Dave Allen on Life

This is basically a compilation of the excellent stand up series Dave Allen did for the BBC back in 1989.

The series where political pressure from Tory politicians and the right wing media made the BBC issue an apology. Allen used a four letter word in one of the shows.

I mention this because I read a review on another site where someone stated that Allen was funny before the political correctness climate got hold. So as I said right wing politicians and the media jumped on Allen and the BBC.

Well Allen was alternative before the alternative comedians of the 1980s and politically correct before those terms were castigated by imbeciles who have no idea what it means.

Allen's various stand up material takes a sideways look at life. By this time his kids have grown up and Allen had basically retired from showbiz a few years earlier.

He still manages to catch the earliest days of mobile phone use, hoping someone talking on a phone on the street might walk into a lamppost.

There are the horrors of mumbling teenagers talking on a phone. The dangers lurking on pavements, dog muck. Trying to deal with shrink wrap plastic.

Allen's half hour stand up format worked better for me. The 90 minutes compilation means it is better to take a few breaks. Although the material goes back to 1989, a lot of it has not aged much at all.

Just goes to show that in many ways Allen was ahead of his time. I mean he was even right about the Catholic church.