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Get Loose, Get Loose!

5 Mar

© Loose Tapestries

An album of the music featured on Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy has just been released by Loose Tapestries, the band created by (and made up of) Noel and Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno.

It’s currently available as a MP3 download on Amazon and iTunes at the bargainful price of £7.49 (£7.99 on iTunes) for 22 tracks. As well as the properly excellent music from the series, the album also features the awesome Jellyfox narrative from episode 2 and other short audio clips from the show.

Thanks to those of you who alerted us to this; if we hear about any further merchandise releases connected to Luxury Comedy, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Stop Press: Non-UK Peelers can buy the Loose Tapestries album here (apparently)!

A Ball In New York: The Onion Aftermath

5 Mar

© Amnesty International

Last night saw the latest in a long line of Secret Policeman’s Ball events take place in New York City – the first time the Amnesty International fundraiser has taken place outside the UK.

The evening brought a cornucopia of comics together from both sides of the Atlantic, including a number of TVO favourites – plus a smattering of musical performances and video presentations from living legends to boot.  With live streaming (and premium rate broadcasting) across the USA via Epix, ahead of UK transmission on Friday March 9th and inevitable dvd/blu-ray releases, the night was a wonderful opportunity for American peelers to catch a glimpse of their favourites.

© Epix / Amnesty International

These included a reuniting of The Goth Detectives – namely Russell Brand and our very own Noel Fielding – for an exclusive set.  Their partnership was formed on The Big Fat Quiz Of The Yearin 2006, with a repeat performance in 2007′s edition and a set at the Teenage Cancer Trust shows that year.  As a result, their reunion has been a long time coming, and it appears to have pleased a lot of people on our Twitter stream!

Noel wasn’t the only TVO face involved, either.  Matt Berry performed a set with Anchorman star Paul Rudd, who is on record as a huge Snuffbox fan – appearing on the recent Region 1 dvd release of the show. Their sequence made a number of knowing references to Sarah Silverman, who had preceeded them (also a huge Boosh/Snuffbox fan and a Matt Berry collaborator), and culminated in the duo being heckled by Statler & Waldorf of The Muppets infamy!

© Getty Images

Chris O’Dowd was also on hand as part of an “Anonymous” sketch featuring Peter Serafinowicz, Tim Roth, Rachel Dratch and a surprise guest.  Alongside members of the Saturday Night Live team (including Lonely Island star Andy Samberg), the show also featured Hollywood star and Submarine exec producer Ben Stiller in a sequence alongside David Walliams, as well as routines from Eddie Izzard, Jack Whitehall, Mickey Flanagan, Jimmy Carr, John Oliver and many more – including individual video routines from Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Jones of Monty Python fame!

The very first Secret Policeman’s Ball took place 36 years ago – organised by Amnesty International and fellow Python John Cleese, and the 2006 edition featured Noel Fielding & Julian Barratt performing a condensed hybrid of “Pies” and “Pelt The Rabbit” from their then current live tour.

The shows aim to highlight the important work Amnesty does in highlighting human rights issues worldwide, and last night’s edition was no exception, as actor & director Maung Thura Zarganar of Myanmar explained how Amnesty International’s intervention released him from prison in 2009 after he was sent there for 11 years simply “for making jokes”.  You can find out more about their incredible work RIGHT HERE.

Friend of TVO, @Sasha Dove, attended last night’s event, and has sent us a write-up of her experience – battling public transport and having an impromptu reunion with the Pointy One… click “Continue reading”, to, you know…  (more…)

Plates To Feast Your Eyes On

2 Mar
© hooliganartdealer.com

Noel Fielding has created a brand new collection of his famous painted plates for purchase, featuring a vibrant selection of distinctive designs.

Each plate is unique and signed by Noel. Two sizes are available: Side Plates (21cm Diameter) and Large Plates (27cm Diameter).  To visit his art dealer’s website and view the full collection of Idiot Plates click here (prices available upon request).

If you prefer your art on canvas, check out the new additions to the range of handmade canvas prints also available at hooliganartdealer. It also includes new limited edition specials and signed prints.

With only one week more of Luxury Comedy to look forwards to, we reckon it’s time to save up and treat yourself!

Success At The NMEs!

1 Mar

© NME

For the handful of people that have managed to miss the news about last night’s NME Awards which has been floating around online today, here’s the scoop:

Booshniverse-related artists were up for three awards: Best Book (Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton), Best Film (Submarine) and Best TV Show (Never Mind the Buzzcocks). Success was seen in two of the three categories: Best Book and Best Film. Best TV Show was won by Fresh Meat. Thanks to all of you who voted.

Big, velvety congratulations to Noel Fielding and Dave Brown for the Best Book win and to Richard Ayoade for his award for Best Film. Sadly these awards weren’t given out on the night, so we didn’t get to see our boys up on stage collecting their gongs. Noel and Dave were at the event, however, and we had the joy of seeing Noel introduce Kasbian onstage, dressed as The Hitcher. This alone was worth the ticket price!

For the full list of winners and to more photos of the Awards visit NME.com. To watch the Awards in full, tune in to Channel 4 on Saturday (March 3) at 11.55pm (GMT). Half an hour of highlights will be shown on T4 at 9.25am (GMT) the same day.

And if you fancy a peek at Dave Brown’s snaps from the night take a look at his twitter photos.

Do You Have An Eye For Luxury Comedy?

26 Feb

Calling all fans of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy who possess something to draw or paint with and something to draw or paint on!

© E4

To say that Luxury Comedy is a visual feast is something of an understatement. It’s hardly surprising then that the show has inspired many fans to pick up their felt tips and get drawing.

We’ve been seeing all kinds of wonderful fan art based on and inspired by Luxury Comedy, and some of you have been kind enough to tweet us your pictures. We therefore thought it’d be a fitting tribute to the series to host a gallery of Luxury Comedy-related pictures, created by fans.

To coincide with the final show on 8th March we’ll be showing a selection of your art here on The Velvet Onion. So if you, or someone you know, has produced a sketch, painting, collage…in fact anything vaguely creative that’s connected to Luxury Comedy, please send it to us at submit@thevelvetonion.com by midday (GMT) on Wednesday 7th March. And we’ll share it with the world!

Please note that there’s no grand prize as such (beyond your creative output appearing on our hallowed home page, to be seen and admired by TVO acts and fans alike).  So come on then, what are you waiting for – it’s time to dig out the tin of Caran D’Ache!

If you’re in need of some midweek inspiration, then look no further that E4′s Luxury Comedy site, which features tons of (constantly updated) clips and pictures from the show. They’ve recently put up a selection of behind-the-scenes photos, which are well worth a look (like the one below!):

© E4

The Lim-IT-ed Crowd

24 Feb

© Qwertee / TomTragor

A limited edition t-shirt homage to The IT Crowd can now be yours to own via Qwertee.

The design, entitled Crowded by TomTragor, is available for just £8 (plus postage) until late on Saturday evening – whereupon it will be discontinued, and entered into the site’s voting system for a possible return.

Featuring a string of classic quotes from the show, and pixel versions of stars Chris O’Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, Chris Morris & Noel Fielding (sadly no Matt Berry!), the shirt is surely a must for any real-life Roy’s out there…

For your chance to own this tee, which has been given the IT Crowd’s official Twitter seal of approval, visit www.quertee.com now!

Luxury Comedy, TVOoh-yeah…

20 Feb

© Channel 4/Secret Peter

We have reminded, teased and shouted about it enough and now the day has finally come – here is our exclusive documentary from set of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy.

Velveteers took cameras, mics and their bodies over to the set and probed the cast & creators of the out-of-this-world E4 show.

Over the past few weeks we have been teasing you with clips, and now at long last, you can see the video below!

Let us know what you think and a huge thank you to Noel and the rest of his team in front of and behind the camera at Secret Peter for supporting us throughout the making of the show, and thanks to all of you amazing peelers for being so patient and loving of what we do.  This one’s for you.

Noel Joins Secret Policeman’s Ball

16 Feb

© amnesty international

It has been confirmed on Amnesty International’s Website that Noel Fielding will be joining Russell Brand and a host of US and UK stars for the first Secret Policeman’s Ball to be held outside the UK, at  New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, March 4, 2012!

Noel will be joining Coldplay, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Mumford & Sons, Russell Brand, Reggie Watts, Fred Armisen, Hannibal Buress, David Cross, Micky Flanagan, Bill Hader, Rashida Jones, Seth Meyers, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Samberg, Peter Serafinowicz, Sarah Silverman, Statler & Waldorf, Jason Sudeikis, Jack Whitehall and Kristen Wiig for the show which will celebrate free speech and Amnesty International’s 50th anniversary.

Noel is no stranger to The Secret Policeman’s Ball as he performed at the 2006 show with Julian Barratt. More names are expected to be added to the list, including Matt Berry and Chris O’Dowd who both appeared with Katherine Parkinson at the last Ball in London.

It was also announced today that UK fans will be able to watch the Ball on Channel 4 within days of the event itself.

There is also a competition for a UK stand-up to win a spot at the Ball, so if you fancy joining Noel on stage, hop over to the facebook page, where you can also find a competition to win a trip to the Ball if you don’t want to do stand-up! There is also a link to buy tickets.

Art For A Good Cause

11 Feb

© Mog/The Velvet Onion

The observant amongst you may have been wondering why Noel Fielding was being thanked for his support by a cancer charity yesterday. As you’d expect, The Velvet Onion has the answer…

On Thursday night an event was held in central London to raise money for Prostate Action. Noel’s vibrant canvases adorned the walls of the venue and he generously donated a share of the sale of his art and three canvas prints to the event. As Prostate Action tweeted earlier today, the money raised will enable them to train 8 GPs on the latest in prostate disease. Not a bad evening’s work!

We took the opportunity to grab some photos of the original collage-based artwork behind one of our favourite Luxury Comedy characters. As someone with a paintbrush once said, “Can you guess who it is yet?”

If you’d like to find out more about Prostate Action’s amazing work or to donate to the charity visit their website.

© Mog/The Velvet Onion

S(no)w Boosh!

8 Feb

© Universal Studios

TVO has been inundated with fans telling us that The Boosh Film is on the way once again, after an interview with Noel Fielding outside the Evening Standard Film Awards appeared online.

In the video posted by The Press Association, which has since been picked up by a variety of news websites, Noel commented: “I saw Julian yesterday [Monday], we went sledging together.  So we were talking about a Boosh where we should get together and do a film, finally!  There’ll definitely be sledging in the Boosh film, there’ll have to be won’t there?”

Naturally, we at The Velvet Onion must stress that talking about a Boosh film, and it actually happening are two very different things.  The film has been in discussion stages for a long time, first drafts have been half-written, and what we do know at present is that The Mighty Boosh are on hiatus whilst Noel & Julian concentrate on their own solo projects.

Whilst any news of the duo getting back together is positive, it’s good to remember that they have not broken up, nor have they fallen out – and of course, when they are together they will discuss the very thing that binds them.

The Boosh will return, but we just wanted to remind you that we may all be waiting a little while longer yet…

Noel’s Big Issue

7 Feb

© Getty Images

Noel Fielding features in this week’s Big Issue, the magazine sold by and supporting homeless and vulnerably-housed people.

Noel appears in the magazine’s regular feature in which a celebrity pens a letter to their younger self, often revealing fascinating insights about their youth. In the article Noel says, “I looked like a girl. I had long blond hair and was very skinny. I remember being in a pub with my mate when I was at college and a woman came up and asked him if he’d like to buy a rose for his girlfriend. I was furious.”

He adds, “I looked quite sweet but I was very shy. And I didn’t look cool – I wore some bad chavvy clothes and had a terrible wedge haircut. If I met the teenage me now and someone told me he’d go on to do stand-up comedy and be quite outgoing and be on telly, I’d think, no way. But I think I’d see a glimmer of hope in that boy’s eyes, a sign of the art student, the beads and the strange ponchos to come.”

To read the article in full please purchase a copy of this week’s Big Issue. With £1.25 of the cover price going directly to the vendor it’s an opportunity to put your fascination with Fielding to more altruistic use!

While we’re on the subject of Noel, the eagle-eyed amongst you may also have spotted that he presented an award at last night’s Evening Standard 2012 Film Awards. He attended the event with his art dealer, Tania Wade.

And finally, don’t forget that we’re only 47 hours away from the next episode of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy! At TVO Towers we’re bouncing with eager anticipation to see what joyful madness episode 3 will bring. Tune into E4 at 10pm on Thursday to see for yourself.

More Thomas and Way

4 Feb

© Tony Way Rhys Thomas

Rhys Thomas and Tony Way have completed their 5th podcast.

In this one the boys talk about school, sex, Scotland and many other things. If you want to know what Rhys really thinks about Mark Lamarr, here’s your chance.

Their scariest moments in Edinburgh are recounted in graphic detail. Hear the latest on Game of Thrones and there’s even a mention of Noel Fielding!

To listen to this hour-long chat, that proves that women aren’t the only ones who like a natter, click here and if you missed any of the previous ones they are all still available on the site.

Just a little tip, don’t listen while you’re eating and make sure the kids and Grandma are out of hearing range!

Luxury Round-Up: The Final!

3 Feb

The last couple of weeks have been rich and giddy with Noel Fielding news, thanks to his high profile media presence for the launch of Luxury Comedy. We’ve endeavoured to keep you in the loop throughout with regular updates, and while the launch phase is now winding down there are still a few new snippets to share with you.

© BBC

First up is an interview from Thursday with Richard Bacon on BBC 5Live. In the interview Noel talks about Luxury Comedy and people’s reaction to it, his book The Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton and why he and Julian always refused to compromise (amongst many other things!). You can listen to the show for a further 5 days on iPlayer; Noel appears at 0:40:49.

Noel also appeared on Lauren Laverne’s show on BBC 6Music on Thursday. He discusses the complexity of Luxury Comedy, his working relationship with Serge (Kasabian), and explains why he wants to crawl inside one of David Hockney’s paintings to sleep. The full interview is available as a free download here.

Then there’s a short section on Gemma Cairney’s show on BBC 1Xtra in which Noel talks about his favourite TV shows, past and present. You can listen to it by clicking here. Noel’s on at 1:11:40.

Finally, E4 are continuing to update their Luxury Comedy microsite and have just posted some fab behind-the-scenes photos from the show. Take a peek at them here.

© Channel 4/Secret Peter

As you may have spotted, the public response to episode 2 of the show, which aired last night, has been tremendously positive, with both fans and those who were initially less sure agreeing that this week’s episode was a blinder. If  you haven’t watched it yet it’s available on 4oD here; take a look, and then try telling us it’s not awesome!

Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Svetlana Kazimova for notifying us about the interview on 6Music and the E4 site update, and to Natashaax for the 1Xtra piece. Cheers ladies x

Luxury Comedy: Have Your Say About Episode 2

2 Feb

© Channel 4/Secret Peter

Last week’s launch post for Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy elicited more comments and more views than any other post we’ve published on The Velvet Onion. The views that were posted here were overwhelmingly positive, with a small smattering of negative comments to spice things up. Thanks to those of you who took the time to send us your reviews; they were appreciated by the team behind the show.

In the wider world beyond TVO Luxury Comedy provoked strong reactions of every type (surely better than no reaction!). So we thought it would be interesting to see how episode 2 stacks up for you lovely people. What did you think of the 2nd show in the series? Did it reinforce why you loved it or why you didn’t? How did it compare to episode 1? What were your favourite bits? Your favourite characters? Any that you missed this time around? We’d love to know what you think.

First though, some ground rules: It’s fine to not like something, but please keep your comments constructive. We won’t tolerate extreme personal attacks on the people behind Luxury Comedy, the fans of the show or the people who have taken the trouble to share their comments with us. Please respect this.

Incidentally, we won’t be doing this every week, but given how unique the show is we reckoned people might need at least a couple of episodes to figure things out – so we’re providing the opportunity for you to compare and contrast the first two.

So now it’s over to you. Let us know what you think about Luxury Comedy episode 2 in the Comments box below…

Luxury Returns

2 Feb

© Secret Peter / Channel 4

As we begin to round up our Luxury Comedy Takeover week, and put the finishing touches to our behind the scenes documentary, the worst kept secret in all of Booshdom has finally popped out today – Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy is to return next year.

Following ratings success and the majority of critics loving the show’s surreal aesthetic, E4 have ordered a second run for Noel & Nigel Coan’s madcap sketch show.

News outlets have started to pick up on the story, most notably DigitalSpy, who quoted Noel’s hopes to make the second series “more like a Wednesday morning”.  We can’t wait.

Meanwhile you can continue to see the first run of episodes premièring on E4 every Thursday night at 10pm.

Luxury Creativity – Behind The Art

2 Feb

© E4 / Ape Inc.

One of the most notable aspects of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy is how visually stunning it looks. TVO’s very own art-school Velveteer, Lauren Taylor, has created a mini-guide to some of their artistic inspirations, should any peelers wish to investigate further…

Luxury Comedy is clearly a highly visual affair. Noel and Nigel’s art school background providing a brilliant source for the artistic references weaved into the fabric of the show. Here then, is TVO’s very own mini-guide to a few of the artistic inspirations behind Luxury Comedy, beginning with one of the most obvious references in the show: the pop-art pioneer, Andy Warhol.

Probably most famous for that soup tin, which elbowed his Marilyn Monroe piece into second place in the recognisable images chart, Warhol’s studio – The Factory – was decidedly the most creative place to be in 1960’s America. His visual work was heavily based around consumerism, and how certain branded products are the same regardless of your financial status.

© Andy Warhol

While screenprinting was his medium of choice, as an ideal way to remove evidence of the artist’s involvement, Warhol also had notable success with photography, drawing, sculpture and film.

Though the vibrancy of some of Warhol’s pieces are not a million miles away from the visual look of Luxury Comedy, prehaps a stronger correlation can be drawn between their respective creative environments. Warhol surrounded himself with a range of artists, musicians, writers, and other creatives. Encouraging a level of collaboration not dissimilar from the many levels of creative practice that have gone into Luxury Comedy – music, animation, comedy, illustration…. the list is almost endless.

If you’re in the far south of the UK and want to know more about the Pop Art pioneer, De La Warr Pavillion in East Sussex is hosting ARTIST ROOMS On Tour with the Art Fund’s exhibition – Warhol Is Here – until 26th Feb. For readers across the Atlantic, there’s the dedicated Andy Warhol Museum in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pensylvania.  (more…)

Luxury Siblings Tease

2 Feb

A week has passed since the premier of  Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy – which means a few things to us: One, our Luxury Takeover is still going strong and as you must have noticed, we’ve still got many treats coming your way! Two, Thursdays mean we can look forward to the second episode in the series tonight on E4 at 10pm! And three, we’re that much closer to being able to release our coverage from when Velveteers went on site!

You can expect our video release to be shortly after the airing of episode three and to keep your buds whetted until then, here’s our third teaser from our time with the talents from Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy!

Onion Talking: Dolly Wells

2 Feb

Actress Dolly Wells is a welcome new addition to The Velvet Onion family. Last Thursday she burst onto our TV screens as Noel’s enigmatic neighbour in his new series, Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy. We had the good fortune of convincing Dolly to talk to us about her latest role and discuss what else she’s been up to. Velveteer Mog reports.

© Unknown

Dolly Wells gives out the kind of infectious energy that makes you feel like you’re actually vibrating following a conversation with her. She’s blessed with a pair of endless pins that will make her as envied as she is adored by Fielding fans, and she sparkles with an easy sense of fun that can fool you into thinking you’ve known her for years.

Is she prepared to be the new poster girls for the Boosh generation? “I’m not prepared, but I’d be very happy, it would be fantastic!” She laughs. Dolly is just beginning to appreciate the intensity of Noel’s admirers; the number of people following her on twitter recently accelerated with the announcement of her involvement in Luxury Comedy, and she was immediately showered with tweets about working with Noel. “I made the mistake of not really understanding it and answering questions individually, and now I’ve realised that it might take up a few too many hours of the day!”

Her character in the show is a German trendy, loosely based on Nico (vocal collaborator with The Velvet Underground); however Noel insisted that she kept her real name, much to her consternation. “That is completely Noel’s fault,” she says, “I kept saying ‘Can’t I be called something like Jana or another German name?’ and he said ‘No, Dolly is better’ and he and Nigel (Coan, Luxury Comedy director and animator) were absolutely certain that I was going to be called Dolly. I got really self-conscious about it, and in the early days of filming Tom Meeten enjoyed putting my name in every single sentence because I was so embarrassed about it. Now I feel fine, I’m quite happy about it.”

© Channel 4/Secret Peter

(more…)

Great APE

1 Feb

Today Dave Brown tweeted that new new photos of the Luxury Comedy posters he created were available to view on his website APE. Indeed they are, but we reckon these latest additions to Dave’s portfolio of work provide the perfect opportunity for you to check out everything else he’s done.

© Dave Brown

TVO readers will probably be most familiar with his creative output on Mighty Boosh projects, on which he often collaborated with Nigel Coan and Ivana Zorn of Nipple. This included the design work for The Boosh Live At Brixton DVD, The Future Sailors DVD and The Mighty Book of Boosh.

His more recent Booshniverse-related projects have included the photography and design work for Noel Fielding’s art book The Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton and the omnipresent Luxury Comedy ad campaign. Of the latter, Dave explains on his site how the colourful designs of the posters and their media environment play off each other: “Just as the show stands out amongst a sea of colourless, bland, reality based programmes on television, we used the colourful, engaging and highly original imagery of the show to pop out of the wintery, grey, urban landscapes they inhabited.”

© Dave Brown

Dave’s design work is distinguished by his bold use of colour and attention to detail, both of which make his designs ping out and poke you in the eye with their visual energy. Playful flavours of street art and childhood make him the perfect visualiser for the world of Boosh and everything that lies beyond it. We thoroughly recommend you take the time to take a look and see what else he’s been up to.

To read more about the talents that hide behind the gorilla mask, why not check out our interviews with Dave?  Here, here and here.

NME News Overload!

1 Feb

© NME

This week there’s a weighty chunk of NME-related news to tell you about!

The nominations have now been confirmed for the 2012 NME Awards, and voting is open! The Booshniverse features in several categories this year:

Best TV Programme  -  Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Best Film  -  Submarine
Best Book  -  The Scribblings of a Madcap Shambleton
Hero of the Year  -  Noel Fielding

And if you include Kasabian as honorary Booshniverse members due to Serge Pizzorno’s involvement in Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy, there are a few more!

To cast your vote visit NME’s awards site by clicking here.

What’s more, tickets for the awards show itself are now on sale. The event takes place on 29th February at the Brixton Academy in London; tickets are £22 plus booking fee, and are only open to over 18s. To book tickets visit See Tickets. And hurry, they’ll go quickly!

© NME

Our final helping of NME news for this week is the appearance of Noel Fielding in the current issue. It features the Q&A with Noel that we mentioned a few weeks back (and which some of you have been lucky enough to get your questions into!), and is being billed as “His weirdest interview yet”.

If you can’t lay your hands on a paper copy, to purchase the issue digitally here’s where to go.

There’s also a short video of Noel’s latest NME cover shoot and an interview with the man himself on NME’s website, in which he talks about Luxury Comedy and what’s next for him and Julian. Click here to view it.

Enjoy!

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