You Are Nothing

by Robert Wringham

A history of Cluub Zarathustra, the 'viciously experimental' comedy cabaret of the 1990s, which featured stand-ups such as Stewart Lee, Simon Munnery, Lori Lixenberg, Richard Thomas, Roger Mann and Kevin Eldon. Features interviews with the cast and some of the few who actually saw the shows.

Genres: Comedy, Nonfiction

194 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

Reviews

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a chronicle of one of the most underrated comedy experiments in recent history. Probably. I don't know, I never saw them, but neither did many other people--which is why this book is a wonder for cutting through some of that mystique. You Are Nothing gets as close to an accurate representation of the group known as Cluub Zarathustra as anyone ever will, and maintains an informative yet light tone throughout the text. The author never takes its subject too seriously--yet this is a book about comedy, not a comedy book.

Wringham unpacks the ideologies and inspirations for the cabaret/alt-alt comedy style of the Cluub with ease and a scholarly touch. When he moves into discussing what can be remembered about the performances, the players, and content, he cites interviews and articles but asks the reader to keep in mind that these things happened about fifteen years ago and usually always in some state of inebriation. The self-deprecation about the content of this book serves as an unnecessary warning for those who are fans of the Cluub itself, or consequently Simon Munnery, Stewart Lee, Kevin Eldon, Sally Phillips, Richard Thomas, Roger Mann, Lori Lixenberg, etc, etc, the list goes on. Wringham sets up his thesis about the importance of the style and originality of the performances in the time they were set, and follows this throughout the book.

Even if you don't know the particular players featured in the Cluub, their approach to the theater, spectacle and performance is astonishing. Founded as an antidote to rock and roll comedy of the 90s and even as an alternative to the official alternative comedy scene (sort of), the Cluub was presided over by Simon Munnery's character The League Against Tedium. The League was a sort of insane (powerless) tyrant commanding the other actors and shouting aphorisms to a startled audience, who were always kept on their toes and never allowed to step out of line. "We aim to fascinate, not to entertain." What followed were all manners of sketches, poetry, opera, and various other performances that can't be related pithily.

Wringham also discusses the evolution of the ideas played with in the Cluub and how they found light in later projects; I particularly enjoyed the analysis of the two television shows that derived from the Cluub. The first was a pilot episode called Cluub Zarathustra, where a high production value only took away from the experience. Giving The League a legitimate platform instead of a dingy basement to pontificate in takes away from the original concept, causing a bit of a flop. Contrasted with the 6-part Attention Scum! which had an unheard of low budget with The League shouting off the top of a van at various groups of people in provincial towns. Although the show was cancelled before it even aired and hardly anyone watched it, it was nominated for a Rose D'or (I recommend finding it on YouTube!). The format (very Cluub, although not officially even though many of the key players were featured) works again here, possibly because the style was always meant to be on the edge of cult comedy.

This is a great read and a quick favorite as a big fan of many involved :) Also, if you're reading this or this book it probably means you are supporting the wonderful independent company Go Faster Stripe, which is always a brilliant thing.

[Rob Adey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and well-researched account of Simon Munnery's Cluub Zarathustra, featuring interviews with most of the major players.

I was surprised to find that while (like the author) I never saw the Cluub, I do seem to have seen a fair amount of its main elements on TV, albeit in mostly never-repeated shows like Fist of Fun, This Morning With Richard Not Judy, and of course Attention, Scum!. And this book makes me wish I had - clearly, the live element was crucial.

Kudos to Go Faster Stripe for putting this out; I hope they do more in this vein.

[Ross Maclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

About as complete a history of this under-written-about comedy phenomena as you’re likely to get. Unlike other books about better-known comedy, the challenge here is that Wringham has to write about comedy that hardly anyone saw so, by necessity, much labour is spent on having to put into words the thing before it can be talked about; there’s no easy shorthand available to conjure up a moment people have a familiarity with. So, it does an admirable job under difficult circumstances of both making the thing seem like something you would have wanted to see before explaining why you didn’t. With good access to the main players, unguarded anecdotes and good contextualisation, it’s like attending a memorial for someone you never knew but feel like you might have liked.

[Nelson Noven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book about British comedy, and I've read a LOT of books about British comedy. It stars all my favorite comedians, in their early days, doing the most unexpected things on stage.