Ken Campbell
You really ought to know who Ken is.
(If you already know and you're just looking for my second Ken Campbell Page, click here!).
I was talking to Jason the other night (thank you, Jason for these pics of Ken) and he remarked upon a phenomenon
that you come across whenever you mention Ken Campbell to people. They
say 'Who's that?' and you have to think of a list of performances and
plays. It should be enough to say he's won the Olivier award, but you
really need to refer to either Fawlty Towers or In Sickness & In Health
for people to picture him. Then you have to explain the type of show he
puts on...!
The first time I saw Ken was in Fawlty Towers
In Wedding Anniversary, then in The Secret Policeman's Ball, then he just
kept popping up. He was the mentor of both Sylvester McCoy and Bob
Hoskins, both of whom were part of his roadshow.
DID YOU KNOW...?
Ken auditioned to be the Seventh Doctor in Doctor Who?
He also auditioned, I am led to believe, for Erasmus Microman in the
States, a role which eventually went to midget David Rappaport.
Beaten by his protegé again! (David was another member of the Roadshow, as was Janet Fielding, later to become Tegan in Doctor Who, and eventually Eight Doctor, Paul McGann's agent!).
Review: Violin Time
Arise, Sir Ken Campbell, nay the man should be a lord!
The man is a mad genius. Very entertaining, It was his face and voice
that made me laugh so much, and the delivery. And the wearing of a
tea-cosy on his head and David Mellor's teeth!
Violin Time was not really a play, more a collection of anecdotes (some
of which I suspect were untrue), mixed with esoterics quantum physics, an
infinite improbability drive [we know he's familiar with Douglas Adams] and an
old Stephen Fry joke. I would like to know what the carpet with the
picture of the person on it was for, since I was asleep when he explained
it!
I couldn't but help wondering what he'd be doing now if he'd been the
seventh Doctor.
Ken Anecdotes:
I walked down Old Park Avenue, Enfield on 6th September 1996, and saw a dead ringer for Ken. And he talked like him too. He must have a double. I hardly think it was likely to be him, though.
Ken has two offices. One is in The Anchor And Hope public house in Walthamstow, the other in the middle of an Island in Hackney Marshes. His indoor and outdoor offices.
Ken suggests you read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I've bought it but it's one of those books that looks very good on the shelf but too big to read.
I was watching Photographing Faries...on the 26th March 1998, and noticed that Ken Campbell's name was on the credits.
In a general list of thanks to.... among loads of other people. However numerous web searches suggest to me that there may be another Ken campbell (or even several).
Review: Violin Time
I saw Violin Time again at the Cottesloe Theatre
on Friday 25th October 1996.
He had Tiahua with him, plus a selection of merchandise, from which I was
able to buy both the text of Violin Time and a copy of Pigspurt, which I
only knew before from clips on television.
This version of Violin Time was different from the version we saw in
Barnet, with several bits removed, and several added - the book is
different again. The comment about his being reluctant to accept the term
'genius', because it means he'll have to make the next play even better
was out, and a new bit involving puppet ferrets was introduced, a
mistake, I suspect. A good time was had by all, and it seemed that Louise
Jameson and Alan Bennett were in the audience. But they could have been
lookalikes.
Ken: Other Sources:
I've now read Pigspurt, and it's explained a lot to me. I always wondered
why actors (Dirk Bogarde especially) had a good side. My good side is the
left of my face. Dirk says the same, and when he was a matinee idol, he
only allowed himself to be photographed from the left side, also
preferring to have the camera that side of him. When he came to play
serious or villainous roles, in Pinter scripts or works directed by
Joseph Losey, he would turn his right hand side toward the camera, which
he always thought of as much harsher than the matinee idol side.
I have just found an interview conducted by
Ian Dury from the programme Metro from about 1992. It has Ken describing
Pigspurt, then interviews with critics and Sylvester McCoy who apparently
said to Ken "When can I play Hamlet?" and Ken said "Just stuff these
ferrets down yer trousers". Another lie, I suspekt ;-)
Furthermore, it shows Ken in both his indoor and outdoor offices.
Ken Campbell's one-man shows:
Hail Eris,
Furtive Nudist,
Pigspurt,
Jamais Vu,
Mystery Bruises,
Violin Time,
Theatre Stories,
Ken Campbell Is Knocked Sideways,
Virus Dei
Violin Time
Theatre Stories
Makbed
I've now written a second Ken Page with updates, new pictures, and links to a couple of other sites..
Mail me about Ken: dfarmbrough@cix.co.uk.
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