Sanity Sunday :: Adam Buxton's BUG live at the GFT

There's no point in sugar coating this - I have been treated for depression on and off for more years than I can remember.  Currently, treatment status would be "on" but one of the best forms of helping me feel as if there is colour in my world doesn't come in the form of anything prescribed by my GP.  Finding things to smile about, getting out there and really living life - that is what is the best medicine for me.  My depression isn't something I shout from the rooftops, but at the same time it isn't something I feel I should hide.  It is what it is, and so occassionally I'll write these Sanity Sunday posts to either get something off my chest, explore an issue or celebrate the things that make me feel better.  And so this first post is one such celebration, as I got to see Adam Buxton doing his "Best of BUG" show live at the GFT in Glasgow.

I first discovered BUG in it's televised format on Sky last year, and was hooked from the first five minutes.  For the uninitiated, BUG is where Buxton shares some music video gems (though whilst some are gems for their creativity and artistic yums, some are just gems for all the wrong reasons) and sometimes dips into the quite frankly mental world of the comments left for them on YouTube.  All of this is done with Buxton's incredible delivery and comedic ability, and he also throws some of his own amazing music videos into the mix.  It's possibly the best thing I have ever seen on TV, and seeing it live was even better!

countdown to BUG!

Adam Buxton is an incredibly funny man, and unlike a lot of comedians he doesn't rely on shock or nastiness to get a laugh.  Obviously, he is poking fun at some of the ridiculous comments people leave on YouTube, but he lets their rudeness, arrogance or stupidity speak for itself.  His comedy doesn't leave you feeling uncomfortable, and I love not having to question my enjoyment.  He also knows how to tell a story, layering the details and building up to the punch line.  I could listen to him talk all night.

I thought the video selection was great.  That may seem an obvious statement given it was a "best of" and some of the acts (Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys, Passion Pit) were straight from my play list.  But even when the style of music wasn't something I'd chose to listen to I was still captivated by the videos.  In every case it was a video that perfectly suited the music, not just chosen for the visuals at the expense of the audio element.  And comedy aside, that is what I love about BUG - it celebrates music videos as an art form, something that is getting more and more muddied when all that any of the music channels seem to want to show are videos with the most sex and the least clothing.

The Milkman and I went with my friend and her other half, and they all seemed to think the show was amazing (obviously...I wouldn't associate with people with poor taste), but argued it was maybe too music heavy.  They wanted more comedy with shorter video clips.  I totally disagree with that, because the music is the point and there are other Adam Buxton shows with different agendas.  I think the balance was spot on, and I was very sad when the final segment came to an end.

BUG is actually performed bi-monthly at the BFI Southbank - if I make a trip down to London, it will have to coincide with one of those performances!  I don't know what I'll do in the meantime, as I'm not sure if it will be coming back to Sky...how do I fill the BUG shaped void in my life?!

Any other BUG fans out there?  Join me in a fangirl/boy moment in the comments...