Steve Gribbin
Biography
The Early Years
Steve Gribbin was born in Mill Road Hospital in Liverpool in 1960, and went to St Marys Roman Catholic Grammar School For Boys in Crosby (run by the notorious Christian Brothers) until 1978.
He first appeared onstage at the age of 13 at Lytham St Annes in a talent competition. He came third behind a ventriloquist and a Donny Osmond impersonator. He was battered, but the performing bug had well and truly bitten
him.
Growing up in Liverpool his comic heroes were Les Dawson, The Beatles, Monty Python, Jake Thackeray, Joyce Grenfell, Terry Thomas, Ken Dodd, Mike Harding and Jasper Carrott .
Whilst at school he formed a rock band called Bandstand which played pubs, clubs, church halls and holiday camps.
Steve was the lead singer and bass player (later graduating on to rhythm guitar). They later changed their
name to The Heat. They played everywhere from Liverpool to The Wirral. In 1978 he went to Goldsmiths College, New Cross, London SE14 (past luminaries include Derek Hatton, Blur and Julian Clary) to study English Literature. Whilst there he met his future double act partner Brian Mulligan during one of the pauses in a Harold Pinter play.
He returned to Liverpool in 1981, but after a compulsory stint on the dole came back to London to study 20th Century European Literature at Queen Mary College.
The Skint Video Years
Upon leaving college in 1982, he did a succession of jobs, such as door-to-door salesman, shop worker, building labourer and factory hand, until May 1982 he formed the first version of his double act, SKINT VIDEO, who were very active on the then burgeoning Alternative Comedy scene.
After his original partner, John Ivens, left in 1983, Brian Mulligan escaped from The Harold Pinter play and joined up and the pair became fully professional in April 1984.
SKINT VIDEO went on to become one of the major stars of the then
burgeoning Alternative Comedy scene, touring with The Greatest Show On Legs, as well as countless others including Rory Bremner, Jenny Éclair, Paul Merton, Mark Thomas and Jeremy Hardy. They specialised in topical sketches interspersed with songs and a bit of stupid dancing, but their relentless touring made them hugely popular on the live circuit,
winning them the City Limits Act Of The Year in 1986. (Coming second and third in 1987 and 1988) .
They were also very active politically, during the Miners Strike and the
Red Wedge Tours of 1986 and 87 with Lenny Henry, Ben Elton, Robbie
Coltrane and Harry Enfield. They also did countless benefits for Amnesty
International, the Anti-Apartheid Movement, the Ambulance workers, SOGAT, and the FBU.
Regulars at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Glastonbury throughout the 1980s, SKINT VIDEO also found time to record four cassette-only albums Absolute Grinners (1986); Off Licence To Ill (1987); Chuckledusters
(1989) and You Want Some? (Live) (1992), as well as one proper album on
vinyl and cassette Rebels With a Chord (Celtic Music, 1990). They also released a single in 1987 called Cops On 45 which made NME Single Of The
Week.
SKINT VIDEO also appeared on many television and radio programmes, the most notable of which were the LWT flagship comedy show Saturday Live (1987), Open Space (BBC2), The Bandung File (Channel 4), Cabaret At Jongleurs (BBC2) and the first two series of The Mary Whitehouse Experience on Radio One (1989/90). They eventually did two series of their own show on Radio One called Songlines (1992 & 1993).
The Solo Years
The duo split amicably in 1993, and Steve got custody of the guitar and
the sandpaper vocals. Steve immediately began to perform solo, establishing himself as one of the top acts on the comedy circuit. Since 1993, Steve has notched up over 5000 gigs.
He has performed two one-man shows at The Edinburgh Festival, Natural
Born Kidder (1995) and Im Turning Into My Dad! (1999).
In 1992 he wrote a show with Linda Smith entitled Hello Cruel World!,
which they toured in Arts Centres, Theatres and Trade Union gigs throughout 1992 and 1993.Extracts from the show can be seen in the book I Think The Nurses are Stealing My Clothes (The Very Best of Linda Smith) (Hodder & Stoughton, 2006) .
Since 1993, he has been a regular member of the weekly topical show at The Comedy Store called The Cutting Edge, and has written over 500 original comedy songs.He also took part in the show touring South Africa in 2007 and 2008.
He has also appeared at The Glastonbury Festival 21 times, and The Reading & Leeds Festivals 12 times each.
He has also appeared at The Latitude Festival and Download.
His song about Oasis, which he performed at The Liverpool Dockers Benefit at The London Palladium Theatre in 1998 (shown as a Channel 4 documentary
later that same year) reputedly really pissed the Gallagher brothers off! Especially Noel.
In February 2003 he appeared at the ICA in London in a debate entitled The Uses of Satire with Martin Rowson, John Sargent and Edwina Currie.
He has written a new full length one man show every year for The Liverpool Comedy Festival.
These include Bugbears (2004), 50 Reasons To Carry On Living (2005), The Flag Burners Guide (2006), From Adolf To the Zutons (2007), From Adolf To the Zutons Part Two (2008), I Love The Bones Of Them: My Liverpool Heroes (2009) and Laugh At First sight (2010)
Officially Released Albums
Steve has also recorded five albums:
Unwrapped (Vital Music, 1994)
In Bulk!(Houllier Records, 2001)
Made Up! (Chokka records 2003)
Do One!(Comedy Store Records, 2006)
Behave! (Lost Dog Recordings, 2010)
DVDs
In March 2005 he released a DVD recorded at the Rawhide Comedy Club in
Liverpool entitled Cob On!
He also appears on a DVD entitled One Night In Rawhide released in
2008.
Televisual Appearances
Sunday Best (ITV, 1994)
The Warehouse (YTV, 1995)
Saturday Special (TVS, 1995) Wowfabgroovy (Channel 5, 1995)
The Comedy Gang (Scottish Television, 1995)
The Comedy Store (2 programmes, Channel 5, 1995 & 1996)
Late Night Live At Westminster (BBC2 1997)
The Comedy Store (2 programmes, 1998 & 1999, Paramount Comedy)
Days Like These (ITV Sitcom, 1999)
Why Did The Chicken? (HTV Wales)
Live from the Laughter Lounge, Dublin (RTE1, 2000)
Newsnight (Election Night Special, May 2001)
'Live From the Reading Festival' (LWT August 2005)
Radiophonic Appearances
The Treatment (Radio 5 Live12 appearances 1996-2000)
Four At The Store (Radio 4, four appearances)
Strange Tales (Radio1, 1995)
Loose Talk (Radio 1, 1995),
The Comedy Network (Radio 1,1995)
Jammin (Radio 2, three appearances 2002 2003 & 2005) Half Sketch
(Radio 2, 3 series 2000, 2002 & 2004).
The Jeremy Nicholas Show (Londons GLR 1995-1996) writing a total of 56 original comedy songs and providing a weekly Whats On guide to comedy Womans Hour (Radio 4) in August 2003 he appeared on the programme debating sexism and laddishness in modern comedy with Jenni Murray and Kate Copstick.
Loose Ends (Radio 4)
Since April 1998, he has appeared on the Radio 4 flagship arts programme
sixteen times, including twice live from The Glastonbury Festival.
'Big Toe (Radio 7)...December 2002
He has performed at the Glastonbury Festival 21 times, and has appeared
three times on the Radio 4 programme broadcast from there, Four In A Field
(2002, 2003, 2004). The Jeremy Vine Show (Radio 2) in 2003 debating the sexiness (or not) of British politicians .
Mark Steel: Dedicated Troublemaker (Radio 4, September 2004)
The News Quiz (Radio 4) in June 2005this also appeared on Radio 4s
Pick Of The Year in December 2005 and on The Best of The News Quiz 2005,
BBC Records)
He wrote and performed his own show on Radio 4 called Its A Dads Life!
as part of the Happy Families Series in September 2005. (Repeated January 2006)
In March 2006 he appeared on The Blame Game for BBC Radio Ulster
He appeared on Ticklish Tunes (Radio 4) a history of musical comedy, in
April 2006.
In November 2006 he appeared on Round Table on BBC Radio 6 with Stuart
Maconie
In January 2008 he appeared on Radio Five Live debating Liverpools stature as European City of Culture with Nicky Campbell . In April 2008 he recorded an hour-long broadcast of his show about
Liverpool history, From Adolf To The Zutons for BBC Radio Merseyside
Throughout 2008 he appeared 6 times on Brian Reades show on Liverpools
City Talk, performing songs especially written for the show
From 2004 he has appeared on Spencer Leighs show on BBC Radio Merseyside
8 times.
Writing
In December 1997, Steve wrote the lyrics and the music for a song on The Russ Abbott Christmas Special called The Spice Boys. Steve wrote for the BBC Radio 4 programme Weekending from 1994-1999
He co-wrote (with David Spicer) RTFP (Radio 4) a panel game featuring Mark Little as chairman and Ed Byrne and John Moloney as Team captains, in 1999.
He also devised (himself) and co-wrote (with Phil Davy) a series for Radio 4 in 1998 and 1999 called The Worriers. In 1991 he co-wrote (with Brian Mulligan, his partner in Skint Video) several songs with Tom Robinson, one of which I Just Wanna Be Loved By You became a minor hit in Europe.
Skint Video also recorded a single produced by Norman Cook in 1988
entitled Safe In Their Hands which was never released.
Future Plans
Steve is touring his new one-man show Laugh At First Sight: Steve Gribbin's 25 Year Love Affair With Comedy throughout the UK from October 2010 to May 2011
Reviews
You'll be hard-pressed to find anyone more instantly likeable than Gribbin, and his music-which is often topical-is sheer class.
LONDON EVENING STANDARD
Don't be fooled by his friendly, cuddly exterior because underneath there lurks a perverse comic mind. He takes no prisoners in his act, in which he mixes his wicked patter with brilliant topical songs that will reverberate around your mind for weeks. CITY LIFE
Steve Gribbin plays with so much verve and commitment the hed probably
burst into flames-if he didnt sweat so much! The most reliable rabble-rouser around a very funny wee man.
MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
Steve Gribbin has become one of the most acerbic political comics on the
circuit, with an affable stage persona that belies his ruthlessly satirical songs. Gribbin never loses his temper or his sense of humour, yet these savage ditties are inspired by proper passionthe stuff he digs up just gets better all the time. A trenchant treat.
THE GUARDIAN
You can count the number of truly imaginative comic singers currently on the circuit on the fingers of one hand. One of this select band is Steve Gribbin. TIME OUT
Satirical songs are hard to pull off successfully, but if anyone can do
it, Steve Gribbin can. In fact, he pulls it off with real aplomb. THE INDEPENDENT
One of Britains finest comedians...Steve Gribbin writes top quality gags and storming comic songs. Every time you see him it feels fresh and special, the tell-tale sign of a
great comic. Get down and see him tonight. I guarantee youll laugh till you dribble.
THE LIVERPOOL ECHO
A fantastically funny little manthough, given the acidity of some of
his biting asides, Im surprised
he wasnt beaten to a pulp in the car park! Probably because no matter how
cutting the remark,
Gribbin always has a wicked grin all over his face!
THE CROSBY HERALD
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