The Secret Reviewer #57: On the Record

Every month our clandestine critic reveals the murky truths behind that infamous trade, and live comedy generally. This month: Should you go public with grudges against other acts? at all. One day.

So farewell then, Tony Allen, one of the original alternative comics, who died a few days ago. I'm not old enough to remember that first wave at the time, and I'm not sure dedicated comedy critics even existed at the turn of the eighties, but imagine writing about that scene. It must have been like covering punk, that generation of young music hacks who became infamous later -...