of the record itself. Before I was a musician I wanted to be a stage director, and the main thing in theatre is sharing a present moment with people gathered in a room. The audience is the last writer of the show – they finish it with their imagination.
I like the animalistic side of touring: it’s about being a nice beast on stage, you have to sniff things and feel things and adapt. I like the accidents, the awkwardness of it. It can be really humbling because you think you know your show, and then you learn it again because the audience reacts differently. I like the challenge – to prove myself on stage, to try to win people over. It’s almost like a Don Juan thing, every time you have to make love, and you have to find a different way.