Frankie says relax! | Julie Daunt

It’s just a joke, after all. Julie Daunt reviews Frankie Boyle’s recent (and possibly last) comedy tour.

Paedophiles, Michael Jackson, masturbating, sex, violence, drinking, Peter Kay and Scotland. These are just a few of the topics covered by notorious comedian Frankie Boyle on his The Last Days of Sodom tour which came to the Cork Opera House on December 9th. The moment the Glaswegian walked onto the stage, he held back no punches. No topic was left safely untouched. This tour was apparently Frankie’s last circuit as he is retiring from comedy to spend more time with his family. However, he also said that the last time in 2010 after his “I Would Happily Punch Every One of You in the Face” tour. I personally don’t think it’ll be his last. However, if this is to be the last time the Scot will grace our stages, then he certainly went out with a bang.The show was supported by Canadian comedian Craig Campbell and with Frankie headlining the show he had his work cut out for him. However, after a slightly unenthusiastic start, he found his stride and soon had us laughing at every word he said. While his jokes did not have the same wit and sharpness as Frankie’s one-liners, Campbell’s brand of comedy consisted of recalling his childhood and Halloween in Canada, taking mushrooms for the first time and getting off on the side of an Alaskan mountain. Boyle is a tough act to compete with, but I think Campbell held his ground. He was certainly more animated than Boyle and I think the two complemented each other well.When Frankie finally appeared, he immediately ridiculed members of the front row (thankfully I was sitting in the back - with my pink hair, I would have been an easy target!). He then launched into attacks on Channel 4, the BBC and Peter Kay. Within moments he had me watching the show through my hands and believing I was going to hell for laughing at his jokes. Some of his longer gags consisted of Michael Jackson’s Children’s Hospital, where Frankie pretended to be a heavily drugged up Jackson gruffly talking about the proposed hospital and its “benefits”. He discussed the Olympics and the torch passing through Glasgow “which was followed by a heroin addict carrying a giant spoon”.One thing I noticed throughout Frankie’s performance was how many of his jokes revolved about his recent controversies, such as his court case against the Daily Mirror, his comment about Harvey Price and his alleged tax evasion. In mentioning these topics, Frankie appeared to be almost defending himself. He kept saying how his jokes were just “what ifs” and scenarios that weren’t real and shouldn’t be taken so seriously. He stated he had strong political beliefs, how he was completely anti-war and how he was felt his comedy should make light of the facts and failings of the government. His defensive comments made me see something that I never thought I’d see in Frankie Boyle: a touch of humanity, that the cut-throat comedian is really human and has a heart beneath his acerbic persona. He showed he had emotion and that he is affected by what others and the papers say about him.Overall, I expected to be completely shocked by Frankie’s performance and the comedian certainly lived up to this expectation. However, I also left feeling sympathetic towards him. While his comedy may be regarded as too repulsive and too far for many people, I believe that that is the point of it. Frankie deliberately goes against the grain to make his opinions known. As Frankie argued, perhaps the world has become too serious, censored and safe. Perhaps we need to be taken out of our comfort zone and see the funny side to life again.