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Comedy in Oxford, a tough gig?

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The Glee Club in Oxford

This Saturday, I decided I was in need of a bit of comedy, so I decided to head to our local comedy haunt, The Glee Club on Hythe Bridge Street.  We were presented with 5 acts, all of whom were great, and one of the greatest joys of watching comedy there is that you have the option to order food, which comes to your (tiny) table, whether the act is on or off. This obviously means that planning a night out is immensely easy. In fact, since it is partnered with the Wahoo bar downstairs, you have a whole range of drinks as well as the option to head downstairs if you fancy a boogie after the act.

Of course, as the title suggests this wasn’t the main subject of this post. I love comedy and I have watched quite a few gigs in Oxford. Somehow every gig in Oxford, be it Stewart Lee or some chap who is just starting out, revolves around how posh Oxford is, how right wing it is (because David Cameron lives a town away) and how rich it is.

To be fair, there is a proportion of such people every where, and that is fine. However, going to watch great comedy gigs and listening the same thing over and over again, and it being your own fault somehow, is just not funny.

If it helps, Oxford is probably one of the most diverse populations I have ever been part of, and I am proud of it. Yes, we have a lot of students who can be rather posh. Yes, we have David Cameron in a neighbouring town. Yes, we have a lot of rich people living here. But we also have people who are barely earning minimum wage, we have people who have to work hard to survive, and we have people from all walks of life and all kinds of races.

While we are on the subject, and this isn’t purely related to the recent gig I saw, but dear comedians who are not white, thinking of Oxford as purely right wing is just not funny. Making racism based jokes is kind of old. Pointing at me in the audience and saying ‘you know what I mean’ is even worse.

So guys, please do come and gig in Oxford, but remember, we may be different from other towns, but we are still the same people at heart.

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