A Most Noble Effort

By Caitlyn Hallman

Ross Noble

Most of you have probably never heard of Ross Noble.  You are all extremely deprived.   “How?” you may ask.  “How am I deprived?  I’m happy.  I’m healthy.  How has not hearing about some guy named Ross Noble been a detriment to my existence?”

While your life without Ross may have felt complete, it wasn’t.  I speak from experience.  Looking back on my life before Ross, it seems a dull, colorless place.  There were just so many jokes and laughs that I missed out on. Perhaps, I sound just a tad fanatical, but you will be too, after you have heard Ross Noble do his thing.

Ross Noble is a genius, a comedic genius, that is, not an evil genius, as he would be quick to point out, and the comedian’s first recording Ross Noble: Official Bootlegs Part I is the undeniable proof of it.  Recorded during a live performance at Brighton earlier this year, the CD provides a little taste a Noble’s very big talent.

Noble’s humor is surreal, taking ordinary situations and bending them just far enough to show their absurdity.  In Noble’s mind piglets make suitable replacements for plastic surgery, and ballroom dancers are actually serial killers.  Ross excels at improvisation and some of the best moments on the CD occur when he is bantering with the audience.   Unfortunately, Noble has a highly visible style and some of the jokes are lost with just audio, but the highly excitable and irreverent flavor of the show remains intact. Highlights include: the evil genius rift, the luminous monkey, the Padre Peel incident, and the Bon Jovi story.  Honestly, how can you not love a comedian who sings “Livin’ On a Prayer” as part of his act?

Like the best jokes, Ross’s comedy looses something in the retelling, so check out his web site (www.rossnoble.co.uk) to order the CD and find out more about what makes the man so special.