Review – Two in the Think Tank
Two in the Think Tank has a simple premise: two comedians, Andy Matthews and Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall, have about an hour to brainstorm five or more sketch ideas. Whether they later plan to film and produce these sketches is not exactly clear, but it really doesn’t matter, because the pair are just plain funny to listen to. This is one of the few podcasts that will actually have me laughing out loud, in the middle of the street, while people give me weird looks, and for that alone it’s a solid recommendation. To get a taste for why, listen to them tease out an idea for a sketch, in just two minutes, about a caveman who accidentally invents an uzi. They don’t just explain they sketch, they give it details on the fly – you’re not exactly sure where they’re taking the story, and neither are they, and that’s what makes this podcast a little bit ingenious.
The other side of that coin is that it can be slow listening, at times, when the pair are exploring dead-end ideas or just having a conversation with each other. It’s always amusing, but you’re not getting laugh-a-minute comedy. So whether you’ll want to subscribe to this podcast is very dependent on how much you value the five or six moments of hilarity in an hour of silly, if entertaining, discussion. But it doesn’t hurt that these are two very funny, knowledgeable and charismatic hosts who are so in sync with one another that they can finish each others jokes and, sometimes, make up songs together on the fly. (Listen to the end for an example of their musical improv.) This is a great podcast if you’re interested in comedy and the creative process (upcoming comics, take note) and just generally if you feel like sitting in on a conversation between two talented stand-up comedians.
Andy and Alasdair are performing their stand-up shows from September 19 as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.