Andrew Paresi
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| Andrew Paresi | |
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| Instrument(s) | Drums |
Andrew Paresi (aka Andrew McGibbon, Creighton Wheeler, Eric The Gardener, Raymond Sinclair) is an English comedian, actor, writer, musician and composer.
He has played drums with such artists as Peter Gabriel, Bucks Fizz, Sal Solo of Classix Nouveaux, My Bloody Valentine and Morrissey. With Morrissey he featured on the three albums Viva Hate (1988), Bona Drag (1989), and Kill Uncle (1991).
[edit] Sabbatical from drumming
While taking a sabbatical from drumming in 1993 to concentrate on writing and performing as a comic, Andrew created a number of characters for various BBC comedy shows in the UK across many TV and radio networks, most notably, Eric The Gardener and his dog Gripper (later to be immortalized by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy in the song "Eric The Gardener"); Raymond Sinclair and his Blo-Chap range of quality goods for the Discerning Gent; Creighton Wheeler, the legendary sufferer of "Splicers' Disease", a regular guest on BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends and later in two BBC series, Wheeler's Fortune and Wheeler's Wonder, and Major Hold-Ups - a spoof traffic reporter - who was also a WW1 flying ace - for The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Kevin Greening and Zoe Ball. (The characters appeared in many radio shows presented by Kevin Greening). He also appeared on television shows Dee Time for Channel 4 in 2003 as Creighton Wheeler, and a cameo in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer for BBC One.
[edit] Comedies
As well as performing, Andrew has written a number of comedies for BBC radio including Routemasters (1999) about a time-travelling art thief which starred Amanda Donohoe; I Think I've Got A Problem (2002-3, two series) the story of a man with a be-bop band living in his head, starring Bill Nighy, Bob Monkhouse and Suggs of British eighties pop group Madness; Dead Man Talking (2004) with English satirist John Bird interviewing dead celebrities, and The Pickerskill Detentions (2005) which he also directed, and is the story of a retired English master, played by Ian Richardson, recalling his most favourite detentions.
[edit] Recent work
In October 2005 Andrew wrote and presented I Was Morrissey's Drummer a warm-hearted, comical account of his time working with the ex-Smith's singer. It aired on BBC Radio 4.
In July 2006 Andrew directed and co-wrote with Nick Romero, Not Today, Thank You a comedy for BBC Radio 4 which starred Spinal Tap and The Simpsons legend Harry Shearer and featured UK veteran phone-in host Brian Hayes playing washed-up radio presenter 'Brian Hughes' forced to live in his grandmother's house with her six eccentric tenants. The show was described by The Guardian as "Larry Sanders on Acid" and "deeply surreal" and by The Times as "an eccentric half hour" with "old jokes and surreal tangents, underpinned by a love of words".
Another review from The Guardian entitled "Battle of the bores" brought about a different reaction "In Not Today, Thank You, Brian Hayes embarrasses himself and anyone who has the misfortune to tune in by participating in what you would think was unbroadcastably bad "comedy". Sounding as if he's reading from prompt cards held in the next studio, this part-sitcom, part-sketch show about a failed radio presenter called Brian is all rubbish. And no, postmodernism is not an excuse. The worst comedy on the network."
The same critic, Gareth McLean devoted another column to Not Today, Thank You in The Guardian on the 30th August 2006, heaping more scorn on the programme. "Only a fortnight old and it already feels as if it’s been on for months, such is the interminable, soul-destroying awfulness that emanates from the radio with every moment it is broadcast"
However the respected radio critic of The Daily Mail Susan Jeffreys, in her radio review of the 23rd September 2006 observed that this was "(the) last of this audience participation sitcom, with Brian Hayes turning in a great performance as a washed up radio presenter."
