Richard Strange hosts his very own monthly live chat show for Quintessentially Soho in the chapel of St Barnabas. 1 Greek Street, London, W1D 4BA.

For these events, called “A Mighty Big If”, Richard invites guests from the worlds of music, theatre, literature, comedy, art and film to come for an informal chat and to answer questions from members of the audience. In addition to interviews there is live music from some of the most interesting and amusing performers of the day.

Recent guests have included Mike Figgis, Gavin Turk, Cornelia Parker, Simon Day and Robert Elms.

 

The evenings start at 7.45 and run till 9.30, and the next scheduled evening is November 24^th.

Would everyone who would like to be added to the mailing list for future shows kindly send their email addresses to amightybigif@aol.com

many thanks Richard x

 

RICHARD WRITES ABOUT PAST SHOWS

Tuesday June 28th was another amazing evening of chat and music.

My first guest was the man with 9 lives, and two jobs….Robin Denselow.  He is The BBC Newsnight War Correspondent AND The Guardian Music Critic.  He amused and astonished us with terrifying and amusing tales from thirty years of covering war zones, dictators and comatose rock stars, and it was fascinating to follow his career trajectory from aspiring folkie to Panorama and Newsnight.

The comedian SIMON DAY, star of The Fast Show, Bellamy’s People, Tommy Cockles and Down The Line, has been on a similarly nail-biting and gut-wrenching journey, but his battles have tended to be with himself and his addictions. A charming, modest and totally compelling interviewee, he read from his memoir “Comedy and Error” and had us in stitches with stories  covering every subject from bed-wetting to Magic Mushroom picking.

A full house enjoyed this unusual but rivetting pair of guests

The evening was made possible thanks to the generous support of  Francois Lavergne Champagne and Don Boyd/HiBrow Productions.

The show on April 28th, featured two old friends who delighted the full house with their lucidity, their passion and their knowledge..

The award-winning artist Cornelia Parker OBE

Of her work she said,

“I resurrect things that have been killed off… My work is all about the potential of materials – even when it looks like they’ve lost all possibilities”

and writer, film maker, poet and ex-Skid, the legendary Richard Jobson, who famously said

“Ahoy! ahoy! land, sea and sky

Ahoy! ahoy! boy, man and soldier

Ahoy! ahoy! deceived and then punctured

Ahoy! ahoy! long may they die”

(Into The Valley)

They were a total delight, and so were my lively audience

***************************************************************

March 24th was arguably best evening so far, Two Great British Mavericks in tandem

We were joined by the award-winning British Artist GAVIN TURK who amused and inspired us, and the multi-talented Film  director/photographer/musician and polemicist MIKE FIGGIS whose stories and insights were nothing short of revelatory.

 

David Coulter and I played two songs, Figgis blew his trumpet with great elan on one, Francois Lavergne lubricated the evening with his delicious champagne, in from France that very day.

Gary Kemp and Don Boyd filmed the whole evening for  www.HiBrow.tv and we all left exhausted but elated. A full house  made the evening unforgettable.

Thank you all and thank you David Villiers and Hollie at Quintessentially Soho.

NOW!!!   Generously sponsored by Francois Lavergne Champagne and

MyBrand Manotsuru White Japanese Sake.

 

*******************************************************************

What a brilliant evening February 24th was.

My guests were JAMES RHODES and MARK BORKOWSKI

Disturbed and dangerous, the British piano genius JAMES RHODES is currently taking the world of classical music by storm, by taking Bach and Chopin “to the limit”.

Possibly the only man in Britain with the name Sergei Rachmaninov tattooed on his arm in Cyrillic letters, his critically acclaimed album Razor Blades, Little Pills and Big Pianos, ensured his nomination as a Classical Brit nominee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbJ2FQB_nOg&feature=related

His interview and his interpretation of Bach on an unfamiliar electric piano were nothing short of mesmerising.

For MARK BORKOWSKI, it all began, over 20 years ago, by telling a great story…

Since telling that story, the PR maverick has represented countless clients including Eddie Izzard, Cliff Richard, Shirley Bassey, the Bolshoi Ballet, Cirque du Soleil, Michael Jackson, Mikhael Gorbachev and Diego Maradona.

Jeremy Paxman announced to the nation on Newsnight ‘Mark Borkowski is the proud inheritor of the Barnum tradition of publicity’.

A true original in a world of weasel words and mealy mouths, today Borkowski is a brand communication agency. “I campaign for the power of the crowd;” he says “to harness that influence. Everything we do must tap into what motivates and drives the herd.”

He spoke wisely and entertainingly about the fame-fixated world we live in, and owned up to perpetrating some of the most outrageous and amusing stunts of the last 20 years.  I urge you to buy his book The Fame Formula.

***********************************************************

I so enjoyed A MIGHTY BIG IF on Thursday 27th January.

What a treat to have the opportunity to interview London’s favourite broadcaster, ROBERT ELMS, having been on the receiving end of HIS probing on several occasions.  He didn’t disappoint…charming, funny,and insightful. And how lovely that his old muckers Gary Kemp and Steve Dagger came along to wave the flag.  SIMON COSTIN, the jeweller, art director and driving force behind the establishment of the Museum Of British Folklore was a treat, sharing the rich and fascinating minutiae of his career and his hopes and dreams for the Museum., The amazingly talented singer songwriter LAIL ARAD, who has delighted crowds at Cabaret Futura and Songs From  a Room many times over the last year with her witty, bittersweet songs and irresistible delivery beguiled the audience with four songs, and was in better voice than ever. My thanks to all my guests and to those who came along and were lucky enough to hear three talented, original and engaging individuals.

 

****************************************************************

Many thanks to the wonderful guests who braved the Arctic blasts and graced my show on Monday December 20th, too. I was delighted to welcome the film-maker ALISON JACKSON (BBC TV’s DoubleTake, The South Bank Show’s Alison Jackson on Warhol etc), taking a well-earned breather from her hectic End-Of-Year Round-Up schedule to come in for chat and to show some exclusive clips. I shall be providing some music for her End Of Year roundup on Sky TV.

The novelist NED BEAUMAN came in to talk about his critically-acclaimed debut novel Boxer, Beetle, recently published by Sceptre. Ned’s background is in journalism, having worked as Online Editor at Dazed & Confused, Commissioning Editor at Another Man, and a comics columnist for Guardian.co.uk ……warning: he is VERY amusing!!

Music was provided by the lovely Kate Daisy Grant, whose quirky set and ethereal voice beguiled last month’s audience at Cabaret Futura and sounded amazing in the lovely Church of St Barnabas. Even her dog was transfixed!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends at Quintessentially for their help and support over these first 4 shows, and for inviting me to continue A MIGHTY BIG IF in 2011.

 

My guests so far:

Michael Nyman

Mick Brown

Hyperpotamus

Brian Clarke

Lucinda Belle

John Leckie

Kate Daisy Grant

Alison Jackson

Ned Beauman

Robert Elms

Lail Arad

Simon Costin

James Rhodes

Mark Borkowsi

Gavin Turk

David Coulter

Mike Figgis

Cornelia Parker OBE

Richard Jobson

Robin Denselow

Simon Day

Open to non-members,

FREE ADMISSION

Profits to St Barnabas Charity for The Homeless.

Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=108412719222828

Please book quickly by contacting amightybigif@aol.com, as capacity is limited.

Entry through the chapel’s Manette Street entrance, down the side of Foyle’s. or through 1 Greek Street , W1D 4BA. corner of Soho Square.