Glasgow Comedy Festival to Feature Alasdair Gray Tribute

A new collaboration has been established between the Glasgow International Comedy Festival and the Alasdair Gray archive, involving three comedians. The initiative aims to generate original and humorous new material. Ashley Storrie stated, “I think Alasdair Gray’s art is so comedic. There are so many different stories and faces and he archived all the idiosyncrasies he saw in a way which made sometimes daunting things seem quite funny.” Ashley Storrie, daughter of comedian Janey Godley, intends to concentrate on Gray’s murals, which she recalls observing during her childhood. She recounted, “I grew up in the east end of Glasgow and I think my parents were scared that I would be invited to a ball or a banquet and wouldn’t know how to eat, so they’d take me to the Ubiquitous Chip in case I ever found myself in a situation where I had more than one knife and fork. And I’m sure I met Alasdair Gray in those weird times.” Stand-up comedian Christopher Macarthur-Boyd also recounted an encounter with Alasdair Gray, during which he requested the artist to sign his copy of the novel Lanark. Macarthur-Boyd stated, “I remember thinking this was serious, weird, sexual, nightmarish dystopian fiction and then you realise it’s all around. It’s in Hillhead Underground and Oran Mor. There are traces of him everywhere. I am over the moon to be collaborating with the archive because he is one of my favourite artists in the world. He makes me proud to be a Glaswegian. He makes me proud to be Scottish and he makes me proud to be speccy.” Alan Bissett, who also met Alasdair Gray, has opted to base his creative work on a different interaction. The archive contains a photograph depicting Billy Connolly and Alasdair Gray at the 1981 launch of Gray’s significant novel Lanark, held at the Third Eye Centre. Bissett commented, “I’ve always been fascinated with that moment, two incredibly important Glaswegians who both take Glasgow as their subject matter but give them completely different treatments.” He further questioned, “How did Billy end up there, waiting to get his copy of the book signed, what did they talk about?” Given the lack of social media at the time, the details remain unknown, prompting Alan to develop a work that speculates on the events. He plans to portray both individuals in a brief stage performance. All three performances are scheduled to take place at Oran Mor in March, beneath Gray’s distinctive celestial ceiling artwork. This event commemorates Glasgow’s 850th anniversary and what would have been Alasdair Gray’s 90th birthday. Krista Macdonald, the director of the comedy festival, expressed her belief that circumstances have aligned favorably. Macdonald stated, “I’m not sure anyone else would have taken a chance on an event like this. It’s another link in that chain of making it feel like something that’s really meant to be happening. Glasgow is known for its comedy and Alasdair Gray is a titan of Glasgow culture. And this will be delivered in a way that we’ll have to wait and see – and that feels very Glasgow too.” Alasdair Gray passed away in 2019. Sorcha Gray, who serves as the custodian of his archive at the Whisky Bond in Glasgow, suggested that he would have found the comedy connection amusing. She remarked, “I guess he always wanted the focus to be on the work. But I can imagine his booming laugh at whatever they might come up with and I think he definitely would have been chuffed.” The event, titled “Gray Matters: A Laugh For Glasgow’s 850 Years,” is scheduled for March 23, 2025, at Oran Mor. The Glasgow International Comedy Festival is set to run from March 12 to March 30, 2025. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.